Skip to main content

Fort Kochi, Kochi, Kerala, India

Fort Kochi, formerly known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin, is a neighborhood of Kochi city in Kerala, India.

Fort Kochi takes its name from the Fort Manuel of Kochi, the first European fort on Indian soil, controlled by the Portuguese East Indies.

Vasco da Gama Square
Fort Kochi can be reached from Ernakulam through roadways and water ways.

  • Private buses and government transport buses travel from different parts of the city to Fort Kochi.
  • Owing to the high volume of tourists visiting the place dedicated low floor Volvo buses were introduced to this route by the government.
  • Such buses are in use on the popular routes such as Cochin International Airport (CIAL), Vytila Mobility Hub and Kakanad Info Park.

Panorama of Fort Emmanuel
Fort Emmanuel, also known as Fort Manuel, is a ruined fort located at Fort Kochi Beach in Kochi, Kerala, India.

  • It was a bastion of the Portuguese and a symbol of the strategic alliance between the Maharaja of Kochi and the Kingdom of Portugal.
  • Named after Manuel I of Portugal, it was the first Portuguese fort in Asia.

Another panorama of Fort Emmanuel
In September 1503, the King of Kochi granted permission to Afonso de Albuquerque to build Fort Emmanuel near the waterfront of the Arabian Sea.

  • The construction was commenced on 26 September, and "it took the shape of a square with flanking bastions at the corners mounted with ordnance".
  • The walls were made of double rows of coconut tree stems securely fastened together and with earth rammed firmly between; it was further protected by a wet ditch.
  • The fort was christened on the morning of 1 October 1503 "Emmanuel", after the King of Portugal.

Cannon bastion

Panorama of Fort Emmanuel with cannon bastion

Cheena vala (Chinese fishing net)
The landmark that causes more public and visitor interest is a series of precolonial Chinese fishing nets on the waterfront, believed to have been introduced by Chinese traders in the early 14th century.


Panorama of the Cheena vala (Chinese fishing net)
Chinese fishing nets (Cheena vala in India or tangkul in Indonesia) are a type of stationary lift net in India and Indonesia.

  • They are fishing nets that are fixed land installations for fishing.
  • While commonly known as "Chinese fishing nets" in India, the more formal name for such nets is "shore operated lift nets".
  • Huge mechanical contrivances hold out horizontal nets of 20 m (65.6 ft) or more across.
  • Each structure is at least 10 m (32.8 ft) high and comprises a cantilever with an outstretched net suspended over the sea and large stones suspended from ropes as counterweights at the other end.
  • Each installation is operated by a team of up to six fishermen.
  • While such nets are used throughout coastal southern China and Indochina, in India they are mostly found in the Indian cities of Kochi and Kollam, where they have become a tourist attraction.

See Also

Source

Location

Location: Fort Kochi, Kochi, Kerala, India