Cochin

Kerala was ruled by different dynasties till the beginning of 12^th century. Following the beak up of Kulasekhara Empire (1102 AD), Kerala was separated into different small states and Cochin was one among them. Cochin was, in the beginning, only a very small kingdom and its ruler was a King whose authority was confined to Cochin & adjoining areas.

After the fall of Kulasekhara Empire, the main family who ruled Cochin was Perumpadappu Family. The traditional view is that Cochin ruler (Perumpadappu Chief) was the descendant of Kulasekharas of Mahodayapuram in maternal line. These rulers were based at Chitrakudam in Perumpadappu Village till the end of the 13th century. By the end of 14th century the capital was shifted to Cochin for various reasons and Cochin began to gain importance especially by the beginning of the 16th century by the arrival of the Portuguese. The Portuguese and the Cochin ruler were attracted to each other as allies because of their common hostility towards Calicut.

The Portuguese in Cochin

Though Portuguese arrived first in Calicut, they had to leave the place fearing the attack of people of Calicut countering the attacks the Portuguese made on the Arabs in Calicut. These Portuguese were warmly welcomed by the Raja of Cochin and were permitted to build a factory at Cochin.

During the subsequent visit of Vasco-da –Gama, the Portuguese gained the permission to set up factories and station garrisons at select places in Cochin. He also entered into a treaty, which forced Raja of Cochin to sell pepper, cardamom etc to the Portuguese at prices fixed by the Captain of the mearchant ship and the Raja. But all these friendship with the Portuguese did not help the Raja when he waged a war against Calicut since Gama left Cochin with whatever he got from here despite the request for help from the Raja.

Later, again Zamorine of Calicut attacked Cochin in March 1503, when the Raja refused to expel the Portuguese from the country. In the war Cochin suffered heavy lose though they were assisted by the Portuguese.

But in September, the Portuguese army helped the Raja to regain his positions and the Portuguese reinstated him on the throne. The grateful Raja permitted the Portuguese to erect a fort at Cochin to safeguard the interests of their factory. This fort was christened as Fort Manuel in honour of the King of Portugal. This is the first European fort built in India. In 1555, the Portuguese built a beautiful Palace at Mattanchery and presented to the then Raja of Cochin, Veera Kerala Varma (1537 - 65). The St. Francis Church in Cochin was the first church of its kind built in Kerala by the Portuguese.

Later the Head quarters of the Portuguese was shifted to Goa. By the 2^nd half of the 17^th century, the strongholds of the Portuguese in Cochin along with other places were conquered by the Dutch.

The Portuguese were fanatic followers of the Catholic faith and they were determined to spread Catholicism and establish the supremacy of the Pope of Rome in all the countries. They destroyed the White Jew's Synagogue at Mattancheri because of their hostility towards the Jews in Cochin.

The Dutch in Cochin

In March 1663, Raja Vira Kerala Varma entered into a treaty between Cochin and the Dutch East India Company. The Cochin Raja placed himself and his kingdom under the patronage of the Dutch. The arrival of Henrick Van Rheede in Cochin in 1663 marked a turning point in the growth of the Dutch power. He made treaties, which proclaimed the authorities of the Raja in his Kingdom but deprived the princes of the family of all voice in its affairs. The treaties in 1674 and 1678 reduced the status of King of Cochin to the status of an ornamental figure - head.

The religious policy of the Dutch was on the whole liberal and tolerant. In 1673, the Carmelite missionaries were given permission to build a church in Ernakulam, the first church built by Carmelites in Kerala. In the same year they built a church at Varappuzha on the banks of the river Periyar. In 1682, Carmelites also founded a great seminary Varappuzha which later developed into the St. Joseph's Pontifical seminary, Alway. In 1744, the Dutch constructed a palace in Bolgatty island of Cochin, called Bolgatty Palace.The sprawling Hill Palace at Tripunithura was  built by the Dutch and presented to Sakthan Thamburan, the then Raja of Cochin.

By the arrival of the English, the Dutch had to withdraw from many places. In October 1795, the English force marched against Cochin from Calicut and enforced the surrender of the Cochin fort by Ban Spall. At the end of the Napoleanic war in Europe, the Dutch ceded their territories in Kerala including Cochin to the English.

Mysore Invasion

In 1774 the Cochin Raja undertook to pay one lakh of Ikkeri pagodas as subsidy to Mysore. In 1776, Cochin Raja agreed to become a tributary to Mysore and to pay a nuzzar of one lakh of Pagoda and four elephants besides normal tributes of 3000 Pagodas. During the reign of Rama Varma (1775-1790) the Raja of Cochin, the ruler of Mysore, Tippu Sultan, brought a large area of Cochin territory under his control. But immediately after the exit of the Sultan, the Cochin Raja threw off his allegiance to Mysore and entered into treaty with the English East India Company.

