Urban Boundaries

URBAN BOUNDARIES Urban Design Collective Journal 2015

Urban Boundaries Urban design collective Journal 2015

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URBAN DESIGN STUDIO 2015 Journal

R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE URBAN DESIGN STUDIO JOURNAL © Published 2015

EDITORIAL BOARD 6A Anuja R, Bhavishya V, Archana C K 6B Nimisha V, Prathiksha C, Raksha M 6C Sarah M, Shreya A, Sushma R COVER PAGE DESIGN Shreyas Yohan JOURNAL COORDINATORS Prof. Anitha Suseelan Prof. Mithila Manolkar URBAN DESIGN STUDIO COORDINATOR Prof. Anitha Suseelan DISCLAIMER

This journal is a student initiative towards understanding and interpreting the various aspects of the case and its context. The students would have referred and drawn inspirations and references from various sources either directly or indirectly for the contents of this journal. The content has been peer reviewed by the students. While utmost precision to quote the sources and every other detail is strived for, R.V College of Architecture cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies or subsequent damage or loss arising due to this.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many who nurtured the development of this study and design, but foremost of all we wish to express gratitude to our Campus Design Studio faculty – Ar. Anitha Suseelan, Ar. Mithila Manolkar, Ar. Himadri Das, Ar. Vidhya Mohankumar, Ar. Guru Prasanna, Ar. Sundeep Nagaraj, Ar. Kiran Keswani, Ar. Anil Achar, Ar. Ajeetha Ranganathan and Ar. Seema Anand for their continued guidance and support, without which this journal would not be possible. We are grateful to them for having encouraged us to document and showcase our work.

We would like to thank Ar. Mohan S Rao and Ar. Rahul Paul for the advice and support they extended during the Design Workshop on behalf of ISOLA by taking the time off their busy schedules.

Our special mentions go to Ms. Sunanda Bhat (film maker), Mr.Vivek Muthuramalingam (photographer), Mr. Deepak Srinivasan (literary critic) and Ar. Anil Achar (caricaturist) for their valuable guidance and support extended during the INFrame Workshop - a skill development workshop for critical appraisal of Indian urban urbanism - based on different media: film, photography, literature and caricature.

Grateful mentions go to the Editorial Board: Anuja Raju, Archana C., and Bhavishya Venkitaraman of 7A, Nimisha Varghese, Pratiksha C., and Raksha Magal of 7B and Sarah Mathews, Shreya Arora, and Sushma R. of 7C. We would like to thank each and every student of the class. This journal would not have been possible without their contribution and continued efforts.

We would also like to thank the Dy. Mayor of Kochi, Ms. Bhadra Satish as well as Dr. Rajan, for their support We are thankful to the people of Mattancherry for having been cooperative during all our site visits and studies.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. O P Bawane, the Principal of our School, for providing us with all the necessary facilities and the much needed encouragement in our endeavours as part of the studio.

Finally we would like to express our gratitude to each and everyone, who has directly or indirectly lent a helping hand to the compilation of the journal especially Ar. Mithila Manolkar and Ar. Anitha Suseelan.

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CONTENTS

1.

PREFACE

2.

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF WATER AT MATTANCHERRY

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4.

5.

6.

CHAPTER 2 –

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CHAPTER 3 –

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9.

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11.

History Typology UDPFI Precincts

12.

CHAPTER 4 –

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CHAPTER 5 – Visions

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15.

16.

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CHAPTER 6 –

INFRAME Sections

Time problem

(boundary as I see it)

UD projects demos

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PREFACE

URBAN BOUNDARIES An Exploration on Constructs in Time URBAN DESIGN STUDIO MATTANCHERRY COCHIN KERALA PREFACE In the enduring contest for power and resources the social formations, an invisible architecture of the cities, are constantly being written and rewritten. The visible environment and the built bear traces and impressions of the multiple ideations of the past social productions. However static and utopian conceptualisations of city planning and urban design approaches impose limitations to these processes about the city and its products. Perhaps it has created a divided understanding of these traces of time ranging from a very static to dynamic characteristics - of some cities as more advanced or dynamic than others or assumptions that they display the futures of others.

In ‘Ordinary Cities’ Jennifer Robinson proposes the value of seeing all cities as ordinary, as part of the same field of analysis. It brings cities outside the loops of the global city (Sassen, 1991) and world-city (Olds and Yeung, 2004; Gilbert, 1998; Douglass, 1998) into mainstream discussion. She sustains that First, ordinary cities can be understood as unique assemblages of wider processes – they are all distinctive, in a category of one. Of course there are differences among cities, but it is suggested that these are best thought of as distributed promiscuously across cities, rather than neatly allocated according to pre-given categories . . .

Second, ordinary cities exist within a world of interactions and flows. However, in place of the global and world-cities approaches that focus on a small range of economic and political activities . . . ordinary cities bring together a vast array of networks and circulations of varying spatial reach and assemble many different kinds of social, economic and political processes . . . (Robinson 2006) The studio strives to develop a critique on the understanding of traces of time over cities and develop an account of space – with the case Mattancherry as a social and spatial canvas for the exploration. It focuses to map and reiterate the architectural boundaries in its larger effort to develop a critical discourse on characteristics of Indian Urbanism. As Iain Borden contends - if there is a scope to construct space in time or is it that it is consumed, exhausted and leaves no traces? – in his critical essay “Thick Edge: Architectural Boundaries in the Postmodern Metropolis” (Borden 2000) Disasters are often accounted as ominous however the birth of Mattancherry, popularly known as the Jewish town in Cochin, dates back to 1341 with the great flood of River Periyar resulting in the formation of the natural harbour of Cochin - blurring the boundaries of the settlement opening trade relations with the Chinese and the Arabs and subsequently with the Portuguese (16th century), the Dutch (17th century) and the British in the 18th century. This peninsular edge on Vembanad lake region is flanked by European settlement at Fort Kochi on the west and the islands of Vypin, Vallarpadam, Bolgatty, Willington Island and mainland Ernakulam are on the other banks of the safe harbour of Vembanad Lake. (D'Cruz May 2010) The predominant tourism centric activities, however have subdued the blight and quaint silence of the spice bazar; a trace of once bustling spice town in the west coast of India.

The Studio examines questions as to ‘Do architectural boundaries have a finite social effect and what defines architectural boundaries?’ - Is it the program, and hence the people invited, the flows and the activities encouraged? Is it the physical construct of these boundaries and its materiality? Can the tactility of these boundaries, rendered thru the detailing, have a behavioural response? Is urban space a resultant or residue of such multiple architectural boundaries around it in time?

PROF. ANITHA SUSEELAN UD STUDIO COORDINATOR

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METHODOLOGY The Studio is clustered under three phases based on the nature of enquiry PHASE 1: TRACES AND TRAILS: A CRITICAL COMMENTARY ON CONTEMPORARY URBAN, CULTURAL AND SOCIAL REALITIES Examines questions on City as an assemblage - the wider processes social, economic and political processes - that results in iconic, contested or obscure identities and resources in time The Intent of Phase-I was 3 fold, to develop; The Transects The exploratory transects of various dimensions - social, environmental, political, visual, perceptual, emotional, everyday life, tactics, etc – were generated which were examined for a spatial or morphological relevance in the following phase.

