| Chinese fishing
nets, Fort Kochi Beach |
| Chinese traders from
the court of Kublai Khan are believed to have introduced
these huge cantilevered fishing nets in the late14th century.
The nets are built of teak wood and bamboo poles. They
can best be seen at sunset, on the north end of the promontory,
a few metres from Fort Kochi, or from a boat tour of the
harbour. Vasco da Gama square just behind the nets
is an idle place to sit and savour the delicious seafood
freshly caught in the nets, catered by the stalls here. |
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| The Cochin Club |
| Formerly known as the English Club,
this club stretches majestically between the Fort Cochin
Commandant's house and the ancient Governor's residence.
The club with its high roofs and arch styled windows is
housed in a beautifully landscaped park and has an impressive
library and a collection of sporting trophies. In the
early19th century when the club was established by the
British, admission was restricted to them and men only.
Today its rules are more liberal and the membership of
250 includes women as well. |
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| Earlier known as Kunal or
Hill Bungalow |
| This graceful building reflects
the colonial ambience of the bygone era. It was built
on the land of the sea facing Gelderland Bastion, one
of the seven bastions of the old Dutch fort in the late
1700s. It was home of the managers of the National Bank
of India during the British reign. The present owners
of the Thakur house is the tax trading firm Ram Bahadur
Thakur and Company. The building has large rooms with
wooden floors and bay windows, tables and shelves adorned
by sparkling crystal and earthen pottery, and ancient
glass lamps hang from the roof beam. The Bungalow
has a beautiful view of the Arabian Sea stretching away
to the horizon. |
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| Old Harbor House |
| This elegant old bungalow built in
1808 is in the possession of Carrit Moran & Co, renowned
tea brokers, who now use it as their residence. The house
was once a boat club. |
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| Pierce Leslie Bungalow |
| Founded in 1862, this elegant colonial
mansion was the office of the coffee merchants, the Pierce
Leslie and Company. The structure is a blend of Portuguese,
Dutch and the native building style. The mansion has arched
doorways, wood panels on the roof of the ground floor,
carved doors, sprawling rooms and waterfront verandahs. |
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| 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. |
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| VOC Gate |
| The large wooden gate facing the
Parade Ground, with the monogram (VOC) of the once mighty
Dutch East India Company carved on it, was built in 1740.
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|
| The Dutch Cemetery |
| The tombstones
here are the most authentic record of the hundreds of
Europeans who left their homeland in a mission to expand
their colonial empires changed the course of history of
land. The cemetery was consecrate 1724 and is today managed
by Church of South India. |
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|
| Santa Cruz Basilica |
| Church was built by the Portugese
and elevated to a Cathedral by PopeIV in 1558. In 1795
it fell into the hands of the British when they took over
Cochin and was demolished. Over 100 years later Bishop
Ferreira commissioned a new building at the same site
in 1887.The church was proclaimed a Basilica in 1984 by
Pope John Paul 11. |
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| Loafer's Corner/Princess
Street |
| One of the earliest streets 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 the Loafer's Corner, the
traditional meeting Place and hangout of the fun loving
people of the area. |
|
| St. Francis Church |
| Built in
1503 by Portuguese Franciscan fathers this is India's
oldest European church. This was initially built of timberand
later reconstructed in stone masonary. 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 mortal remains were moved to Lisbon,
Portugal. The tombstone still remains. |
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| Jewish Synagogue at Mattancherry |
| This imposing
structure was built in 1568 when the Jews settled in Mattancherry,
after their expulsion from the Rahabi. They built a clock
tower and paved the floor of the synagogue with 18th
century hand painted willow pattern tiles brought from
China. Its most important relics are the impressive copper
plates recording King Bhaskara Ravi Varma's 4th century
decree that guaranteed the Jewish settlers domain over
Cranganore (Kodungalore) as well as the Hebrew inscriptions
on stone slabs, great scrolls of the Old Testament etc.
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