Fort Kochi Boutique Hotels:
Colonial History & Boutique Luxury

Kochi Fort is situated at the mouth of the backwaters of Kochi and is located in a small stretch of land flanked by the Arabian Sea. Fort Kochi had already existed within the trading network between the Arab countries and China prior to the coming of any European ships, and the Chinese fishing nets which are a distinct feature of this place are believed to be an innovation by the traders who belonged to the period of Kublai Khan before Vasco Da Gama.

The exceptional feature of Fort Kochi is that the historical zones there are densely packed together; thus, within a few kilometres of the heritage area, you can find Portuguese churches, Dutch-modified palaces, a 16th-century Jewish synagogue, bungalows from the time of the British, and a vibrant contemporary art culture all sitting on top of each other. Mattancherry Palace and the Fort Kochi-Mattancherry region have been advocated by locals and heritage organisations to get their name on the tentative list for World Heritage by UNESCO, given the immense historical significance of the coastal area.

The identity of Fort Kochi cannot be separated from the three different colonial forces that remade the institution and built the infrastructure of the town before transferring control of it to the succeeding power.

The Portuguese Era (1503–1663)

Portuguese arrived at the port in 1500, under the leadership of Pedro Alvares Cabral. The fort constructed by them in 1503 after acquiring permission from the Raja of Kochi was named Fort Manuel, and hence the name of the city. There used to be a wooden church inside the fort which later in 1516 became known as St. Francis Church. I believe this is the first church which the Europeans built in the Indian sub-continent. This is the striking part.

The Dutch Era (1663–1795)

In the year 1663, Fort Kochi was captured from the Portuguese by the Dutch East India Company. Many Catholic societies were thus razed to the ground by the Dutch. In 1664, the first municipality of the Indian subcontinent was formed by the Dutch here. They also refurbished the Portuguese Royal palace constructed here and called it Dutch Palace or Mattancherry Palace. The time period of their reign was 112 years.

The British Era (1795–1947)

The British conquered the fort of Kochi from the Dutch in 1795, and by the beginning of the nineteenth century, large sections of the fort were reduced to ruins. During the period of their control, Fort Kochi emerged as a colonial trading station famous for its export of spices and tea, and there were a large number of structures constructed in the British era, including bungalows and other public buildings which have been converted into boutique hotels in modern times. The foreign domination of the fort was put to an end with Indian independence in 1947.

For those traveling here to enjoy a high-end experience, the only thing worth having on their list is being enveloped in the history of the place rather than just experiencing it. Fort Kochi hotels are, for the most part, examples of adaptive renovations, namely 17th century Dutch trading bungalows, Portuguese era merchant houses and British colonial homes which have been renovated to be boutique luxury resorts, normally housing less than 20 rooms.

Here one will encounter antique four-poster beds, wooden ceilings, courtyards covered in rain trees and a mixture of European colonial furniture with the Kerala mural painting and woodwork. The most popular heritage resorts are located near the Chinese fishing nets, Dutch Palace or Parade Grounds which enables one to enter right from a 300 year old door into the heritage walk.

This is evident from the cuisine in Fort Kochi which features Portuguese, Dutch, Jewish and Syrian Christian cuisines along with traditional Keralan sea-coast dishes such as meen pollichathu (fish wrapped in banana leaf and grilled), Kerala style prawn curry, appam with stew and Jewish-Kochi dishes like pastel served at the old bakers in Jew Town.

There has been an explosion of cafés and restaurants around the heritage hotels where many bungalows have been converted into stylish restaurants that serve a range of contemporary Keralan menus as well as foreign wines.