These transects were enduringly taken at the boundary conditions – physical, sociocultural, environmental, political - to understand the resultant appropriations, negotiations and conflicts. The exploration were celebrated as a visual memory through various mediums like cinema, photography, caricature, literature etc. A skill development workshop was also organised during the phase to allow interactive sessions with invited professionals eminent in the fields of cinema, photography, illustration and literature.

A Manual on space studies – a collection of empirical data on street typologies, house typologies, institutional typologies, open space typologies, climatic requirements, standards for various functions like public gathering spaces, vehicular parking, public toilets etc. The intent was to develop a tool kit for the later design phase.

Selected Site study – The selected site was documented for various urban analytical parameters with focus on Urban Boundaries.

The production: a. A three minute documentary movie or An illustrated poster of prescribed size or A caricature with a descriptive note or poem or An album of five photographs with captions b. A manual of typology studies and urban space standards. c. Site Documentation Probable trails: Jewish trails, Food trails, Craft trails, Spice trails, Water trails etc. These trails were expected to take the ‘flaneurs’ to unexpected destinations, communities and labyrinth of urban realities at times external to the study context even.

Studio Schedule Wk 1: Introduction to Mattancherry Studio / Secondary data collection assignments Wk 1: Secondary data presentation (students) – History, Urban morphology, Urban standards Wk 2: Workshop I – Presentations by professionals & interactive session on probable themes Wk 2: Complete outline of Site activities and Group formations Wk 3. Site Study

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METHODOLOGY

PHASE 2: DIMENSIONS OF URBAN MORPHOLOGY Examines the nuances of Indian urban places by mapping the various dimensions of urban morphology and its generators The Phase-2 is intended to develop two bodies of work, namely; Mapping the Urban Dynamics: The traces and trails identified in phase 1 were used to map the dynamics of urban settings making a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the same. Techniques of mapping of urban setting were introduced at this stage.

A Manual of Case Studies: Façade making, Hybrid Building typology (or similar topics) were also taken up as a special study topic at this stage with reference to various case analysis: for instance Hawa Mahal Jaipur, Premabhai Hall Ahmedabad, Pompidou Centre etc.

The production: The Studio Journal Studio Schedule Wk 4 – Development and Review of Mapping the morphological dimensions Wk 5 – Development and Review of Case study manual Wk 6 – TIME PROBLEM: A design exercise extending over two studios PHASE 3: THE DESIGN INSERT The phase examines questions on design of new urban boundaries in the process of making inclusive public spaces. Here the critical questions are - Is urban space a resultant or residue of multiple architectural boundaries around it in time? How could these boundaries - defined by its program, physical construct, its materiality, the tactility etc. - have an inclusive behavioural response? The program and vision plan was developed through group discussions and brain storm sessions.

The production: The Design Folio and Process Models Studio Schedule Wk 7 - Group discussions (in 3 groups in each section) on various issues identified to evolve a vision plan; Design Program development including an area statement intent to encourage and sensitise the students to simultaneity and human dimension of Indian Urbanism Wk 8 - Concept phase Wk 9 - 12 – Design phase 1&2 Wk 13 -15 – Design Development Wk 16 – Final Review

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CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF WATER AT MATTANCHERRY The Wetlands of Vembanad-Kol Region

THE CONFLUENCE This peninsular edge on Vembanad lake region is flanked by European settlement at Fort Kochi on the west and the islands of Vypin, Vallarpadam, Bolgatty, Willington Island and mainland Ernakulam are on the other banks of the safe harbour of Vembanad Lake. (D'Cruz May 2010) Mattancherry is popularly known for the spice and rice bazars. The opulent landscape at the confluence of the Vembanad-Kol wetlands and the Periyar River Basin, springs the rationale for its richness. The Vembanad-Kol Wetlands , a large complex wetland ecosystem, includes a chain of lagoons from Kuttanad on the south to the Kol wetlands of Thrissur on the North is referred to as the rice bowl of Kerala. The Periyar river basin originating from the Western Ghats is synonymous with the spice cultivation of the region. The then prevailing trade routes from Lisbon to Batavia (Jakarta) added more opportunity to the little town of Mattancherry.

The Vembanad-Kol lake wetland is protected under National Wetlands Conservation Programme of India and one of the three ‘Ramsar wetland sites’ in Kerala of international importance.

Maps Source: http://cpreec.org/96.htm, Hydrogeological and Hydrochemical studies of the Periyar River Basin, Central Kerala by P Balakrishnan

The Wetlands of Vembanad-Kol Region The Vembanad wetland system includes the Vembanad backwater, the deltaic lower reaches of the rivers draining into it and the adjoining Kol lands. The Vembanad Lake is bordered by Alappuzha (Alleppey), Kottayam and Ernakulam districts of Kerala covering an area of about 200 sq km and extending 80 km in a NW-SE direction from Munambam in the north to Alleppey in the south. The width of the lake varies from 500 m to 4 km and the depth from <1m to 12m. Manimala, Meenachil, Pamba and Achenkovil flow into the lake south of Thanneermukkom and Muvattupuzha river flows into the Cochin backwaters north of Thanneermukkom barrage.

Section showing the dimension of water as a material in Kerela. Section Source: Global Mapper

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R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE The Periyar Basin of Kerela

View from the Periyar river mouth

New Bhoothathankettu

Neriamangalam bridge

The Periyar Basin of Kerela The Periyar River Basin, falls within the central part of Kerala and lies between North latitudes 9°15’30” and -I 10°21’00”, East longitudes 76°08’38” and 77°24’32“ and spreads in the districts of Idukki, Thrissur and Ernakulam. Periyar is the longest river of Kerala and also the largest in water discharge potential (Kerala State Gazetter, 1986) with a length of 244 km. It originates from the Sivagiri malai (hills) in the Western Ghats at an elevation of 1830 m above MSL and finally drains into to the Lakshadweep Sea. The total drainage area is 5398 km2, out of which 5284 km2 is in Kerala. The riverbank has its ornamental look with huge tall coconut palms lending its own charm.

Longitudinal profile of the Periyar River Basin. Source: Hydrogeological studies of River Periyar, Central Kerela Authority

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Photos of flora and fauna seen in the Periyar National park. Source: Kelera Tourism Website

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF WATER AT MATTANCHERRY

The Western limit of the Arabian Sea

The Western Limit of the Arabian Sea An ancient name of the Arabian Sea was the Erythraean Sea and Persian Sea. On the East. The Western limit of the LaccadiveSea,a line running on West Coast of India (14°48′N 74°07′E) to Corah Divh (13°42′N 72°10′E). The hill ranges of Kerela which demarcated this strip of land from the rest of the Peninsula rises abruptly to an average elevation of 1500m above sea level with many sections ascending to 2000 or even 2500 m. The impact of the southwest monsoon and the torrential surface drainage of rain water have weathered the steep crystalline rock faces of the mountains and carved out innumerable narrow river valleys which all drain into the Arabian Sea.

Rahul LS Kuttanad Report images show the rich crustacean sea food

Arabian Sea gave rise to the Kochi port and trade activity from the historic invasion periods of Kerela. A sand bar blocks the outlet to the sea at Thotappally at the beginning of the flood season which helps in checking saline intrusion during dry months. Sandbar with a height of 2m above MSL keeps forming, blocking spillway opening to the sea. Kuttanad,the wetland complex forms a part of marine environment with an alluvial bar boundary running parallel to the coast and interrupted at places by Arabian Sea. 13

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WATER is considered as a purifier in most religions.

