Skip to main content

Featured Post

2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with
6 comments

24 Hours in Fort Kochi

I visited Fort Kochi in May this year, and since I returned, you have been reading about it on the blog. After a long, ten part series, spread over three months, it is time I wound up my narrative, bringing my posts together for easy reference. Considering that I spent just a day there, the length of this series has been remarkable, so, what better way to do that, than summarize my 24 hours in Fort Kochi!



Planning a trip to Kerala, we intended to stay at Cherai and make a day trip to Fort Kochi. That we stayed a night there, was only because I messed up the planning and booked our rooms at Cherai a day late! That left us with no plans for Samhith’s birthday, and, trying to do something different, I took up Lakshmi’s suggestion and booked a homestay at Fort Kochi!

We spent just about 24 hours at Fort Kochi, arriving by the morning train and leaving for Cherai the next morning. Here is how we made the most of those 24 hours!

  • Our homestay was an experience by itself. Talking to our host, or just relaxing amidst all the flowers… it was just what a stress-free vacation ought to be!
  • We walked around the narrow lanes, admiring the cleanliness, reveling in the sight of the beautiful houses and ancient structures, and the small, local libraries which dotted the place!
  • The Indo Portuguese Museum at the Bishop’s house showed us a glimpse of the original fort, and the grandeur of the churches which once stood within.
  • The beach, with its unmistakable Chinese Fishing Nets, showed the other side of Fort Kochi – where the past seamlessly integrates with the present.
  • The St. Francis Church, in all its simplicity, spoke of the days when Europeans first came to India. This was, after all, the first church built by them. It is also a reminder of the man who showed the world an easier way to get to India – Vasco Da Gama!
  • The Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, on the other hand, with its simple exterior and stark interior, spoke of another time, and a desire to rebuild, magnificently, what had been lost!
  • On the other side of town, the Mattanchery Palace spoke to us of the magnanimity of the Hindu rulers, as well as their love for art!
  • A boat ride served to bring us back into the present, showing us the importance Fort Kochi has, as a port, and why it drew so many visitors, over the centuries!
  • The many cafés tried to recreate the European experience, through their continental menus
  • And the Maritime Museum told us the story of our Naval history down the ages….

There is lots more to Fort Kochi than just these experiences. We, for example, missed visiting the ancient Jain temple, which would have completed our tour of ancient settlements here, and we also missed the Kerala Folklore Theatre and Museum. Apart from this, we couldn’t visit Willingdon island, or some of the other museums in the vicinity.


However, these were probably the most memorable 24 hours we have ever spent, in any city! we certainly made the most of it! Besides, this is one city I shall surely visit again, sometime, at leisure! 


Labels:
Location: Fort Kochi, Cochin, Kerala, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw
9 comments
Read more

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.
3 comments
Read more

Pandharpur Yatra 2023

The first time I visited Pandharpur was back in 2007 . The names Vitthal and Pandharpur, were just names to me. I had heard of them, but that was about it. Seeing the lord standing on the brick, hands on his hips, was memorable, but more memorable was the sight that greeted us as we walked out of the main sanctum of the temple. In the mandap just outside were a group of devotees singing abhangs , and dancing. This was the first time I had heard abhangs , and even almost 15 years later, I can remember the welling of feeling within me, listening to the songs, and how fascinated I was by the sight of the devotees dancing, lost in their love of the Lord. Over the years, as I have read more about Vitthal, and participated in Ashadi Ekadashi programmes at Puttaparthi, that first experience has stayed clear in my mind and heart. Every time I tell my Balvikas students of the saints who sang of Vitthala, it is that experience that I re-live. I visited Pandharpur again, in 2010, but that experie
7 comments
Read more