Skip to main content

Featured Post

Book Review: On Philosophising, Philosophers, Philosophy and New Vistas in Applied Philosophy, by Dr. Sharmila Jayant Virkar

A little bit of context before you begin reading this book review. I have recently enrolled for an MA in Philosophy at the University of Mumbai. Philosophy is something I have been getting interested in, over the past few years, as those of you who have been reading my blogs and Instagram posts would know. During the pandemic, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do next, and this is what I eventually came up with. It has been a challenge, getting back into academics as a student at this age, especially in a subject I have no academic background in. However, it has also been very exciting, especially thanks to my wonderful classmates (who, surprisingly, are of all age-groups, including some quite near my own) and my teachers, who have been very supportive and understanding. How well I will do is something that remains to be seen, but so far, I am enjoying this new journey and look forward to where it leads. Now that you know the background , you probably get an idea of how

Fort Kochi - Part 10 : Maritime Museum

“Maritime Museum” announced a board. “It is closed today” said our auto driver, and we reluctantly turned the other way. The next morning, however, before heading out of Fort Kochi, we decided it was time to try the museum once again. “There is nothing much to see” lamented our driver of the day, but we insisted, and, in the pouring rain, arrived at INS Dronacharya, which is home to the Southern Naval Command (SNC) Maritime Museum. 




INS Dronacharya is the Gunnery school of the Indian Navy, and the museum is located in two magazines used for storage of ammunition by the British during World War II. The grounds are used to display artifacts too huge to fit inside. I wonder, though how they manage to maintain them with the kind of weather Kochi has. It poured cats and dogs while we were there, and it was summer, not even monsoon!




Inside, the walls are lined with paintings, maps and replicas of documents detailing the birth of the Indian Navy and its transformation over the centuries.



Our attention was captured by this plaque, explaining the Indian Navy’s motto, and its origin….



Take a closer look at this replica of Rajaji’s letter, suggesting the same…



Meanwhile, Samhith had found something more of interest to him – a section devoted to the maritime history of the region, depicted through murals and figurines.


A whole wall is dedicated to the Kunjali Marakkars, the admirals to the Zamorins of Calicut.



The murals depicting the evolution of Kochi as a port, and fort, reminded me of Bassein Fort, also a Portuguese stronghold, and I ruminated on the similarities between them.



The murals aren’t works of art, but they do depict the history in an attractive manner, and especially help in engaging kids!



Another section focuses on naval history of India before the Europeans arrived here. There are maps of ancient ports and trade routes in Southern India, as well as maps of important forts along the western coast.




Across the museum are timelines of the evolution of the Indian Navy – extremely interesting, but for the fact that it does not include the seafaring ventures of the Indus Valley Civilization or the Chola Navy, and other such pre-Colonial naval milestones (which find mention in some sections of the museum, and could easily have been included).



The museum is a treasure trove of information of India’s glorious naval history – a must visit if you are in Fort Kochi!



Information:
  • Location: The Maritime Museum is located quite near the beach, at INS Dronacharya. There are plenty of boards directing you here.

  • Timings: The Museum is closed on Mondays and Public Holidays. On all other days, it is open from 09:30 AM to 12:30 PM, and again from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM.



Comments

  1. Unfortunately it was my own younger brother who spoke the Auto Drivers words to me. Next time I will overrule him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Usually, PNS, when someone says there is nothing to see, there is something interesting that no one has noticed!!! you should certainly go visit the museum on your next visit. Would love to see what you notice there!

      Delete
  2. I had been to Fort Kochi several times. Never knew of this place before.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw

The Havelis of Bikaner - A Photo Post

The lanes are narrow , twisting and turning amidst buildings old and new. Crumbling old structures with intricate workmanship stand side by side with art deco buildings, and more modern constructions, which follow no particular style. Autos, bicycles, motorcycles and vans rush past, blowing their horns as loudly as possible, while cows saunter past peacefully, completely unaffected by the noise. In the midst of all this chaos, children play by the side, and women go about their chores, as we explore these by-lanes of Bikaner, and its beautiful Havelis. Facade of one of the Rampuria Havelis

The Elephanta Caves

The Elephanta Caves , located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri, about 11 Km off the coast of the Gateway of India, Mumbai, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit to these caves, excavated probably in the 6 th century CE, is awe-inspiring, and also thought-provoking. Over the years, I have visited the caves a number of times, and also attended a number of talks by experts in the fields of art, history and archaeology on the caves. Together, they help me understand these caves, their art, and the people they were created for, just a little bit better. Every new visit, every new talk, every new article I read about the caves, fleshes out the image of what the island and the caves would have been like, at their peak. I last wrote about the caves on this blog, in 2011, almost exactly 11 years ago. Since then, my understanding of the caves has, I would like to think, marginally improved. Hence this attempt to write a new and updated post, trying to bring to life, the caves of Elephan