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Kochi (formerly Cochin; Malayalam: കൊച്ചി) is a cosmopolitan city in Kerala with a bustling commercial port. Kochi is the financial and commercial capital of Kerala and the biggest conurbation in the state.
A city born in storm, nurtured in rivalry and established as battling ground for European empires. This phrase is a good description of Kochi, which was formed as an ancient port city after the Great Floods of the Periyar River in 1341. With partitioning of Chera Kerala empire in the 14th century, this region came under the control of a new dynasty, rivaled by other local feudal lords. With the advent of colonization, Kochi became the first major battlegrounds of almost all European powers.
Kochi merchants began trading in spices such as black pepper and cardamom with... Read more
Kochi (formerly Cochin; Malayalam: കൊച്ചി) is a cosmopolitan city in Kerala with a bustling commercial port. Kochi is the financial and commercial capital of Kerala and the biggest conurbation in the state.
A city born in storm, nurtured in rivalry and established as battling ground for European empires. This phrase is a good description of Kochi, which was formed as an ancient port city after the Great Floods of the Periyar River in 1341. With partitioning of Chera Kerala empire in the 14th century, this region came under the control of a new dynasty, rivaled by other local feudal lords. With the advent of colonization, Kochi became the first major battlegrounds of almost all European powers.
Kochi merchants began trading in spices such as black pepper and cardamom with the Arabs, Dutch, Phoenicians, Portuguese and Chinese more than 600 years ago. This helped Kochi to prosper and to become the gateway to old India. It was from Kochi that the colonization of India started. Portugal was first to establish its base in Kochi, followed by the Dutch and British. The Anglo-Dutch treaty of 1814, compelled the Dutch to hand over Kochi to the British in exchange for Bangka Island in Indonesia. The British managed to establish their influence over Kochi, limiting their direct administration to a small enclave of Fort Kochi and British Ernakulam with their capital at Bolgatty Island. The rest of the Kochi Kingdom was administered by Kochi Maharajas from their capital at Thripunithura. However, the real administration was done by Diwans (Prime Ministers), leaving the Maharajas to patronize culture, arts and focus heavily on the areas of public health and education.
The foundations of modern Kochi city started when Sir Robert Bristow, a senior Royal Navy Engineer, felt the need for a modern large port after the opening of the Suez Canal. This resulted in the creation of the largest man-made island of the country, Willingdon Island, to house the new Kochi Port.
In the 1930s, the Kochi Maharaja joined the public outcry to form a common state of Malayalam-speaking people by merging with the Kingdom of Travancore and British Malabar. Kochi Maharaja Kerala Varma Raja was at the forefront of this agitation and passed the Aykiakerala Resolution in the Kochi Parliament. In 1947, the Kingdom of Kochi and Travancore merged to form the Royal State of Travancore-Kochi. The Kochi Maharaja was amongst the first to advocate the state joining the newly formed Indian Union. Finally, in 1948, the state of Travancore-Kochi merged with India.
Since the formation of Kerala in 1957, Kochi has been the commercial capital of Kerala as well as the seat of the Kerala High Court. Since 2000, Kochi has revitalized its economy, with a focus on tourism, information technology, and its port.
Kochi has a cosmopolitan culture, highly influenced by historical trading partners, Portuguese, Dutch, Arab, Chinese, and Japanese. Kochi is the seat of the Latin church of Kerala and has many Catholic churches and followers.
Kochi was traditionally a potpourri of various Indian and international communities. Syrian Christians started the first wave of immigration, followed by Jews between the 7th and 10th centuries. Arab merchants also made a strong settlement in Kochi. In the 15th century, Gujaratis settled in Kochi, especially on Mattancherry, where they played a strong role in spice trading and other areas.
Later, at the beginning of the colonial era, the Portuguese, Dutch, French, and British all made their settlements in Kochi. The Portuguese had a strong influence in Fort Cochin. British culture was strongly felt, lending Kochi a strong community of Anglo-Indians.
In the early 1970s, Punjabis settled here, focusing their strong presence on the local automobile industry. Tamilians, Telugus, Kannadigas have all formed small settlements since the days of royalty. Recently, students from Cambodia, Thailand, Korea, and Indonesia have settled down in Kochi for studies and research activities. Kochi has a sizeable expatriate population mainly from European countries who have settled in Fort Kochi. Most of them are senior citizens who settled down to enjoy retirement life and many run boutique hotels and restaurants in that area. Due to the rapid growth of the city, a majority of the local population are now immigrants.
Generally, Kochinites are modern and fashionable. Being a city that has a tradition of various cultures being given equal respect, a high level of tolerance exists. The city has a modern attitude, but some basic social modesty still prevails, especially in villages and rural areas.
