Indo Portuguese Museum

 The Indo-Portuguese Museum of Kochi highlights the conspicuous Portuguese impact in both art and the architecture. The Indo Portuguese museum in Cochin is a recognized center to know the still-surviving Indo-Portuguese Christian Art heritage. The museum is the product of the determined and persistent efforts of late Dr. Joseph Kureethra, Bishop of Kochi. In order to protect his archdiocese, the Bishop established this museum to preserve the priceless collections for future generations.

topHistory 

    In pre-colonial Kerala, Kochi was just an insignificant fishing village. The Maharaja of Cochin granted this territory (now known as Fort Kochi) later to the Portuguese in 1503.
    The Portuguese built a fort around the waterfront to protect their premises and that is how Cochin Fort got its name. This fort was called Fort Emmanuel and was later destroyed by Dutch.
    The Portuguese later built a wooden church in 1516, which is now the oldest existing church in Kerala. It is now known as St. Francis Church. The Portuguese ruled for almost 160 years before the Dutch came and plundered the territory from the Portuguese and ruled Fort Kochi for almost 112 years before being defeated by the British who came to rule India. After 400 years of British rule, Cochin finally became independent when India became independent.

topAttractions   

    There are basically five main sections in the museum and they are classified according to the character of the objects displayed there. These five sections are named as Altar, Procession, Civil Life, Treasure and Cathedral. The museum at present houses some marvelous items that are aesthetically appealing and show the strong influence of the Portuguese style of art. The beautiful sculptures, precious metal artifacts and a piece of an old altar made of teak wood are some of the items that are worth a mention. Also, a sculpture of the Franciscans Coat of Arms is worth mentioning and the museum is definitely worth the visit. One can very proudly say that the Indo-Portuguese Museum is undeniably one of the representatives of the rich legacy of Indo-Portuguese culture and artistic influence.

topReaching There

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Variety of hotels available at Cochin to suit every budget.