Water is also taken as a role model in some parts of traditional and popular Asian philosophy. Thales, a monist, believed further that all things are made from water.

"There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing that can take precedence of itâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;for there is nothing (so effectual) for which it can be changed."

THE VARIOUS DIMENSIONS OF WATER

Water is an element that reconnects us with nature and reminds us of the simplicity of the world as it is meant to be. The character of water changes depending on how it is contained and conveyed, either accentuating its power and energy or magnifying its stillness and serenity.

From being a carrier or medium of exchange, key to livelihood, historical importance, or to being an expression of art, water at Mattancherry can be seen in various forms. Water at Mattancherry can be seen as a celebration of symbol of change, renewal, and mystery. It has the ability to serve as a mirror of culture and a reminder of nature.

WATER AS A NATURAL MATERIAL

WATER AS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT

WATER AS A COMMODITY

Mattancherry and its confluence of water as a material, in its dimension

The factors that determine the journey of water majorly is a reflection of the landscape accommodating it. Water as its feature, takes the shape of the vessel that carries it through various paths.

The key factors determining the fluvial pattern of water is due to the force of gravity, topography and geographical location of context and climatic conditions that determine waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nature and intensity of occurrence.

The Arabian Sea

Mattancherry and its confluence of water as a material, in its dimension

The Periyar River Basin

The Vembanad-Kol Wetlands 14

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF WATER AT MATTANCHERRY Cultural Landscapes Place that provides a sense of place and identity; these landscapes map our relationship with the land and the physical features surrounding us over time; and they are part of our national heritage and each of our lives.

The Indian traditional perception of culture and its resources is based on continuity rather than preservation. It is governed by the cyclic passage of time. Heritage in India is integral part of the living fabric of society, and, like all living entities, these changes and transforms through time. History is understood as renewing and regenerating according to the cyclic concept of time and elements are never viewed in isolation, but only as a part of the larger context. According to UNESCO, Indian Cultural Landscape (ICL) can be called ‘intellectual landscape’, a collection of religious, cultural and physical meanings ascribed to geographical components through collective memory, planted on the ground (shaped in real world and real time - the landscape) in active engagement of communities over generations, empowering nature and land from physical to the metaphysical.

The Birth of Culture and Colour (In adaptation to water) Monsoon in different parts of Mattancherry: Photo taken by the fishing area, near Fort Kochi, bazaar street showing different reactions and methods of adjustments that rain water brings about in people.

Water and occupational relationship of people of the region is seen. Kerela’s rice bowl cultivation adopts traditional methods of cultivation and harvest. Also shown is a simple method of cattle transport from one side of land to another, by the medium of water transport.

Kochi’s infamous Chinese fishing nets that give a characteristic feature and visual memory to the sea front of Kochi. The people depend on the sea to yield for rich sea food found in the region.

People have adapted to it due to their vicinity with the sea water.

Mattancherry and its water edge photo transect showing the visual water connects maintained along the water edge street and the old go downs forming the elevation that hides the visual connect of the sea. People have adapted to the historic scenario of the place, that once came up due to the immense water trade of bulk goods that existed at Mattancherry and Kochi.

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R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE The boat race tradition followed in Kerala, shows the cultural adaptation of people with water and how it was used as entertainment and sports. Major population of the water edge areas still participate with a lot of enthusiasm annually.

Mattancherry and Kochiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staple diet of people is sea food. The three different water mediums give way to rich crustacean and marine life. There is immense variety seen on seasonal basis.

Traditional ceremonies during seasonal transitions done in Kerala showing the cultural theme and activities which revolve around water.

A lot of cultural, songs, poetry, art, literature and theatre focus on issues, memories and philosophy and presence of water in Kerala.

Occupational water engagements can be seen from fishing, spice trading, crustacean separation and other such activities that can be seen only around water concentrated societies.

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CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF WATER AT MATTANCHERRY Present Water Route: NW3 Source: Pankaj Kumar Raj

Source: Compiled by Tasneem D Vohra

Jews RULERS OF MATTANCHERRY

National Waterway 3 (India) -Kottapuram â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Kollam syretch of the West Coast Canal, Champakara Canal and Udyogmandal Canal.

-Estd February 1993 -Length is 205 Km -Fixed terminals is Aluva, Vaikom, Kayamkulam,Kottappuram,Maradu ,Cherthala,Thrikkunnapuzha, Kollam and Alappuzha.

WATER as a commodity.

Water brought about trade activities and a lot of settlements of various cultures, attracting historic importance. Till date the predominant identity of trade and water transport is established in Mattancherry.

Few of the timely invasions and rulers are descripted below.

Other documented influences of water, due to historic components Source: Indian express, Guess who Art work, Archimedia, Kerela tourism website.

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R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE RAMSAR CITES IN KERALA VEMBANAD - KOL WETLAND (VKW) Introduction Location and area Vembanad - Kol - Wetland – System, one of the three Ramsar sites in Kerala (November 2002), is the largest estuarine system of the western coastal wetland systems (090 00’ – 100 40’ N Latitude and 760 00’ -770 30’ E Longitude), and is spread over the districts of Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Thrissur, Kerala. The VKW is a complex aquatic system of 96 km. long coastal backwaters, lagoons, marshes, mangroves and reclaimed lands, with intricate networks of natural channels and manmade canals extending from Kuttanad in the south to the Kol lands of Thrissur in the north. The total area of the wetland system is 1521.5 sq. km.,- approximately 4% of the State's geographic area. The wetland is mostly waterlogged with depths ranging from 0.6 m to – 2.2m and is typically divided into two distinct segments - the freshwater dominant southern zone and the saltwater dominant northern zone.

Physical features Based on physiography, Kerala is divisible into three near-parallel and north-south trending tracts, viz., the highland (>75.0 amsl), the mid land (7.5 m – 75.0 amsl) and the lowland (<7.5 m amsl). Geologically, the highland is typically underlain by crystalline rocks of Pre-cambrian age, where as coastal land and parts lowermidland are covered by sedimentary rocks of Tertiary age. A ubiquitous laterite capping occurs over crystalline rock basement of midland and the Tertiary sedimentaries. Recent and sub-recent sediments occur in low-lying areas and river valleys. VKW is fed by 10 rivers, all originating in the Western Ghats, flowing westwards through the wetland system to join the Lakshadweep / Arabian Sea. The area enjoys the full benefit of the southwest monsoon. The estuarine zone and organics rich sedimentary substratum of the inshore region makes it a highly preferred and desirable habitat for shrimps breeding. Vembanad is renowned for its live clam resources and sub-fossil deposits.

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IN FRAME

IN FRAME

WORKSHOP FORMAT

Milind Mulick

DATE SESSION DETAILS

History and memory has always been an enduring backdrop in fiction writing and visual arts. Beyond a literary and artistic merit this thematic capturing of time has a very persuasive power to reconstruct memory, to selectively emphasize events and to unleash imagination. Its interpretation and thematic realignment of time and facts is situational while outlining the ethos of a period or origin and development of a community or political upheavals artistically. The technique of these constructs – the plot structure, the characterisation and the thematic elements – plays a crucial role in its composition.

