Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label Kodungallur

Featured Post

Ladakh - Planning The Trip

Over 2000 Km by road, in around 10 days. Stunning landscapes, wonderful people. That sums up our Ladakh trip. But how did it actually work? How did we make it happen? Read on to find out!  Leh, the capital of Ladakh , is accessible by air and road. Flying into Leh is the easiest, and time-saving option, while the road is the time consuming one, but with the added advantage of driving past some of the most beautiful landscapes in our country. Each option has much to recommend it, and we chose the road for just one reason – altitude sickness. Altitude sickness was one of my biggest concerns, since I suffer from motion-sickness. Yes, I do travel a lot, but that is despite my condition, and, over the years, have learnt how to handle it. I struggled with it when we visited Nathu-La in Sikkim, and wondered if I would be able to manage a week at the even higher altitudes that we would encounter in Ladakh. This was the reason we stuck to a basic plan, of only 9 days in Ladakh, thoug...

St. Thomas in Kochi

The landmark for our homestay in Fort Kochi was the Marthoma Church. In spite of multiple visits to Kerala, this was the first time I had heard the name, and on asking, was told that the word Marthoma referred to a sect of Christians, the followers of St. Thomas. Over the next few days, as we explored Kochi and its heritage, St.Thomas seemed to pop up everywhere. He had arrived in India, bringing the word of Christ, eager to spread the gospel, in Muziris, present day Kodungallur. St. Thomas arriving in India, depicted as a mural in the St. Thomas Pontifical Shrine

Kottapuram Fort and some thoughts on Archaeology in India today

Huge plastic sheets cover everything in sight, giving us just sneak peeks into what was once a mighty fort. It isn’t a very impressive sight, and, for the first time, I question my choice to visit a site where archaeological excavations are still going on. But wait. If the excavations are still on, where are the digs? Why is everything covered? The only people in sight are laying new paving stones along the path leading from the road. Are we in the right place after all? We had found ourselves at the site of the ancient Kottapuram (Cranganore / Kodungallur) Fort after much searching and asking for directions, and the smirk on our driver’s face as we wandered around seems to say “ I told you so. There isn’t anything to see here. ”

Cheraman Juma Masjid - The First Mosque built in India

Eid Mubarak!! On the occasion of Eid, I take a break from my Fort Kochi posts to bring you something special, just for this occasion – an account of my visit to the first ever mosque to be built in India!