What to See in Kerala - Where to Go in Kerala - Places to See in Kerala
Kerala in South India, is not only considered to have the best tourist places in India, but also the people of Kerala are so friendly and helpful to the Tourists whom they consider as honoured guests. Unlike the rest of India, in Kerala there is hardly any reports of cheating or robbing Tourists. We will tell you about the sights and resorts of Kerala. But first a short video tour of Kerala.
A Video Tour of Kerala
The best way to introduce Kerala to you will be with a 10 minute video presentation about Kerala, which can be seen on the left. In those 10 minutes of watching this video, you will get a virtual tour of Kerala .
After seeing the video you will know why Kerala is named by National Geographic Traveler Magazine as “One of the ten Paradises of the world” or Time Magazine to say "Afoot and Afloat - Kerala is Worth the Journey". You will have a glimpse of the beautiful Kerala Backwaters and its Houseboats, the Misty Hills of Munnar Resort, the centauries old practice of fishing with the Chinese Fishing Nets, the great beaches of Kerala, about Ayurvedic massages, Kerala Cuisine and Spices.
On this page we will present some of the important places of Kerala with short descriptions. We will start with Cochin or Kochi, the main Airport of Kerala, and most probably where you will be landing in Kerala.
Cochin or Kochi
Cochin is the English name of the original name Kochi. The Greater Cochin City includes Fort Cochin or Fort Kochi, Mattanchery, Kakkanad, Thrikkakara and Ernakulam. Cochin is the Headquarters of Ernakulam district in the State of Kerala. Historically Kochi became prominent after the world famous ancient port Muziris or Patanam, now called Kodugallur, was destroyed by flooding of the river Periyar in 1340 AD. While the flooding buried Muziris with sand, the river opened up a new estuary at Kochin and creating the port of Kochi or Cochin. Kochi or Cochin is called the 'Queen of Arabian Sea'.
From 1503 to 1663, Fort Kochi was ruled by Portugal. The Portuguese rule was followed by that of the Dutch. The Dutch signed the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 with the English under which Kochi was ceded to England in exchange for the island of Bangka Island in Indonesia. Harbour engineer Mr. Robert Bristow was brought to Kochi in 1920 by the then English Governor of Madras, Lord Willingdon. Bristow dredged the entrance to Cochin Port in order to allow larger ships to enter the port. The dredged sand was used to create an artificial Island inside Cochin Port called Willingdon Island. Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy has its headquarters in Cochin. The Port of Kochi has been recently developed into an International Container Transshipment Terminal call Vallarpadom. Cochin Shipyard is now famous since it has been awarded to build for the Indian Navy a huge Aircraft Carrier named 'Vikrant'.
Tourist spots in and around Cochin
Chinese Fishing Nets, Fort Kochi or Fort Cochin
The Chinese fishing nets seen in many parts of Kerala, especially in Fort Cochin, are believed to have been introduced into India during the rule Kublai Khanin in China, by Chinese explorer Zheng He. Now the only existing place on earth with these types of nets, seems to be only in Kerala, especially in Fort Cochin. The best way to describe how these nets work is to imagine about a 30 feet (10 Meter) square fishing net fixed on a giant set of wooden spider legs. These shoreline based nets are dipped in water and then lifted out using long wooden, counter balanced, lever systems operated by about 6 to 10 men. The best way to understand the operation of these Fort Cochin Chinese Fishing nets is by watching the youtube video on the left.
The Fort Cochin Chinese fishing are a very popular attraction for the tourists who seem to love the slow motion working of these nets and anxiously await the fish catch, to buy it off from the Chinese fishing net operators and get them grilled or cooked, marinated with Indian masalas, by the nearby street vendor who will cook the just caught fish to perfection.
Mattanchery Palace, Fort Cochin
Mattancherry Palace in Fort Cochin, Ernakulam District, Kerala was built by the Portuguese and presented in 1555 AD to Veera Kerala Varma , the King of Kochi. It is now popularly known as The Dutch Palace, since the Dutch carried out some repairs and extensions to the palace in 1663. Today it is a museum and open to the public. The portrait gallery of the Cochin Rajas and some of the best mythological murals (wall paintings) in India can be viewed. Other exhibits include ceremonial robes, headdresses, weapons, palanquins, furniture, etc.
The Mattanchery Palace is on the tentative list to be declared as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The link to the site is http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentative lists/1092/
Cochin Jewish Synagogue
The Cochin Jewish Synagogue or the Mattancherry Synagogue or the Paradesi Synagogue is the oldest active synagogue in the world. It was built in 1568 by the Cochin Jews. The synagogue is located in an area known as Jew Town in Cochin, South India. The Synagogue is located next to the Mattancherry Palace temple on a piece of land donated to the Malabari Yehuden people by the King of Kochi., Rama Varma. The Mattancherry Palace temple and the Cochin Jewish synagogue share a common wall.
