 |
|
South
India tours
........ |
|
| |
Currency |Weather |Distance |Railway
Time |Airlines
Time
------------------------------------------------------------------
 |
Districts
Ernakulam |
Click the districts below for more information....>
ABOUT
ERNAKULAM
Cochin, 'Queen of the Arabian sea' is the capital of Eranakulam district. The
city is built up on a cluster of islands and peninsulas joined by the bustling
town on the main land, Ernakulam. Past entwines hand with modernity. Ruins of
colonial days make the history a pervasive presence here. Cochin is the only
metro in Kerala that is located on Central Kerala. Airport, harbour, oil
refinery, public and private sector industrial units and hill- produce trading
centres make the city the biggest commercial hub in Kerala.
Geographically, the district with coastal, midland and high ranges is a Kerala-in-miniature.
The urban district accounts for 8123-hector forest.
District Area 2407 sq.km
Altitude Sea level
Rainfall 254 cm.
Tourist Season September to May
PLACES TO SEE
 St.
Francis Church This centuries old church at Fort Kochi was originally built
completely of timber and later reconstructed in stone masonry. It was restored
in 1779 by the Protestant Dutch, converted to an Anglican church by the British
in 1795 and is at
present governed by the Church of South India. Vasco Da Gama was buried here in
1524 before his remains were moved to Lisbon, Portugal. The tombstone still
remains.
Willingdon Island Named after Lord Willingdon, a former British Viceroy
of India, this man-made island is surrounded by beautiful backwaters. The island
is the site of the city's best hotels and trading centres, the Port Trust and
the headquarters of the southern naval command
The Dutch Cemetery The tomb stones here are the most authentic record of
the hundreds of Europeans who left their homeland on a mission to expand their
colonial empires and changed the course of history of this land. The cemetery
was consecrated in 1724 and is today managed by the Church of South India.
 Synagogue
The Synagogue at Fort Kochi,constructed in 1568, is the oldest in the
Commonwealth. Destroyed in a shelling during the Portuguese raid in 1662, it was
rebuilt two years later by the Dutch Mid-18th century hand painted, willow
patterned floor tiles from Canton in China, a clock tower, Hebrew inscriptions
on stone slabs, great scrolls of the Old Testament, ancient scripts on copper
plates in which the grants of privilege made by the erstwhile Cochin rulers were
recorded etc., are articles of interest here.
Fort Kochi The first foreign Church in India. Vasco De Gama was buried
here; later remains were exhumed out and taken to Portugal. A few interesting
sites included in the tour are the Chinese fishing nets along the Vasco Da Gama
Square, Santa Cruz Basilica, St.Francis Church, VOC Gate, Bastion Bungalow etc.
Apart from these architectural splendours, an array of restaurants serving fresh
seafood are also popular among tourists.
 Chinese
fishing nets The Chinese fishing nets erected on teak wood and bamboo poles
work on the principle of balance. Records say they were first set up here
between AD 1350 and 1450. Vasco Da Gama Square, the narrow promenade that
parallels the beach, is the best place to watch the nets being lowered and
pulled out of the sea
Vasco da Gama Square Kochi, the commercial capital of Kerala, the last
port of Vasco Da Gama, where you will find synagogues, mosques, churches and
temples side by side, is a place with a fascinating history. The huge
cantilevered fishing net, the Chinese fishing nets, seen here is a legacy of its
spellbinding past. The nets, set up on teak and bamboo poles, were brought by
one of the first visitors to the Malabar Coast, the traders from the court of
Kublai Khan.
 Mattancherry
Palace Built by the Portuguese in 1555, it was presented to the raja of
Cochin, Veera Kerala Varma (1537-61), as a gesture of goodwill (and probably as
a means of securing trading privileges). The Dutch renovated the palace in 1663,
hence its
alternative name, the Dutch Palace. The two storey quadrangular building
surrounds a courtyard containing a Hindu Temple. The central hall on the 1st
floor was the coronation hall of the rajas. The astonishing murals, depicting
scene from the Ramayana,
Mahabharta and Puranic legends, are one of the wonders of India
Bolghatty Island This lush, lovely island is famous for its palace of the
same name. The Bolghatty Palace, built in 1744 by the Dutch and later taken over
by the British, is today a popular hotel run by the Kerala Tourism Development
Corporation.
Chendamangalam A church, a temple, a mosque and the remains of a Jewish
synagogue - all lying in close proximity is an ideal example of the ancient
Indian tradition of religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence. At
Chendamangalam, apart from these historic evidences, nature also unveils her
rare combination. The place has a singular geography of three rivers, seven
inlets, hillocks and vast expanses of green plains.
Hill Palace Museum The Hill Palace, the official residence of the Kochi
royal family, is today the largest archaeological museum in Kerala. Built in
1865, the palace complex consists of 49 buildings in the trational architectural
style of Kerala, sprawled over 52 acres of beautifully landscaped terraced land
which houses a deer park and facilities for horse riding. Numerous species of
flora including rare medicinal plants grow here
TRAVEL INFO
Air : Indian Airlines have direct services to Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Goa,
Bangalore and Trivandrum.
Rail : Ernakulam junction and Ernakulam town stations are important
stations in South India. Many services start from Eranakuam.
Road : City bus service, connecting various parts of the city and its
adjacent areas. Private buses ply within the district. KSRTC bus station
operates services to district headquarters in the state and all major cities in
South India.
Water : Islands are connected with the mainland via boat services.
Mattanchery, Eranakulam High Court Jetty are the two boat terminals in the city.
| |
|
