Cochin and Guruvayur: The Perfect Marriage of Modernity and Age Old Traditions

To enjoyed Monsoon at its best, I managed to board the train to Cochin- the Queen of the Arabian Sea- located between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. Apart from the equatorial climate, the city offers a number of Tea/Coffee and Spice plantations and historical monuments on the south west coast of India. I got a cozy accommodation unit in Hotel Abad Plaza (3 star hotel), just 2 km from the railway station.

I had a sauna bath in the hotel to refresh my senses for exploring Cochin in a well planned manner the next day. I was offered awesome sea-food in dinner along with a few live performances of Kerala's traditional music and dance. While chatting with the manager, I got to know that Cochin is not only called the commercial hub of this thriving state, but also the industrial capital. The manager assisted me with Nishu, who has been guiding tourists in Cochin and the nearby regions for last 7 years.

Our trip started the next morning with the Dutch Palace (Stancher Palace). This Portuguese structure, built in 1557, showcases wonderful murals (wall paintings) in its bed-chambers and other rooms. These murals depict scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranic legends connected with Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Kumara and Durga. Meanwhile, Nishu told me that Cochin was ruled by the Dutch, British and the Portuguese but it still retains its cultural identity. I, too, observed a unique mix and match of traditional as well Western architecture and lifestyle in every aspect of Cochin. Nishu also took me to the Bolghatty Palace (on palm fringed Bolghatty Island) and St. Francis Church (built in 1503 by Portugese Franciscan friars; India's oldest European-built church). We had some rice and sambhar (traditional vegetarian south Indian dish) in our lunch at a small roadside shop.

On requesting for some excursions, Nishu took me to Guruvayu- some 100 km from Cochin. On our way to Guruvayur, I saw villagers busy in growing spices, tea, coffee, dry-fruits, rubber, timber etc. Finally, we reached Guruvayur- the Dwarka of south- one of the greatest pilgrimages of Kerala. I received some kind of religious vibes while entering that small town in Thrissur district, and I was right. Nishu told me that Guruvayur is synonymous with its Guruvayurappan Temple, which is dedicated to Balagopalan (Lord Krishna in childhood). Its beautiful paintings, nakkashi and murals depict the life stages and stories of Shri Krishna in an extraordinary way. I also saw a few people making arrangements for marriages in the temple.

Our next halt was the famous Punnathurkotta or Anakotta elephant sanctuary. The best part with the sanctuary is that all the elephants here are the offerings made by the devotees to the temple god. While returning to Cochin, Nishu told me that the Guruvayur residents are very addicted to festivals and celebrations. They organize a huge celebration every month, and the biggest is Thrissur Pooram. This festival is marked with huge processions of caparisoned elephants, and traditional dance performances wearing colorful dresses and giant umbrellas.

On my way to hotel, I spent a few minutes at M.G. Road and Marine Drive road, which are quite famous for shopping. Cochin has business diversions in gold and textile retailing, sea food exports, ship-building, fishing industry and information technology also. I found the city well nurtured in terms of tradition, culture and beauty.