Introduction
Which
was the first tourist destination in my life???
I just went back to my childhood. It is
nothing else than “Pallipurm Church & Fort”. I had my childhood studies at
St. Mary’s High School, Palliport and during my studies I used to visit this
fort along with my friends. Usually the visits were conducted on Friday’s,
because lunch intervals of Friday’s are reasonably long (About two and half
hours). On independence days the fort will be opened for the public and many
people from different parts used to visit it. Last day, once again I had a
visit the same spot.
Pallipuram
Fort
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| Portuguese Fort at Palliport |
Pallipuram, (Palliport) the location of the “Portuguese Fort”, is at
the northern end of Vypeen Island. The Island was
formed after the great floods of 1341 and it has 25 Kilometer long and has an
average width of 2 kilometers. The island boasts of a rich cultural heritage
with monuments which stand out prominent in India’s history. This land has the
story of invasion by many foreign regimes. The Portuguese, Dutch, and British
dynasties had ruled the land and the hexagonal fort built by the Portuguese in
1503 still stands as one of the oldest European Monuments of India.
The Fort has a gigantic hexagonal structure
in the middle of a bustling town. Amid huge trees, the fort stands like a token
of endurance, its mildew walls ravaged by time, whitewash and the scrawny,
unsure letterings of teenage vandals. The rusty iron gate to the fort is locked
with a cycle chain.
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| Inner Area of Ayakotta |
The
architecture of the fort is quite fascinating with a hexagonal outpost and the
lowest floor raised to a height of five feet. Laterite, mortar and wood are
used for the construction. The layout enables to mount as many guns as possible
commanding all quarters round the fort. There is a cellar inside the fort,
which was used at that time as a magazine. There is an open space inside,
affording easy passage to the cellar. The local people believe that the cellar
is a “tunnel”,
which is now completely claimed by darkness and cobwebs. It was just a cellar
used for storing gunpowder. But the locals believe it is a tunnel that leads to
the Cheraman Masjid in Kodungallur.
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| Layout plan of Ayakotta |
The fort is also known as the Ayikotta or the
Alikotta, the fort was surrendered to the Dutch army in 1663, when they
occupied Cochin. The clearing in which it stands opens out into one of the
busier veins of the Veeranpuzha, connecting Ernakulam to the Munambam harbour.
The bluish-green waters swell gently as fishing boats zip by. Flanked by
decrepit small buildings, which used to be police quarters, the fort has
uncomplainingly merged into the landscape, its compound harboring thousands of
fluorescent green insects and mosquitoes.
The fort was purchased by the Travancore Raja
in 1798 and is now a protected monument of the Kerala State Department of
Archaeology. However, the caretaker appointed by the Department is absent.
During my childhood also he was always absent!!!
Pallipuram Convent School
A little South of this fort, by the lakeside, the
Portuguese had built a theological school called “Vyikotta Seminary”. The
printing press built at this School in 1577 is claimed to be the first printing
press in Kerala by some historians. In 1661, the Dutch defeated the Portuguese,
as a result of which the Seminary, which was under Jesuit priests, was
transferred along with the press to Chendamangalam. The Dutch converted the
Seminary to a Leprosy centre.
In 1728, the Dutch sold Pallipuram to the King of
Travancore. However, the Leprosy Centre and some adjoining buildings were
excluded from this sale and continued to be with the Dutch. These properties
came under British authority, eventually, when the British defeated the Dutch
in 1795. Till recently, this area was known as “British”. As per the agreement
between the Dutch and British, the Leprosy Centre continued to be run till
1921. Afterwards, they were handed over to missionaries to establish a Nunnery
and School, which are still functioning as “Convent School” at Palliport.
Basilica of Our Lady of Snow
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| Basilica of Our Lady of Snow |
The place got its name perhaps from the
church, dedicated to Our Lady of Snow (or the Manjumatha church), built by the
Portuguese in 1503. ‘Palli’ is church in Malayalam and the surrounding areas
became Pallipuram. Legend has it that the church got its strange name from a
miraculous snowfall that occurred when Tipu Sultan tried to destroy it. Mist
enveloped the church and hid it from Tipu’s view and all he managed to destroy
was the top portion of the fort. Though it has been rebuilt the ancient
structure remains in a corner of the compound, as a museum of epitaphs. The
wooden roof gave in years ago, so a false roof has taken its place, every boat
that passes by stops here and seeks blessings. The church has been declared as
the (minor basilica) Basilica of Our Lady of Snow on 27th
August 2012. The feast of
the church is very famous and it is being celebrated on 5th of Every
August.
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| Madubaha in the Basilica |
The Kadalattukurishu, is the remains of an
ancient church a few feet from Our Lady of Snow. The devout locals believe the
sea brought the cross to the island and hence came to be known as
‘Kadalattukurishu’. But what exists today is just a small, distinctly
Portuguese church, with its insides barnacled by moss and small plants.
Pallipuram now finds itself under unexpected
spotlight. It comes under the Muziris Heritage Project, launched by the
Department of Cultural Affairs, to retrieve and preserve the historical
heritage of the area. Beneath the chaos of daily life, every street treasures a
thousand secrets within its bosom, of civilizations and conquests.
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NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
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