Kochi: On the Way to Mattancherry

After St Francis Church, we headed towards Mattancherry … with a few stops in between …starting with Fort Kochi Beach for a closer look at the Chinese fishing nets.

Operated by hand, counterweights are used to raise and lower the nets into the water. These nets have become quite the tourist attraction. In fact, some of the fishermen get mad if they aren’t paid for photos. We watched from a distance, and then continued our stroll to check out the stalls where vendors were selling fresh catch.

Continuing into the city, we walked along some of the main and side streets, checking out the architecture. I enjoyed the colorful murals as well. Eventually, we arrived at the Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica — aka Kotta Palli.

Originally built by the Portuguese in 1505, the church was elevated to a cathedral in 1558. The Dutch spared the building from destruction when they arrived in the 1600s. The British weren’t so kind, however. They demolished the building in 1795. A new church was then commissioned by the bishop of Cochin in 1887. It was this church — consecrated in 1905 and elevated to a basilica in 1984 — that we visited today.

Compared to St Francis Church, the interior of the basilica is more elaborately decorated. There are frescoes and murals, paintings, tiled arches, and stained glass windows. A wooden ceiling, with paintings of the stations the cross, lead the eye to a painting of the Last Supper.

Our tour next took us to the Dhobi Khana … an open-air laundry. A sign explained that the Dutch brought the ancestors of the current Vannan community — who have been working at this “laundromat” since 1720 — from places like Tamil Nadu and Malabar.

The original dhobi was established for the purpose of washing the uniforms of the Dutch soldiers. The dhobi that stands today was constructed in 1976 … in return for the community donating 10 acres of the original 13 acres for the building of a public playground. Instead of Dutch uniforms, now the clothing and linens of the neighborhood are laundered here.

While we have stopped by to view other dhobis, this time we were invited to step in for a closer look-see. The set up of this one was different than the others … a series of individual washing stalls and a long ironing shed. Linens already washed were fluttering in the wind in the nearby drying area … hung once again using twisted ropes in lieu of clothespins.Read more