6 Best Sights in Kochi, Kerala

Built by the Portuguese in the mid-16th century as a gift for the Rajas of Cochin, this two-story structure reflects elements of traditional design while still looking colonial. It was extended by the Dutch when they took control of the area. The rajas, in turn, added some of India's best mythological murals—the entire story of the Ramayana is told on the walls in a series of bedchambers, which also have inviting window seats. In the ladies' ground-floor chamber, you can see a colorful, mildly erotic depiction of Lord Krishna with his female devotees. The coronation hall near the entrance holds a series of portraits of monarchs (that interestingly show continuous familial resemblance) and some of the rajas' artifacts, including maps, swords, and a fantastic palanquin covered in red wool. The palace has rare, traditional Kerala flooring; it looks like polished black marble, but it is actually a mix of burned coconut shells, charcoal, lime, plant juices, and egg whites.

The precarious-looking bamboo and wood structures hovering like cranes over the waterfront are Kochi's famous Chinese fishing nets. Although they've become identified with the city, they're used throughout central Kerala. Thought to have been introduced by Chinese traders in the 14th century, the nets and their catch can be easily seen from Fort Kochi's Vasco da Gama Square. There's lots going on at the square—cooking, hawking, gaping (by tourists)—and don't miss the artistically decked-out tree in the center with tiger face, clowns, and fish painted on it. You can watch the fishermen haul up the nets around 6 am, 11 am, and 4 pm. They're particularly striking at sunset or at any time when viewed from the deck of a boat.

A favorite hangout for artists and young tourists, Fort Cochin's Kashi Art Café is about as funky as Kerala gets. The front room hosts rotating exhibitions, primarily of South Indian contemporary art, and light Continental fare and Western-style coffee is served in the garden café at the rear. The real treat is to experience this tiny little pocket of Kerala subculture.

The first migration of Jews to Kerala is thought to have taken place in the 6th century BC, followed by a much larger wave in the 1st century AD, when Jews fleeing Roman persecution in Jerusalem settled at Cranganore (on the coast about 26 km [16 miles] north of Kochi). In the 4th century, the local king promised the Jews perpetual protection, and the colony flourished, serving as a haven for Jews from the Middle East and, in later centuries, Europe. When the Portuguese leader Afonso de Albuquerque discovered the Jews near Cochin in the 16th century, however, he destroyed their community, having received permission from his king to "exterminate them one by one." Muslim anti-Semitism flared up as well. The Jews rebuilt in Mattancherry but were able to live without fear only after the less-belligerent Dutch took control in 1663.

The rather small synagogue, built in 1568, houses four scrolls of the Torah kept in cases of silver and gold and is topped by an attractive clock tower that was added in 1760. Admire the collection of antique colonial Indian lights hanging from the center and the blue-and-white Chinese tiles on the floor (a gift from a Jewish businessman in the 18th century); no two tiles are alike. Also on view are the 4th-century copperplates that detail, in Malayalam, the king's decree that allowed the Jewish community to live in his kingdom. Before you enter the main synagogue there is a collection of paintings on the left highlighting the Jewish story in India. Photography and videography are not allowed in the synagogue.

This Gothic-looking basilica, set in spacious grounds, has an interior that's colorfully painted with scenes and decorations that some find gaudy and others find gorgeous. The king of Cochin granted the Portuguese permission to build a fort and later a church in 1505 for their assistance in defeating the Zamorins of Calicut. For a while that structure was used as a Dutch armory. It was razed by the British in 1795, and in 1904 the current structure was completed, with a pillar of the original church within. Pope Paul IV elevated the church to a cathedral in 1558, and Pope John Paul II made it a basilica in 1984.

This stately church is the first European house of worship in India. The Portuguese flag first appeared in Fort Cochin in 1500, and Vasco da Gama arrived in 1502. The following year, Afonso de Albuquerque came with half a dozen ships full of settlers—he built the fort, and five friars in the crowd built this church in 1510. Da Gama returned in 1524 (his third trip) as Portuguese viceroy of the Indies, died that same year, and was buried in this church. You can still visit his gravestone inside the church, but his remains were shipped back 14 years later to Lisbon in 1538.

The church's history reflects the European struggle for colonial turf in India. It was a Catholic church until 1664, when it became a Dutch Reform church; it later became Anglican (1804–1947) and is now part of the Church of South India. Inside are beautifully engraved Dutch and Portuguese tombstones and the doep boek, a register of baptisms and marriages between 1751 and 1894; you can view a photographic reproduction—the original is too fragile. The first Portuguese was buried in 1562 and the first Dutch in 1664—their epitaphs are on view.