Skip to main content

Featured Post

Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...

Fort Kochi - Part 8: A Boat Ride

Wandering the roads of Mattanchery after visiting the Palace and the Jew Town, the Jetty beckoned, and we headed off to take a boat tour. After all, the sea and the port are the reasons for Fort Kochi’s existence, and its importance. And so, after all those long, detailed, historical posts, here is a photo blog for you…

The sea beckons, Fort Kochi to the left, Willingdon Island to the right... the contrast is clearly seen!



This is the mainland... the city of Cochin... the towering buildings line the new Marina... 
The islands however, have more interesting structures....

On Willingdon Island stands the old Port Trust Office, a heritage structure

Next to the old building stands the new office...
brand new, yet beautiful and striking in its own way. 

As for Fort Kochi, the shore is lined with old, colonial structures, some more majestic than the others, a few of them now Heritage hotels. 

 The Brunton Boatyard

This pretty colourful one is Aspinwall House

Aspinwall was among the oldest of the commercial establishments set up in Fort Kochi. I have no idea if this is still the headquarters of the company, but I would so love to go inside and take a look!


I have no clue as to what this is, but it looks like it has something to do with the coast guard.
The old fashioned charm is very much in evidence, isn't it? 

A visitor stands at the back gate of the Pepper House Cafe.
The grafitti on the walls were part of the Kochi - Muziris Biennale

This old structure surely looks like it can do with some care and effort. Imagine how beautiful it could look!

When we tear our eyes away from the buildings, there are boats to see...

 small fishing boats with nets in them..

Big boats which carry passengers to Cochin and elsewhere

Motor boats which double up as fishing boats, or for use of the Port

And then, there are the people...

Solitary fishermen passing the time...

Waiting for the net to reel in their daily catch

And big boats filled with local fishermen, and dock workers, waiting to leave, either for work, or to go back home. 


And then, there are the omnipresent Chinese Fishing nets

And, where there are fishing boats, fishermen and fishing nets, how can there not be birds? 

Gulls, Terns, Egrets, Herons and Brahminy Kites jostle for space, and fish, amidst this teeming mass of humanity.

It began raining while we were on the boat, and work went on as usual. For us, it was an experience... for them, it was life! 


Information:
  • Ferries are a common mode of transport in this area, and there are regular passenger as well as car ferries. This map from Wiki Travel is a handy guide to the routes and the frequency of ferries.
Map courtesy Wiki Travel



Tips and Suggestions:
  • It is easiest (and cheapest) to take one of the Fort Kochi – Ernakulam ferries to truly experience the journey. In that case, the Main Jetty at Fort Kochi is a better choice.
  • The Mattanchery Jetty has fewer options, though during the tourist season, there are regular boats hired out to tourists. This can be quite expensive, though a lot easier in some ways. We hired a whole boat, at the rate of something like Rs.500 for half an hour. It was enjoyable though, so no complaints. I would however, like to try (and would advise you to try too) the regular services.
  • The Fort Kochi – Vypin ferry is the shortest and easiest of the lot. It is barely a 5 minute journey, but there are services through the day. Also, this is near the beach, so easy to go across and come back. This one has a vehicle jetty too, and we used it to get to Cherai by auto. (That was another wonderful experience, in the pouring rain! )






Comments

  1. Nice captures of Fort Kochi. It comes alive during Biennale when the whole place is full of colours.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Enjoyed looking at the beautiful photographs.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I enjoyed this place on a rainy evening. Excellent one.

    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...

Review of Executive Lounges at New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS)

During my recent trip to Uttarakhand , I was faced with a problem I had never encountered before. We were passing through Delhi, but we had hardly any time in the city. On earlier visits when I have had to change trains/flights at Delhi, I have always arrived in the morning and left again at night, visiting relatives in between. This time, I was arriving in the city at night, and leaving again early in the morning. There was hardly any time to visit people. I would only have a couple of hours with them before I’d have to leave again. For the first time, we considered booking a hotel, but there again, we were hesitant about the actual hotels, the costs involved, and the logistics of getting from the airport to the railway station and then back again from the station to the airport.  That’s when we remembered reading something about a corporate-managed lounge at Delhi station. We soon figured out that we could book online and pay by the hour. Besides, we also learnt that there wasn’...

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.