Incidentally, urban historical researches have often been criticised for the neglect of an artistic perspective to develop transects of different dimensions – physical, environmental, social and political dimensions. The workshop IN Frame foregrounds our endeavour to study and critically analyse cities by capturing narrative frames of the city and its constructs in time, Mattancherry, through films, photographs, text and illustrations. This compendium, Traces n’Trails, is focussed to inspire students and innovate spatial thinking in the field of Architecture and Urban Design. R V College of Architecture plans to conduct the 2nd Annual IN Frame Workshop-2015 for the IV year students of B Arch.

IN Frame AIMS TO CREATE A FORUM TO DISCUSS EXPLORE AND PRODUCE NARRATIVES ON CITY

14th August 2015 Discussions Series - Presentations by various professionals 15th to 22nd Aug 2015 Students at site Mattancherry Cochin Kerala 24th to 30th Aug 2015 StudentCreative Production s work with the Professionals in Groups in Bangalore 4th September 2015 The productions are screened/displayed/ narrated for critique 8:30am – 1:30pm 5th September 2015 The screening/ exhibition of the Production is opened to the public EVENT COORDINATOR Ar. ANITHA SUSEELAN VENUE R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, C A SITE NO 1, BANASHANKARI 6TH STAGE, 4TH BLOCK, BANGALORE 62

THE DISCUSSION A forum to discuss on the artistic ways to capture one theme or plot from a milieu of complexities of the subject and the technical possibilities and limitations of the medium, followed by review of students’ production THE PRODUCTION part of ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN VII 09 ARC 71 URBAN DESIGN STUDIO @ MATTANCHERRY A three minute documentary movie An illustrated poster of prescribed size An album of five photographs with captions A literary production – short story, poetry etc

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IN FRAME LITERATURE ETHOS OF AN ATROPHIED TIME “Waters that drench the land See through the skies’ eyes.

The sky, a mercurial mirror Polished by the spirit of smoke and white lies.

To watch the sea that drowns despair And the skies alighting unto aspirations, Dissolve and drain beyond the still sand.

Waking up to a wistful daydream That time tries to recollect in desperation.

Stirring all that one yearns to understand.”

Mattancherry, a city between the sea and the sky in Ernakulum has been sunk in the basin and raised to the clouds, muted to shades of grey while the spectrum in its face fails to be aloud. ‘For men may come and men may go, but I go on forever…’ isn’t just the story of the ‘Brook’. The space-time has been subjected to a series of cosmetic surgeries by every hand that ever dealt with its persona. Only the ‘gravitational spirit’ lies undisturbed, still within in the graves of the city’s time. Its people pursued comfort. The visitors sought a sense of wonder. The memories and history had much to offer to the learners. The ones lusting for power have begotten beliefs that have been futile yet glorified over the centuries.

Despite the city’s allegedly austere identity, time has atrophied and led to the cessation of the vital systems that once sustained the city’s being. Perhaps Mattancherry is catatonic now, with its abandonment issues and intermittent psychosis symptomatic of Paranoid Schizophrenia. A level of mental unrest that must stirred the minds of people coaxing the constellation of its era into being a black hole in the sky. To understand the metamorphosis leading up to the apparent state of inertia one must look into the various aspects of what the city has to offer with regard to ‘comfort and adventure’ and ‘knowledge and power’.

I.

MIGRANTS TO DWELLERS - IN QUEST OF COMFORT

Ever since the dredging of Kochi with the flooding of the Periyar River it has been the centre of attraction for multitudes of people from all over the world. It started significantly with the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the British, and on lighter accounts, the Jews, the Tamils, the Konkanis, the Gujaratis, and the Kashmiris; the last dating back to only a few hundred years.

The financial prospects of the hub brought every single community here be it for trade or peaceful working conditions irrespective of the age. And the land and people of Mattancherry have offered have always welcomed ‘guests’ with open arms.

Ever since, new settlements kept weaving into the fabric of Mattancherry, adding to the variety of hues and textures. But each have made unto themselves their own patch that snugly fits into the overall design over time with an invisible yet very tangible edge designs with a few stray threads. Each patch, though retaining its original thread work in traditions, customs and language, has morphed itself to fit to the existent fabric pattern.

There are still characteristic landmarks that have marked themselves through the ages, like the Synagogue, the Ammankovil temple, the Kalavarthy bridge, the TD temple, the Bazaar road and the Jew street. Few have retained their form, shape, and memory intact, while a few struggle to remember what they were. The flavor of Mattancherry therefore lies not only in the spices it once sold, but especially in the chronicles of these merging migrants, who have become dwellers over a period of tim

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The migrants originally sought and forged their comfort conditions, while the dwellers fought to retain theirs, creating history. But over time as physical boundaries fell, and co-existence increased, comfort then sprouted out of the spontaneous symbiosis that lined the lives of these people. But some like the Jews fled other cities near Mattancherry and just happened to show up here, established a settlement lasting a few centuries before they abandoned the place again. Perhaps the nomadic history of their religious ancestry itself has been coded into them, prompting them to keep the queue moving.

With hardly any faults of its own, a significant chunk of the population left the city to be blown by the breeze that still continues to be spiked with spices .

II.

TRAVELLER AND TOURIST – - FOR A DOSE OF ADRENALINE

For a place that is said to have been stuck in time, certain things here are remarkably dynamic. What was once an active port is now just a memory in the long obliterated spice trail. Time has altered the Jew town; from a settlement to a tourist destination meant for collection of sparkling souvenirs and a mere recollection of an extinguished time flame.

As with any other place, you have the tourist destinations with a buzz of activity and excitement as well as the older, more local parts of town with their own unsung folklore. A place speaks differently to different people and one such subtle variation is that of how divergent Mattancherry is in the eyes of a traveller compared to a tourist.

Both are in search of adventure and yearn for something new and fascinating. As one space unfolds into the other, they seem to want to defy the gravity of all that may keep them tethered, for change is their only companion.

The traveller sees what he sees while a tourist sees what he has come to see. For a tourist, Jew town might just be about the pretty trinkets he purchased, while for a traveller the expedition never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers of introspection. The traveller is active - he goes strenuously in search of people, of adventure and of experience. The tourist is passive - he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes ‘sight-seeing’.

The number of communities living harmoniously within Mattancherry is a wonder in itself that very few seem to acknowledge. The experience of walking in the depths of a Konkani dominated community is so different from the streets of Amravati that you have to pause to remember you are still in the same city. Walking through the sun pierced Bazaar Street with its Perfume shops and Spice godowns that loom about like ghosts in a desolate cemetery, is an experience for someone prone to being more of a traveller. A tourist would prefer moonbeams on a summer night and sunshine through the winter morning of his visit to Mattancherry.

Fort Kochi is like the prettier cousin of Mattancherry with its picturesque waterfront and ambient cafes. The transition between these two places is perhaps the most interesting part. The walk along the Kalavarthy, onto Bazaar road all the way down to Jew Town isn’t considered to be a ‘prime attraction’. This is probably because tourists travel through a location by seeing it from a window or a deck. Travellers allow themselves to be immersed in a spot. When you let yourself get dirty, wet, muddy and cold, then you have found a place.

