Fort Kochi | A Souvenir from India's Colonial Past #notinhills #IssSummerBaharNikal

St. Francis Church on Church Street, the oldest church of India was first constructed in the 15th century and since then has been a witness to the European Colonialism in India. Another reason for its historical significance is Vasco De Gama's gravestone inside the church. The Portuguese explorer was buried here in 1924 after his death. Though his son later took the remains back to Lisbon(Portugal), the gravestone is still preserved here.

The Jews came to India and flourished as spice traders across Europe and the Arab countries. The King of Kochi had donated some land to these European Jews where they settled and flourished in their spice trade. This place is the present day Jew Town where we saw reminiscences of few old Jew buildings, crafter stores, spices and artifacts shops.

Its a traveler's delight to walk around these streets while witnessing old treasured artifacts of brass and shopping for various Indian spices. The area exhibits many art cafes which has collection of treasured artifacts and is a walk into a medieval flea market .

We also explored the Kochi Police Museum and an Antiques Museum traversing through the lanes of Jew Town.

One of the few surviving Jew Synagogues in Kochi is the Paradesi Synagogue constructed in 1568 which is functional till date and attracts many tourists to Jew . We couldn't view the interiors of the Synagogue because we visited on a Saturday when its closed.

Its said most of the Jews have migrated from Kochi to Israel or Australia around 1948.

Preserved Cemeteries -

Fort Kochi has still preserved the Dutch cemetery which has over hundred gravestones of the Dutch community who ruled Kochi for 130 years. Their gravestones are tomb shaped like the 18th and 19th century Dutch architecture and the cemetery is guarded by stone walls making it inaccessibly to the public. However one can peep through the gate just to have a view. This is next to the St. Francis Church and is looked after by the Churches of South India.

Another Cemetery that we came across is the Jew Cemetery at the end of the Jew Town Lane. This is very close to Paradesi Synagogue. The Jew Cemetery too has tomb stones inscriptions in English and Hebrew and can be seen from the locked gates. The Cemetery is in disuse but marks the Jewry presence in Fort Kochi.

Chinese Fishing Nets -

These triangular tall stationary fishing nets lined along the shores of Fort Kochi were first introduced around 500 years ago by the Chinese explorer and has been the regions staple every since. This is a major tourist attraction during dawn and dusk around the Vasco De Gama square and adds to a picturesque sunset along the shore. Evenings can be spent here while enjoying some locally cooked fresh catch of the day sold by the vendors here.

Inspiration from the Indian Navy -

Kerala is well known for its cultural inclination for various traditional Indian art forms across the state. Kochi evenings spent witnessing these cultural art forms an enchanting experience. One can enjoy Kalaripayattu (Traditional Martial Art) and Kathakali (Indian Classical Dance form) in various Cultural centers across Fort Kochi. We chose to spend the evening at the Kerala Kathakali Center. It was a magical 2.5 hours to end the day with. We were awestruck by the skillful facial paintings of the dancers and mesmerized by the performance themed on 'Narakasura Vadham' , a Hindu mythological tale.

Besides the dance, it was interesting to know about the natural colours used by the dancers, some insight into the expressions and movements, the dedication and training of over six years their group undergone in this classical art form.

A personal suggest would be to include this with your Kerala itinerary.

Conversations over Art and Food -

That one thing which is inevitable when you are around Fort Kochi are the colourful street wall art. Every lane around the town is lined by vibrant buildings or painted wall art. The lanes of Church Street, Princess Street, Burger Street, Jew Town are bubbling with art and colour.

The coffee brewed from freshly ground beans, in-house baked wheat bread sandwiches and cookies in these pretty European styled cafes makes me want to go back again and again. Not only the savory but the main course menus in the restaurants are delicious as . Be it the the Malabar Fish Curry or fish fry or even the vegetarian delicacies in restaurants like Rasoi or the filling burgers in the cafes like Bench will leave you wanting more of it.

Something unique about most cafes in Kochi are that, they are 'Art Cafes'. So its not just food or beverage that attracts you but the explicit display of art as wall paintings, figurines, crafts, preserved antiques in these cafes are a creative exhibit across this town.

For the budget traveller, there is a spread of street food junctions near the beach and also along the giant shaded trees of Church street.

From Architectures to Rain trees of Fort Kochi-

The town is a conservatory of old European styled buildings, colourful Kerala homes, centuries old churches, tiled slope roof palaces and temples, prevalent Jewry cultured streets. The locals are to be applauded for preserving the past not only in the exterior but also in their interior decors like the manually operated fans hanging from the St.Francis Church's ceiling, wooden windows, frames and interior decors, old lighting, switch boards in their pretty little cafes and much more.

One thing that you will notice around the streets of Kochi are the grand trunk Rain trees shading this coastal town since decades and thanks to the effort of the locals who won' let them be chopped like most expanding cities of India.

This pretty town of Fort Kochi which was named after the Fort Emmanuel though the fort is in ruins today is nothing about the Dutch Fort but much more than that.