Pallipuram Fort

The most ancient European building in India. The Pallipuram Fort aka Ayikotta built in AD 1503 by the Portuguese, the fort played a significant role in guarding the trade ships carrying spices as well as securing prime position in battling any foreign entry.

The oldest surviving fort at Pallipuram. The hexagonal outpost like structure gave clear command round the fort for the Portuguese army. Following a history of battles between Vasco Da Gama and the Zamorin empire, the Portuguese leaders succeeded in getting aid from then King of Kochi and the foundation stone of Pallipuram fort was erected on 20th September 1503.  

“... It was completed in 1508 to hold the entrance to the back-water. It was garrisoned by 20 men. Each of its octagonal facets was pierced for cannon. This is the first European building in India.” 

Source: Extract from the letter of Mr. A Galletti ICS to the resident of Travancore and Kochi.

This gave the Portuguese control over spice trade from India and went on to built the Cranganore fort at the mouth of river Periyar which became another significant control point for trade and battles.
For info on Cranganore fort, refer previous post : http://kochimuziris.blogspot.in/2012/12/remains-of-cranganore-fort.html

During the same period, Fort Immanuel was also built in the modern day Fort Kochi region, the ruins of which can still be found near the Fort Kochi beach area.

One can feel an ancient European memory of Muziris by the very look of it.

The entrance into the out post. The fort was constructed using laterite, chunam and wood and the walls plastered using mortar.

The stone cellar inside Pallipuram fort which was used to store gun powder. Some of the locals believe that this cellar had a secret passage that connected the fort to Cheraman Juma Masjid in Kodungallur or the Cranganore fort or either. 

The walls of Pallipuram fort from the inside over grown with vegetation and algae. The echoes of gun shots are long lost.

 Fishing boats anchored near to the Pallipuram fort area. Several hundreds of trade ships and battle ships must have passed this year during the 16th century.

In 1663, the Dutch army took control over the fort and later in 1798 the then Travancore Maharaja purchased the fort from Dutch under and agreement and today the Fort is preserved by the state Archaeology department.







How to get there : The easiest route is via the Vypin - Munambam road. Before reaching the Pallipuram market, on the right side of the road one can find a narrow entrance fenced on both sides which leads to the Fort.

https://maps.google.co.in/maps?hl=en&newwindow=1&q=palliport%20fort&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

Paravur Jewish Synagogue

When Jews arrived in Kochi, they never had to deal with any Antisemitism like their counterparts in other places. The harmonious co-existence of all the religious communities settled in the Kochi-Muziris belt must have made it an ideal location for foreign trade. 
The Paravur Synagogue located near the market in North Paravur is said to have built in 1615. A Jew town had developed around the synagogue but most of the buildings have been reconstructed over a period of time as the Jews left. Some say that the Synagogue in Paravur was built over the ruins of a much more older Synagogue that existed in 1165 which would relate the Jewish entry into Muziris soil as one that happened even before the spice trade. 

The Jewish Synagogue in Jew town, North Paravur.

The Synagogue in Paravur is currently closed as restoration works under the Muziris heritage project are proceeding. Shot on 25th December, 2012.

" The synagogue is attractive; there's a pillared entryway that leads from the two rooms at the main entrance to the prayer place .The prayer hall consists of two rooms; a rectangular room generally used for meetings and the other main prayer room with the Bimah and the Ark. There is a balcony above the eastern entry, on the first floor, which was used by the reader on certain special occasions. The ceiling and the brackets supporting the balcony is decorated with gilded carved wooden rosettes, typical to most synagogues. Behind this balcony is the women's gallery, which can be approached by a staircase that was situated near the entry to the synagogue. "

source : https://www.keralatourism.org/muziris/paravur-Jewish-synagogue.php

How to get there : From Paravur town via the Paravur - Kodungallur road, take a U-turn from the St.Thomas Kottakavu Forane Church before crossing the bridge and take the 3rd left turn through the narrow road of old Jew street that leads to the Synagogue.

https://maps.google.co.in/maps?hl=en&newwindow=1&q=paravur&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

Remains of Cranganore Fort

The remains of Cranganore Fort aka Kottappuram Fort in Methala village, Kodungallur, Kerala is a reflection of a rich Muziris heritage. Built by the Portuguese in 1523 on a prime location on the mouth of Periyar river as it stretches to join the Arabian Sea. In 1663, the fort was captured and destroyed by the Dutch and later used the space to guard their trade ships. One could hardly call it a fort today as almost all the walls were found demolished and today the remains are undergoing excavation under the Muziris Heritage project.

