Fort Kochi Ernakulam - Location : About 13 km from Ernakulam town.
Welcome to a 60-90 minute walking tour of the old streets of Fort
Kochi. This is the ideal way to discover a historic town brimming
with tales of myriad seafaring visitors who came here to trade and
then stayed on to cease their work on this impressionable land. 'Walking
through Fort Cochin' is a tour organised as part of the conservation
and development initiatives taken up by the Corporation of Kochi.
The eventful history of this city began when a major flood in AD
1341 threw open the estuary at Kochi, till then a land locked region,
turning it into one of the finest natural harbours in the world. Kochi
thus became a haven for seafaring visitors from all over the world
and became the first European township in India when the Portuguese
settled here in the 15th century.
The Dutch wrested Fort Kochi from the Portuguese in AD 1663 and later
in the last phase of the colonial saga, the British took over, the
town in 1795. During 1660's, Fort Kochi peaked in stature as a prime
commercial centre and its fame spread far and wide - variously as
a rich trade centre, a major military base, a vibrant cultural hub,
a great ship building centre, a centre for Christianity and so on.
Today, centuries later, the city is home to nearly thirteen communities.
A few interesting sites included in the tour are the Chinese fishing
nets along the Vasco Da Gama Square, Santa Cruz Basilica, St.Francis
Church, VOC Gate, Bastion Bungalow etc. Apart from these architectural
splendours, an array of restaurants serving fresh seafood are also
popular among tourists.
The Chinese fishing nets erected on teak wood and bamboo poles work
on the principle of balance. Records say they were first set up here
between AD 1350 and 1450. Vasco Da Gama Square, the narrow promenade
that parallels the beach, is the best place to watch the nets being
lowered and pulled out of the sea.
The Santa Cruz Basilica, a church built originally by the Portuguese
and elevated to a Cathedral by Pope Paul 1V in 1558, was spared by
the Dutch conquerors who destroyed many Catholic buildings. Later
the British demolished the structure and Bishop Dom Gomez Vereira
commissioned a new building in 1887. Consecrated in 1905, Santa Cruz
was proclaimed a Basilica by the Pope John Paul II in 1984.
Fort Kochi is also home to one of India's oldest churches - the St.Francis
Church. This was a Roman Catholic Church during the Portuguese rule
from 1503 to 1663, then a Dutch Reformist Church from 1664 to 1804,
and Anglican church from 1804 to 1947. Today it is governed by the
Church of South India (CSI). Another important fact about the church
is that Vasco Da Gama, who died in 1524, was buried here before his
mortal remains were returned to Portugal 14 years later... Each and
every structure, street, door, window and brick in Fort Kochi has
several stories to tell.
Fort Kochi Ernakulam - Getting there : Fort Kochi is accessible by
bus or ferry. The bus ride from Ernakulam town, which is nearly 13
km away, takes about an hour and the ferry ride from Main boat jetty
at Ernakulam about 20 minutes.
Fort Kochi Ernakulam - Nearest railway station : Ernakulam about
1 1/2 km from the Main boat jetty.
Fort Kochi Ernakulam - Nearest airport : Cochin International Airport,
about 20 km
The Naturemagics website is updated frequently. We invite
your comments and suggestions to make this site better. We also invite
you all to check out the blogs that we maintain.
