Nearest railway station: Kottayam, about 16 km.
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 76 km from Kottayam town.
Fort Kochi
Location: About 13 km from Ernakulam town
|
Welcome to a 60-90 minute walking tour through the old streets of Fort Kochi. This is the ideal way to discover a historic town brimming with tales of myriad seafaring visitors who came here to trade. 'Walking through Fort Kochi' is a tour organised as part of the conservation and development initiatives taken up by the Corporation of Kochi. The eventful history of this city began when a major flood in AD 1341 threw open the estuary at Kochi, which was till then a landlocked |
region, turning it into one of the finest natural harbours in the world. Kochi thus became a haven for seafaring visitors from all over the world and became the first European township in India when the Portuguese settled here in the 15th century. |
The Dutch wrested Fort Kochi from the Portuguese in AD 1663 and later in the last phase of the colonial saga, the British took over the town in 1795. During 1660s, Fort Kochi peaked in stature as a prime commercial centre and its fame spread far and wide - variously as a rich trade centre, a major military base, a vibrant cultural hub, a great ship building centre, a centre for Christianity and so on. Today, centuries later, the city is home to nearly thirteen communities.
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 is also popular among tourists.
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.
The Santa Cruz Basilica, a church built originally by the Portuguese and elevated to a Cathedral by Pope Paul 1V in 1558, was spared by the Dutch conquerors who destroyed many Catholic buildings. Later the British demolished the structure and Bishop Dom Gomez Vereira commissioned a new building in 1887. Consecrated in 1905, Santa Cruz was proclaimed a Basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1984.
Fort Kochi is also home to one of India's oldest churches - the St.Francis Church. This was a Roman Catholic Church during the Portuguese rule from 1503 to 1663, then a Dutch Reformist Church from 1664 to 1804, and Anglican Church from 1804 to 1947. Today it is governed by the Church of South India (CSI). Another important fact about the church is that Vasco Da Gama, who died in 1524, was buried here before his mortal remains were returned to Portugal 14 years later. Each and every structure, street, door, window and brick in Fort Kochi has several stories to tell.
Getting there: Fort Kochi is accessible by bus or ferry. The bus ride from Ernakulam town, which is nearly 13 km away, takes about an hour and the ferry ride from Main boat jetty at Ernakulam about 20 minutes.
Nearest railway station: Ernakulam about 1 1/2 km from the main boat jetty.
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 20 km.
Kovalam
Location: Just 16 km from Thiruvananthapuram city, South Kerala.
| Kovalam is an internationally renowned beach with three adjacent crescent beaches. It has been a favourite haunt of tourists, especially Europeans, since the 1930s. A massive rocky promontory on the beach has created a beautiful bay of calm waters ideal for sea bathing. |
|
The leisure options at this beach are plenty and diverse. Sunbathing, swimming, herbal body toning massages, special cultural programmes and catamaran cruising are some of them. The tropical sun acts so fast that one can see the faint blush of coppery tan on the skin in a matter of minutes. Life on the beach begins late in the day and carries on well into the night. The beach complex includes a string of budget cottages, Ayurvedic health resorts, convention facilities, shopping zones, swimming pools, Yoga and Ayurvedic massage centres. Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, is just 16 km away from Kovalam and getting there is no hassle. But if you are on holiday it is better to stay in Kovalam and visit the city. Thiruvananthapuram has interesting places to see like the Napier Museum, the Sri Chitra Art Gallery, the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Ponmudi hill station etc. SMSM Institute, a State owned handicrafts emporium, is the ideal place to pick up ethnic curios and other articles. |
To know more about the crafts on sale here see Treasure Chest from the Archives dated 14 January '99 to 15 July '99.
Getting there:
Nearest railway station: Thiruvananthapuram Central, about 16 km.
Nearest airport: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, about 10 km.
Varkala
Location: 51 km North of Thiruvananthapuram city and 37 km South of Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram district, South Kerala.
Attractions: Beach, mineral watersprings, the Sivagiri Mutt and a 2000-yea- old Vishnu Temple.
|
Varkala, a calm and quiet hamlet, lies on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram district. It has several places of tourist interests like a beautiful beach, a 2000-year-old Vishnu Temple and the ashramam- Sivagiri Mutt a little distance from the beach. At the serene Varkala beach is a quiet sea resort rich in mineral water springs. A dip in the holy waters at this beach is believed to purge the body of impurities and the soul of all sins; hence the name |
'Papanasam beach'. A two thousand year old shrine the Janardhanaswamy Temple stands on the cliffs overlooking the beach, a short distance away.
The Sivagiri Mutt, founded by the great Hindu reformer and Philosopher Sree Narayana Guru (1856 - 1928) is also close by. The Samadhi (the final resting place) of the Guru here attracts thousands of devotees every year during the Sivagiri Pilgrimage days - 30th December to 1st January. Sree Narayana Guru propagated the ideology: "one caste, one religion and one god", in a society torn by the taboos of caste system. Varkala offers excellent accommodation facilities for tourists and is fast becoming a popular health resort with many Ayurvedic massage centres.
Getting there:
Nearest railway station: Varkala, 3 km away.
Nearest airport: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, nearly 57 km away. |
Cherai Beach
Location: Near Vypeen Island accessible by boat. 30 minutes, journey from Ernakulam.
