Kochi: Palace floors royals
Dutch King unveils map of Kerala prepared centuries ago.
Kochi: The Netherlands and India will continue with the time-tested path of mutual cooperation, King Willem-Alexander said here on Thursday.
The Dutch King, accompanied by Queen Maxima, was speaking at the Dutch Palace at Mattanchery where he began his two-day visit to Kerala.
The royal couple was received by ports and museums minister Kadannappally Ramachandran and Kochi Mayor Soumini Jain at the palace.
The royal couple was taken around the reception hall, coronation hall, the sleeping quarters of kings and palanquin of the palace originally built by the Portuguese in 1555. The King expressed his amazement at the structure, architecture and carvings of the palace.
The couple also attended a seminar on ‘India and Netherlands: Yesterday, today and tomorrow.’ The two also saw a documentary film on contributions made by Dutch during their hegemony in Kochi.
The King inaugurated the display of the map of Kerala prepared by the Dutch centuries ago. The Netherlands archives took the initiative for installing the maps in the gallery.