On one of my visits to Ernakulum a few years ago, my friend just drove me to the water front at Fort Cochin. It was really an interesting place unlike the noisy congested Ernakulum city a few kilometers away. The water front was bustling with activity. The chinese fishing nets hauling in fresh fish. Tiny stalls along the waterfront offering a variety of freshly cooked fish delicacies. As you walk along the water front, you have giant cargo ships gliding past to and from the cochin harbour to the open seas beyond. As you sit around you are greeted by beautiful sunsets. The setting red sun behind a row of huge chinese fishing nets is truly magical. As we drove around Vasco Da Gama square we came across narrow streets with neat buildings which belonged to the British and Portugese era. A church where Vasco Da Gama was laid to rest was just around the corner. Old large palatial business houses were lying more or less abandoned further along the water front. I instantly fell in love with the place. At that time I vowed to come back and explore this place.
I finally did come back last week equipped with my camera, and I don't regret it one bit. It was a fascinating journey back in time which I would like to share with you. I never realized at that time that this place was so rich in history, right back to the time of Kubilai Khan dating back to the 14th century.
The eventful history of this city began when a major flood in AD 1341 threw open the estuary at Kochi, till then a land locked region, turning it into one of the finest natural harbours in the world. Till then Kodungallur, was the main trading port of ancient India’s spice trade with Europe and West Asia for many centuries. In 1341, a great flood in the Periyar river blocked the harbour at Kodungallur. Traders panicked and scrambled to find ways to keep their flow of money and goods intact. They used the Kozhikode harbour some 170km north for some time. But Kodungallur harbor showed no signs of opening up. There was no way these traders could bank their ships there. Just then somebody discovered this new harbor where there was none before. Ironically, the same flood which had closed the Kodungallur harbor had opened the Kochi harbor. Consequently, much of Kodungallur’s trade shifted to this new harbour, today’s Fort Kochi. The royal family transferred here from Muziris in 1405,after which the city grew rapidly,attracting Christian,Arab and Jewish settlers from the Middle East. Its name probably derives from kocchazhi, the new, or small,harbor.
Kochi was a fishing village in the Kingdom of Kochi in the pre-colonial Kerala. During the year 1500, Calicut was ruled by king Zamorin and Kochi was ruled by the Maharaja of Cochin. This was the time when the first Portuguese ships berthed at the Malabar Coast: Pedro Álvares Cabral in Kochi in the year 1500 and Vasco da Gama in Calicut in 1502. It is said admiral, Pedro Cabral was sent by the Portuguese king to set up a factory at the city. The Maharaja of Kochi felt threatened by the Zamorin of Calicut, and he hoped that the Portuguese would help him in his defense from the neighbouring king of Calicut. The Maharaja welcomed the Portuguese, and they founded their first trading center in Kochi. The Portuguese then built Fort Manuel to protect their factory from any sort of attack. The first part of the name Fort Kochi comes from this fort, which the Dutch later destroyed. However, the Maharaja of Cochin was largely deprived of his power, and Kochi became the first European colony in India. . Fort Kochi remained in Portuguese possession for 160 years.
The Dutch wrested Fort Kochi from the Portuguese in AD 1663. During 1660's, Fort Kochi peaked in stature as a prime commercial centre and its fame spread far and wide - variously as a rich trade centre, a major military base, a vibrant cultural hub, a great ship building centre, a centre for Christianity and so on. The Dutch held Fort Kochi in their possession for 112 years, from 1663 until 1795. They defeated the Portuguese and disposed the Cochin Raja. After landing confidently at Njarakal, they went on to seize the Pallippuram fort, which they later gave to the Zamorins. Cochin prospered under the Dutch rule by shipping pepper, cardamom and other spices, coir, coconut, and copper. The native ethnic religious groups in the city like the Hindus, Muslims, Syrian Christian and Jewish minorities too raked profits of the prosperity. The Dutch were defeated by the British in 1795. In 1814, Kochi became a part of the Madras Presidency of the British colonial empire.