Cochin under the control of the British

As per the terms of the treaty between the English East India Company and The Raja of Cochin, latter agreed to become a vassal of the Company and to pay an annual tribute. The Company agreed to help the Raja in recovering the territories captured by Tippu from Cochin but he was to exercise control over them under the control oh the supreme direction of the Company. In 1800, Cochin was placed under the control of Madras Government.

Against the British Supremacy

As elsewhere in the state, in Cochin also, organized movements began to erupt against the rule of the British. Paliyath Achan, the Diwan of Cochin was the foremost leader who started fight against British rule in Cochin. He joined with Veluthampi, the Delawa of Travancore, in his moves against the British. In the midnight of December 18^th 1808, the Resident, Mecaulay’s house at Cochin was stormed by the joint force of Paliyath Achan and Veluthampi. The attack freed the prisoners from Malabar who were put at a jail in Cochin.

The anti British movements allover India under the leadership of Indian National Congress had its echoes in Cochin also. In the late 1930s the District Congress Committee made itself active in the public life of Cochin. In 1938, a scheme of Dyarchy was introduced in Cochin. The experiment in Dyarchy did not satisfy the progressive sections of the population of Cochin. Hence in 1941, a new Praja Mandal was formed.

Merging to Form Kerala

In 1948 September, Praja Mandal got clear majority in the first to  legislature. This was the first election held in India on the basis of universal adult franchise  to a legislature.  By this time Praja Mandal had merged in the Indian National Congress and hence first congress ministry assumed office in Cochin with E. Ikkanda Warrier as chief minister on 20^th September 1948. During the tenure of this ministry, the State of Cochin was merged with Travancore on July 1^st 1949 to form the new state’ Travancore- Cochin’. Ministries and leaderships were changing till the fall of Panampilli Govinda Menon ministry in 1956 March. This was followed by the first spell of President's rule in the State. During the President’s Rule, under the State- Reorganization Act of 1956, four southern  taluks of Toluva, Agastivaram, Kalakulam and Vilavamcode and a part of Shencotta taluk were separated from Travancore- Cochin and the Malabar district and Kasargod taluk of south Canara district were added to Travancore- Cochin to constitute the new Kerala State. The State of Kerala formally came into existence on November 1^st 1956.

TOURIST SPOTS

MATTANCHERY PALACE

 Mattanchery Palace is situated at Mattanchery about 10 kms from Jos Junction the centre of the City. Mattanchery has been an important trading center for the past few centuries. The town has a mixed population consisting of Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Christians and other communities.

The Mattanchery Palace known popularly as the Dutch Palace was built by the Portuguese in 1555 and later remodeled by the Dutch. The Palace is one of the oldest buildings of the Portuguese and is in Oriental style. It is quite unique from historical & architectural point of view. It was built by the Portuguese and presented to Veera Kerala Varma in order to pacify him and to compensate for having plundered a temple in the vicinity of the Palace. It has served as a seat of the Royal House and important functions connected with the coronation of the Maharaja used to be held here. It was during AD 1665 that major repairs and renovation was carried but by the Dutch.

 The Palace is a two tiered quadrangular building consisting of long spacious halls with a central courtyard enshining the Royal deity, Palayannur Bhagavati. Two more temples are situated on either side of the Palace dedicated to Lord Krishna & Lord Siva respectively. The ground floor known as the Ladies Chamber is connected by a staircase from kanithalam room.. The upper storey consists of Coronation hall, Bed Chamber, Dining Hall, Assembly Hall and the Staircase room

 The eastern portion of the coronation hall is square and is meant for the coronation ceremony of the Kings and the Western portion is meant for other distinguished members. The ceiling is decorated with inverted lotus (Adhopadma) and other floral designs representing the finest wooden carvings of the period.

 A perpetual light (Kedavilakku) is kept in the Royal bed chamber (Palliyarai) as a mark of respect to one of the Cochin Maharajas who died here. Here we can see one of the finest and perhaps oldest murals of Kerala depicting Ramayana story

The ceiling of Dining Hall is fitted with a large number of brass cups whereas the ceiling of Assembly Hall is more ornamental.

St. FRANCIS CHURCH

 St. Francis Church is considered to be India's oldest European Church. This Protestant church was built originally by the Portuguese in AD 1510. The Church covers the site of St. Bartholomews, a wooden structure built by the five frairs who accompanied Albuquerque to Cochin in 1503. The Portuguese Viceroy Almedia was permitted by the Cochin Raja in AD 1506 to reconstruct the building in stone masonary. The medicant order of Franciscane raised the present building and dedicated it to St. Anthony. Vasco da Gama, the great navigator, soldier and statesman, was buried here in 1524 before his remains were returned to Portugal 14 years later in 1540. During 1510 to 1663 this church was officially called the conventional church of the order of St. Francis of Assissi by the Portuguese. The Dutch made some changes in the name and structure of the Church in AD 1779. It was known as the Government Protestant Church from 1819-46 and it was only after the restoration work carried out by the English that this edifice became known as St. Francis Church

BOLGHATTY PALACE

 Bolghatty Palace was built by the Dutch on the Southern Extremity of the Bolghatty Island just across the High Court Jetty. One of the attractions is the mini golf course in the Palace grounds. There are several vantage points for lovely views of the harbour and the sea.

