Five Facts One Must Know About the History of Kochi

29 Apr 2016
Neethu
Features

Any place, any person, any satute has a past and Kochi is a glorious city which has a past as interesting as the place itself. The echoes of the past often reverberates tales, which contribute to the real soul of Kochi.

Till the 14^th century, there wasn’t any trace of Kochi in the travelogues of many historians and travelers like Ptolemy, Marco Polo and Ibn Batuta, which makes it clear that Kochi was nothing more than a little village then. The glory of the city flourished after it rose as a prominent port city after the great flood of River Periyar in the year 1341. After the great flood, the trade hub shifted from Kodungallor to Kochi as traders slowly began to move towards the natural harbor formed in the Ernakulam region.

The reign of three colonial rules have brought tremendous changes in the mood of the city right from the Portuguese invasion in the year 1500 followed by Dutch invasion in 1662 and the British dynasty that followed.

It was under the British rule that Willingdon Island and Cochin Port was constructed. It was a fact that, except a few, the kings of Kochi were mere figureheads in the hands of British.

After independence, Cochin territory fell into the hands of Cochin Royal family from Vembalinad region. The royal family made tremendous impact in the way the region emerged as the Kingdom of Kochi.

Cheena Vala or Chinese fishing nets are believed to have been introduced to the port city by Chinese traders under the court of Kublai Khan. Outside of China, the massive fishing nets called Cheena vala are only found in the coastal harbours between Fort Kochi and Vypeen.