The museum is under the surveillance of the Archaeological Deparment of the State. The museum and the art gallery are named after the great Pazhassiraja Kerala Varma of the Padinjare Kovilakom of the Kottayam Royal Family. The famous 'Pazhassi Revolt' (against the British East India Company during the second half of the 1700s) was led by Pazhassiraja.
Nicknamed the 'Lion of Kerala', Pazhassiraja is also credited with introducing guerilla warfare in the hills of Wayanad to resist the increasingly intolerable British colonialism. This great freedom fighter was shot dead in an encounter on 30 November 1805 AD.
Display Sections The Displayed Antiques On display in the museum are ancient murals, antique bronzes and coins, megalithic relics such as diamond cysts, temple miniatures and umbrella stones. Adjacent to the museum is the Art Gallery, which exhibits an excellent collection of paintings by Raja Ravi Varma and Raja Raja Varma.