We were told that there are 1.2 billion people in India according to the most recent census. Yesterday, we landed in Cochin, India and saw some of that population, but it did not seem as crowded as I thought it would be and the people there were better off than I expected. Cochin people on the whole, were well dressed, warm and friendly. Most of the locals had a good grasp of English, which is one of the three languages that they are taught in school along with the local language and the national language, Hindi. Our guide told us that his state boasted a very high literacy rate and that in and around Cochin there were many excellent post-secondary institutions that draw students from all over the country.
Cochin is situated in the state of Kerala in southern India and because it is separated from the rest of the country by thick jungle and hilly terrain, it is somewhat isolated. Cochin is an ancient port city that has been on the trade routes of many civilizations throughout the ages. Arab traders have stopped here for thousands of years. Then about five hundred years ago the Portuguese arrived after Vasco da Gama, the famous explorer, discovered a route around Africa. The Portuguese skirmished with the Arab Muslims while establishing their base of trading operations here but the Raja of Cochin let the Portuguese set up shop. The Portuguese held on to their base here for about 150 years but were then supplanted by the Dutch. The Dutch hung around for another 150 years until the British took over.
We visited St. Francis Church in the area that is called Fort Cochin near the site of the Portuguese fort built with the permission of the Raja of Cochin. The church was of course a Catholic church and was finished by the Franciscans in 1516. It is the oldest European church in all of India and it is a beautiful building set in a beautiful churchyard. However, it has had a tumultuous history. When the Dutch arrived in 1663 they took over and the church became a Dutch Protestant place of worship. In 1795 the British took over and a few years later in 1804 the church was handed over to the Anglican Communion. One of the most interesting facts about the church is that Vasco da Gama was buried here for a while until they repatriated his body back to Portugal.
We also visited the Mattancherry Palace or the Dutch Palace. It was built by the Portuguese in 1557 and renovated by the Dutch. The initial construction and the renovation of the Palace were gifts to the ruling Rajas. The Rajas took up residence in the building and although I’m sure the Rajas enjoyed living there, it isn’t really a grand palace like one might expect. It does however contain many interesting exhibits and the Hindu religious frescos on the walls are really amazing. Unfortunately, there were no photos allowed inside.
Next we walked down Jew Street, which contains many nice shops from which the merchants sell local handicrafts, spices, jewelry and other touristy stuff. The street ends in a cul-de-sac that has a Synagogue at its base. The Synagogue dates from 1568. Our guide indicated that most of the shop’s former Jewish owners now live in Israel but that there had been a Jewish community in the area since Jewish settlers had fled to Cochin from Palestine 2000 years ago.
We also strolled through the streets of Fort Cochin and passed numerous parks and residential areas where many beautiful Victorian homes still stand. Some very wealthy Indians still inhabit these houses and the grounds are spectacular given that just about anything can be grown in Cochin’s climate. Our stroll took us to the harbor to see how Chinese Fishing Nets were used along the shorelines at the entrance to the harbor.
Finally, we boarded a small boat for a tour of the harbor. This was really fun because we were able to get close to a number of fishing boats that were bringing their catches into the market. The boats are all brightly painted and the fishermen were very accommodating to a bunch of tourists stretching Kodak moments into several minutes of flashes. You could see that they were unloading tons of sardines and herrings. We also passed by a huge container dock, which was brand new. I have since learned that the massive facility was made possible thanks to the Dubai Port Authority. Across the bay from the container dock we cruised by several 5-star resorts, which looked like pretty posh establishments and then our rice boat returned us to shore and we re-boarded the Nautica.
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