A City Shaped by Empires

The next day, Fort Kochi offered a different kind of pleasure: not food or evening atmosphere, but history. Its colonial history stretches across more than four centuries, and one of the best places to glimpse that layered past was Bastion Bungalow, just a short walk from the Old Harbour Hotel where we stayed. Housed within its quiet rooms was a small museum that traced Kochi’s long involvement in the spice trade and the succession of European powers that sought to control it.

Bastion Bungalow & Fort Immanuel

The site itself bears the imprint of those shifting empires. In the early sixteenth century, as a token of gratitude for the assistance they had provided in defending Kochi against the Zamorin of Calicut, the Raja of Kochi granted the Portuguese permission to build Fort Immanuel here, the first European fort established in India. When the Dutch captured Kochi in 1663, much of the fort was demolished, but one bastion, known as Stromberg, survived. Around this surviving structure, the Dutch built what became Bastion Bungalow, which later served as an official residence during the colonial period. The British, who established their influence in Kochi at the end of the eighteenth century, dismantled the remaining fortifications, but the bungalow endured, quietly outlasting the powers that had once fought to possess this coast.

Churches of Fort Kochi

St. Francis Church

Just around the corner from Bastion Bungalow stands one of the oldest European churches in India, St. Francis Church. Built by the Portuguese in 1503 within the walls of Fort Immanuel, it was originally a simple structure of timber and mud before being rebuilt in stone in 1516, a reminder that some of history’s most enduring landmarks began with humble beginnings.

The church survived the Dutch conquest of Kochi in 1663, when it was converted into a Protestant place of worship. Under British rule, from 1795, it became an Anglican church before eventually coming under the Church of South India, where it remains an active place of worship today.

St. Francis Church is perhaps best known as the first resting place of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. Following his death in Kochi in 1524, he was buried here for fourteen years before his remains were returned to Lisbon. The modest stone marking the site of his original grave can still be seen today. Standing before it, I was struck by its small size. It seemed a quiet reminder that even those who once changed the course of history ultimately occupy very little space in the world they helped shape.

Santa Cruz Basilica

Just around the corner from St. Francis Church stands the impressive Santa Cruz Basilica, one of only eight basilicas in India. Originally founded by the Portuguese in 1505, it survived successive waves of colonial change and remains an active place of worship today. In striking contrast to the understated simplicity of St. Francis Church, the basilica dazzles with Gothic grandeur, ornate interiors, and the rich visual traditions of Catholic devotion. Standing within these centuries-old walls, I found myself marveling that churches established in the early sixteenth century continue to serve living communities more than five hundred years later.

As a Japanese visitor, I could not help reflecting on how differently history unfolded in my own country. During the Age of Exploration, Japan’s rulers maintained increasingly strict control over foreign trade and influence. European merchants and missionaries were closely regulated, and their activities were eventually confined to a limited number of locations. Kerala presented a very different picture. Here, the Portuguese, Dutch, and later the British became deeply woven into the region’s political, economic, and cultural life, leaving traces that remain visible in its architecture, religious institutions, and collective memory. Walking through Fort Kochi, I felt I was witnessing a history that could never have unfolded in quite the same way in Japan.

Jewish Heritage in Mattancherry

The Jewish community adds yet another layer to Kochi’s rich cultural tapestry. According to local tradition, Jewish traders were already visiting the Malabar Coast as early as the tenth century BCE, drawn by the region’s prized spices and other valuable commodities. Following the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, more Jewish families sought refuge here, where they found the protection of the tolerant rulers of the Malabar Coast and established a community that would flourish for centuries.

Paradesi Synagogue & Jew Street

Their enduring legacy can still be seen in the Paradesi Synagogue in Mattancherry, built in 1568 and located less than a ten-minute tuk-tuk ride from Santa Cruz Basilica. As the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations, it stands as another reminder that Kochi has long been a meeting place of cultures, faiths, and peoples from across the world.

What makes Kochi’s Jewish story particularly remarkable is the degree of acceptance the community found here. Unlike the persecution they faced in many parts of the world, the Jews of Kochi were granted land, religious freedom, and the right to self-governance by the local rulers. At its peak, the Jewish community numbered in the thousands, but today only a handful remain — the rest having emigrated to Israel after its founding in 1948. Walking through Mattancherry, their presence feels simultaneously vivid and fading, preserved in synagogues and street names long after the community itself has largely departed.

Leading up to the synagogue is the street called Jew street, where antique shops, boutiques, souvenir shops and fading pastel façades invite travelers to wander through the trade, tradition and tolerance.

Inside, the synagogue is unexpectedly beautiful — its floor laid with hand-painted Chinese willow-pattern tiles, each one slightly different from the next, brought from Canton in the eighteenth century. Belgian glass chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and the atmosphere is one of quiet, layered wonder. Photography is not permitted inside, but the image stays with you long after you leave.

Dutch Palace (Mattancherry Palace)

North of Jew Street stands Mattancherry Palace, originally presented to the Raja of Kochi by the Portuguese and later renovated by the Dutch, earning it the popular name “Dutch Palace.” Despite its colonial associations, the palace is a fine example of traditional Kerala architecture. Its exquisite murals depicting scenes from the Ramayana and other Hindu epics, the royal coronation hall, and its small temple shrines offer a glimpse into a time when local kings ruled and diverse cultures converged on the Malabar Coast.

What struck me most was how little the palace looks like a colonial building from the outside. Its low-pitched roof, inner courtyard, and verandahs speak entirely of Kerala. The Dutch gave it its popular name, but the soul of the building belongs to a different tradition altogether — a reminder that the story of Fort Kochi is never simply one of conquest, but always of convergence.

Kathakali — Storytelling Without Words

Watching a Kathakali performance was the perfect finale to our stay in Fort Kochi. One of Kerala’s most celebrated classical art forms, Kathakali brings to life stories from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Puranas through elaborate costumes, intricate facial makeup, expressive gestures, and stylized movement.

Not a single word was spoken during the performance, yet the actors’ remarkably expressive faces and graceful hand gestures conveyed the emotions and drama with astonishing clarity. Even without understanding the language or every detail of the story, I found myself drawn into the performance, appreciating how this centuries-old tradition could communicate so powerfully beyond words.

It is said that a Kathakali artist trains for years — sometimes decades — before performing. The control required to move individual facial muscles, to hold a complex mudra gesture for minutes at a time, to synchronise breath and movement with the music, is extraordinary. Watching the performer offstage before the show, calmly applying layer upon layer of paint to his own face, I realised that the transformation from person to character begins long before the curtain rises.

लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु

If you missed our first day in Fort Kochi, you can read about our arrival, the Old Harbour Hotel, and the art scene at Kashi Art Café here.