Keeping this background in mind while exploring this place is important. Fort Cochin must be explored on foot, and slowly, to study its side streets and alleyways. This way you discover its old-world shops, cafés, stately bungalows and heritage structures. As you walk down the streets and as you see the landmarks you can then transport yourself back in time to that era. You realize that little has changed in all these years, except for the people and a bit of modernity. You can visualize the chinese from Kublai Khan's court in their ships who came here to carry back precious spices. The fishing nets introduced by them, line the water-front along the harbor entrance even today. The name Cochin implies "co-chin", meaning "like-China". It looked like China when the Chinese came to the region during the 14th century!
Fort Kochi forms the upper part of the Peninsula with neatly arranged colonial buildings, narrow well-paved roads, Anglo-Dutch influenced structures and large antique shops. Mattancherry, adjacent to Fort Kochi, is primarily a trading city, famous for its spice trade. It has a distinct Indian flavour compared to its European
influenced counterpart - Fort Kochi. Just as you reach the end of the walkway along the water front, you come across an old cemetery, famously known as the Dutch cemetery. The 290-year-old Dutch Cemetery in Fort Kochi is considered to be an authentic record of hundreds of Europeans - both the Dutch and the English - who arrived in India to expand their colonial empire. Consecrated in 1724, the cemetery has 104 tombs. The last burial that took place here was in 1913, when Captain Joseph Ethelbert Winckler was laid to rest. With passage of time, the layer of plaster over the laterite stones in many of the tombs has withered away. The original calligraphic inscription `1724' at the entrance pillar has been preserved to date.
Close to the Dutch Cemetery is the Thakur House, a building that reflects the glory of a bygone era. Built in the 1700's the monument of Dutch architecture, has characteristic spacious rooms, wooden floors and bay windows. It is a two-storeyed building, and the perfect symmetry of both floors is astonishing. The Dutch
built the Thakur House as a club and community centre for the Dutch East India Company. During the last decades of the 19th century, the bungalow was occupied by a prominent spice trading family of Mattancherry. In the early 1900s, it was used as lodging for the managers of the National Bank of India. The ownership of the bungalow again changed hands and went to a well-known tea-trading firm.
Fort Kochi is also home to one of India's oldest churches - the 500 year old St.Francis Church. This was a Roman Catholic Church during the Portuguese rule from 1503 to 1663, then a Dutch Reformist Church from 1664 to 1804, and Anglican church from 1804 to 1947. Another important fact about the church is that Vasco Da Gama, who died in
1524, was buried here before his mortal remains were returned to Portugal 14 years later. A house where Vasco da Gama is purported to have stayed is today the Vasco Homestay, a heritage homestay, behind the St.Francis Church. Each and every structure, street, door, window and brick in Fort Kochi has several stories to tell.
Facing the Vasco Da Gama square are grand mansions that have been converted into heritage hotels. Prominent among them are the Old Harbour Hotel and Koder House. Koder House is a three-storeyed heritage boutique hotel . Until recently, it belonged to the most illustrious Cochin Jewish family, the Koders. This House had been host to Presidents, Prime Ministers, Viceroys, Ambassadors and prominent
dignitaries. Old Harbour Hotel, a 300-year-old hotel was the first in Kerala, and it has played multiple roles in the history of Fort Kochi. It has been a Portuguese hospice, a Dutch residence, home to the employees of a British tea broking firm, and, in its latest avatar, plays the role of a gorgeously restored heritage property.
Today, of course, the only visible sign of the fact that different European powers scrambled for this small piece of land is the unique architecture of the houses that have been preserved. The most recent foreign influence on Fort Kochi, of course, is that of the British, who lent names like Princess Street, Napier Street, Rose Street and Peter Celli Street to the roads here.
Princess Street is one of the oldest streets in Fort Kochi. The bungalows built in the European style and the other buildings of colonial architecture lining both sides of the street make it pretty as a picture post card. The buildings here, with bronze stucco walls and peeling plaster, house antique stores, cigar shops, provisional
stores, curio shops, kiosks, cafes, restaurants, and art galleries. The best view of this quaint street can be had from Loafer's Corner, the traditional meeting place and hangout of the jovial fun loving people of the area.
