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Monuments/ Fort / Historical Palace in Kerala |
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 Bolghotty Palace
A Scenic island near the city of Ernakulam, Bolghatty is famous for the
Bolghatty Palace built by the Dutch in 1744 AD. This palace, once the
residence of the British resident of Kochi, is now a KTDC (Kerala Tourism
Development Corporation) hotel.
Bolghatty Palace is on an island, off Cochin in the Arabian Sea. The
building was once a Governor's palace for the Dutch and later the home of
the British Governors.
The palace is two-storeyed and contains well-decorated bed chambers, a
huge lounge wherein historical portraits are displayed. The ferry ride
from the mainland Ernakulam to the island is a pleasurable experience.
There is a golf course to boot. Dutch Palace (Mattancherry Palace)
Also known as Dutch Palace. Built by
Portuguese and handed over to Cochin Raja in 1555 AD and the was renamed
as Mattancheri Palace in 1663, when the Dutch spruced up the palace.
However, neither did Portuguese nor Dutch stay in the palace.
The centre of the building has a Coronation Hall where Cochin Rajas
investitures were held. Today, it is a portrait gallery of the Rajas.
Rooms adjacent display 17th century murals depicting scenes from the epic,
the Ramayana. Bastion
Bunglow Built in the Indo-European style way
back in 1667 AD, Bastion Bungalow get its name from its location on the
site of the Stromberg Bastion of the old, Dutch fort. The building blends
beautifully into the circular structure of the bastion, has a tiled roof
and typical first floor verandah in wood, along its front portion.
Jewish Synagogue
Built in A D 1568. Great scrolls of the Old
Testament (Bible) and copper plates in which the grants of privilege to
Jews from Cochin rulers were carved are preserved here.
Chinese hand-painted tiles are another attraction. Finely-wrought gold and
silver crowns gifted to the synagogue by various patrons are also
displayed. This, the only Synagogue in India has a nostalgic past of a
Jewish Diaspora.
A few Jew families are still residing in Kochi and its suburbs
reciprocating the love and affection of this land. Besides, preserving the
Synagogue is also their mission. Years back, hundreds of families were
here, but for them the call of roots were irresistible.
Visitors permitted from 10 am to 12 am and from 3 pm to 5 pm. Closed on
Saturdays and Jewish holidays.
St.
Francis Church, Kochi The first European Church in
India. Churches elsewhere in the country were modeled after this
Portuguese construction. A mute witness to the watershed events in this
coastal town, for past five centuries.
Vasco De Gama, the legendary navigator from Lisbon, died at Kochi during
his second voyage to Kerala. he was laid to rest in the St. Francis Church
on Christmas eve 1524. Years later, his mortal remains were taken back to
Portugal. The sepulcher is still preserved in the church hall and is open
for visitors.
Vasco House
Believed to have been the residence of Vasco da Gama, this is one of the
oldest Portuguese residences in Fort Kochi. Built in the early sixteenth
century, Vasco House sports the typical European glass paned windows and
balcony cum verandahs characteristic of the times.
Palakkad Fort The old granite fort situated in
the very heart of Palakkad town is one of the best preserved in Kerala. It
was built by Hyder Ali of Mysore in 1766. The fort was taken over and
modified by the British in 1790. It is now preserved by the Archaeological
Survey of India.
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