 The Palace was built by the Dutch in the year AD 1744. It used to be the seat of the British Resident, but is now used as a Tourist Bunglow by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. The Bunglow is two storeyed and contains well decorated bed chambers, a huge lounge wherein historical portraits are displayed.

HILL PALACE MUSEUM

The Hill Palace Museum is situated about 16 kms east of Cochin city on the Ernakulam-Piravam Road. The Palace complex shows a synthesis of European and Kerala styles of architecture. The Palace is a good example of classical architecture and the major attractions are Nalukettu (four sided building with a central courtyard), a few agraharams, an imposing bunglow built in Dutch style and a royal durbar. This sprawling Palace, built by the Dutch and presented to Sakthan Thamburan, the then Raja of Cochin, now houses a museum. The museum mainly displays the erstwhile wealth and prosperity of the royal family of Cochin, inlcuding the King's throne and crown. The antiquities displayed also include coins, palanquins, palm leaf manuscripts, wooden sculptures, paintings etc. The museum has a fairly good collection of antique temple carvings. There is a deer park in the Palace compound.

CHINESE FISHING NETS

 Chinese fishing nets are a legacy of the earlier visitors to the Malabar Coast. The entrance to the Cochin Harbour is dotted by these fishing nets called "Cheena Vala" in malayalam. The records show that these fishing nets were first erected between AD 1350 and 1450. These are large nets, which hang from bamboo or teak posts with lights suspended above the net. These nets also have counterweights in order to facilitate easy-handling of the nets. The local fishermen still use these nets to catch the fish attracted by the light suspended above the nets. Nowadays these nets have become more of a tourist attraction. The best place to watch is from Vasco Da Gama Square, a narrow promenade that parallel the beach with little stalls serving varied kinds of sea food. Silhouetted against the sunset, they present a spectacular sight of Cochin's waterfront.

MARINE DRIVE

 Marine Drive is considered to be one of the most beautiful parts of the city. It is also called as Shanmugham Road. The marine walk is the main hangout for the local populace as the view of the backwaters and the harbour from here is excellent. At night the lights from the various ships anchored at the harbour is just breathtaking. There are various buildings along the Marine Drive which are good examples of modem architecture with the notable one being Asoka Apartments on the southern end of the Marine Drive with a huge Namaste, the traditional greeting. The GCDA complex at the Marine Drive houses many of the important showrooms and eating joints.

KODER HOUSE

 Koder House was built in 1808 by Samuel S Koder of The Cochin Electric Company. It is a building with its red coloured brick-like façade representing the transition from the colonial to the Indo-European period. Unique features of the building includes floor tiles in chess board pattern, wood carved furniture and a wooden bridge running parallel over Rose lane onto a separate structure across the street.

SANTA CRUZ BASILICA

 The Santa Cruz Basilica was built by the Portuguese and was later elevated to a Cathedral by the Pope Paul IV in 1558. It escaped the destruction by the Dutch conqueror in 1663 but was later demolished by the British when they took over Cochin in 1795. There was no church on the site for almost 100 years until Bishop Dom Gomez Vereira commissioned a new building in 1887. It was consecrated in 1905, Santa Cruz was proclaimed a Basilica by the Pope John Paul II in 1984.

JEWISH SYNAGOGUE

 The synagogue is situated next to the Mattanchery Palace and is an important historical monument. The synagogue also known as "Paradesi Synagogue" was built in AD 1567. Later in AD 1664 it was rebuilt by the Dutch. The synagogue is also important in view of the fact that it houses the famous copper plate grant of Bhaskara Ravi Varma dated AD 1000, a golden crown presented by the Maharaja of Travancore in AD 1805 and the great scrolls of the old Testament. There are nearly two hundred and fifty six blue and white willow-pattern tiles, now forming the payment which were brought from Canton in China. These tiles were presented to the synagogue by Mr. Ezekeil Rahabi, a rich merchant who also built a clock tower. The scene depicted on each of these two hundred year old tile is different from the other and no two tiles are alike.

COCHIN BOAT RIDES

 The Cochin Boat rides allow you to soak in the real beauty of Cochin which lies in its backwaters extending east and south from the harbour dotted with tiny islands formed naturally by alluvial deposits from the rivers. The most beautiful of all the islands is Bolghatty built by the Dutch. The sunset with the Chinese fishing nets in the background can be seen while you enjoy your boat-ride.

WILLINGDON ISLAND

 It is one of Cochin's famous islands named after Lord Willingdon, the British Viceroy of India. This is a man-made island created in 1920's by the British using the material dredged while constructing and deepening of the Cochin Port. It is situated between Ernakulam and Mattanchery separated by the backwaters. Willingdon island is now an important part of Cochin with many of the important hotels, Government Offices, Shipping companies, Cochin Port Trust etc. located here.

BEACHES