Fort Kochi - A little known treasure

Fort Kochi is a quaint little European township located to the south-west of mainland Cochin. The land, which was ventured by the Portuguese, Dutch, British, Jewish & Chinese explorers, retains a rich assortment of age-old legacies even today. As a souvenir of their visit, these explorers have left behind churches, architectural bungalows, synagogues, Chinese fishing nets, art galleries, and antiques that are strewn everywhere on the narrow streets of Fort Kochi in a pleasant abundance.

In Fort Kochi, every door and window is an excellent photo opportunity. Every door and window has a story to tell. Pay heed to those stories and you will certainly be taken back in time, starting from the 14th century. Though rampant political disputes led to constant destruction, Fort Kochi’s architectural beauty was never to be amassed. Trader after trader came to this land seeking spices. And, slowly but steadily they contributed to Fort Kochi’s architectural wonders. May be those were the best days of Fort Kochi. Over the past few years, the attention of this tiny region has turned entirely towards fishing and tourism. And now everything takes place unhurriedly, in a homey, laid-back fashion with the grace of age-old customs along the shores of the rich Arabian Sea and the town rests peacefully centuries later.

1. A Walk through the by lanes of Fort Kochi

The streets are calm and oftentimes, there is no one to disturb the quiet. But for a vivid observer there can be lot of happening in the streets—mosses stricken walls, some graffiti painted, some decorated by the early morning dews, colorful single-storeyed bungalows, abandoned buildings, vintage doors and windows. And for a heart that follows feathers, the quest is fulfilled—a passel of pigeons whoosh swiftly along the slopy sun-shade, a swoop of seagulls fly high with the best one leading the flock, or spot a lonely sparrow in her blissful heaven where her silence and solitude are melded into one.

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2. At the Mahatma Gandhi Beach

Oftentimes, huge monster ships sail over the grey sea, slaying its way through the thick sheet of morning haze.In Fort Kochi, the sea port is busier than the waves, both at dawn and dusk.Only now and again, a tiny wave makes a barely audible slurp as it hits upon the rocks of the embankment. 

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And where there is beach, there is emotion too :) 

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3. The Art and Ambiance 

Much of Fort Kochi's ambiance reflects the colonial rule. The ancient buildings are now a specimen of  Portuguese, Dutch and Jewish architecture. Some of them are converted into hotels, some into art galleries and art cafés—where the art treasures of the bygone era are now preserved. Pay a visit to the David Art Gallery. And let the eyes of the portraits converse with your mind. When you are left isolated in the hall, these paintings can either harp in impulse of thoughts or cease your mind and make you standstill.

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4. The St.Francis Church 

St.Francis Church - the oldest and the first European church built in India, circa 1503 by the Portuguese. This church was where Vasco da Gama was buried for 14 years. For centuries, this modest structure has been home to a battalion of voices, a multitude of prayers, joy and sorrow, destruction and rejuvenation.

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                     'For Men may come and Men may go but I go on forever..'              

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5. The Jew Town, Mattancherry

 The streets are colorful and vibrant. The Jew town is adorned by colorful artifacts—unique antique pieces, intricately carved wall hangings, innumerable statue of gods of different religion, and even a variety of apparel that keeps calling for a purchase—Mattancherry will pull you in, for a shopping loot.

The Jew town demands that you know a little bit of its burgeoning past so that you’d appreciate its present better. Mattancherry was a trade hub for its invaders (predominantly Jews) who traded spices viz. pepper and turmeric. At present, a handful of Jew families have settled down in Mattancherry and the rest migrated to their homeland leaving their Hebrew imprinted boards behind, to feel the traces of Jerusalem in Kerala. The town awes the visitors with its age-old ethnicity, social history, diversified settlements and the peaceful co-existence of Temples, Mosques, Churches and Synagogues (a Jewish place of worship).

The Paradesi Synagogue is the only functional synagogue in Mattancherry and it is closed on Fridays and Saturdays, as you can see :)

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6. The Chinese Fishing Nets, Vypeen Island

 The Chinese fishing nets was introduced by the Chinese explorer, Zheng He. As I walk alongside the seacoast of Vypeen Island, I was glad to see how the nets operate. It operates on a cantilever system where the 10 m high net, hanging on one end of the beam is counterbalanced by huge stones on the other. The empty net is then lowered in the sea for a few minutes and then lifted up with a variety of fishes.The yield may seem meagre.  

But, to my surprise the yield wasn't so bad . 

