COCHIN: HISTORIC BUILDINGS
kerala is small state, located at india's south-western coast. it's capital is thivandrum, however, the oldest and most influental city is cochin (also named kochi), now a large harbour - see map.
essential parts are the mattancherry island and the ernakulam district on the mainland. chochin seems existing for 2000 years, because it used to be a vital spice trading center for a very long time, which was known to greek, roman, arab and chinese merchants . yet the town's earliest documentation was only in the 14th century. in 1503, cochin became the first european colony in india, by portuguese traders. in 1530 the netherlands took over, and in 1814 england. these all settled on the mattancherry island, and the "fort cochin" was crucial.
lots of historical buildings, as well as customs and trades, have survived since 1500. here are some examples:
very old portugese church, located in northern mattancherry at the beach.
the st francis church, originally portugese, then dutch.
santa cruz was also originally a portugese church, then dutch, then fell apart, and was in the 19th century thoroughly rebuilt, and is now a cathedral. it's richly decorated, and even on the ceiling are paintings.
even a little church of the jewish community has survived.
the old dutch cemetery is not taken care of.
the chinese community in mattancherry's north still pursues a traditional fishing procedure, with huge nets.
cochin maintains its extensive tradition as a spice hub, and in areas with many visitors there are cute little shops to buy unusual indian spices.
finally, for the countless tourists lots of indian figures are offered, arty ones and cute ones and kitschy ones.
