Kochi Trip

During our trip to Kochi, we visited the following places :  

• Mattancherry Palace – Mattancherry Palace, also known as Dutch Palace, is situated at Mattancherry in Ernakulam district and was built by Portuguese in 1557 and presented to Raja Veera Kerala Verma of Kochi. It is famous for its long and spacious halls along with its central courtyard. It is also the home of the deity of the royal family, Pazhayannur Bhagavathy (the deity of Pazhayannur). This double-storied palace has a lovely collection of murals.

• Jew Street – The Jew Street in Kochi is famous for its antique shops, which sell artefacts, crockery pieces, wooden furniture, etc. A nearby attraction is the Jewish Synagogue. Kochi is the best place in the state to experience the lifestyle and culture of the Jewish community in the sub-continent.

• Paradesi Synagogue – Pardesi Synagogue aka Cochin Jewish Synagogue or Mattancherry Synagogue is a synagogue located in Mattancherry Jew Town, a suburb of the city of Kochi. It was built in 1568 by Samuel Castiel, David Belilla and Joseph Levy for the flourishing overseas Jewish community in Kochi.

• Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica – The Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica (also known as Kotta Palli in Malayalam) at Fort Kochi is one of the nine basilicas of Kerala. Counted as one of the heritage edifices of Kerala, this church is one of the finest and most impressive churches in India and visited by tourists the whole year round.

• Fort Kochi – The Fort Kochi, also known as Fort Cochin in English and Cochim de Baixo (Lower Kochi) in Portuguese Creole, is a neighborhood of Kochi. An attractive seaside resort, Fort Kochi is known for its Dutch, Portuguese and British colonial architecture and the elaborate bamboo fishing nets on Fort Kochi Beach. A charming seaside area, Fort Kochi is known for its Dutch, Portuguese, and British colonial architecture, and elaborate bamboo fishing nets at Fort Kochi Beach.

• St. Augustine's Church – An old famous Latin Catholic Church in Kerala that belongs to the Diocese of Cochin in the name of St. Augustine - All the land for this church has been donated by the Old Elavanthara family.

ABOUT KOCHI

Kochi, also known as Cochin, is a city in southwest India's coastal Kerala state. Kochi is the commercial capital and most cosmopolitan city of Kerala. Kochi is also often referred to as Ernakulam for a long time, which refers to the mainland part of the city. Kochi Municipal Corporation is the second most populous city in the state. It is the largest urban agglomeration area in the state of Kerala including the extension of the Kochi metropolitan area. The city of Kochi is a part of the Greater Kochi region and it is classified as a   second grade city by the Government of India. The upkeep and maintenance of the city is done by the Kochi Municipal Corporation established in 1967. Apart from this, the responsibility of the all-round development of the entire region is on the Greater Cochin Development Authority and the Goshri Island Development Authority. Kochi has been a spice trading center on India's western coastline since the 14th century and was known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea. In 1503, the Portuguese took over here and it became the first European colony of colonial India. It remained the main power center of the Portuguese till Goa was elected in 1530. Later it came under the control of the Dutch and the British, with the state of Kochi being converted into a princely state.