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7. The Kashi's Art Cafe, Fort Kochi

The art cafe's ambience is very different from the rest. The cafe welcomes with a display of contemporary art sculptures and wall hangings, each of which is capable to hold a stare for a while ,  the cobble-stone  pathway leads into the main cafe and the sun rays steal a glance through the canopy of leaves which serves as a roof of the cafe. A leisurely place to have breakfast amidst the gallery of  fine arts or to read a favorite novel in an unhurried pace over a cup of hot chocolate—the cafe just lets you do the same.And that's precisely why every traveler to Fort Kochi  pays a visit to Kashi's Art Cafe for sure. 

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8. Kathakali at The Greenix Village, Fort Kochi

Every day, the art centre offers a variety of  dance and martial art performances—Kathakali, Mohiniatam,Theyyam, Koodiyattam, Kalaripayattu. The art centre also houses an elegant dance theatre, curio shop, book shop and an amazing art museum. The visitors are allowed to see the make-up done for the artist before the dance performance.

At the dance theatre:

Once the make-up session was over, we entered the dance theatre. And surprisingly, we were the only Indian nationals in the theatre that seated about 50 odd people! The show commenced. All lights off. Silence. Darkness. Within a few seconds, the audio of the narrator breaks the silence and welcomes the whole lot for the evening. A circular beam of light appears, illuminating the centre of the stage and slowly the artists flash a parade of their expressions. As we were seated in the last row, the scene was even more exhilarating—the foreground was dotted with silhouetted audience and the main subjects on the stage were striking, bright and vibrant.

The narrator continues to elaborate the history of the art form and the characterization of each artist. The artists enacted a short excerpt from the Mahabaratha. The narration, music and the dance are overwhelmingly in sync. The facial expressions of the artists are close to indescribable and they knew how to control each and every facial muscle, especially cheekbones, lips, eyes and eyebrows. I—another silhouetted figure standing in a hardly visible corner of the dance theatre—am constantly clicking photos until my fingers turn numb. Then again, the artists' movements and expressions provoke indefatigable vigour to take more photographs and that was true for every other photography-enthusiast in the theatre.  

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Fort Kochi is certainly not for the adventure seekers. That being said, Fort Kochi is a endless adobe of relaxation—to settle down in silence, in art, besides the sea, over a cup of coffee, or a leisurely walk, or exchange ideas with people worldwide, to picture the past, to mind-travel a couple of centuries back, to imagine, to admire the colorful and to appreciate the unagitated calmness of this quaint little town. Fort Kochi.

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Hampi - A Travel through Time

Hampi is an old book whose pages are torn off except for the last few. It is like a book with a sad ending but all pages except for the ending are lost. So, the rest of the book is left to your imagination. And it is not easy to imagine that. Because, if the ruins of Hampi are so beautiful, how would you ever be able to imagine how beautiful Hampi was in its days of glory? 

All that is beautiful and glorious is only short-lived. 

A trip to Hampi had been on my to-do list for a long time. And, after my short weekend trip to Hampi, it went right back to my to-do-once-again list. This weekend trip offered a plethora of different experiences, that it is safe to say that Hampi has something in it for every kind of traveller. There is boulder climbing for the adventure seekers; enchanting ruins for the history and art lovers; a great variety of food for food junkies; and a lot of avenue for pot-smoking relaxation if that suits your taste.

From "Rome of the East" to ruins:

As our train was pulling into the Hospet Railway station (which is the closest station to Hampi, about 13 Km away), a bunch of locals climbed onto the moving train. They seemed to be getting into all compartments - 1 or 2 into each compartment. The train came to a full halt and as we got down we realized who these locals were. They were rickshaw wallas. In the 10 seconds that they spent in the railway compartment, they "pick and choose" tourist passengers that they will try & convince to use their services. Pretty clever on rickshaw walla's part. And, you instantly realize how Hampi's current economy largely relies on tourism. But this was definitely not the case in the 15th & 16th centuries. Back then, Hampi was a hub of trading activity. The Capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. A western traveller, who had seen Hampi in all its glory, even went on describe Hampi as "The Rome of the East". This trading hub was reduced to ruins by the persistent conquests of the Muhammadans. And today, these magnificent ruins form the life and blood of Hampi's economy.

Two Sides of a coin:

Like many other empires, the Vijayanagara Empire was also built on the banks of a river. The Tunghabhadra. Today the river splits Hampi into two very diverse regions. On one side of the river are the temples, palaces and all of Hampi's ruined beauty. We’ll call this the "Temple Side". On the other side, are a string of guest houses along a line of lush green paddy fields. We'll call this side, "The Paddy side". Our bus from Hospet dropped us at the Temple street on the Temple side and to get to our guest house on the Paddy side, we had to cross the Tunghabhadra.

