| Cochin Sightseeing |
| Bolgatty Island |
 This is a beautiful island lying close to Ernakulam. Built by the Dutch in 1774, Bolgatty Palace, the home of the former British Resident of Kochi is sitauted here. |
| Chennamangalam |
 Chennamangalam is the seat of Paliath Achan the hereditary Prime Minister of the erstwhile state of Cochin from 1632 to 1809 and one of the chief centres of the Jewish Colony. In the vicinity of the Jewish Colony once stood thefamous Vaipinkotta Seminary built in the 16th century by the Portuguese. There is an old Syrian Catholic Church near the ruins of the seminary established in 1201. Chennamagalam is an important centre of handloom weaving and coir manufacturing. |
| St. Francis Church |
 St. Francis Church, allegedly India's oldest European-built church, was constructed in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars who accompanied the expedition led by Pedro Alvarez Cabral. The original wooden structure was rebuilt in stone around the mid-16th century. The earliest Portuguese inscription in the church is dated 1562. The Protestant Dutch captured Cochin in 1663 and restored the church in 1779. After the occupation of Cochin by the British in 1795, it became an Anglican church and is presently being used by the Church of South India. Having died in Cochin in 1524, Vasco da Gama was buried here for 14 years before his remains were taken to Lisbon. His tombstone can be seen in the church. Rope-operated punkahs or fans are one of this Church's unusual features. |
| Chinese fishing nets |
 At the entrance of Cochin Harbour, Chinese fishing nets are a fascinating sight. These nets were introduced by traders from the court of Kublai Khan. You can also see them along many backwaters. They are mainly used at high tide, requiring at least four men to operate their system of counterweights. |
| Mattancherry Synagogue |
 Originally constructed in 1568, the synagogue was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1662 and was rebuilt two years later when the Dutch took over Kochi. It features handpainted willow pattern floor tiles brought from Canton in China in the mid- 18th century by Ezekial Rahabi, who was also responsible for the erection of the building's clock tower. A synagogue built at Kochangadi in 1344 has since disappeared, although a stone slab from this building, inscribed in Hebrew, can be found on the inner surface of the wall that surrounds the Mattanchery Synagogue. The area around the synagogue is known as Jewtown and is one of the centres of the Kochi spice trade. Score of small firms huddle together in old, dilapidated buildings and the air is filled with the pungent aromas of ginger, cardamom, cumin, turmeric and cloves. Many Jewish names are visible on premises and there are several curio shops on the street leading to the synagogue. |
| Mattancherry Palace |
| Built by the Portuguese in 1555, Mattancherry Palace 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. The ladies' bedchamber downstairs features a cheerful Krishna using his six hands and two feet to engage in foreplay with eight happy milkmaids. |
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