- Type
- Ruin
- Built
- 1503 · 16th century
- Coordinates
- 9.9663°, 76.2391°
History
In 1503 a Portuguese fleet under Afonso de Albuquerque reached Kochi and, with the consent of the local raja, an ally of the Portuguese against the ruler of Calicut, began building a fort where the lagoon meets the sea. It was named after King Manuel I, and the Malayalis called it Manuel Kotta. At first it was probably a stronghold of timber and earth, later rebuilt in stone, and a Portuguese town of churches and a trading factory grew up around it. The Dutch captured Kochi in 1663, pulled down most of the Portuguese buildings and remodelled the defences. After the British took over the town the fortifications were blown up in the early 19th century, leaving only scattered fragments of the fort.
What to see
All that survives are modest fragments of wall and bastion near the beach in the Fort Kochi district, whose very name recalls the old fort. The ruins are best seen as part of a walk around the area: the famous Chinese fishing nets line the shore, St Francis Church stands a few hundred metres away, and the narrow streets keep colonial houses from the Portuguese, Dutch and British periods.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q18355920
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