The Tunghabhadra River

It was the end of the monsoon season which meant that currents of the river were very strong. We waited, along with about 50 others - from at least 5 different nationalities, for the motor boat to take us across. The rush meant that the motor boat operator was going to hike the prices for the 1 minute ferry across. But there is no other option to get to the other side. The temple side and the paddy side are exact opposites. 

The temple side is bustling with people on the streets; the paddy side is much more peaceful. On the temple side, you get piping hot idlis from roadside vendors; On the paddy side you get Israeli, Italian, Russian, German and Chinese cuisines. On one side you see Lord Shiva in the Virupaksha form; On the other, you see Lord Shiva in a trance, smoking weed. The stark contrast between the two sides was in itself a thing of beauty.

Of Mahals, Elephant Stables and Watch Towers:

Our first stop for the day, after a quick breakfast and ferry back to the temple side, was the Zenena Enclosure. This used to be a secluded area reserved for royal women folk. The high walls of this enclosure are damaged in parts but the most of the structures in the enclosure are pretty intact. The first thing that will catch your eye as you enter is the Lotus Mahal. This is one of the most photogenic buildings in Hampi because it was left untouched during the destruction of Hampi. One could assume that the watch towers that dot the corners of this enclosure have some role to play in the intactness of these buildings. The watchtowers themselves however, are in a mess. Right outside the enclosure are the Elephant Stables. About a dozen elephant stables are lined up parallel to the rear wall of the Zenena enclosure. Here is a must do thing when you visit this place - close your eyes and picture the elephants and their caretakers. Picture the elephants in the dome-shaped stables. Picture the lives of the caretakers who have to keep the elephants ready for day-to-day work as well as war alike. These stables are time machines that are capable of taking you to an entirely different time period.

  

Vittala Temple and the Rains of Hampi:

As we started towards the Vittala Temple to see its much photographed chariot, we sensed that it was going to rain pretty heavily. By the time we reached the temple tower, it was raining so loud that we could hardly hear each other's voice. We ran to ruined temple tower for shelter. The security guard at the temple tower was signaling us to run faster and join them at the temple tower. After we were safely in the shelter of the tower & after putting the camera away to protect it from the downpour, we slowly began to observe the marvelous sight ahead of us. The heavy rain drops falling on the chariot made a halo of thin white fog around the chariot. The details on the chariot were not legible from where we stood but we stood there admiring the beauty of the ruined temple complex. It took a good 15 minutes for the rain to recede and the camera to come out again.

We went inside the temple complex and we were left a little disappointed. The first time we saw the chariot in all its details, our immediate reaction was "Is this really the famous chariot?". There is no denying that the chariot is a magnificent piece of art. But the chariot has been the center of attention for so many photographers in the past and they had made it look much more beautiful in their photographs than what it really was. It is the same kind of disappointment as when a person with a handsome profile picture actually turns out to be mediocre. However, the temple complex compensates for the disappointment with little surprises here and there - A beautiful tree right in the middle of the complex; The intricately carved musical pillars; A foreign couple trying to steal a kiss when no one is watching. 

After spending about 2 hours at the Vittala temple, it was time to catch the last boat to cross the river. Crossing the Tunghabhadra can become a scary affair when it is raining, especially given the fact that only children & the boat operator get life jackets. 

The Virupaksha & the Bazaar Street:

The next day, after a splendid breakfast at the Gouthami Guest House, we packed off to see the Virupaksha and to do some roadside shopping. The Virupaksha is undamaged for most parts and is still functional. It even has a temple elephant and a "pooja token" system, very much like any other South Indian temple. The temple also presents a livelihood for an army of monkeys. These monkeys are adept in the art of snatching food right off your hands. It is better to be on full alert. The temple is usually crowded and the best times to visit are early mornings & evenings. 

A 2 minute walk from the temple takes you to the Bazaar street. Pendants, Necklaces, Tops, Skirts, Earrings, Leather Bags, Wallets, Fancy Bags, 2nd Hand books, Bronze statues, Wooden artwork, Sarees, Embroidery Sandals - this bazaar has a good selection of all this & more. And it helps if you are good at bargaining. In most cases the shopkeepers are willing to give things away at half of what they initially asked for. We shopped till it was time for our train back. 