Kochi has a typical tropical climate. Temperatures range between 30°C and 35°C during the daytime and around 24°C during the night. Kochi is one of the first places to experience the heavy Monsoon showers starting by mid of May. Kochi experiences heavy rainfall between mid of May to the first week of September. Day time temperatures during the monsoon fall to between 25°C and 30°C during these months. From September to early February, the weather is fine, marked with cool winds and light showers in between. However, by February, summer season starts. Although temperatures never reach 40°C, the presence of high humidity can make summers uncomfortable. This continues until early May. However frequent summer showers cool down the harshness of summer.
After rapid growth during the two last decades, Kochi is now one of the most densely populated town areas in India. Kochi city consists of:
Free information and city maps are available at state-run Kerala Tourism Development Corp (KTDC) offices at:
The India Tourism also has its office at Willingdon Island ☎ +91 484 2668352. The District Tourist Promotion Council (DTPC) also helps in providing information to tourists about other parts of Kochi District, which can be reached at ☎ +91 484 2367334, +91 484 2383988.
The traffic moves in snail pace in Kochi and wherever you look, the long queue of vehicles dampens your enthusiasm. Always limit your plans to three or four places in a day and remember to club near by places into one trip. Leave a buffer time zone of one hour for each trip. Air pollution is acute.
The main city arterial road is Mahatma Gandhi Road. Traveling inside the city at peak times (8 AM-10 AM, 1:30 PM-2:30 PM; 5:30 PM-7 PM) takes a lot of time, with frequent roadblocks and traffic congestion. North and South Over-bridges are two of the major bottlenecks. Knowledge of side roads and crossroads is very useful to avoid traffic blocks.
Kochi has a typical Indian-style address system which is a bit confusing, as there is no sector or house numbering system. Most buildings have their own name which is commonly used along with the road name for the address, eg: Alappatt House, Diwans Road, Near Lakshmi Hospital.
Some up-market areas have their own house numbering system. Panampilly Nagar and Giri Nagar are divided into various zones and each house has its own zone number followed by a house number. Many residential areas have formed their own associations and established their own addressing system. In most of the residential colonies or areas, a map sign is located at the entrance. Fort Kochi has a more western-style numbering system, yet still, locals use the nearby landmarks for addressing, rather than house numbers.
For communicating with auto/taxi drivers, you must know the nearby landmarks.
Kochi has an excellent public bus network with four types of buses operated by Govt-run KSRTC and private operators. The most common option is privately operated Red buses (also referred to as 'Line buses') which provides a cheap no-frills journey. Using these is not that difficult as many destination boards have English lettering in small and most bus conductors can provide assistance in basic English, though route numbers exist only on papers. Peak hours on weekdays can lead to overcrowded buses, particularly Route 1. Recently Govt-operated KSRTC launched no-frills city services Thiru-Kochi which also ply in same Red-Bus routes. Thirukochi buses can be distinguished from other buses with its blue-white livery. Most of Red and Thirukochi buses run primarily on the Big 4 Routes. These cover virtually all parts of the city. There are other feeder routes, which interconnect places between these Big 4 Routes. Recently Vytilla-Vytilla circular services have launched, covering most of the city core.
Apart from regular city services, KSRTC under JnNURM's funding operates 2 class of bus services which can be distinguished from other city buses with its distinctive livery and JnNURM logo.
For premium travel low-floor air-conditioned Volvo services known as Orange buses connects many important destinations. The average waiting time is 10-30 mins. These buses do stop anywhere on the route, as per passenger's request.
For standard travel, Green bus, which is non-air-conditioned low floor services which virtually links all suburbs to the city center. This is very ideal for budget tourists as connects to many far away tourist attractions while maintaining excellent standards. Currently, only 3 lines are served, which will be increased soon. Like Orange Bus, these buses also stop anywhere on the route, as per passenger's request. Timetable for Orange/Green available at the KSRTC site.
All city bus services start at 6 AM and end by 10 PM. A certain number of seats are allocated for women in the forward portion of each bus, and men must vacate them when a woman wishes to sit there.
It must be noted that different bus shelters/stops are used for bus plying different routes. Though route notices are put before each stop, it will be in Malayalam. Route notices for Orange bus lines are posted in English also. A query with locals or bus conductors helps a lot. The important city bus stations where all services touch are:
Kochi metro has been flagged off on 17th June 2017.