The 400 year old Santa Cruz Basilica is considered one of the heritage edifices of Kerala, The history of Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica begins with the arrival of Portuguese missionaries along with the second Portuguese fleet under Pedro Álvares Cabral on 24 December 1500. The King Unni Goda Varma Tirumulpadu (Trimumpara Raja ) of Kingdom of Cochin received them very warmly. This caused the Zamorin of Calicut to declare war against Kingdom of Cochin. But the Portuguese army under Commander
Dom Afonso de Albuquerque who reached Cochin in 1503, defeated the enemies of the King of Cochin and in return he gave them permission to build a fort in Kochi. In 1505, Dom Francisco de Almeida the first Portuguese Viceroy got permission from the Kochi Raja to build a church edifice using stones and mortar which was unheard of at that time as the local prejudices were against such a structure for any purpose other than a royal palace or a temple. The foundation stone of the Santa Cruz church was laid on 3 May 1505,
The Jew town in Mattancherry, a couple of kilometers away from Fort Kochi is bound to surprise any visitor who has already become accustomed to the culture and architecture of Fort Kochi. Jews arrived in 72 AD at Kodungallur after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and later moved to Fort Kochi. The Fort Cochin settlement dates from the early 11th century when Bhaskara Ravivarman II, the Chera raja, granted Jews—already living in northern Kerala—sanctuary from Muslim persecutors and rivals in the spice trade.
The Paradesi Synagogue in Mattancherry was built in 1568. The floor inside the synagogue is covered with blue and white hand-painted Delft porcelain tiles donated by a Jewish merchant. They were imported from Canton, China, in 1762. Along with Belgian crystal chandeliers, brass railings and the clock tower with Hebrew, Old Malayalam and Roman numerals on three faces, the synagogue is a repository of gifts over the
ages. There are also three ancient copper plates inscribed with details in Old Malayalam of privileges and land granted to the Jews by the Raja, But they are now locked away for security reasons. Visitors may buy small replicas complete with the inscriptions. The lane leading to the synagogue makes for an interesting walk as it is dotted with the homes of the last few ‘white’ (Caucasian) Jewish families.
The Mattancherry Palace is a Portuguese palace popularly known as the Dutch Palace. The Palace was built and gifted by the Portuguese as a present to the Raja of Cochin around 1555. The Dutch carried out some extensions and renovations in the palace in 1663, and thereafter it was popularly called Dutch Palace. The Rajas also made more improvements to it. Today, it is a portrait gallery of the Cochin Rajas and notable for some of the best mythological murals in India, which are in the best traditions of Hindu temple art. The palace was built to appease the king after they plundered a temple nearby. The palace is a quadrangular structure built in Nālukettu style, the traditional Kerala style of architecture, with a courtyard in the middle. In the courtyard there stands a small temple dedicated to 'Pazhayannur Bhagavati', the protective goddess of the Kochi royal family. There are two more temples on either side of the Palace, one dedicated to Lord Krishna and the other to Lord Siva. Certain elements of architecture, as for example the nature of its arches and the proportion of its chambers are indicative of European influence in basic Nāluketttu style. The glory of the palace rests on the large number of murals, executed in the best traditions of Hindu temple art, which are religious, decorative and stylised. The murals have been painted in rich warm colours in tempera technique.
If there is one place in South India where you can be in the present and yet live the past, it is Fort Kochi, where time has stood still. Fort Kochi has been one hell of an interesting place from the 14th century onwards. It appears that the spices of Kerala was the boon as well as the bane for the rulers of Cochin. The monopoly of maritime spice trade in the Indian Ocean stayed with Arabs during the high and late medieval periods. However, the dominance of Middle East traders got challenged in the European Age of Discovery during which the spice trade, particularly in black pepper, became an influential activity for European traders. Fort Kochi was the stage where the drama for this dominance was played out between the Portugese, Dutch and the British, and the relics of the past are still there to tell this story.
