Cochin
 With its wealth of historical associations and its setting on a cluster of islands and narrow peninsulas, Kochi perfectly reflects the eclecticism of Kerala. You can see the oldest church in India, winding streets with mosques and 500-year-old Portuguese houses, cantilevered Chinese fishing nets, a Jewish community with ancient roots
a 16th-century synagogue, and a palace built by the Portuguese and given to the
erstwhile King of Cochin. It’s also a good place to see a kathakali (
traditional local dance) performance.
The older parts of Fort Cochin and Mattancherry are an unlikely blend of medieval Portugal, Holland and an English country village grafted on to the tropical Malabar Coast. It’s a tranquil place to relax for a few days – a radical contrast to mainland Ernakulam, where the neon lights and upmarket Western chain stores
are a stark contrasting shock after spending a few days in rural Kerala for a while.
Other Useful Information
- Around Kochi
- Orientation
- Sights
Around Cochin
Tripunithura
Hill Palace Museum (admission Rs 11; opens 9am-12.30pm & 2-4.30pm Tue-Sun) at Tripunithura, 12km southeast of Ernakulam en route to Kottayam, was formerly the residence of the Kochi royal family and is an impressive, 49-building palace complex. It now houses the collections of the royal families, as well as 19th-century oil paintings, old coins, sculptures,
paintings and temple models.
Parur & Chennamangalam
About 35km north of Kochi, Parur encapsulates the cultural and religious mosaic of this region. There’s a dusty synagogue, built around the same time as its famous counterpart in Mattancherry. Nearby is an agraharam (place of Brahmins), a small street of closely packed houses that was settled by Tamil Brahmins. Parur also boasts a Syrian Orthodox church, a Krishna temple and a temple dedicated to the goddess Mookambika.
About 4km from Parur is Chennamangalam, with the oldest synagogue in Kerala – it’s slowly disintegrating. There’s a Jesuit church and the ruins of a Jesuit college. The Jesuits first arrived in Chennamangalam in 1577 and, soon after their arrival, the first book in Tamil (the written language then used in this part of Kerala) was printed here. You can walk to the Hindu temple on the hill overlooking the Periyar River. On the way you’ll pass a 16th-century mosque as well as Muslim and Jewish burial grounds.
Orientation
Kochi consists of mainland Ernakulam; the islands of Willingdon, Bolgatty and Gundu in the harbour; Fort Cochin and Mattancherry on the southern peninsula; and Vypeen Island, north of Fort Cochin. All these areas are linked by ferry. Bridges link Ernakulam to Willingdon Island and the Fort Cochin/Mattancherry peninsula; the new Goshree bridge links Ernakulam with Bolgatty and Vypeen. The main train station, the bus stand and KTDC Tourist Reception Centre are in Ernakulam, while Fort Cochin and Mattancherry have all the historical sites and most of the better-value accommodation.
Sights
 Chinese Fishing Net and Fort Cochin Area
Strung out along the tip of Fort Cochin, the fixed, cantilevered Chinese fishing nets were introduced by traders from the court of Kublai Khan. Called cheena vala in Malayalam, they’re mainly used at high tide, requiring at least four men to operate their system of counterweights.
Said to be India’s oldest European-built church, the St Francis Church was constructed in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars who accompanied the expedition led by Pedro Alvarez Cabral. The church’s original wooden structure was rebuilt in stone around the mid-16th century – the earliest Portuguese inscription in the church is dated 1562. Vasco da Gama, who died in Cochin in 1524, was buried here for 14 years before his remains were taken to Lisbon, and you can still visit his tombstone in the church.
The large, impressive Catholic Santa Cruz Basilica dates from 1902 and has a striking pastel-coloured interior.
The Indo-Portuguese Museum (Indian/foreigner Rs 10/25 opens 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Tue-Sun), in
the garden of the Bishop’s House, preserves the heritage of one of India’s earliest Catholic communities, including vestments, statues, silver processional crosses and altar pieces from the Cochin diocese.
The Dutch Cemetery, consecrated in 1724, contains many European graves; ask at St Francis Church if you want to look around.
Mattancherry Palace
Built by the Portuguese in 1555, Mattancherry Palace (Bazaar Road; admission Rs 2; opens 10am-5pm Sat-Thu) was presented to the
then ruler of Cochin, Veera Kerala Varma (1537–61), as a gesture of goodwill (and probably as a means of securing trading privileges). The Dutch renovated the palace in 1663, hence its alternative name, the Dutch Palace. Photography
here is prohibited.
Pardesi Synagogue & Jew Town
Originally built in 1568, the synagogue (admission Rs 2; opens10am-noon & 3-5pm Sun-Fri, closed Jewish holidays) was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1662 and rebuilt two years later when the Dutch took Kochi. It features an ornate gold pulpit and hand-painted, willow-pattern floor tiles brought from China in the mid-18th century, and is stunningly bedecked with chandeliers and coloured-glass lamps.
The area around the synagogue is known as Jew Town and is one of the centres of the Kochi spice trade. Scores of small firms huddle together in old, dilapidated buildings and the air is filled with the pungent aromas of ginger,
cardamom, cumin, turmeric and cloves. Many Jewish names are visible on premises.
Kathakali
There are several places in Kochi where you can view kathakali where certainly the performances are a ‘made for tourists’ version, but they’re also a great introduction to this intriguing art form. The
standard programme starts with the intricate make-up application, followed by a commentary on the dance, and then the performance.
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