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Cochin, the commercial hub of Kerala, is a town of great historical importance. It has a fine natural harbor around which the city has grown. Its rich past and present prosperity make it a very interesting port town of India. It is one of the three biggest ports on Malabar coast and the biggest in Kerala. Cochin is actually a cluster of off-shore island. The various islands which include Willingdon, Bolgatty and Gundu are connected by ferries and bridges.
The Fort Cochin area, where the Portuguese settled in the 16th century, has been declared as Heritage Zone.
General information
Altitude: Sea Level
Best Season: October to March
Temperature:
Summer Max 35 deg Min 22 deg Winter Max 32 deg Min 20 deg
STD Code: 0484
How to get there
Air
Cochin is connected to Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Goa, Bangalore and Trivandrum.
Rail
Cochin/Ernakulam is connected by rail to all the major cities in India.
Road
Cochin is connected with Alleppey 64 km, Bangalore 565 km, Kanniyakumari 309 km, Kodaikanal 444 km, Madras 694 km, Madurai 324 km, Thekkady 190 km and Trivandrum 223 km.
Sea
(A) The Kerala Inland Water Transport Corporation operates regular back- water boat services to Alleppey (7 hrs) and Quilon (8 hrs).
(B) SPORTS-Cochin operates tours to Lakshadweep Islands from Mid-Sept. to Mid-May.
In and around
Dutch Palace
A beautiful palace dating back to AD 1557, built by Portuguese for the use of the Raja of Kochi (Cochin). Renovated by Dutch settlers a century later, the double storied building stands tall between the Jewish synagogue on the south and the panoramic backwater network on the east.
Jewish Synagogue
Constructed in 1568, this is the oldest synagogue in the Common wealth. Destroyed in a shelling during the Portuguese raid in 1662, it was rebuilt two years later by the Dutch. The synagogue sports mid 18th century handmade, blue willow pattern floor tiles (no two tiles are similar) from Canton in China, a clock tower, Hebrew inscription on a stone slab and finely wrought gold and silver crowns.
St. Francis Church
Originally named Santo Antonia, this is India's oldest European church, built in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscen Friars, the wooden church was restored in stone in 1779 by the Protestent, Dutch and converted into an Anglicn church by the British in 1795. it is presently used by the church of south India.
Hill Palace Museum
10 km from Kochi, Hill Palace, the official residence of the Kochi royal family was built in 1865. the Palace complex consist of 49 buildings built in the traditional architectural style of Kerala and is surrounded by 52 acres of terraced land with a deer park and facilities for horse riding.
Chinese Fishing Nets
Here one can still see the contilevered fishing nets, introduced centuries earlier by the Chinese merchants-adventurers. The boats too are of Chinese style. These Chinese styles country boats and fishing nets are a ubiquitous phenomenon and can be seen in the backwaters at Cochin, Kottayam, Alleppey and Quilon
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