MATTANCHERRY
PALACE
It is also known as Dutch Palace, built by the Portuguese
and presented to the Raja of Kochi in 1555 A.D. It acquired
the present name after 1663 when the Dutch
carried out extensions and repairs in the palace. It is
interesting to note that at no time did the Portuguese
or Dutch actually stay here. Its interiors are decorated
with murals from the Ramayana and there are some lively
displays of royal costumes and palanquins.
Timings: 1000 hrs to 1700 hrs. Closed on Fridays and national
holidays.
JEWISH
SYNAGOGUE
 Situated
In MATTANCHERRY the Synagogue was built in 1568 AD. The
Great Scrolls of the Old Testament, the copper plates
in which the grants of privilege made by the Kochi rulers
were recorded and the exquisite Chinese hand-painted tiles
are of interest.
Timing: 1000 hrs to 1200 hrs and 1500 hrs to 1700 hrs.
Closed on Saturdays and Jewish Holidays.
ST.
FRANCIS CHURCH
Located at Fort Kochi this Protestant church was originally
built by the Portuguese in 1510 AD and is believed to
be the oldest church built by the Europeans in India.
lt is here the remains of the inveterate traveler, Vasco
da Gama were initially buried and 14 years later, his
mortal remains were taken to Portugal .
SANTA
CRUZ BASILICA CHURCH
Fort Kochi The Roman Catholic Church situated close to
St. Francis Church and is worth visiting. Some beautiful
paintings can be seen here.
ST.
FRANCIS ASSISI CHURCH
St.Francis Assissi church popularly knows as Naduvileppalli,the
most beautiful and old
church in Ernakulam city,the blend of Portuguese and Kerala
style of architecture.The unique feature churche's roof
is that the entire hyper bolic para bloid shell roof rests
only on the centre pillars on the either sides.It has
completed 179th year existence....Hundreds of people come
here at odd times to sit in the quiteness of the church
to commune with god.
 CHINESE
FISHING NETS
Fort Kochi- The Chinese Fishing nets that line the sea-front
and exhibit a mechanical method of catching fish by local
fishermen in Fort Kochi. Said to have been brought from
China by traders of Kubala Khan's Court, they are used
at high tide.
BOLGHATTY PALACE
Bolghatty Palace is situated in Bolghatty Island a narrow
palm-fringed Island easily accessible from the mainland.
The Palace was built by the Dutch in 1744. Later, it became
the seat of the British Resident and today this has been
converted into a hotel run by the KTDC.
VALLARPADAM
CHURCH
 The
Basilica of Our Lady of Vallarpadam adds another landmark
to its growing reputation with the completion of 20 stations
that will depict the 20 mysteries of the rosary. The 20
stations will features the mysteries that are celebrated
by Catholics all over the world. These include the Joyous
Glorious, Sorrowful Mysteries and the Mysteries of Light
that were added to the original by Pope John Paul II.
The Vallarpadam Church, which was already a national pilgrim
centre, was raised to the status of a Basilica on the
basis of a request submitted by Archbishop Daniel Acharuparampil
of Varappuzha in December 2003.The Vallarpadam church
was bestowed a special status by Pope Leo XIII in 1888.
In 1951, it was declared a pilgrim centre.
 HILL
PALACE MUSEUM (Tripunithura-682301 Tel: 781113)
Hill Palace Museum is situated 12 km away from Eranakulam
on the Eranakulam Chottanikkara route.Different types
of sculptures, collection of rare coins,old weapons, manuscripts
in ancient scripts and collection from Kochi Royal Family
are exhibited here. Tourist may also visit the Deer Park
situated there. Horse riding facility is also available.
The Parishith Thampuran Musueum situated at the Durbar
Hall Ground together with its collection were transferred
to Hill Palace Museum in 1997.
Timings: 9:00 hrs to 12:30 hrs and 14:00 hrs to 16:30
hrs. Closed on Mondays & National holidays.
Admission : Rs. 10/- per adult; Rs. 5/- per child. Camera
Rs. 20/- Video Camera Rs. 1000/- for photography.
WILLINGDON
ISLAND
A man-made island created from the material dredged while
deeping Kochi Port. Situated between the main land Emakulam
and the old town
Mattancherry and separated by the backwaters. Willingdon
Island is an important part of Kochi. The Govt. of India
Tourist Office, the Southern Naval Command Headquarters,
the Seaport, Naval Airport, Railway terminus, Customs
House, Kochi Port Office etc are all located in this island.
