More about Cochin, Fort cochin

Cochin has one of the World's most beautiful ports. A conducted cruise through the winding waterways will take you to several quaint spots including Jew Town, where the Jews arrived as early as 52 AD from Yemen and Babylon. Half the fun of visiting Cochin is getting out on the local ferries.

It has to offer palaces, forts, beaches, backwaters , old churches, snake boat races, Kathakali, Museums and the convinence of the big city.

Undoubtedly, the commercial hub of Kerala, the city of Cochin is where ancient civilization gracefully mingles with modern life. Right from the early years, Cochin has had cultural and trade relations with the outside world. She had also experienced pulsating episodes of European colonial rivalry.

An interesting point to note is that Cochin is probably the only city in India formed from parts of three different states, viz. the two princely states of Travancore and Cochin, and the British Malabar.

In 1976, the village panchayats of Edappally, Vennala, Vyttila, and Palluruthy were merged with the municipalities of Ernakulam and Mattencherry to form the Corporation of Cochin.

Today with a natural, all-weather harbour and replete with serene backwaters, beautiful lagoons, wooden isles and a magnificient seascape, Cochin is indeed the Queen of the Arabian Sea.

Old Cochin comprising of Fort Cochin, Mattencherry and its adjoining areas is famous for several sites of historical significance. The St. Francis' Church, the Santa Cruz Cathedral, and the Chinese fishing nets (Fort Cochin); the Dutch Palace, the Synagogue and the ecclesiastically important Coonen Cross (Mattancherry) beakons you to the bygone era when old Cochin had cultural and trade relations with Arabia, Rome and China and to a vibrant history of European imperialism thereafter. Old houses, particularly in Fort Cochin, Still retain old colonial charm, with some neighbourhoods reminiscent of quaint hamlets in Holland, England, and Portugal. The highly cosmopolitan population is even today engaged in active trading.

Willingdon Island connected to the mainland by the road-cum-railway Venduruthy Bridge, this man made island, named after the former Viceroy of India, Lord Willingdon, was created with the material dredged while deepening the Cochin port. The island, about four miles long, is divided into two zones - the defence and the civil. The former includes the naval command and naval aerodrome. The civil side including the harbour is under the Cochin Port Trust. The Customs House and many other central government establishments are situated here. The island has also on it a busy railway terminus, some of the city's most luxurious hotels, and a very large number of business establishments. Housing colonies for staff members, schools, hospitals, banks and parks are the island's other highlights.