There is so much of Hampi that is still left untouched by us - The Lakshmi Narasimha Temple; The Mattanga Tank;The Veerabhadra temple; Anegondi on the Paddy side; Boulder climbing; & lot more of the peaceful afternoon naps on the edge of the paddy fields. 

Hampi, I will be back.

A Monsoon Mystery. Kerala.

The idea of travel during monsoon  is least preferred and less appreciated by tourists. Trust me and let's keep it a secret - Monsoon travel is one of the most beautiful experiences a traveler can ever have. Yes! It is off-season; it does pour everywhere; advance plans will not work out; get drenched at the most unexpected time; face problems during commute; and most importantly, what happens next is not yours to control. So be ready for pleasant surprises and unexpected shocks, for which your mind should already be prepared while booking the tickets.If luck permits, the odds may still be in your favor. 

We were a group of three and we decided to travel the hidden trail of North Kerala  - Kasaragod and Kannur during the onset of southwest monsoon. The  trip demanded a thorough investigation of weather forecast and the status of El Nino - (a warm current that plays a major role in deciding the onset, the amount of rainfall to expect during that part of the year etc) which helped us in planning the journey date, so as to witness the beauty of  the onset. Surprisingly, the predictions were accurate enough this time. As we entered the outskirts of west coast, it was lush lush and lush green everywhere. The junk that was sticking around for a long time has been washed out perfectly green. The tropical forests, grove of coconut trees, calm backwaters were a perfect fit for a natural landscape that would provoke anyone to crave for a window seat. Day-long drizzles followed by intermittent rain made the place even more breath-taking. The gleaming road, the stranded wall and every blade of the leaf were painted appealing enough by the Monsoon, the artist of honor.

From a moving Train as we enter Kerala on a rainy morning

The Glow Green Moment

A Natural Wall Art 

Our place of stay was at Kannur, alongside the coast of Payambalam beach. We opted for a cottage which was facing the incredibly beautiful Arabian sea. The resort had about two acres of verdant garden with a canopy of two hundred coconut trees, provided authentic local cuisine and its hosts greeted us with warm hospitality. Not to forget the hammock, that certainly mesmerized me for a lazy nap under the shade of coconut trees and the sound of waves, all of which  happily recited a lullaby. A perfect green destination to lounge around and to explore. The open sea right in front of our door steps seemed so inviting for a leisurely stroll along the shore.

Pranav Beach Resort

The Open Sea

We enjoy the gastronomy of local cuisine - Kerala rice, vegetable stew, fish curry, fish fry (fresh and crispy!), steamed puttu & kadala curry, soft parottas are some traditional dishes that stood out well. Restaurants at both Kasaragod and Kannur offerred a variety of dishes at very reasonable rates. A sumptuous meal followed by a heavenly nap on the hammock at a calm and composed place, what more can a holiday dreamer ask for.

 Puttu and curry

Monsoon is coming!

The second day of our trip was at the Bekal Fort, Kasaragod.The dawn was a bit more sunny than expected. The lens flare blazed up on every attempt to photograph the place. A couple of hours later, we reached the tip of the fort that stood tall against the massive hit by those untiring waves. The waves struck the fort at a 10-feet high, leaving the remaining 'come-what-may' visitors dumbstruck. Far across the horizon we could witness the  heavy downpour at some parts of the sea, presuming that the rain will strike the shore at any moment. The fishermen have long gone home, followed by some warning messages from the guards to vacate. The winds started revving up; the clouds progressively darkened, parts of the sea turned from mossy green to deep emerald; a dark blue line that ran along the length of the horizon demarcated the heavy grey clouds from the dark emerald sea. The sea looked like a huge water-color palette and the Nature was busy painting the landscape with its perfect blend of colors. The place turned out to be more beautiful than ever. The beauty that defeats description. The dark grey clouds crept in towards the shore, so haunting and fascinating at the same time, the fellow visitors and the guards have long left the place. We three, embracing in each others' presence, stood immobile witnessing something that is hard to happen again.Cameras and i-pads rushed inside  plastic bags. The rain cascaded down to hit us and the entire sea looked blank, covered by mist and rain, leaving no clue about the disappearance of aforementioned beauty. Rushing our way under a cover of bamboo shoots, panting heavily as we reach for a shelter at a tea stall, the monsoon chase was over by now. A visually stunning moment to remember!

The downpour acoss the horizon

A view from the Fort wall. The color of the sea changes with respect to the distance from the shore.
A parabolic view would have made it evident.

Folks posing with the haunting sky as a backdrop