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Alleppay  Kasaragod Malappuram Pathanamithitta
Idukki Kozhikode Palakkad Thrisuur
Kochi (Cochin) Kollam Waynad Thiruvananthapuram
Kannur Kumarakom Thekkady South India

KochiLess than 20 families remain at the famous Jew Town in Kochi, Kerala. The town houses the oldest Synagogue outside Israel (about 438 years old). The Jewish community which numbered thousands first came to India more than 2000 years ago and settled in Kerala. Nonetheless, the community is on the verge of becoming extinct as most of young Jews are migrating back to Israel. Coloured chandelliers decorate the interior of the Synagogue.

Kochi is located on the coast of the Arabian Sea with Kottayam and Alappuzha districts on the south, Idukki on the east and Thrissur on the North. The commercial capital and the most cosmopolitan city of Kerala, Kochi, in Kochi, is also known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea. With one of the finest natural harbors in the world, this was once a major centre of commerce and trade with the British, Arabs, Chinese, Portuguese, and Dutch etc.


Places to Visit

St. Francis Church
Built in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars, this is India's oldest European church. It was restored in 1779 by the Protestant Dutch, converted to an Anglican church by the British in 1795 and is at present used by the Church of South India. Vasco da Gama's remains were buried here in 1524 and later moved to Lisbon, Portugal. His tombstone still remains.

Santa Cruz Basilica
This monumental church dates back to 1558 and has beautiful paintings on the ceiling.

Chinese Fishing Nets
traders brought these huge cantilevered fishing nets here from the court of Kublai Khan.

Mattancherry Palace (Dutch Palace)
Built by the Portuguese in 1557 and presented to Raja Veera Kerala Varma of Kochi, the palace was renovated in 1663 by the Dutch. On display here are beautiful murals depicting scenes from the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, and some of the Puranic Hindu legends. The palace also houses Dutch maps of old Kochi, royal palanquins, coronation robes of former maharajas of Kochi as well as period furniture.

Jewish Synagogue
Constructed in 1568, this is the oldest synagogue in the Commonwealth. Destroyed in a shelling during the Portuguese raid in 1662, it was rebuilt two years later by the Dutch. Known for mid 18th century hand painted, willow patterned floor tiles from Canton in China, a clock tower, Hebrew inscriptions on stone slabs, great scrolls of the Old Testament, ancient scripts on copper plates etc.

Willingdon Island
Named after Lord Willingdon, a former British viceroy of India, this man-made island is surrounded by beautiful backwaters. The island is the site of the city's best hotels and trading centres, the Port Trust and the headquarters of the southern naval command.

How to Reach

By Air
International Airport at Nedumbassery (20 km from the town)

By Rail
Kochi is a major railhead of the Southern Railway - Main Station: Kochi Junction, Other Stations: Kochi Town

By Road
Kochi (Kochi) is very much link with major cities of Kerala State.





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