Travel to Kochi in Kerala

Kerala Coastal Tourism: Queen of the Arabian Sea
Kochi - or Cochin, as it used to be known - is a sleepy Macau-like port where the Portuguese set up trading depots in the 16th century until they were pushed out by the Dutch in 17th century. (They in turn, were shoved aside by the British in the 18th century.) Popularly referred to as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, Kochi is located on the west cost of India in Kerala. In Kochi -Cochin, dawn is not often a thing of breathtaking beauty, but just a careless smear of tinted light where sea and sky unite. Daybreak is full of indeterminate promise. A slow lividness at the mist-obscured harbor mouth meets the swelling untamed surge of the ocean. Cargo-laden barges and vallams (country boats) move, ponderously slow, over the sprawling vastness of the Vembanad Kayal, Kerala's largest lake that spreads full bosomed and silver gray in the sultry sun.

Kerala Coastal Tourism: History of Kochi
Regarded as the commercial and industrial capital of Kerala, Kochi had also been an important roadstead in days gone by. Muziris (present-day Kodungalloor on the mouth of the Periyar River), 40 km north of Kochi, was the center of trade with ancient Rome in the products like pepper and pearls, fine silks, cotton, muslin, honey, oil, betel, tortoise shell, cinnamon leaf, black pepper, ginger grass, and indigo.

Kochi became a natural harbor only when nature decreed it so. The formation of Kochi harbor has a violent story of which nature herself was the main character. The harbor was formed in A.D. 1341, when a great flood in the Periyar River led to an outlet in the sea. The floods had meanwhile silted up the mouth of the Muziris harbor and this rich ancient port was banished to the footnotes of history. Meanwhile, the merchants of Muziris shifted to Kochi.

For centuries, Kochi was the battleground of European powers for the mastery of the lucrative trade of the Indian west coast. Pepper dictated the fortunes of political powers in Kochi. The Portuguese were the first to come in. Two years later, the adventurous mariner, the legendary Vasco da Gama himself landed in Kochi. The Portuguese erected a fort for the protection of their factory. Fort Manuel, or Manuel Kotta, named after the King of Portugal, was the first fortress constructed by the Europeans in India.

Credit goes to Portuguese for the extensive scientific cultivation of coconut, ginger, and pepper, which is the backbone of Kerala's economy today. Tobacco, cashew nut, and fruit cultivation were also introduced. The pineapple, for instance, is still called prithichakka in Malayalam, meaning Portuguese jackfruit. They were also responsible for today's burgeoning trade in coir.

The Dutch, full of energy and zeal, were next to enter the scene and succeeded in throwing out the Portuguese very soon. Helped by a laissez-faire policy and a self-stipulated dictum of "at least a 100% profit," Kochi saw a great resurgence of trade.

But the Dutch never endured too, and it was the British who came in next to play out their role. A great milestone was the direct export of pepper to England in 1636 and once again, power flowed from pepper.

For more than a century, from 1795, Kochi received a gracious patronage of the British. They tried their best to develop the harbor at Kochi, the gateway of South India, but for long dismissed as a dream beyond the realm of hope for a rock-like barrier of sand blacked the approach to the port from the sea. No dredging proposition since the days of the Suez Canal project has aroused so much technical interest as the opening up of the Kochi Harbor.

It fell to the lot of an Admiralty Engineer Sir Robert Bristow to envision this "marvel of engineering". It was not an easy task for Bristow to construct a port in these serendipitous surroundings.

In 1936 Kochi was declared a major port. With it's opening, there was a complete reorientation of shipping and commercial activities on the Malabar Coast. With its year-round shipping facilities, it is the busiest port south of Bombay, lying as it does on the direct route to Australia and the Far East from Europe and serving the vast southern hinterland of industrial areas and plantations. It is a passenger port for the United Kingdom and America in South India. Moreover, it is one of the few ports of the world with all the three main forms of transport-land, sea, and air, centered in the same place.

Kerala Coastal Tourism: Kochi Travel Attractions
Apart from being a major commercial hub, Kochi is also a major tourist attraction in southern India. There are a number of places to be visited in and around this ancient coastal town.

While you travel to Kerala in Kochi, you must visit Fort Kochi, which reveals the European heritage of the place. Santa Cruz Basilica, a landmark of Kochi and a major tourist attraction, is not to be missed. Further there is the St. Francis Church, of the 16th century in Kochi. It is noteworthy that the St. Francis church is the oldest existing European church not only in Kochi, but also in India. Fort Cochin also uses the famous Chinese nets, the best possible bet for backwater fishing.

The loveliest part of Fort Cochin is Jew Town, a traditional quarter of shuttered houses in ghost-shades of once audacious blues, greens, and ochres, often with a Star of David worked into the grillwork of a window. In earlier centuries a thousand Jews lived here. Most are gone-many old houses are now antique shops for foreign tourists - but the quarter remains the nerve center of Kerala's spice commerce. The famous 16th-century synagogue, one of the oldest in the world, is simple and lavish, its white plank ceiling and plain walls contrasting with ornate hanging oil lamps and 1,100 blue and white Chinese floor tiles.

And to get a glimpse of the Dutch influence in Kochi, one can drop in at the elegant Dutch Palace at Mattancherry. While staying in Kochi, you may move to other parts of Ernakulam, Vypeen and Gundu islands, near Kochi.

An excursion trip is a very good option if you are keen on collection souvenirs and artifacts. For the oil paintings, old coins, sculptures, Mughal paintings and temple models, a visit to the Parishath Thampuram Museum near Kochi is ideal. To collect souvenirs of the royal families of Kochi and Travancore, a visit to Thripunithura is a must. Edapally, near Kochi has the Museum of Kerala History. Nearby in Parur, the place encapsulates the cultural and religious medley of this region. There are a lot of handicraft and antique emporiums in Kochi. One can also buy and see the works of contemporary artists from different art galleries situated around Kochi.

Kerala Coastal Tourism: Climate of Kochi
Being situated very close to the sea, Kochi has a moderate climate, with heavy rains during June-August due to the southwest monsoon. Winter starts from December and continues till February. In summer, the temperature rises to a maximum of 35°C and 25°C in the winters. Annual average rainfall is 310 cm.

Kerala Coastal Tourism: Where to stay in Kochi
Kochi offers various accommodation options to suit every budget. You can take your pick from a range of luxury to budget hotels in Kochi. Reaching there

All major arlines operate in and out of Kochi with direct services to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Goa, Bangalore, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Kochi is connected by rail to most of the important cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai. Kochi is accessible by road from most of the towns in Kerala and neighboring states.