Kochi was a fishing village in the Kingdom of Kochi in the pre-colonial Kerala. During the year 1500, Calicut was ruled by king Zamorin and Kochi was ruled by the Maharaja of Cochin. This was the time when the first Portuguese ships berthed at the Malabar Coast: Pedro Álvares Cabral in Kochi in the year 1500 and Vasco da Gama in Calicut in 1502. It is said admiral, Pedro Cabral was sent by the Portuguese king to set up a factory at the city. The Maharaja of Kochi felt threatened by the Zamorin of Calicut, and he hoped that the Portuguese would help him in his defense from the neighbouring king of Calicut. The Maharaja welcomed the Portuguese, and they founded their first trading center in Kochi. The Portuguese then built Fort Manuel to protect their factory from any sort of attack. The first part of the name Fort Kochi comes from this fort, which the Dutch later destroyed. However, the Maharaja of Cochin was largely deprived of his power, and Kochi became the first European colony in India. . Fort Kochi remained in Portuguese possession for 160 years.
The Dutch wrested Fort Kochi from the Portuguese in AD 1663. During 1660's, Fort Kochi peaked in stature as a prime commercial centre and its fame spread far and wide - variously as a rich trade centre, a major military base, a vibrant cultural hub, a great ship building centre, a centre for Christianity and so on. The Dutch held Fort Kochi in their possession for 112 years, from 1663 until 1795. They defeated the Portuguese and disposed the Cochin Raja. After landing confidently at Njarakal, they went on to seize the Pallippuram fort, which they later gave to the Zamorins. Cochin prospered under the Dutch rule by shipping pepper, cardamom and other spices, coir, coconut, and copper. The native ethnic religious groups in the city like the Hindus, Muslims, Syrian Christian and Jewish minorities too raked profits of the prosperity. The Dutch were defeated by the British in 1795. In 1814, Kochi became a part of the Madras Presidency of the British colonial empire.
Keeping this background in mind while exploring this place is important. Fort Cochin must be explored on foot, and slowly, to study its side streets and alleyways. This way you discover its old-world shops, cafés, stately bungalows and heritage structures. As you walk down the streets and as you see the landmarks you can then transport yourself back in time to that era. You realize that little has changed in all these years, except for the people and a bit of modernity. You can visualize the chinese from Kublai Khan's court in their ships who came here to carry back precious spices. The fishing nets introduced by them, line the water-front along the harbor entrance even today. The name Cochin implies "co-chin", meaning "like-China". It looked like China when the Chinese came to the region during the 14th century!
Fort Kochi forms the upper part of the Peninsula with neatly arranged colonial buildings, narrow well-paved roads, Anglo-Dutch influenced structures and large antique shops. Mattancherry, adjacent to Fort Kochi, is primarily a trading city, famous for its spice trade. It has a distinct Indian flavour compared to its European
 |
| The original inscription - Dutch Cemetery |
Close to the Dutch Cemetery is the Thakur House, a building that reflects the glory of a bygone era. Built in the 1700's the monument of Dutch architecture, has characteristic spacious rooms, wooden floors and bay windows. It is a two-storeyed building, and the perfect symmetry of both floors is astonishing. The Dutch
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| Old heritage bungalow adjacent to Dutch cemetery |
Fort Kochi is also home to one of India's oldest churches - the 500 year old St.Francis Church. This was a Roman Catholic Church during the Portuguese rule from 1503 to 1663, then a Dutch Reformist Church from 1664 to 1804, and Anglican church from 1804 to 1947. Another important fact about the church is that Vasco Da Gama, who died in
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| St. Francis church where Vasco Da Gama was buried |
Facing the Vasco Da Gama square are grand mansions that have been converted into heritage hotels. Prominent among them are the Old Harbour Hotel and Koder House. Koder House is a three-storeyed heritage boutique hotel . Until recently, it belonged to the most illustrious Cochin Jewish family, the Koders. This House had been host to Presidents, Prime Ministers, Viceroys, Ambassadors and prominent
 |
| 300 year old -Old Harbour Hotel |
Today, of course, the only visible sign of the fact that different European powers scrambled for this small piece of land is the unique architecture of the houses that have been preserved. The most recent foreign influence on Fort Kochi, of course, is that of the British, who lent names like Princess Street, Napier Street, Rose Street and Peter Celli Street to the roads here.