Mattancherry could never have been a particular place if it weren’t for travellers losing their way in the winding alleys of the city. Mattancherry can never be just ‘any place’ now that tourists have bought their tickets, and the travellers, a surge of adrenaline.

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IN FRAME LITERATURE

III.

ARTIST AND STUDENT - AS LEARNERS IN THE LEAGUE

A student (also pupil) is a learner, or who attends an educational institution. Based on this definition, we understand a student to be an identity proposed for the permission to learn. In the past, knowledge was passed down which required one to pay attention.

Time was of the essence. Today, there is social media. Time is not so important anymore. Unless once considers the idea of exams which is a forceful learning process, where a person with some developed sense of authority demands you to learn. Once, learning was initiated in a state of comfort. Time expanded and perception enhanced.

An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts, and/or demonstrating an art. For an artist, time ceases to exist as an artist lives at the crux of life, over the edge. His learning starts as a student and continues till the time he is bereft of his consciousness.

Experience is essential for his survival because it is through the marriage of experience with his ideology and belief systems that he produces a unique piece that he calls his own. A pure, untainted artist isn’t dwindling between the hands in the clock. He isn’t a slave of the continuum, but rather a prospective master of it.

A student conducts a research like an observer. An artist is just in search of stimuli. A student is like a sponge that blindly absorbs water, whereas an artist tends to be the color or flavour in the water itself. An artist through his introspective creation turns the inside out. His gravitation is a negotiation of the self with the environment which makes him undistinguishable and inseparable from his art.

In Mattancherry, students coming from a lower socio economic background are distracted by the short term familial obligations of getting a job. Students who visit the city like our self too lack the pounding rigor to objectively analyse every aspect of its urbanism. We act through the obligations towards our profession.

Artists engage their psyche in learning in a more pragmatic and performance oriented manner. Kochi – Muziris Biennale is denomination of the influence of the artists’ community of the world that strives to create a relationship between the environment and the self. Since its conception in 2012 the participation has been overwhelming with respect to the entries for display and the visitors. The organizers believed that Mattancherry by projecting a part of it would disseminate its heritage into the art.

Unfortunately, the locals have boycotted the biennale, collectively for reasons pertaining to it being completely commercialized and being a nuisance borderline to their existing lives.

Living to learn and learning to live as a performer or as an observer is what the question then turns out to be.

IV.

PRIEST AND MAYOR: POWER LONGS TO CONTROL

The law of attraction essentially talks about resonance of the most ardent longings or the darkest insecurities of a person with that of the universe. Religion and Politics both arise from faith and fear. Now, the question thus becomes is it just the gravity of the faith as religion, or fear as political power that warps the continuum.

Certain aspects of political power run parallel to the contemporary setting in a city.

Certainly most of it ends up altering what’s to be the very next moment. Like the king of Mattancherry at the time when Jews landed in Kochi accepted them with a warm heart, like no other monarch or governmental setup anywhere in the world. Had he reinforced his authority by converting them as opposed to providing them refuge, the Jews would have never found their home in Mattancherry. The Portuguese tried to convert people into Christianity until the day the Raja along with the Dutch drove them away.

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For a Catholic priest today, it would almost seem blasphemous, to flee the men spreading the ‘word of god’. For him, the White Jew Synagogue is probably just an artefact sentimentally altering UDPFI guidelines to limit the height of building within a 100 metre radius. Mattancherry, with high rise buildings and vast high speed road network might as well be another Manhattan in a parallel universe. Perhaps, political reinforcement of conservation of a religious community is incarcerating the development of standard of living in the city.

The Portuguese handled the Malayali crown diplomatically and supported the Cochin king in the war against the Zamorins. It was the festival of Onam that prompted the Zamorins to call a cease-fire. Religion brought the battle to a halt and peace was restored. The gods seemed to have been merciful towards the kings flying amongst the clouds, forcefully pulling them down to the earth.

The space–time of this city is fabricated by the mostly by memories, which further moulds the two powers. The senility of the once celebrated epicentre of trade and radical supremacy is pardoned. Mattancherry reclines in a chair, like an old man who studied elementary maths in his days, as the present day engineer great grandson argues with him about quantum physics.

Today, as the Mayor suggests Mattancherry has become inert, refusing to show any political allegiance. It is almost like the old man doesn’t believe in quantum physics, let alone care enough to entertain an argument about it with his grandson. Even though every last person craves for development, why is it that the city continues to be reverently mocked by the multi-storeyed buildings across the sea in Ernakulum?

The government and people of Mattancherry are in a state of constant disagreement though there is tremendous mutual regard.

The municipality puts efforts into making tangible and precise budgets but is unable to realise them because of the rigidity of the socio-historic construct of the city. This state of severity has evolved from the unrelenting optimism about things are good the way they are and will be, that most religions sell. Unfortunately in reality, this is holding them back from the urban interventions for ‘a better city’.

Mattancherry floats on the sea. While all that it is should sink, it floats because of what it is not.

For all we know the city has been in a daze. Maybe it has been dosed by the ones who wanted to simply tranquilize it from the state of extreme commotion that once described it. Perhaps, it isn’t preservation but mere sustenance of its vital systems that has subdued the catastrophe of its brain damage, amnesia and identity crisis. But how wilful will the breath of the city be, at the command of this momentary lapse of reason?

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IN FRAME LITERATURE The first article talks about the problems faced by the canal and attempts to understand what the canal needs in its currently neglected state.

The second article talks about what Mattancherry is and could become, through a personification of Mattencherry wherein it’s talking to time.

The Calvatty Canal Oh! That I once flowed so freely, This path is now my prison.

I yearn to join you, my soul.

Once the spine, once the pride Now only neglect.

I yearn for some attention.

You turn your back toward me, You who was once was forged around me.

I yearn for company Freedom from these murky depths Away from the befouled waste, I yearn for cleanliness.

There is so much I want And yet it is less than what I had.

I yearn for, as do others, for a return to yesterday 0

Conversations with time Time! Where are you? I can hear your chains dragging through the city and yet are you to be found? I know you are out there somewhere but you slide away through my fingers… are you going to leave this city behind?

What must I do to unveil your presence? Have you left? IS the sound a deception by my mind? Has the aura that has engulfed the city made me blind?

Are there more of you? Are you three? Will one of you always remain or will you make me melt into your larger being? Isn’t that the final fate of us all? Should we even fight against you? But your memory lingers in my head and I’m still in a daze trying to reach out to you….you confuse me, I do not understand……. if I run forward will I simply be in your shadow, and must I run harder to catch up with you? Whatever happens if I stop? How far behind will you leave me? Will you taunt me will your tune?

Was that a glimpse of you that I just caught!? Patience old friend, if that you still are, I’m weary and I need to talk….

I fear for the part of you that is to come! What is to become of me? Will my funeral be as significant as my birth? O will I be lost in the folds of your fabric? I reminisce the time you once spent with me, though it was not paradise, it was vibrant, I had many a story to share……what games are you playing with me now? I’m tired chasing you, pray tell me what is to happen, lest I succumb to my age…

What do I want you ask!!?? you will let me choose? But how can I? my relevance is lost! What power have I to dictate where I shall go? It is in your hands and not mine, and that’s why I pursue you, I implore you again, tell me my fate, what am I to do?