MUSEUM
OF KERALA HISTORY (Edappally, Kochi - 682024
Tel: 558296)
 Situated
at Edappally 10 km on the National Highway from Eranakulam
on the Alwaye route. Presents one hour light and sound
spectacles of life-size sculptures in concrete, of the
makers of Kerala history, together with the background
music and commentary with glimpses of the vastness and
diversity of Kerala's history over the centuries.
Timings: 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30 12:00, 14:00, 14:30,
15:00 15:30, 16:00
Closed on Mondays and Public holidays.
Admission: Rs. 5/- per adult and Rs.2/- per child/student
upto 12 years Rs.2.50
M.
N. F. GALLERY OF PAINTINGS & SCULPTURES (Edappally,
Kochi-682 024).
The centre for Visual Arts and Gallery Paintings &
Sculptures is situated at Edappally about l0km from Emakulam
and located next to Museum of Kerala History. It houses
about two hundred original paintings of recognized Indian
masters, both contemporary and of the past. There is also
a large collection of modern sculptures in marble, bronze,
granite etc.
Timings: 10:00 hrs to 17:00 hrs.
Admission: Rs.5- per adult and Rs. 3- per child/student.
Mangalavanam-"
The green lung of Kochi city"
The ecologically sensitive Magalavanam is safely tucked
away behind the Ernakulam High Court. This evergreen forest
land in the heart of Kochi is a green oasis for many migratory
birds as a nesting ground. Visitors to Mangalavanam are
captivated by the sheer variety of migratory birds that
have nested atop the huge trees.
Get a little closer and the birds fly away, leaving behind
the eggs and newborns at the mercy of crows and kites.
These birds are sensitive to the presence of human beings.
Mangalavanam is the only existing green lung in Kochi
city, offering a nesting ground for a vast variety of
migratory birds and supporting many varieties of mangroves.
As a source of oxygen, the rare eco-system in the heart
of Kochi city, Mangalavanam has been keeping pollution
under check. Thus, it supports to become rich resource
for eco-tourism.
CHITRAM
ART GALLERY (Kochi - Tel: 351295)
Opposite Air India, M. G. Road, Eranakulam Exhibit regularly
collection of paintings.
KUMBALANGHI - ALL SET TO REACH OUT TO INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS
Some time in August, Kumbalanghi, the first model village
in the country, will play host to 80- odd high-end tourists
from the United States. This visit is expected to cement
the position of this village, on the city suburbs, as
a much sought after tourist destination in the state.
The tourist group will arrive in the luxury liner, Pacific
Princess, and will spend a whole day in Kumbalanghi. "We
have been taking small groups, but this is the first time
a group this big is being taken there. Our effort has
always been to promote Kumbalanghi as a typical Kerala
village," said Mr. Unni Menon, branch manager of Travel
Corporation of India who will be doing the ground handling
for the cruise liner.
Hospitality
Even while the tourist flow increased during the last
couple of seasons, the village had not advanced much with
respect to hospitality extended to high-end tourists.
There is at present only one quality resort that can cater
to high-end tourists, who may not be keen on home stays.
Kumbalanghi now has around 10 home stays. The village
panchayat and tourism coordination committee are encouraging
residents to convert more homes to receive tourists.Foreign
tourists mostly prefer houses with water frontage. So
we have been getting enquiries from many such residents
in the village. We issue forms through the District Tourism
Promotion Council and guide them how to go about it. Once
it is ready, the place will be listed in the tourism department's
website, said Mr. M.P. Sivadathan, panchayat president.
As part of the model tourism project, around 100 families
in the village will be trained on traditional cuisine.
The home stays will be the main window through which this
will be popularized.
Training Sessions
Already, training sessions on country boats, hand -carved
cot and art forms like thiruvathirakkali and kaikottikkali
are common in the village. Another one being planned for
Chavuttunadakom the traditional theatre art of the land.Equipping
the local public in preserving their culture and showcasing
it are important components of the model - tourism project
that is being funded jointly by Union and State governments
and United Nations Development programmes.
Generating Income
The tourism project has been successful in generating
income for local people. A batch of women, who were trained
in making artifacts such as baskets, got an order from
outside the state for materials worth 5 lakhs.On the infrastructure
side, the construction of a park at the entrance of the
village will begin by the end of this month. The park,
which will come up on either side of the main road will
occupy around one acre and is expected to cost 40 lakhs
The first phase of the work, costing 25 lakhs will begin
soon. The park will have food courts for traditional cuisine,
playground for children and parking space for vehicles
coming to the village.
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