The real Fort Kochi
All tour operators will show you the usual sights: Dutch Palace, Chinese fishing nets, Jewish Synagogue, Santa Cruz Basilica Church, St. Francis church….but there’s more to Kochi than this….
In Fort Kochi alone there are places that hail back to the times when the Dutch and Portugese held sway. What they’ll show you is the church where Vasco da Gama is buried. he isn't, not anymore... End of history lesson as far as they’re concerned. If you really want to see Fort Kochi in all its pristine history, do it by foot. Ittakes an hour and a half.
Fort Kochi Walkabout
·
Fort Immanuel built in 1503
·
Dutch
cemetery dating from 1724
·
Thakur
House formerly Hill Bungalow for the National Bank British managers
·
David
Hall standing since 1695 created by the Dutch East India
company
·
Parade
Ground where Dutch, Portugese aand British armies paraded
·
St.
Francis Church built in 1503 which once interred Vasco da Gama before he was
taken home to his native Portugal
·
Cochin
Club that once played host to the British
·
Bastion
Bungalow that came up in 1667
·
Chinese
fishing nets dating from the time of Kublai Khan
·
Pierce
Leslie Bungalow which was a coffee trading house
·
Old Harbor House which was a tea trading house in 1808
·
Koder
House also dating from 1808
·
Princess
Street with old European residences
·
Santa Cruz Basilica
.JPG) |
| Santa Cruz Basilica - Fort Kochi |
·
Delta
Study dating from 1808
·
Vasco
house that is one of the oldest Portugese homes
·
VOC
gate – a wooden structure dating from 1740, it’s named after the Dutch East
India Company’s monogram
·
Bishop’s
House built in 1506, became the Portugese Governor General’s home
Take a local guide because if you ask the tourist cab drivers, they’ll tell you huffily that they’ve shown you the main sites.
Everything’s been given a spanking new coat of paint, even the churches, so you can’t really see it in its original but at least it’s all still preserved…some are hotels but just walk in, they do allow a look see.
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