You disagree!? You think not!? Have you not seen the shift in my energy? I am no more new and vibrant, I am old and tired, was it not you who handed over my heart to my cousin? Do not pretend and tell me that I am what I once was, it is a lie and I expected better from you..

That is true…..it Is not something I had considered. Rome wasn’t built in a day…. and she has definitely changed since I last met with her. A new path you say? And one that I can forge? Will you stand by me and not allow me to get buried?

You can’t guarantee my path? You will not tell me where to go? Oh! What is the use of just trying? Perhaps I should just let things be and wait and watch it crumble. I bid you a very good night! It has been of no avail talking to you, if I may add.

Alright, but just for a bit. you must convince me, otherwise I shall have nothing more to do with you (if only that were possible…) tell me….what do you think?

Yes, I suppose I could do that! You give me hope! Perhaps I shall run with you! A different path….yes….a new identity…

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Dancing Flame I seemingly called her name While she watched my bright flickering flame My light shone bright in the dark She was hypnotised by my golden glow I melted slowly, oh so slow Creamy liquid tears running down the sides Drip, drip, drip, a silent puddle besides I hear her as she held on to me A cry, a chant that was done never before I see her peers shedding tears An oath - a chorus.

An oath they are not under Jesuits anymore My flame started to dim As the cross at the far end started to bend Flickering, dancing, flickering, dancing The deed was done, no tears but cheers I gave my final breath - leaving a wisp of smoke My spirit rising through the air I see her face smiling through the tears

Bazaar Street, the Oldest I am the first line they drew in the earth. The water ran beside me, a little distance away, and it still does, like an old friend, ever changing, ever constant.

It is interesting how one draws a line. There is a start, an end, a direction. Without these one cannot do it.

I was proud. At one time I was a link. A spine offered to run in between the two halves of an organism. I could be read like a book, and I told different people different stories. Mostly I could tell people what they wanted to hear. I told them the stories I overheard from the water, and I gave them what the waves brought, floating to the shore. I told the King about the Merchant. I told the Lake about the Canal. I told the Fort about the Palace. And for a while it all seemed in place.

But now I am trying to count my friends, and why is it so hard?! Have I lost my memory? Or did they desert me when I wasn't looking?

The water is singing what it always did, but the tune seems sad to me now. I pause and turn to look at the water through the gaps but I don't see any boats! The courtyards don't seem generous anymore! The plaster is peeling and the tiles are falling.

There was a time when I was supreme! I was bishop to the water and land! But now I feel like a vestige....

But wait! No, something is happening to me. I can feel it! Parts of me are changing. Is that a skin being shed? The light had changed- now it looks like a paint job! I cannot be sure! These people! I do not recognise their faces. Their language is different. Are they new friends? They are looking for something, give me a moment, let me check if I've got it...

The water is whispering to me again. She is telling me not to fight the tide. But she is not speaking about herself. What tide is this? Is resilience a good thing?

I cannot decide if I like this change or not.

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IN FRAME LITERATURE

Prayers to the sky I have travelled with time, I have walked with time, I will fall with time But, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to freeze with time.

Time passes, but I, I stand still When the nets rise Until the evening Bathed in the dying rays of the sun.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not very inviting.

Darkened, dusky walls and Windows, sacks but The air was ripe with the smell of fresh cardamom.

I stand still Not letting my hope be washed away In the sea of despair.

The Old Harbour Bridge Connecting the world of Kings and Queens, Conquests, love and grandeur To the world of containers, smoke and dust I stand there in silence Not many people walk on me now.

They use the alternate standing next to me Things have changed , I feel weak, fragile I feel light and I lie here in silence Sun and moon shining above me, Water beneath reflecting my presence I stand there Looking at the green on one side and Buildings on the other Spending rest of my days I lie there in silence.

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Walled Expressions I stood in awe as they slashed paint over me. It felt as though my territory had been breached. I was now just a mere portrait. Innumerable times I stood watching the early morning awakenings of the birds along this stream of water. The body of water was never just as it was. It was loaded with people, their goods and boats, carrying bundles of joy - or so it seemed. Gleaming faces of children, responsible faces of men prepared to unload the goods that the boats piled up with. From where I stood, I saw an affluent section of people, place even. Every time the boats passed by, a crowd of children stood against me, waving and shouting out words of excitement. The air around had a certain aura of hustle and amusement. As the cold wetness of the paint drizzled on me, I remembered the cold wet morning rains that made it difficult for the people to welcome the boats carrying goods. The morning blue skies hung about with gloomy clouds. But that didn't hinder the people from anything. Determined as ever, carrying dozens of tiny sparks of light, were tens and hundreds of people lending helping hands.

More curious eyes gathered about me, as many hands wandered about covering the spaces unfinished. What was I to them? I wasn't just a structure, a wall that stood as a boundary. I am the reminiscence of a memory that lasted for centuries. I am a witness to the golden days of trade along the canal. I have stories about families, lives that turned around. I have witnessed the tears of destruction of livelihoods. I am a memory that stands between you and the stories untold. Why was I the compromise for the artisans? As each brush stroked across me, it felt as though each memory was being wiped away. Was all that I stood for, meant to be tucked away? Should nobody ever be reminded of the glorious days again? Are we really all just pieces of memory meant to be broken down?

As the days of glory seemed to pass by, I couldn't quite understand why, but the town had mellowed down. It seemed as though the pace of the boats slowed down over those years to finally, a halt. The number of people to greet them with heavy hands seemed despondent. The air that hung about after that was forlorn. The most despairing part to witness were the glum faces of the children. Something about that time seemed melancholic. It seemed as though my entire world had a slow pace. The next time I saw movement again were of the families carrying their livelihoods along with them. Teary eyes moved along a group of people. And another set of miserable faces bid them farewell. I remember those days quite distinctly. Because as time healed the despaired, time didn't seem like it passed since then.

From then, the days felt like my world had paused in time. It felt like each one lived in a pause. The morning sun rose and woke them up, and as it set, the world creeped back under their homes. Happy faces then occasionally met. It seemed as though they had moved on. But time, time remained.

And these memories? No they shall not fade. Let them paint over me. Let them claim their territory. These walls are not your ruins. We shall not perish to welcome the new faces. Because we remain your only memories to a place that might never be again.

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In context to the demand of space that the Kochi biennale has expanded to occupy, a part of Mattancherry feels encroached.

The following piece relives the memories that are trapped in these ruins.

IN FRAME LITERATURE

Source: Author

ACROSS THE BRIDGE Two brothers of same pedigree, faced not anything uncommon.

One enjoyed the abundancy whilst the other subdued, yet they shared the glory of their bloodline.

Unaware of the fate to come.

Blessed was one, unheeded the other.

Like a candle one shone; one melted.

The will of the "divine".

Two brothers of same pedigree: Kochi and Mattancherry.

The article tells the tale of the cities of kochi and mattancherry through memories of two men .Two men, both Christian, who had a very vibrant childhood, who married their ladies of their dreams ,who had an adventurous youth and tales to tell at the end .It talks about the Life of a dignified and of an undignified who in their times would never have ever glanced at each other again, live a contrasting climax of being connected in very strange ways. Mr. Gomes's memories of ""British kochi" and "filthy kochi"(mattancherry)and Mr.Ali''s story of struggles questions the relationship of men, powers, boundaries .

