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 Kochi
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KOCHI is one of the largest and oldest ports on the west coast of India. It comprises of Ernaculam (mainland) several islands and the tip of the Mattancherry Peninsula. All these places are connected by bridges and fleets of ferries and water Launches. This cosmopolitan city has exported Kerala’s produce such as spices, coffee, coir and rubber for over a thousand years. Due to its trading links, it has been exposed to cultural and religious influences from Europe, China and the Middle East. It is South India’s most ecumenical city. It is home to a synagogue, Hindu temples and the United Church of South India. The commercial center of Kochi is Ernakulam. Earlier it was the capital of the erstwhile state of Kochi. It is nearly 2km from the harbor and is linked by bridges and ferries with other parts of Kochi. Fort Cochin is where the coir magnates reside in their Tudor styled mansions reminiscent of those in Britain. Mattancherry, south west of the harbor is the home of a small Jewish community. The most beautiful island is BOLGHATTY Island, which is to the north of Ernakulam. There is a magnificent colonial mansion here where the British residents resided. Earlier it was used by the Dutch Governor. HISTORY The rulers of Kochi had a long history of conflict with the Zamorin of Calicut. They granted the Portuguese rights to trade from Kochi in 1499. The Portuguese tried to eliminate the competition offered by the Arabs, thus angering the Zamorin whose prosperity depended on these trading links with Arabs. This conflict was to the advantage of the Raja of Kochi, as it ensured that both these powers would be too busy to interfere in the affairs of Kochi. However with the defeat of the Portuguese at the hands of the Dutch, the Raja again found favors with the victors by granting them trading rights much to the wrath of the Zamorin who had earlier befriended the Dutch. However, the Dutch were defeated in the battle of Kolachal in 1741 by Raja Marthanda Varma and the Zamorin was forced to withdraw from Kochi in 1758. Kochi had a brief period of freedom before the ravaging onslaught of Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan. Their defeat at the hands of the British in 1792(Treaty of Seringapatam). Kochi because a Princely state under the direct suzerainty of the Britishers. |
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