An
Overview of Kochi :
Located on the south Indian state of Kerala, the port city Kochi or Cochin
is one of the important trading points of South India. Its serves as a major
commercial hob of South India from the very ancient time and attracted
traders from China, Arabs and European countries who got involved in the
spice trade. The event of its association with foreign trade can be seen
from various buildings built by Portuguese, Dutch and British. Now it is one
of the prosperous commercial centre having one of the busiest port of the
country. The city is also a major tourist destinations of the country with
many ancient temples, churches and several other historic monument with
picturesque beaches.
Climate of Kochi :
Due to its proximity to the sea, the city experiences a moderate climate
with heavy rains during monsoon(June-August). During Summer the maximum
temperature goes up to 35 degrees C and in winters it is around 25 degrees
C. The city receives an average annual rain fall of 310 cm. The ideal time
to visit the city is during winter(September-May).
Tourist Attractions of Kochi :
Being a major trading centre from the time of British and Portuguese, the
city is dotted with numerous temples, churches and historic buildings which
give a insight to the political, social and cultural transition of the city.
Some of the major tourist destinations are :
» Fort Kochi - This massive fort of Kochi set up by
British to protect the city from attack of other European powers. It
displays a strong legacy of Europeans.
» St. Francis Church - It is the place where the
remains of Vasco Da Gama were earlier kept here, but later taken to Portugal
by his Pedro Da Gama. Now it is one of the oldest exiting European churches
in India.
»
Dutch Palace at Mattancherry - The Dutch Palace at Mattancherry was
originally built by the Portuguese and presented to the ruler of Kochi, in
1555. Its wall paintings depicting various scenes from the epic Ramayana are
prime features of this palace. There is also a large unfinished painting of
Lord Vishnu.
» Parishath Thampuram Museum - Located in the
district of Ernakulam, the museum has a large collection of 19th century oil
paintings, sculpture, old coins, Mughal paintings and temple models.
Getting to Kochi :
» By Air - The city is directly connected to all
the metros and some other important cities of India by frequent flight
services.
» By Rail - Indian Railway has rail services to
most of the important cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai from Kochi.
» By Road - An excellent road network links the
city with major South Indian destinations by regular bus services.
