The
Cochin Club
The club, with its impressive library and collection of sporting
trophies, is housed in a beautifully landscaped park. In the
early 1900s, when the club had just become operational, admission
was restricted to the British and to men only. Today, though
the club retains its traditional English ambience, its rules
are more liberal and the membership of 250 includes women
as well. Strangely enough, alcohol is not served on the premises.
Mattancherry
Palace
(Dutch Palace) (Open 1000 - 1700 hrs. Closed on Fridays):
Built by the Portuguese in 1557 and presented to Raja Veera
Kerala Varma of Kochi, the palace was renovated in 1663 by
the Dutch. On display here are beautiful murals depicting
scenes from the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, and some
of the Puranic Hindu legends. The palace also houses Dutch
maps of old Kochi, royal palanquins, coronation robes of former
maharajas of Kochi as well as period furniture.
Cherai
Beach
This lovely beach bordering Vypeen island is ideal for swimming.
Dolphins are occasionally seen here. A typical Kerala village
with paddy fields and coconut groves nearby is an added attraction.
Bolghatty
Island
This island is famous for its palace of the same name. The
Bolghatty Palace was built in 1744 by the Dutch and later
taken over by the British. Today it is a hotel run by the
Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, with a small golf
course and special honeymoon cottages.
Willingdon
Island
Named after Lord Willingdon, a former British Viceroy of India,
this man-made island is surrounded by beautiful backwaters.
The island is the site of the city's best hotels and trading
centres, the Port Trust and the headquarters of the southern
naval command.
Chinese
Fishing Nets/Vasco da Gama Square
These huge cantilevered fishing nets are the legacy of one
of the first visitors to the Malabar Coast. Erected here between
1350 and 1450 AD by traders from the court of Kublai Khan,
these nets are set up on teak wood and bamboo poles. The best
place to watch the nets being lowered into the sea and catch
being brought in is the Vasco da Gama Square, a narrow promenade
that runs along the beach. The Square is an ideal place to
idle, with stalls serving fresh delicious seafood, tender
coconut etc.
St.
Francis Church
Built in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars, this is India's
oldest European church. This was initially built of timber
and later reconstructed in stone masonry. It was restored
in 1779 by the Protestant Dutch, converted to an Anglican
church by the British in 1795 and is at present governed by
the Church of South India. Vasco da Gama was buried here in
1524 before his remains were moved to Lisbon, Portugal. The
tombstone still remains.
Santa
Cruz Basilica
This historic church was built by the Portuguese and elevated
to a Cathedral by Pope Paul IV in 1558. In 1795 it fell into
the hands of the British when they took over Kochi, and was
demolished. About a hundred years later Bishop Dom Gomez Ferreira
commissioned a new building at the same site in 1887. The
church was proclaimed a Basilica in 1984 by Pope John Paul
II.
Loafer's Corner/Princess Street
One of the earliest streets to be constructed in Fort Kochi,
Princess Street with its European style residences still retains
its old world charm. The best view of this quaint street can
be had from Loafer's Corner, the traditional meeting place
and hangout of the jovial funloving people of the area.
Vasco
House
Believed to have been the residence of Vasco da Gama, this
is one of the oldest Portuguese residences in Fort Kochi.
Built in the early sixteenth century, Vasco House sports the
typical European glass paned windows and balcony cum verandahs
characteristic of the times.
Parade
Ground
The four acre Parade Ground was where once the Portuguese,
the Dutch and the British colonists conducted their military
parades and drills. The buildings around the ground housed
their defence establishments. Today, the largest open ground
in Fort Kochi, the Parade Ground is a sports arena.
Fort
Immanuel
This bastion of the Portuguese in Kochi was a symbol of the
strategic alliance between the Maharajah of Kochi and the
Monarch of Portugal, after whom it was named. Built in 1503,
the fort was reinforced in 1538. By 1806 the Dutch, and later
the British, had destroyed most of the fort walls and its
bastions. Today, remains of this once imposing structure can
be seen along the beach.
