Cochin or the current Kochi :
Lush greenery, swaying palm trees, Chinese fishing nets, small houses with big courtyards, wooden majestic heavy doors, never-ending paddy fields, palatial temples, lagoons (Kaayal, in Malayalam), fort, palace---all these are a part of Cochin. Wait!!
Supermarkets, Huge stores (which scream out Wedding shopping the most), Bridges & roads with a heavy traffic, bus strikes at the drop of a hat or a politician’s snap, *-star hotels, skyscrapers--all these also spell Cochin. Add to this a common menace called Mosquitoes(well, did ya think Lagoons were only for romantic evenings?).
If you’re a visitor in Cochin U’ll gather information about the places for sight-seeing from one of the many sources...right from ur friendly taxi driver with that mallu-flavoured English (I’d better not mention that spices they add to Hindi in dire circumstances) to the receptionist of the Hotel u’ve checked into or the friend who’s been kind to invite U to their traditional home in the city. I won’t act like the city guide in this revu. Rather, I’d tip you off on some of the must-see places either for sight-seeing or dining or shopping that I term as the Best Cochin has to offer!
Here are a few of the places that U must visit while in Cochin, of course depending on ur necessity of the moment!
The musical Walkway / Marine Drive :
Yes, like Mumbai, Cochin too has its Marine Drive and this place is the gateway to the Arabian Sea. U can either stand atop the Musical Walkway and gaze into the sea or board one of the numerous boats, listen to music, sit on the deck and enjoy the salty sea wind. Also, U can take the Ferry to any other location from this place as well. The Musical Walkway is one of my favourite hangouts when it comes to spending a quiet but, fulfilling evening.
It’s a walkway, complete with a bridge and a spacious table-land kind of structure atop the bridge called as a Chinese net Bridge. It’s a must-see place during sunset and I urge U to stay there till it’s dark so that U can feel the magic of those lightings atop the bridge too. A walk down the bridge on one side offers many benches for u to choose from and sit watching the waves and enjoying the sea breeze. However, the Best Thing about this is Music. There’s a counter at the bottom of the bridge from where they play beautiful music to keep the sea-lovers like me some good company. I dunno if they play songs by request. The other side of the bridge is yet again a long walkway minus the music but with some good shops along the way too.
M.G. Road:
This is the place to be for all your Shopping Spree. Name it, and U have it. Some of the shops I’d suggest as the best in the business of their commodities here are:
$Jayalakshmi for all those saris (right from Kanjeepuram to Kota Silk to Chiffon to Khadi), dress materials (esp the traditional Sett (the off-white ones with gold or coloured stripe called Kasavu). Their kids collection is also good enough. The mens collection is commendable too. The store is a complete shopping arena for the entire family. That just about sums up this 3/4-storeyed building of Jayalakshmi.
A competitor of the same is Seemati but, their collection isn’t as impressive, at least not the last time I visited this year.
Apart from these two, one will surely find many other smaller shops but, be sure u sharpen ur bargaining skills before u venture into one of ’em.
$Music World is my favourite hangout when it comes to picking up all those cassettes, CDs, DVDs, etc. It caters to every whim & fancy for a person like me whose music mood swings from pure instrumental to carnatic to even hard metal. So, if you don’t know what u’re specifically looking for, all ye music lovers, then THIS is the place to be! I love the ambience here!
$Jewellery Hunting? Lol! If u’re ready to spend on Kerala gold then u’re in the right place in Cochin, M.G. Road. U’ll have Jewellery stores that look like multi-storeyed 5* hotels. Name it and u have it...Bhima Jewellers, Alapatt Jewellery, Giripai & Sons, Josco and many more. It’s a cats & dogs fight here so, I couldn’t possibly name the best one among these.
$And many more...: Shops of all sizes catering to almost all demand be it electronic appliances to Musical Instruments (yeah! I found one cute li’l shop with some of the most efficient and must-have stuff), spices, pet shops...Jesus!! I mean U gotta see this place to believe that they thot of almost every commodity that money could buy and crammed those shops on M.G. Road!!
M.G. Road is definitely a Shopper’s Delight!
Temples: First of all, let me ask your apologies in advance since I couldn’t mention about the other places of worship simply because I never got an opportunity to visit any. I hope someone reading this could tell me about them. I’ll tell you about some of the Temples that are worth visiting not just for the religious belief’s sake but, for the chance to witness & partake in the beauty & serenity they hold. Btw, Kshetram, in Malayalam means Temple.
Edapally Ganapati Kshetram: Adjoining to the Edapally Palace, this temple actually belongs to the inmates of the palace. However, currently the palace has been sold to a hotelier. However, this temple will remain intact in spite of the fact that the once palace will now become a resort. This temple of Lord Ganesh is open for visit for the public (apart from the Palace dwellers) in the mornings only till 7a.m. After that only the palace inmates have permission to enter the temple. The temple has a historic significance and hence, I’ve mentioned it here.
Rajarajeshwari Temple: This typically-Keralite temple (I always have this hunch that probably the entire Dharavi (largest slum-dwelling area) could fit into the space that temples in Kerala are built on) is the closest to my home in Cochin so, I’ve been there the most. I like it for its serenity and also for the ambience, especially during the evenings. See it to believe it! This is a temple of Goddess Rajarajeshwari.
Ettumanoorappan Temple: This is a temple of Lord Shiva and a must-visit place if you are a staunch believer since it is of high religious significance. I’m not an atheist but, I’m not blindly religious. However, I’d still suggest a person to visit this temple mainly for its sanctum sanctorum!
If I were to go on about the temples in Cochin the list would be endless. So, I’d just sign off on the topic with a small note that try and visit these temples during the Utsav or festival time (each has its own). It’s worth at least once for the sake of experience at least. However, be forewarned that there’ll be a huge crowd during these times. So, give it a try at ur own risk!