|
"From Portuguese explorers, Chinese
fishermen to Jewish and Christian settlers, the old port of Kochi is a
rich tapestry of multicultural heritage and one of southern India's most
delightful cities."
It takes the weight of a good three to
four men to haul in the prize from the fishing nets. There's a
collective: "One! Two! Three!" to pull them in. But these wooden-framed
cantilevered, spider-like fishing apparatus are no ordinary nets. First
introduced from China to the southern Indian city of Kochi some 800
years ago during the rule of Kublai Khan, they are rarely found outside
China. Stretching a good 200-metres of the high tide, producing a bounty
of fresh sea fish.
The Chinese weren't the only visitors to
leave their make on Kochi (India). For the best part of two millennia,
Kochi was an important trading port and has been enticing traders and
colonists from the Middle East, China, Portugal, Holland and Britain -
each injecting some enduring element into Kochi's charming and rustic
character. Lining a peninsula on the Arabian Sea coastline, Kochi is
still often called by its old name of Cochin. This second largest city
in Kerala, India, is best known as the starting point for cruises along
beautiful palm-fringed canals of the picturesque Kerala backwaters.
Today's Kochi, however, is a modern city
that has spread across the peninsula to Ernakulam, where it has evolved
into an important shipping, naval, and industrial base. But Kochi's
greatest allure lies in the area around Mattancherry; its old port.
Here, there's a nostalgic feeling of 300 years when it was the heart of
India's spice trade. Signs of the Portuguese, Dutch and British
influences are prominent and, in many ways, life continues as it has for
centuries. The only thing missing are the grand old sailing ships of
yesteryears.
Kochi's natural deep harbout means trade
has always formed the backbone of its existence. Arab merchants were the
first to arrive, looking to acquire the exotic spices and goods of the
subcontinent. The heart of Mattancherry remains characterized by the
innumerable spice shops and traders, lining the maze of small streets.
The exotic aroma wafts in the air as traders continue about their
business with a vast array of spices pilled up highly in the slopes.
Only a few years after Vasco Da Gama's
first successful European sea expedition to India in the late 15th
century, the Portuguese established Kochi as a trading port. As the
first Europeans to settle in India, they quickly introduced their own
culture and religion to the locals.
Built in 1503, the St Francis Church is
the oldest European Christian church in India. During Vasco Da Gama's
third visit to India, he fell ill and died in Kochi. He was buried in St
Francis Church until his remains were taken back to Portugal. The
well-preserved church, just a short stroll from the Chinese fishing
nets, still contains centuries-old plaque indicating the burial place of
his famous explorer.
Awash with numerous churches, Hindu
temples, mosques, and even a synagogue, Kochi is one of India's most
religiously diverse cities. Well before the Portuguese brought Roman
Catholicism, followers of an ancient Syrian Christianity were said to
have arrived in Kochi only a century after Christ's death. Arab traders
later brought Islam. And for many centuries, a large Jewish community
called Kochi home too.
While many Jews migrated to the
newly-formed Israel after 1948, India's first synagogue built in 1568
remains open to this day. Tucked behind Kochi's old spice trading stores
and warehouses, its floors are lined with ornate handmade tiles,
imported from China in the 18th century, while Belgian chandeliers hang
from its ceiling. The exterior is decorated with a number of old stone
slabs inscribed with Hebrew writing.
In 1663, Portugal's domination of Kochi
ended with the arrival of the Dutch, who quickly introduced their own
culture. The St Francis Church was converted to a Protestant church and
the Mattancherry Palace, also build by the Portuguese, was converted and
presented to the Raja of Kochi. The palace, which is a museum now houses
magnificent murals depicting various scenes from the Ramayana and
Mahabharatta; epic poems of Hinduism. Perhaps one of the greatest marks
of the Dutch presence around the port is the Old Dutch Cemetery and its
weather-beaten gravestones near the beach.
When the British arrived in 1795, St
Francis Church was converted yet again and, this time, to an Anglican
Church. Of all the foreign influences, British rule in India has been
particularly indelible, greatly shaping the country's political,
business, and education. Several schools of the British Public School
system were established not far from St Francis Church. Each afternoon,
when the school bell rings, thousands of children pour out of the school
gates in their British-styled uniforms.
As the children head home and the sun
begins to sink into the Arabian Sea; the skies are perfect for a view of
the fishing village. The cantilevered Chinese fishing nets seem to dance
around in the air in swift strokes of great expertise.
Staring into the ocean, you suddenly
understand why this little city has always been a beacon to a world
wanting to visit its shore. Once they arrived, leaving this magical
place becomes quite impossible.
#Ads - Get the above cooking ingredients here at discounted price
|
