Mattancherry Dutch Palace

Mattancherry Dutch Palace is a Portuguese palace built in 1557 and presented to the Cochin Raja, Veera Kerala Varma, as a gesture of good will. It was substantially renovated by the Dutch after 1663, and thereafter it was popularly called ‘Dutch’ Palace. The rajas also made more improvements to it.

The palace with a Bhagavathi Temple in the central courtyard is built like the typical Kerala style mansion - the Nalukettu. There are two more temples dedicated to Lord Krishna and Shiva.

The most important aspect of this palace is the astonishing murals in the royal bed chamber, which depict scenes from Ramayana, a second set of wall paintings were executed in the staircase room depicting various deities.  The life-size portraits of the kings of Cochin from 1864 onwards are displayed in a long hall originally served as coronation hall.

The palace represents the blending of the European and indigenous styles of architecture. Also on display are royal paraphernalia like weapons, swings and furniture which offer a glimpse of the lifestyle of the royal family.

Visiting Hours: 10:00 AM to 05:00 PM on all days except Friday’s

Teapot café

Teapot café is a small European styled café, located at Peter Celli Street, Fort Kochi


The interior of the café are beautifully decorated and has teapots, kettles and tea accessories collected by the owners.

The menu is indeed simple and classical continental European styled. Teapot café also serves other tasty Indian and European snacks at very reasonable prices.

It’s open from 08:30 AM to 09:30 PM. Price Range from Rs. 20 to Rs 200.

Phone: 0484 2218035

St. Francis Church

St. Francis CSI Church is the oldest European Church in India.

Vasco da Gama, discovered the sea route from Europe to India in the year 1948. He was followed by Pedro Álvares Cabral and Afonso de Albuquerque and the Raja of Cochin permitted them to engage in trade. They built a fort at and within the fort, they built a church with a wooden structure, which was dedicated to St. Bartholomew.

Francisco de Almeida, the Portuguese viceroy, was allowed, in 1506, by the Raja of Cochin to reconstruct wooden buildings in stone and masonry. The wooden church was rebuilt, presumably by the Franciscan friars, with bricks and mortar and a tiled roof was erected. The new church was completed in 1516 and dedicated to St. Antony.

Towards the end of 1524 Vasco Da Gama returned to Cochin where he died on the Christmas eve of that year and was buried in this Church. Fourteen years later, his remains were shipped to Portugal and deposited at Vidigveria where they remained until 1872 when they were removed to the monastery of Jeronimos in Lisbon, its present abode.

Later the church witnessed various European invasions and during the Dutch invasion of Kochi in 1663. The Dutch reconditioned it and converted it into a government church.

In 1804, the Dutch surrendered the church to the Anglican Church following the British invasion of Kochi in 1795.  The church was renamed and renovated in 1886. The Church of South India (CSI) took over the administration and management of the church in 1949.

The Clock on this Church was erected in the year 1923 in memory of Hal Harrison Jones, a former Managing Director of Aspinwall & Company. There also stands a cenotaph in the middle of the lawn and it was built in 1920 in remembrance of the Kochilites who laid down their lives in World War I.

An old Dutch baptism and marriage register (1751 to 1804), the Doop Book, is preserved in the church. Records say that the register was maintained by a Predikant Cornelies. Many Dutch citizens visit the church to try and trace their family roots from the register. The church also has a British register.

Website: http://stfranciscsichurch.org/

VOC Gate and Parade Ground

Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (literally "United East Indian Company”) Gate is a large wooden gate facing the Parade Ground located in Fort Kochi.  Built in 1749 by the Dutch East India Company, the gate carries a monogram VOC. The Dutch Mint was located here. The Dutch East India Company was the first multinational corporation in the world and the first company to issue stock.

The Parade Ground was used by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British colonists to conduct their military parades and drills. The buildings around the Parade Ground served as their defence establishments. After Independence, Parade Ground, earlier Barraca Maidan or the barracks ground, became a sporting arena and regularly hosted cricket and football matches.