The lovely beach bordering the Vypeen Island is ideal for swimming. The sea on the Western side and the backwaters on the East give this upcoming tourist destination a uniqueness which can be found only in Kerala. Thick coconut groves and Chinese fishing nets on the waterfront are added attractions.
Getting there:Nearest railway station: Ernakulam Junction, about one km from the main boat jetty. |
|
| Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 20 km from Ernakulam town. |
Munnar
|
Munnar, one of the most popular hill stations in India is situated at the confluence of three mountain streams - Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala. Located at 1600 m above sea level, this was once the summer resort of the erstwhile British Government in South India. Sprawling tea plantations, picture book towns, winding lanes, trekking and holiday facilities make Munnar a unique experience.
|
| Anayirangal (22 km from Munnar) |
It's a lush green carpet of tea plants. A trip on the splendid reservoir is an unforgettable experience. Anayirangal dam is surrounded by Tata Tea plantations and evergreen forests. It is an ideal picnic spot.
Top Station (32 km from Munnar)
1700 m above sea level, this is the highest point on the Munnar-Kodaikanal road. The rare Neelakurunji (Strobilanthus) belongs to this region. Top Station also offers a panoramic view of the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.
Getting there:
Nearest airport: Madurai (Tamil Nadu), about 140 km away; Cochin International Airport, about 190 km away.
Nearest railway station: Theni (Tamil Nadu), about 60 km away; Changanacherry, about 93 km away.
Mattancherry Synagogue
Location: The Synagogue at Fort Kochi, about 10 km from Ernakulam town, Central Kerala.
Opening hours: 1000 - 1700 hrs; closed on Fridays.
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. |
|
| The area around the synagogue is a centre of spice trade and curio shops. |
Getting there:
Nearest railway station: Ernakulam, about 10 km from the synagogue.
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 30 km from the synagogue.
Marayoor
|
(40 km from Munnar): This is the only place in Kerala that has a natural growth of sandalwood trees. The sandalwood factory of the Forest Department, the caves (muniyaras) with murals and relics from the New Stone Age civilization and the children's park spread across a hectare of land under the canopy of a single Banyan tree are of great interest to tourists. Thoovanam Waterfall and Rajiv Gandhi National Park are also nearby. |
| |
Marayoor occupies a vast area on the slopes of the Western Ghats in Idukki district and is an important pre-historic site in Kerala. Apart from the Dolmenoid cists (Dolmenoids were burial chambers made of four stones placed on edges and covered by a fifth one called the cap stone) in Muniyara, Marayoor is famous for its natural sandalwood forests and pre-historic rock paintings.
Getting there :
Nearest railway station : Ernakulam about 130 km
Nearest airport : Cochin International Airport about 110 km
Mattancherry Palace
Location: Mattancherry, 10 km from Ernakulam.
Visiting hours: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on all days except Fridays.
Built by the Portuguese in 1557 and presented to Raja Veera Kerala Varma of Kochi, the Palace was renovated in 1663 by the Dutch. The palace with a Bhagavathi Temple in the central courtyard is built like the typical Kerala style mansion - the Nalukettu - the home of the aristocracy, nobility and upper classes, with four separate wings opening out to a central courtyard. |
|
The double storeyed palace building which stands by the panoramic Kochi backwaters has an exquisite collection of murals collectively covering over 300 sq ft of its walls. The themes of these murals have been borrowed from the great Indian epics - the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha, and mythology and legends about the Hindu gods especially Guruvayurappan. Some murals depict scenes from Kumarasambhavam and other works of the great Sanskrit poet Kalidasa. Also on display are royal paraphernalia like weapons, swings and furniture which offer a glimpse of the lifestyle of the royal family. |
Getting there: There are frequent bus and boat services to Mattancherry. The boats start from main Boat Jetty near Subash Park at Ernakulam town.
Nearest railway station: Ernakulam, about 10 km
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 20 km from Ernakulam town.
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
|
Location: Thekkady, about 4 km from Kumili in Idukki district, Central Kerala
The pride of Kerala and a testimony to nature's splendour and human innovation, the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is situated on the banks of the Periyar Lake - an artificial lake, at Thekkady.Here the high ranges of the Western Ghats are clothed in dense evergreen, moist deciduous forests and savannah grasslands. |
Below this thick green canopy roam herds of elephants, sambars, tigers, gaurs, lion tailed macaques and Nilgiri langurs.
In addition to elephant rides, cruises on the lake and treks to the ruined Mangaladevi temple - a beautiful old stone temple situated in the heart of the Thekkady forest; this sanctuary offers the unique opportunity to watch and photograph wild elephants at close quarters.
Lake Palace and Aranya Nivas are two idyllic accommodation options set in the sylvan lake side background. The romantic Lake Palace, formerly a summer retreat of the Maharaja of Travancore, is built on a small island accessible only by boat. Aranya Nivas (Jungle Retreat) a stone lodge with rubble masonry and colonial style of architecture at the head of the lake is a premium property of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.
Getting there:
|
Nearest railway station: Kottayam, about 114 km.
Nearest airports: Madurai (Tamilnadu) about 140 km; Cochin International Airport, about 190 km. |