The Kerala or Malabari Jews was a rich trading community in Kerala during the middle ages, and they had world wide monopoly in the trading of Kerala Spices. The original synagogue was built in the 4th century in Pattanam or Muziris but must have been destroyed by the floods in the year 1340 and most of the Jewish community in Kerala then shifted base to the new port of Kochi.
The synagogue celebrated its 400th anniversary in 1968 and the signatories attending the celebrations included the Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi.
St. Francis Church, Fort Kochi
This small church has historical significance in that it is the first Church in India built by the Portuguese, the first Europeans who came to India. The Church was originally built with wood in 1503, and later rebuilt with brick and mortar in 1516. The Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, who died in Kochi in 1524 was originally buried in this church, but after fourteen years his remains were taken back to Portugal for a ceremonial burial there. The original grave of Vasco da Gama can still be seen in the St. Francis Church in Fort Cochin.
Efforts are underway by The International Forum for Cultural Heritage Tradition (IFCHAT) to get UNSESO to declare the St Francis church as a World Heritage Site.
Santa Cruz Basilica, Fort Kochi
The Santa Cruz Basilica in Fort Cochin is one of the oldest churches in India and is also declared a Basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1984. The Portuguese got permission from the Kochi King Godha Varma and the construction of the church began on May 3, 1505, the feast day of the Holy Cross, and hence was named Santa Cruz Church. When the Dutch defeated the Portuguese, the Dutch used Santa Cruz Church as their warehouse. Later, when Cochin came into the hands of the British, they destroyed the original church buildings. One of the granite pillars of the original church can still be seen at the southeastern corner of the present Basilica.
The church with its twin high spires makes an imposing edifice. The main altar was designed by the famous Italian painter Antonio Moscheni. There are some spectacular paintings inside the church, most notably, one of the Last Supper which closely resembles the one by Leonardo da Vinci. The stained windows and paintings on the ceiling of the church are remarkable.
Bolgatty / Bolghatty Palace
Bolghatty Palace is located on Bolghatty Islands, in Cochin, Kerala. Bolghatty Island is a small lovely island just three kilometers from Ernakulam city. Bolgatty / Bolghatty Palace was built by the Dutch in 1744. During the time of British rule, it became the residence of the British Governor. After Independence of India, it became a property of the State of Kerala, who has converted into a Heritage Hotel. The hotel's location is just heavenly and the service impeccable. The rooms are very large, the swimming pool is big and nice, has a fantastic restaurant, bar and an Ayurvedic Center. There is a 9 hole mini golf course and daily Kathakali performances. It is a 5 minute boat ride across the backwaters from High Court Jetty in Ernakulam city. It is also a short ferry ride from Fort Cochin, where you can see the Chinese Fishing nets, Jewish Synagogue, etc.
The link to the Bolgatty Palace Hotel is http://www.bolgattypalacekochi.com/
Museum of Kerala History, Edappally
To quote from their website
"This 'live' Museum is not just a retelling of the past but is a Light and Sound show of three-dimensional visuals. 87 figures who shaped the history and culture of Kerala in the last two thousand years have been represented here in Light and Sound Tableaus. The story, from the Early peoples of Kerala to the modern age is interspersed with Social, Cultural and literary facets is a fascinating one.
The known history of Kerala is represented in 36 visuals which cover the sweep of history over the last two thousand years. These visuals are.........." More from http://artandkeralahistory.org/museum.htm
Hill Palace, Tripunithura
The Hill Palace in Thripunithura is the largest archaeological museum in Kerala. This palace was the official residence of the Kochi Royal Family and was built in 1865. The Cochin Royal Family gave the Tripunithura Hill Palace to the Government of Kerala in 1980 and then it was taken over by the Department Of Archaeology and converted into a Museum. Within the 52 acres of the Kochi Hill Palace, now there are an archaeological Museum, a Heritage Museum, a Deer Park, a Pre-historic Park and a Children’s park. Many categories of exhibits including paintings, murals, carvings, sculptures, manuscripts, etc. are displayed. Also displayed are the throne and the crown embedded with precious stones, many valuable coins, ornaments, majestic beds, etc. The museum also houses a large collection of archaeological findings including an amazing collection of plaster cast models of objects from Mohanjodaro and Harappa of the Indus Valley civilization of North India. The outlying grounds within the palace has many rare Medicinal Plants.
Other places of historical interest in Kerala are the Sea forts of Bekal, St. Angelo Fort at Kannur and the Thalassery Fort built by Portuguese. Of these, the Bekal fort as described below, is the best.
Bekal Fort
Bekal Fort is a massive fort built on the beach of a the small town of Bekal near Kasaragod at the northern end of Kerala. It is well preserved and the largest fort anywhere in Kerala. The beautiful beach near the Bekal fort is known as Bekal Fort Beach and has been developed as an beach Resort by the Bekal Resorts Development Corporation (BRDC). Bekal Fort and Bekal Beach is fast emerging as an important Tourist Spot in Kerala and has been selected as a 'Special Tourism Area' by the Government of India.