 Excavated walls of the Cranganore Fort

 A panoramic view of the excavation site at the Cranganore Fort.

 A lengthy procedure to brush out the Muziris history looks worthy enough. These seemingly demolished walls takes us back to our glory days of spice trade or was it really that glorious? Numerous skeletons were also unearthed along with the artifacts said the site manager Balan.

" Muziris has the distinction of having yielded a complete human skeleton for the first time in India, from the Kottappuram fort area. Other items excavated here include Chinese coins, Chinese inscriptions, and pieces of decorated porcelain, West Arabian pottery pieces, iron nails, bullets, stone beads, 17th century Dutch coins and tiles. These will eventually go into the museums to be set up."

source : https://www.keralatourism.org/muziris/history.php

 Terracotta shards from the demolished Cranganore Fort.

 A brief history of ruins at the Cranganore Fort.

 Lot of Giant sized trees have flourished in the locality. Some of the locals referred the Fort as some haunted place until the excavation project cleared the tall grasses and thorny bushes. 

The root of a Giant Sized "Ezhilam Pala " ( Alstonia Scholaris ) a holy tree often planted in a temple premises in Kerala unearthed from the site. The tree has got lot of significance in folk stories of Kerala and is often related to demoness "Yakshi" but some findings relate "Yakshi" to goddess associated with the fertility of the earth.

For more info :
http://keezhkulamelangom.angelfire.com/yakshi.htm

http://maddy06.blogspot.in/2010/02/bewitching-yakshi.html

A mild notice to trespassers  

Later this pillar was erected by the Archaeology department of Travancore based on a purchase made by the then Travancore king Ramavarma Dharmaraja from the Dutch on 31st July 1789. The agreement of purchase was executed in 1909 and the ruins are preserved since the erection of the pillar.

Many of the buildings and houses near the Cranganore Fort area had European architecture and some of them still remain today.

European architecture evident on a building in the nearby market. The modern day Kottappuram market and the adjoining town developed around the Cranganore Fort. 
(Kotta means Fort in Malayalam and thus the name Kottappuram referring to an elevated land comprising a Fort).

A villager cruising with his country boat near the Kottappuram bridge. The Fort being strategically located at the mouth of River Periyar in Muziris acting as a gate way of foreign trade en-route Arabian Sea... the river that had hosted plenty of battles for spices during the Muziris era. 




How to get there : Nearly a kilometer away from Kottappuram market via the Puthenvelikkara - Thuruthippuram road. Coming from the Kottappuram market area, take a strict right turn before crossing the Kottappuram bridge and there your are dealing with some history.


https://maps.google.co.in/maps?hl=en&newwindow=1&q=cranganore%20fort&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

Sketching History of Indian Migration to Australia

The most down to earth artist one might come across in Fort Kochi as part of Kochi Muziris Biennale 2012 , Daniell Connell's sketches have become a talking point among the local crowd of Fort Kochi.

Daniel Connell is an Australian visual artist working in various locations globally. His work is in the context of an emerging movement of new collaborations concerned with allowing the advantages of the visual arts: analysis, self reflection and sensitivity  to be available to as broad a range of the wider community as possible and contribute to healthy and sustainable societies.

source : http://danielconnell.net/about-the-artist

Daniel Connell's work for the Biennale is based on Indian migration to Australia stating that it is not a recent happening and have a history of over 60-80 thousand years. Mr. Connell portrays the two  individuals one from the past who has got Indian ancestry evident on his looks  and one from new generation both who are Indians migrated to Australia. These people seen in the portraits are Mr.Connell's friends in Australia. On the left is Justin Alan Mogridge from port Augusta, South Australia and on the right is Suresh Vasudevan from Kottayam, Kerala who migrated to Australia 5 years back.