The unveiling of the metro was considered a landmark event in India in terms of completion time, control systems used and initiatives such as employing transgenders, vertical gardening, respecting migrant laborers and use of solar power. Each station in the metro is designed on a specific theme around Kerala culture and geography. The metro can be used with regular tickets and has also adopted a single card, single timetable, and a singular command and control. This debit card along with the Kochi One Mobile App can be used for travel.
Some suburban areas are well-connected via regular passenger and long distance express trains. The most used route is Ernakulam-Aluva. Almost all regular passenger, express, and intercity trains have a stop at Aluva. Regular passenger trains have 1-minute stops at Edapally, Kumbalangi, Angamally and Aroor stations. Many long-distance trains operate between Thripunithura and Kochi North station.
It is a good idea to take rail during busy peak-hours when buses are overcrowded. Equally good idea to take the rail to Aluva from the city center which is the nearest point to Airport (12 km) from where a taxi or Orange Route A bus can be taken to avoid city traffic congestion.
This is a cheap method of transport between attractions. You can find an auto stand at almost every bus stop, and at important places near junctions and residential areas. Make sure you agree on a fare with the driver before the journey. Pre-paid auto stands are available only in railway stations.
Taxis are convenient, comfortable, and safer than auto rickshaws. If you are alone or going to an unknown destination, this is a good option, even though the rates will be double that of an auto. Unlike in many countries, taxis are not usually marked with signs on the top, and do not have meters inside the taxi.
There are two types of taxi services, regular and call taxis. Regular taxis are normally available at designated taxi stands located at places such as railway stations, the airport, boat jetties, major bus stations and in front of important hotels.
There is no need to negotiate prices, as most of them follow fixed rates. Regular taxis have tariff cards displayed on the dashboard. Call taxis have charges fixed by their respective companies (although they are normally uniform).
Many taxi companies offer full or half day services. Most of them are fixed on an ad-hoc basis, based on the negotiating skills of the passenger.
Kochi has an excellent system of cheap inter-island ferries. The Ro-Ro (roll on-roll off) ferry service called Junkar between Fort Kochi and Vypeen is very popular. There are regular boat services operated by KSINC and other private operators, every 20-30 minutes, from Ernakulam to Mattancherry, Fort Kochi, Vypeen and Willingdon Island which are cheaper and in many cases faster, than buses. All services operate from 4:40 AM-6:30 PM with an exception to Fort Kochi-Vypin Junkar service which operates from 4 AM-10:30 PM. The major boat jetties are Ernakulam Main Jetty (located in Cdrive near High Court), Park Jetty (in Park Avenue next to KSRTC Bus station), Customs Embarkation Jetty in Willingdon Island, Fort Kochi Jetties. Do take a look at the map provided, as some ferries do not stop at all stops along the way. A few tourist-oriented private ferries service non-scheduled routes during tourist seasons connecting mainly to Kumbalangi Tourist village from Ernakulam Main Jetty as well as from Aroor.
Kochi is traditionally not a pedestrian-friendly city, considering the humid tropical climate, the poor state of pedestrian walkways and reckless traffic. Fort Kochi is one of the better places to walk, with elaborate colonial-style stone pavements.
Most of the famous destinations fall within the range of 10 km so it is a good idea to cover them on foot.
Fort Kochi is a perfect place for cycling with dedicated tracks and walkways. There are several tourist firms that offer cycles and bikes on an hourly basis. A popular option is Vasco Information Centre in Fort Kochi ☎ +91 484 2216215), which rents cycles on an hourly basis. However, there are no separate cycling tracks on mainland city roads. Motorbikes are becoming a popular option for tourists to take a ride in other parts of the city. Take extra care while biking in Kochi roads as road users can be reckless.
For the past 600 years, Kochi has catered to many visitors from around the world including Arabs, Chinese, Portuguese, French, English, Dutch, Russians, and Japanese. This has made the city a melting pot of various cultures, and this diversity is evident in the cuisine.
Being a coastal city, plenty of fresh seafood is the local specialty. With the backwaters, freshwater fish is also popular here. Prawns, squids, and shrimps are easily available and cooked in many styles. The most famous of Kochi's specialty dishes is Meen Molagitta Curry (smoked freshwater fish with chilly and coconut milk). The English popularized smoked fish with steamed bread and mashed potatoes. One of Kochi's traditional vegetarian specialties is Kurukku Kalan (a thick yogurt curry with toasted banana and hot rice). Packed Kurukku Kalan, as well as Palada (a sweet dessert with rice flakes and milk), are sold in many supermarkets and food stalls, especially during festive times.
At Fort Kochi beach you can buy fresh fish and have it cooked at the nearby food stalls.
