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The venerable city of KOCHI (long known as Cochin), is Kerala's hottest tourist spot, spreading across islands and promontories in a stunning location between the Arabian Sea and backwaters. Its main sections - modern Ernakulam , in the east, and the old districts of Mattancherry and Fort Cochin on a peninsula in the west - are linked by a complex system of ferries, and distinctly less romantic bridges. Although most visitors end up staying in Ernakulam, Fort Cochin and Mattancherry are the focus of interest, where the city's extraordinary history of foreign influence and settlement is reflected in an assortment of architectural styles. During a wander through their narrow lanes, you'll stumble upon spice markets, Chinese fishing nets, a synagogue, a Portuguese palace, India's first European church, Dutch homes, and a village green that could have been transported from England's Home Counties. The city is also one of the few places in Kerala where, at any time of year, you can be assured of seeing Kathakali dance , either in one of several special tourist theatres, or at a more authentic performance by a temple-based company.

Kochi was born in 1341, when a flood created a natural safe port that swiftly replaced Muziris (Kodungallur, 50km north) as the chief harbour on the Malabar coastline. The royal family transferred here from Muziris in 1405, after which the city grew rapidly, attracting Christian, Arab and Jewish settlers from the Middle East. Its name probably derives from kocchazhi , meaning the new, or small, harbour.

The history of European involvement in Kochi from the early 1500s onwards is dominated by the aggression of, successively, the Portuguese, Dutch and British, competing to control the port and its lucrative spice trade. From 1800, the state of Cochin was part of the British Madras Presidency; from 1812 until Independence in 1947, its administration was made the responsibility of a series of diwans , or finance ministers. In the 1920s, the British expanded the port to make it suitable for modern ocean-going ships; extensive dredging created Willingdon Island, between Ernakulam and Fort Cochin.