Known as Kochi and
formerly Ernakulam
After a morning at sea we arrived in India at the port of
Cochin (Kochi and formerly Ernakulam). The city has
strong influences of Portuguese, Chinese, Arab, Dutch
and, of course, British still much in evidence today.
We did a tour to see the ruins of Fort Cochin then visited
the Chinese fishing nets and experienced lowering the
net to catch fish. Closeby is the Marigold Hotel as used
the famous film.
We visited the oldest European church in India, St
Francis and Mattancherry Palace with its ornately
decorated rooms including some elaborately painted
ancient murals. We saw the Pardesi Synagogue (closed
on Saturdays) and walked through the Fort Cochin town
area seeing the variety of spices, silks and colourful
body paints.
Keralan Backwaters
We drove to Alleppey (Alappazhu) and took a local boat
for a cruise of the Keralan backwaters that are a chain of
brackish lagoons and lakes, lying parallel to the Arabian
Sea coast (known as the Malabar Coast). Fed by 38
rivers, the network includes five lakes linked by canals,
both man made and natural. The backwaters were
formed by the action of waves and shore currents
creating low barrier islands across the mouths of the
many rivers flowing down from the Western Ghats
range. A barrage has been built to prevent salt water
from entering, keeping the fresh water for irrigation of
the many rice paddies there.
There are many modernised house boats (that are hired
out to tourists). They are 80ft long kettuvallams made of
coconut thatched rooves on traditional rice barges. We
cruised along the canals occupied by local villagers. The
river banks are covered with Palm trees, pandanus
shrubs and other leafy plants. There was an abundance
of birds including Cormorants, egrets, darters, turns,
Snipes, kingfishers, brahminy kites.
History
Cochin is a major port city in the south-west of India by
the Arabian sea and the Laccadive Sea. Known as the
Queen of the Arabian Sea, it was an important spice
trading centre from the 14th century onward. Occupied
by the Portugese in 1503, Kochi was the first of the
European colonies in colonial India. It remained the
main seat of Portugese India until 1530, when Goa was
chosen instead. The city was later occupied by the Dutch
and the British with the kingdom of Cochin becoming a
princely state.
The Malabar coast is a long and narrow coastline on the
south-western shoreline that comprises the wettest
regions of southern India. Throughout recorded history
from 3000BC it has been a major trading centre in
commerce with Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome,
Jerusalem and the Arab world.
Kathakali
In the evening after dinner there was a Kathakali
performance on the ship – it’s one of the main forms of
classical dance drama of India and indigenous to Kerala. The
performance of a story is done by the eyes and facial
expressions.
The dancers, traditionally male, wear elaborately colourful
make-up, costumes and face masks. The traditional themes
of the Kathakali are folk mythologies, religious legends and
spiritual ideas from Hindu epics.