Fried fish, Fish molly (a coconut milk sauce based curry almost like stew), Alleppey fish curry (traditional curry with tomato sauce and fish tamarind) and Fish Peera (chunks of fish toasted with grated coconuts with fish tamarind sauce), Varatharacha Kozhi curry (semi-fried chicken toasted with coconut and chilly) are the favorites, usually taken with rice or steamed tapioca (cassava). Also worth trying are the traditional rice-based breakfast snacks, puttu, and kadala, appam and stew.
Kochi has a variety of cheap restaurants all over the city.
Thattukadas are streetside food hawkers, where you can get hot, fresh-cooked delicious food. Most offer set meal combinations served from portable cooking trolleys with a few benches or chairs nearby. The most famous delicacies are stuffed or plain thattu dosas (thick dosas almost like pizza bread), hot Kerala porottas (flatbread of milled wheat), Kerala roast beef with chapatti and kanji (rice porridge). The main concern is the lack of hygiene and constant reuse of oil for frying.
Kochi has some home-grown fast food chains: KR Hot Chicken, 61 Pai Dosas, Luciya's Food Court, Potpurri, The Oven, Krispy Chicken, Arabian Treat, Papa Milano's and Breadworld Broasted Chicken have a presence in most parts of town. Foreign franchises such as KFC, Chicking, Noodle Kings, US Pizzas, Marrybrown, Pizza Hut and Domino's also have a presence here.
Keralites are well known for their drinking habit. Finding bars or pubs is not difficult in Kochi. For those who do not drink alcohol, there are lots of excellent local options.
All shopping outlets close by 8 PM. During festive seasons, late night shopping (11 PM-3:30 AM) are organized to reduce day-time shopping congestion.
The Onam Festival (mid of Aug-Sept) is one of the best shopping seasons when you get heavy discounts ranging between 10-50% for almost all items as well as regular consumer fairs. X'mas is the next best season. The Kerala Government has started the Grand Kerala Shopping Festival (15 Dec-30 Jan), to promote Kerala as a shopping destination. Kochi is the main focal center of this festival and you get heavy discounts at participating stores and regular lucky draws.
The narrow strip sandwiched between Marine Drive and MG Road houses the celebrated Broadway Market which is one of the Kochi's oldest shopping corners where you can buy anything from safety pins to motor scooters. A spice market operates inside, offering the best of Kerala's spices, saffron, and various oils. There is also a cloth market, a jewelry market, a fancy items market, a vegetable/fruit market and an electronic/watch market. Also try at Mattancherry Old Spice market, which is one of the oldest spice markets in the country. There are nearly half a dozen small markets, mostly run by Gujarathi and Konkanis where you can slice of Indian market flavors.
Jew town in Fort Cochin has numerous antique and craft stores. Most of the antique shops sell colonial era and heritage pieces, as well as Jewish items from the traditional Jewish homes of the area. You can also find many kinds of Indian sculptures, decor, interior artifacts, and souvenirs. Bargains are available but be warned that many 'antiques' were probably made in the owner's backyard. Shop with care and bargain hard. Never trust touts, who get hefty commissions from unscrupulous antique dealers.
Try state run emporiums that offer high quality certified antiques/artworks, however, there is no bargain or discount. Check at Kerala's state emporium showrooms, Kairali & Surabhi and Karnataka's Cavery, all located in MG Road.
Apart from shopping malls, there are numerous of shopping complexes in Cochin (a shopping complex in local terms is a large complex having many shops close to each other, selling mostly only one type of product).
Kochi also has many famous designer boutiques, mostly located in Convent Junction (between MG Road and Marine Drive). Panampally Nagar also houses many premium exclusive designer boutiques. MG Road (the arterial road) is lined with many premium brand stores, leading apparel shops and boutiques. The cloth bazaar in Broadway Market is one of the largest apparel market selling unbranded fabrics and apparels at lower rates.
There are numerous bookstores in Convent Junction as well as in the Fort Kochi area. Pressclub Rd in Convent Junction is a hot-spot for book lovers.
Kochi is famous for its gold, silver, diamond and platinum jewelry. Most of the jewelers are concentrated at Jewel Junction (Woodland Junction), on MG Road near Hotel Woodlands. Normal gold purity in India is 22 carat. 24-carat gold ornaments (thankam) are not so popular but are available. Lightweight collections in 18-carat gold have become popular among youngsters and teenagers.
Kochi is one of the safest cities in India with excellent police coverage. Common sense is of course required.
For any emergency support of Police, ☎ 100 for Flying Squad or ☎ 1090 for Crime Stopper. The city has around 16 Police Station zones.
LOCAL TIME
7:54 am
May 18, 2022
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