Princess Street is one of the oldest streets in Fort Kochi. The bungalows built in the European style and the other buildings of colonial architecture lining both sides of the street make it pretty as a picture post card. The buildings here, with bronze stucco walls and peeling plaster, house antique stores, cigar shops, provisional
 |
| European style building on Princess street |
The 400 year old Santa Cruz Basilica is considered one of the heritage edifices of Kerala, The history of Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica begins with the arrival of Portuguese missionaries along with the second Portuguese fleet under Pedro Álvares Cabral on 24 December 1500. The King Unni Goda Varma Tirumulpadu (Trimumpara Raja ) of Kingdom of Cochin received them very warmly. This caused the Zamorin of Calicut to declare war against Kingdom of Cochin. But the Portuguese army under Commander
 |
| 400 year old Santa Cruz Basilica |
The Jew town in Mattancherry, a couple of kilometers away from Fort Kochi is bound to surprise any visitor who has already become accustomed to the culture and architecture of Fort Kochi. Jews arrived in 72 AD at Kodungallur after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and later moved to Fort Kochi. The Fort Cochin settlement dates from the early 11th century when Bhaskara Ravivarman II, the Chera raja, granted Jews—already living in northern Kerala—sanctuary from Muslim persecutors and rivals in the spice trade.
The Paradesi Synagogue in Mattancherry was built in 1568. The floor inside the synagogue is covered with blue and white hand-painted Delft porcelain tiles donated by a Jewish merchant. They were imported from Canton, China, in 1762. Along with Belgian crystal chandeliers, brass railings and the clock tower with Hebrew, Old Malayalam and Roman numerals on three faces, the synagogue is a repository of gifts over the
 |
| Paradesi Synagogue |
The Mattancherry Palace is a Portuguese palace popularly known as the Dutch Palace. The Palace was built and gifted by the Portuguese as a present to the Raja of Cochin around 1555. The Dutch carried out some extensions and renovations in the palace in 1663, and thereafter it was popularly called Dutch Palace. The Rajas also made more improvements to it. Today, it is a portrait gallery of the Cochin Rajas and notable for some of the best mythological murals in India, which are in the best traditions of Hindu temple art. The palace was built to appease the king after they plundered a temple nearby. The palace is a quadrangular structure built in Nālukettu style, the traditional Kerala style of architecture, with a courtyard in the middle. In the courtyard there stands a small temple dedicated to 'Pazhayannur Bhagavati', the protective goddess of the Kochi royal family. There are two more temples on either side of the Palace, one dedicated to Lord Krishna and the other to Lord Siva. Certain elements of architecture, as for example the nature of its arches and the proportion of its chambers are indicative of European influence in basic Nāluketttu style. The glory of the palace rests on the large number of murals, executed in the best traditions of Hindu temple art, which are religious, decorative and stylised. The murals have been painted in rich warm colours in tempera technique.
If there is one place in South India where you can be in the present and yet live the past, it is Fort Kochi, where time has stood still. Fort Kochi has been one hell of an interesting place from the 14th century onwards. It appears that the spices of Kerala was the boon as well as the bane for the rulers of Cochin. The monopoly of maritime spice trade in the Indian Ocean stayed with Arabs during the high and late medieval periods. However, the dominance of Middle East traders got challenged in the European Age of Discovery during which the spice trade, particularly in black pepper, became an influential activity for European traders. Fort Kochi was the stage where the drama for this dominance was played out between the Portugese, Dutch and the British, and the relics of the past are still there to tell this story.
