Fort Cochi

Fort Cochi

Fort Kochi : situated on the Fort Kochi/Mattancherry peninsula, is the historical part of the city and home to many tourist attractions, such as the cantilevered Chinese fishing nets, the Mattancherry Palace and the Santa Cruz Basilica.

Kochi was a fishing village in the Kingdom of Kochi in the pre-colonial Kerala. The territory that would be later known as Fort Kochi was granted to the Portuguese in 1503 by the Rajah of Kochi, after the forces of Afonso de Albuquerque helped him fighting the forces of Saamoothiri of Kozhikode. The Rajah also gave them permission to build a fort near the waterfront to protect their commercial interests. The first part of the name Fort Kochi comes from this fort, Fort Emmanuel, which was later destroyed by the Dutch. 

The Portuguese built their settlement behind the fort. They also built a wooden church, which was rebuilt in 1516 as a permanent structure, today known as the St Francis Church. Fort Kochi remained in Portuguese possession for 160 years. In 1683 the Dutch captured the territory from the Portuguese, destroyed many Portuguese institutions, particularly Catholic including convents. The Dutch held Fort Kochi in their possession for 112 years until 1795, when the British took control by defeating the Dutch. Foreign control of Fort Kochi ended in 1947 with the Indian independence.

Around 600 AD[edit source | editbeta]

Written documents about the Malabar Coast show that this region had Hindus, Christians, Muslims and a Jewish minority.[citation needed]

Around 1341[edit source | editbeta]

The natural harbour of Kochi was created by a flood which also destroyed the harbour of the town Kodungallur. Thereafter, the town developed into one of the most important harbours on the West Coast of India. It concentrated on the spice trade with China and the Middle East.

Around 1500[edit source | editbeta]

During this period, Calicut was ruled by king Zamorin and Kochi was ruled by the Maharaja of Cochin. This was the time when the firstPortuguese ships berthed at the Malabar Coast: Vasco da Gama in Calicut and Pedro Álvares Cabral in Kochi. The Maharaja of Kochi felt threatened by the Zamorin of Calicut, and he hoped that the Portuguese would help him in his defense from the neighbouring king of Calicut. The Maharaja welcomed the Portuguese, and they founded their first trading center in Kochi. 

However, the Maharaja of Cochin was largely deprived of his power, and Kochi became the first European colony in India.[citation needed] The Portuguese put pressure upon the small Jewish community, and even the Syrian Christians as they were practising nestorianism. The Portuguese tried to merge the Syrian Christian Church with the Latin Church. This created conflict as most of them were associated with various churches of the East and could not cave into the idea of coming under the jurisdiction of the Pope and the Latin Church.

Around 1653[edit source | editbeta]

Dutch came to Cochin, at the invitation of a deposed prince of Cochin Royal Family and the hereditary Prime Minister of Cochin, namely the Paliath Achan, with the active and open support of the local Syrian Christians and the Dutch conquered Kochi in 1653. The town was now the capital of Dutch Malabar and belonged to the worldwide trading network of the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch also destroyed many Catholic institution in Cochin.

Around 1760[edit source | editbeta]

There came uneasy times for Kochi because of trouble between the regional powers. Kochi was devastated by Hyder Ali, then later by his son Tipu Sultan. Tipu Sultan subordinated the town temporarily to the kingdom of Mysore.

Around 1790[edit source | editbeta]

Kochi came under the influence of the British around this period. In 1814, Kochi became a part of the Madras Presidency becoming a part of the British colonial empire. The British shaped the country until the 20th century, and Kochi has always been an important harbour and trade center.

1947[edit source | editbeta]

Kochi was made the capital of the Union State Cochin after India gained independence.

1956[edit source | editbeta]

The Union State of Kerala was with respect to the Malayalam speaking regions with Trivandrum as the capital. In 1956 the first free elections were held and the Communist Party formed the first government of Kerala, the first freely elected communist government in the world.[citation needed]