Kochi The gateway of Kerala

As the competing yacht sailed into Cochin waters in tandem on the second lap of the famous Volvo Race in early December, 2008 they were inadvertently, but symbolically, recapturing history of the five centuries ago. With perhaps, one major difference: the earlier seafarers were adventurous traders, while they present-day peers are footloose adventures. And both found a warm welcome here, a coastal fishing village, then called British Cochin, now Fort Cochin, the gateway of Kerala, a tourist super brand.

This tiny municipality is, in fact history in capsule. Here civilizations and cultures did not exactly clash; they unconsciously coalesced into a cultural mosaic. The Chinese were the first to come, followed by the Arabs, the Portuguese, the Dutch and finally, the British. They came to take a slice of the spices trade. Some chose to stay back and lived comfortably with what power and pelf could buy. Each of them contributed an indelible strain that, transcending time and space finally got woven into radiant fabric. Quite deservedly, Fort Cochin became a Heritage Town, the only one of its kind in the State of Kerala

History records many an adventurous seafarer who double themselves as great chroniclers. Pliny, a Roman, in the first century AD, for one, Ma Huan, a Chinese, in the 14^th century, for another, and Nicolo Conti, the Italian in the 16^th century, for yet another. They wrote extensively and widely about land they called Malabar Coast. Calicut (present Kozhikode), up north, and Muziris (present Kodugallur ),and Cochin, down south, fascinated the latter two no end

But history overlooks Fort Cochin only with the arrival of the Portuguese on Christmas day, 1500 AD,two years after the legendary Vasco da Gama landed at Kappad in Calicut. Pedro Alvares Cabral who led a fleet of 12 ships ran a storm that tossed them over to Brazil from where they sailed past the Cape of Good Hope to reach Cochin which by then, had emerged as a great spices trading center.

The then Maharaja of Cochin not only welcome Cabral and his men but also allowed them to trade. In twenty days, they left for their homeland with their ships loaded with merchandise. It was the first ever cargo to leave the Cochin harbor. More importantly, it marked the beginning of Fort Cochin’s tryst with foreigners that ultimately ended on August 15, 1947. This tiny piece of land at the mouth of the Cochin harbor had been under foreign powers for a much longer period than any in the rest of country.

To revert, the Portuguese found the land and the people disarmingly hospitable. For his part, the ruling Maharaja of Cochin not only allowed them to trade but even gave them land to build a fort and a township. This was more an act of gratitude on the part of the Maharaja for having saved him from the attack of the Zamorin (king) of Calicut. The kind act was done by the Portuguese navy of Alfonso de Albuquerque. The first fort, Fort Immanuel, was named after their King. Fort Cochin thus became the first European settlement in the subcontinent.

The fort was latter expanded. A new fort was also added to it. The Dutch who followed the Portuguese, however, trimmed it to a smaller size and renamed the bastions of the fort after places in their own country- Holland, Zealand, Glenderland, Stromberg, Gronningen, etal. And the British who followed the Dutch demolished the fort. Today only a few bastions stand as sad remainders of their former glory.

Similar remainders of the early European presence dot the landscape St.Francis Church(1503),India`s oldest European church where Vasco da Gama was buried, Vasco House (first half of 16^th century), Bastion Bungalow (1503)built in Indo-European style, and Santa Cruz Bascilica (1158) are some of the famous monuments of yesteryear. No less eye-catching are the ubiquitous Chinese fishing nets that take Fort Cochin’s history to a much earlier era. And nothing gives the place a more tantalizingly romantic ambiance than these nets. They are the leitmotif of today’s Fort Cochin.

The piece de resistance of the Portuguese era was the library, described by French historian Tavernier as “the greatest in Asia”. The library, named after St.Paul, had, according to Tavernier, books from Europe, besides” handwritten copies of first-rate books in Indian, Chinese, Persian , Arabic, Chaldean and Hebrew”.

The Dutch weren’t appreciative of the monuments the Portuguese left behind. In the carnage that followed their takeover, they burnt down almost everything their predecessors had built. The library was put to fire and, according to legend, it burnt for five full days.

What reigned supreme during the foreign occupation was trade, domestic as well as international. Genuine globalization was at its best. From within the country came Gujaratis, Konkanis, Kutchis, Tamil Brahmins and Pathans from Hyderabad.

There are also historical evidences of the presence of traders from Basra, Hormuz, Egypt, Aden, Indonesia and Indo-China. No other trading centre had attracted so many people from so wide and disparate destinations as Fort Cochin. It wasn’t just a mini India; it was more a mini world.

The spices and other hill range products were brought to the markets in and around Fort Cochin and Mattancherry in Kettu Vallams (roofed boats) uniquely designed to protect the cargo from rain. These sailing vessels used the land breeze in the morning to bring the cargo to markets at and around the trading centres and return in the evening with the help of the sea breeze. The unique network of canals, the inland harbours and markets, the special navigational skills of the natives and the supply and communication channels had all been fine-tuned to perfection. Some survive even to this day.

Trade wasn’t one sided. For everything foreign traders took from the Malabar Coast, they brought back something from their land and elsewhere. The Portuguese practically, introduced many exotic plants and fruits trees to the Malabar Coast that, over the years, became part of the flora and fauna of Kerala. The list is long. It includes cashew, tobacco, pineapple, papaya, rubber, tapioca and chili.

With people and products came cuisine, distinctly different from the local one and yet lapped up with great relish. And furniture too. In fact, till the arrival of the Portuguese the locals squatted on the floor and never had luxury of tables and chairs. Predictably, their Portuguese names-Mesa(table) and Kasala (chair). Were assimilated into the local language. As for cuisine of all hues, Fort Cochin became the diners’ delight.

Little wonder the great Mahatma Gandhi termed Fort Cochin “an epitome of adventure”.

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Kochi, Gateway of Kerala

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