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ACROSS THE BRIDGE THE DILEMMA He was very concerned about his wife, it had been a while since he wanted to quit this lifestyle, but it was too enticing to carry on. The more he tried to run, the more it roped him in. Like Gandhi said, ‘The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed’. His wish for a lavish lifestyle and easy money kept on pulling him back.

Khan wasn’t a smuggler by choice, but more like fell into it due to his destitute condition. He was a mere 15 year old when he got drawn into it, guided by his ‘maalik’ or the manager of the boat trading company where he worked. It was very agreeable to him because he was making quick money just for transporting goods across a bridge.

He soon gained fame in the smuggling world by the name of ‘easy khan’. The people of Kochi waited for the exotic whiskey that he got from foreign lands. From an errand boy, he had risen up to the level of a local don. The trade across the canal was in his pocket.

It solved all his problems for a while, until the police started banging on his front door.

They did not find any hard evidence against him but surely he was now on their hit list In this entanglement and confusion came love, his salvation, he fell so hard and fast in love that he forgot all about his problem and the trade. That girl in a blue salwar kameez with beautiful brown eyes had stolen his heart. He married her without their

THE MEETING At the first glance he looked quiet unimpressive, but behind all that dullness was a very interesting man who had a story to tell. At 75, he was just a shadow of his past self. He looked very weak and fragile, excessive smoking of ganja and beedi had taken a toll on him.

He told me about his smuggling days. I had a few question. Does the trade still go on?

What is the situation now? How did he escape the police? Does he still have any link to his former life? Is the money earned now, sufficient for his livelihood?

I got the answers to them, but I also got to know about the stark disparity between the two cities merged yet separated by the canal. Where Kochi has the ‘elites’ staying, the biennale attraction and the tourist hub, Mattancherry is struggling with its dying bazaar street and diminishing glory. This being one of the main reasons for a flourishing trade of smuggling.

The smuggling still goes on but in a much more silent and secretive manner. Earlier they used to toss the parcels over the canal, now they hide and get it through roadways. Their ways have changed, the canal has changed. The canal was once one of the most important trade routes of a port city, now it is nothing but a local drain.

Although it still acts like a merger of the two cities, it has lost its importance.

Khan once used to toss these parcels himself. This event would be viewed by many curious eyes, and one such eye was Mr. Gomes, an Anglo-Indian intrigued by the idea of Mattancherry. family’s approval and did not want to give her the life of a fugitive. He was in a dilemma, he wanted the money but he also wanted her safe. Love triumphed and so he quit all his luxuries and settled down with a tiny antique shop. And that’s where I met him.

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IN FRAME LITERATURE

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R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE THE REALISATION A little boy jumped out of his Wednesday class to go watch a play at the famous star theatre, but was sadly caught midway by his uncle. The 12 year old got very dejected and decided to try it with extra caution next time. It was his passion, the plays performed at the old theatre. It was his guilty pleasure, but he was forbidden to go to the ghastly area of Mattancherry by his father, who had recently been robbed there.

Mattancherry wasn’t a safe place, with the uneducated and unscrupulous populace, they were beneath them. The Fort Kochi dwellers were obviously of a superior breeding but he dint care. He just wanted to go to the theatre.

His father told him about the unsavoury activities going on in there. His father was a priest, a God fearing man himself, who wanted his son to become the same. Mr. Gomes grew up very sheltered, and protected. He has sneaked to the theatre, until his father was alive and then it became a weekly affair. Once when he was returning from there he came across the tossers by the canal. They immediately engaged his attention.

He made it a monthly practice to go see this by the bridge. Slowly and gradually, the image embossed in his mind about the city changed. The eerie beauty of the city grew on to him. He no longer believed them beneath him, but came to an understanding about the city. Thought he people were poor, they were satisfied. The city was of a great historical value and had its own gravity.

He stopped undermining the people and even got his hands dirty, buying the smuggled goods.

THE SCENARIO Shekhar sat relaxing in one of his old lungi’s, he was waiting for a friend at his café.

Gomes was late by an hour. He finally came in with a wrapped parcel, which contained nicely aged whiskey. These weren’t easy to come by. There seemed something fishy, it was because these were smuggled goods. Shekhar was both shocked and delighted at his friend’s frivolousness. He himself had recently done business with an ex-smuggler, the one that would gone by the name of easy Khan.

He was retired now and ran an antique shop, but he secretly still provide ganja to the Kashmiri shopkeepers. They ran it as their offseason business, selling bad weed to unsuspecting buyers, it did not give them the rush worth their money. Not many people knew about Khan’s involvement but Shekhar knew about all the happenings in his surroundings. He liked to stay informed.

Khan was actually a very interesting personality, he still did the dirty business but kept it hidden from his wife. He was born a Christian but promptly converted to Islam when his wife refused to marry a man whose religion differed. Nobody still knows his Christian name.

Shekhar savoured the burn of that whiskey running down his throat. He was trying to recollect a specific conversation with Khan. The one where he had asked him about his current situation. The reply was apt for the present situation.

He had said, ’I was a slave for the British once, now although I am a free man, I still remain a slave under high technology’. This promptly summed up not only his life but also the life of Mattancherry. First it was a slave to the disparity and now its rich history is being snatched away from it. Where there were spice go downs, now hotels are coming up to attract the tourist crowds. It’s losing its essence to tourism. The people still try to hold on to once what was there home and that it is now slipping past their nimble fingers.

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IN FRAME LITERATURE

And she stepped in.. Opening her eyes to the waters and greens. Her nostrils consuming the rich aroma. She did not know. She did not know that it was not a dream. Not until the vast blue cloudless sky poured on her. Everything seemed knit together.

As she wanders, she senses something different, something unusual, something unlike what she had learnt. She heard someone whispering. A voice constantly trying to communicate with her. OH, but that is not one voice. She could never tell. There were many. Many voices that was once heard as one. But there were many. Many voices within one.

Perhaps it was a land full of souls as beautiful as the land itself, all floating about gaily, painting a vibrant picture- one of togetherness, harmony and joyâ&#x20AC;Ś Not a care in the world, not a single gloomy face portraying a grudge, all together, knit together.

She asks the voice "Why is it all different? and who could you be? what could you be wanting to tell me?" even though she doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want the answer for she is afraid it could only make her wonder more. But of course she needed an answer.

The voice that seemed so majestic was no longer it. It was the voice of the land that stretched in front of her eyes. The soil that held all she saw together. Or wanted to hold them together.

"Well, you need something more than just an answer." The land begins.

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"Indeed there are many voices.. voices, all belonging to souls as varied as the vibrant hues that lit up my skies. Displaced souls, torn apart from everything that was once theirs.. and would always be theirs…the memories, the smells, the traditions, all of it except for the soil beneath their feet for it was now me that they stood upon. All together and yet so far apart.

I welcomed them with open arms, throwing open all I had for them to come and make their own...A niche here, a niche there.. Their very own indelible mark to be made upon me. All of them taking refuge on my soil, in search of a new identity…all together yet far apart.

Little did I know, little did I dream, that they would all come, make their mark, their presence felt.. All while stripping me of my own. For now, I am a land of many faraway lands, a collection of many colourful tales, threads of many cultures…All together yet far apart.

