INTRODUCTION

In Cochin or Kochi, dawn is not often a thing of breathtaking beauty, but just a careless smear of tinted light where sea and sky unite. Daybreak is full of indeterminate promise. A slow lividness at the mist-obscured harbor mouth meets the swelling untamed surge of the ocean. Cargo-laden barges and vallams or country boats move, ponderously slow, over the sprawling vastness of the Vembanad Kayal, Kerala’s largest lake that spreads full bosomed and silver gray in the sultry sun.

LOCATION

Popularly referred to as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, Cochin is located on the west cost of India in the beautiful state of Kerala. The city can be regarded as the commercial and industrial capital of Kerala. The city extends from latitude 9°58' in the North to longitude 76°17' in the East.

CLIMATE

Being situated very close to the sea, Kochi has a moderate climate, with heavy rains during June–August due to the southwest monsoon. Winter starts from December and continues till February. In summer, the temperature rises to a maximum of 35°C and 25°C in the winters. Annual average rainfall is 310 cm.

SITES TO VISIT

Fort Cochin, with its European heritage, its air of genteel decay, and stubborn self-absorption is a place where history, like a friendly phantom, still stalks the lonely streets.

The European have left random imprints in Fort Cochin. The massive buttresses, which are so conspicuous a feature of the place, were put up by the British to protect the houses that had been shaken by the force of an explosion that blew up the cathedral of Santa Cruz. In fact, they themselves had bombarded the church fearing a possible restoration of Dutch supremacy in Cochin. In spite of it all, the Santa Cruz Basilica still stands in a spirit of sturdy resistance.

The chief landmark though is St. Francis’ Church, built in the early 16th century. It is the pride of Fort Cochin. The most magnificent pageant enacted here was the burial of Vasco da Gama in 1526. Nevertheless, it was to be a temporary resting place for this “armed interloper,” as after sixteen years later, his son Pedro da Silva Gama took away the mortal remains of his father back to Portugal.

St. Francis’ Church is the oldest existing European church in India. From this choir, for the first time in India, resounded the sonorous chants of Rome. The church began life as a wooden structure built by the five friars who accompanied the Portuguese to Cochin in 1503. The Franciscans, followers of St. Francis Xavier who visited Cochin in the early 16th century, raised the present edifice.

The most enduring impression of Fort Cochin is the enigma of the Chinese fishing nets. Like totems from another age stranded in time, they perch along the backwaters. Curious clumsy things with no bright counterfeit graces. The Chinese fishing nets are the most efficient means of backwater fishing and Font Cochin is full of them.

The Dutch palace at Mattancherry was actually built by the Portuguese and presented to the Cochin ruler Vira Kerala Varma in 1555 as an act of expiation for the plunder and desecration of a temple near the Raja’s palace by a hot-headed young Portuguese officer. The extensions of the east and south and the wooden ceilings of the Coronation Hall were incorporated by the Dutch and hence the name. The real glory of the palace however lies in its wall murals, all done using the tempera process of painting. Forty-five scenes from the Ramayana adorn the long walls of the bedchamber. They are known for their brilliant execution. Of the paintings elsewhere in the palace, one is a large unfinished portrait of Lord Vishnu.

Mattancherry has a predominantly Muslim population. But tucked away behind its tumult is Jew Town, a quiet cul-de-sac. A single street of old discolored buildings—“Quaint houses of solid build”—where the few surviving members of the oldest Jewish settlement in India live. Hounded out of Muziris by the Portuguese, they came to Cochin in the 16th century and found an unexpected benefactor in the Raja of Cochin who allotted them this land near his palace and helped them build their place of worship. The Paradeshi Synagogue was built in 1568 with timber supplied gratis by the Raja who is said to have personally instructed the masons to mix mortar with coconut water for strong walls. One of the oldest synagogues in the world, it is a jewel of incomparable beauty with its brass columns, Belgian hanging lamps, and exquisite hand-painted, blue-and-white Chinese porcelain tiles of which no two are alike.

The Parishath Thampuram Museum in Ernakulam has a large collection of 19th-century oil paintings, old coins, sculptures, Mughal paintings, and temple models.

Vypeen and Gundu islands boasts of a lighthouse at Ochanthuruth, good beaches, and the 16th-century Pallipuram Fort.

SITES NEARBY

Thripunithura, 12 km southwest, has a Hill Palace Museum housing the collections of the Cochin and Travancore royal families. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m.

Edapally, 10 km northeast of Ernakulam, has the Museum of Kerala History. It is open Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m.

Parur, 35 km north of Cochin, encapsulates the cultural and religious medley of this region. There is a synagogue, place of Brahmins, a Syrian Orthodox Church, a Krishna Temple, and a temple of goddess Mookambic.

Four kilometers away is Chennamangalam that houses the oldest synagogue in Kerala. There is also a Jesuit Church and ruins of a Jesuit College. One can also walk to the Hindu Temple overlooking river Periyar, a 16th-century mosque, as well as burial grounds.

SHOPPING

There are a lot of handicraft and antique emporia around MG Road, Ernakulam. One can also buy and see the works of contemporary artists from different art galleries situated around the city.

WHERE TO STAY

It is better to stay in Ernakulam than Cochin, as the range of accommodation is greater there. During December–January, there is a great rush for hotel rooms and tourists are advised to arrange for the same in advance.

HOW TO REACH

There are Indian Airlines and Jet Airways direct services to Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Goa, Bangalore, and Trivandrum from Cochin.

Cochin is connected by rail to most of the important cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai.

Cochin is connected by road with several tourist centers in India. It is 565 km from Bangalore, 223 km from Coimbatore, 848 km from Goa, 694 km from Madras, 470 km from Mysore, and 312 km form Ootacamund.

Taxis and auto-rickshaws are available for local transport. Tourist taxis, both air-conditioned and ordinary, can be hired for a day.