Mr. Connell wants people to be aware that this migration is not a new thing and thus Indians should feel at home in Australia.

Daniel Connell painting for a nearby cool drinks vendor as the vendor approached requesting for a help. Shot on 12-12-12 in Fort Cochin, Kerala.

"My proposal began as a collateral project but was elevated to the main listing after it continued to consistently draw large local crowds and became a successful example of local engagement ameliorating some of the alienation that the new and strange thing called a Biennale can create.

I am extremely fortunate to be here and thank and congratulate the Biennale directors Bose Krishnacharya and Riyas Chomu for their personal support for the project." 

source : http://danielconnell.net/

Daniel Connell sipping a tender coconut juice from the cool drinks shop for which he helped painting. On the background is Mr.Connell's assistant whom he recruited from Fort Cochin.

The public art work on Indian migration to Australia at one of the busiest spot near Fort Cochin beach.

Remembering John . H . Aspinwall

The Aspinwall House being the heart of the ongoing Kochi Muziris Biennale (KMB) leaves no confusion for an enthusiast seeking the significance of Art Biennale in Kochi. 

Better explained here : http://kochimuzirisbiennale.org/concept/

For centuries, traders from Arabia, Egypt, Europe and China kept wandering around the coasts of Kerala searching for spices. Some of them made good business and left but some decided to stay and exploit further. John .H. Aspinwall was one such trades man who later carried forward the maritime tradition of Kochi and founded The Aspinwall and Company LTD in 1867. The company then became the center for spice trade from Kerala in the later half of 19th century following the legacy of spice trade that Muziris opened for the world.

A view from Aspinwall house ideally located near the port.

"The strange new music of the crying songs of the people we left behind mixing as your boat touches stone here as my new bones touch your bones."   
A text based installation by British artist Robert Montgomery as part of the Art Biennale facing the ferries in Aspinwall House.

Artist Subodh Gupta's installation during the process of creation in Aspinwall House.

 Artist Valsan Koorma Kolleri  working on his creation in Aspinwall House. Picture taken before the official day of starting of Biennale.

Art students and other enthusiasts volunteering to assist the artists a week prior to the start of the Biennale, painting history on the walls of Aspinwall House.

Visitors of Kochi Muziris Biennale enjoying a view of Kochi from the Aspinwall House's river facing building.

Most visitors experience a rediscovery of their concepts regarding contemporary  art and craft works. In picture a visitor walks through the dark corners on Aspinwall House looking out for the next creation to be seen in a building resembling a never ending canvas.

The poetic installation art lit up in broadway style light welcomes the seafarers and mariners back to land... back to Kochi.

Remains of Vypeekotta Seminary

The remains of Vypeekotta seminary are being preserved from the year 1935 since the discovery of many stone inscriptions from a nearby Church compound  It is believed that the seminary to teach  ceremonies to the priests of Malabar was established by Portuguese along with the Holy cross church nearby which was later renovated. The Holy cross church is still functional. Some of these inscriptions which were found is fixed in the church compound.

The remains of Vypeekotta Seminary near the Holy cross church.

The untouched walls of Holy cross church revealing Portuguese architecture.

The stone inscriptions that were found in year 1935 now fixed in the church compound.

The Holy cross church near Kottayil Kovilakom Boat jetty, Chendamangalam

Seemingly renovated walls of Holy cross church but still containing the old architecture.

Kottayil Kovilakom Temple

Some remains of history representing a major port during the Cheran empire 
and later open to the world, its religions and culture, the Sri Krishna Temple in Chendamangalam is a representative of the cultural harmony that existed in Muziris.

 Kottayil Kovilakom Sri Krishna Temple located at a hill top close to the river bank which became a gateway to other cultures and religions.