Countless suns have set, countless suns have risen. But these threads remain so…refusing to form a fabric, choosing to remain balls of yarn, each to their own. There are no lines set upon me, no boundaries, yet they are all here.. invisible to all, visible to me. A pain it is. A pain it shall be. For now, I am a land of many souls…a part of me in each, but none as a whole. ...........All together, yet far apart."

Was the land complaining? For a new voice rose in defence of all the balls of yarn now…

Dreams may be as big as they can possibly be, for dreams are all you possibly can see… for we can see far beyond, into the hearts of these souls you merely can see. Standing tall above you all, each amidst souls that cling to me… for I may be the Jain temple, the Juma masjid, Synagogue or the Santa Cruz basilica, but for sure they all cling to me.

With a pain ever so minute, but pain it all is, far away from the soil that was to be theirs, but on soil they now claim their own. Clinging to me, for I am all they have- a link to their past, the last remaining shred. Fearing to let go, even a little bit, for they do not want to lose once more. How do I make them see, that all that could be lost, is now lost… that you will keep them the way they are, where they are…

If only they would let go of me a little bit, not merely look around but see, all the beauty and joy that could be, awaken from their slumber, all together, yet so far apart.

There she goes dreaming again. She doesn’t know if she is dreaming or if she is lost. But she knew the land was beyond the little she knew about it. She seemed content and let the land take its path.

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IN FRAME LITERATURE

From the Waters of Mattancherry The text is in the form of a dialog between a child and the sea. It sets out to narrate the change in Mattancherry over the years , from the perspective of the sea . It captures the innocence of an inquisitive child asking about his city. The proud and grieving waters explain the same to the child.

The sea talks about the stories the sailors bring to the land, the various goods coming in and going out and how the interaction between the land and water has changed over the years. The child is mesmerized by these tales of the past which results in a beautiful interaction between the child and the gentle waves of the sea.

What will Mattancherry do tomorrow? Will it restrict itself to itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s past? Or will it surge forward to ĂĄn unknown future?

Story Board

Setting A little girl stands at the water's edge looking out to the horizon. She sees a black spot in the distance. As she watches, it grows larger and larger until it assumes the form of a ship.

Little Girl:

That ship is so huge!

A voice whispers in the background, startling her.

Voice:

I have seen several of these over the years.

Little Girl:

(startled) Who's there?

Voice:

I am the waters of this ancient land. I have noticed your interest in the ships that come and go. What about them fascinates you so much?

Little girl:

I've always wanted to know what these ships bring with them and take away, from my land!

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R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE Sea:

Oh, is that so? Then let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, from a land far way, the people set out on a voyage to search for the spices of the far East, rumoured to be the best in the whole wide world. Their adventures brought them across my waters to the coast of this land.

This was the beginning of the spice trade with the west establishing a sea route for several vessels to come.

Sea:

The spice trade was very prominent in Kochi. Often the streets where the spices were sold held the aromas of spices for days together.

Little Girl:

So, back then, did everybody trade spices?

Sea:

Mattancherry has always been a land of multiple occupations, with trade as the most prominent. However, today I see many young people travelling to the mainland to work.

Little Girl:

My father goes to Ernakulam everyday too! But the ship he goes in is not as big.

Sea:

Yes, that is called a ferry. It has been taking people to and fro locally, and connecting Cochin to the larger mainland, unlike the ships which travel around the world.

Did you know, that like the ferry, the early ships also brought with them the people of distant lands? These people were very different from the natives of Cochin. This happened many, many years ago.

Little Girl:

Like my grandparents?

Sea:

This was much before that. Since then, people from many different places have settled in the land, making it their own. A multicultural fabric has been woven together, shaping the identity of the past, present and future of Mattancherry.

The little girl notices a sudden movement further down the beach.

Little Girl:

(points at fishing nets in the distance) Look! They're lowering the nets! That's where we get our fish from!

Sea:

Fish are among the many resources I provide to the people.

Fishing is one of the main livelihoods that sustains life here in Kochi. The river water and sea water mix at this point, creating a unique ecosystem for the fish.

Little Girl:

(noticing a piece of garbage on the beach) My mother says we shouldn't throw garbage into the sea as it kills all the fish.

Sea:

Yes, I'm glad to see that you are aware of this. It is the new generation that can make a difference in the future.

Little girl:

Whose future?

Sea:

Kochi and I are closely intertwined. I have silently watched it evolve over the generations to become what it is today. I reflect both Kochi's past and it's urge to move forward into the future, and will continue to adapt to the changes that come my way.

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Authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note The little girl represents the future of Mattancherry, while the sea is the past. The dialog between the two is crucial for Cochin, as the past largely influences the course of the future.

What is the past? Is it the trade? The heritage? The cultural mosaic?

It is upto the future generation to decide which of these to take forward and which to leave behind.

IN FRAME LITERATURE Preface: Mattancherry as a small city, houses a diverse span of people. The physicality of the place may extent to limited edges, but the outreach of its characteristic intangibility and variance of culture seems to extend beyond its perceived bounds.

The poetry as a dedication to its people, is expressed in a hypothetical belief that Mattancherry, is like a span of plain fabric, that is yet to be displayed on the runway ramp to showcase its vibrancy, which has been crafted and designed to detail by its people and their take on the prospects that the city holds.

The Docking Hundred Hands To crease, to trend, to fold, to mend, To design their people’s fabric, That when it’s walked, by the runway dock, The collection is purely fantastic!

Not for the stitch the fabric holds, Not for the money that chivvied, But for the patterns, those hundred hands, Who design and showcase Mattancherry!

These hands of sort, diverse the thought, Of expressions, patterned to gesture, Richness of culture, blended flavours of coast, Will history continue lining its texture?

The question of course, to new auctioneers of sorts is, How will thou wear this complexity?

Would you embrace its true nature of kind?

Or mould it to customised dexterity?

Twenty vibrant minds ran wild and free, To tweak and craft this fine fabric, Twenty hands printed stories untold Colouring styles with boundaries elastic, Then twenty, stitched and sewed with care, To accommodate its tailor-made tree, Of buttons of star anise to cuff, Beads of black pepper rowed in three.

Twenty hands fine-tuned this embroidery, Roughened hands that touched to see, intricate details and perfect workmanship to acquired tastes of just you and me!

Now twenty hands sit down to knit, re-needle its tangible intertwining, to weave solutions of disparities in kinds, to crotchet the silver linings!

For those small twenty hands to discover, for the same young hands to feel, that returns of labour don’t require a collar, for money, prime or a seal!

The fabric on which they now run their hands, The soiled texture they so fondly touch, Bear the gifts of their time to tell, only if they resort to such, exposure of the new world across the dock, mustn’t threaten this originality, but embrace and transform with elegance, to its new found sensuality!

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IN FRAME PHOTOGRAPHY

Lead Shot Credits Archana C K

Synopsis With constant change, along with the fusion of Mattancherry'sstand-still in time, the one thing that remains undaunted in and around town, is its fishing network. This network connects different people, from various localities around Kochi and forms one of the most important aspect of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy. The labour and skill involved in the various activities, like fishing, import and export, processing, packaging, transportation and logistics, tie it up together in an efficient manner. These photographs intend to cover the processes, aspects and people connected in this downplayed network by unveiling their livelihood; but more importantly, they try and throw light on how integral and ingrained this network is in Mattancherry.This narrative opens up a colossal realm which is so subtly hidden amongst the other captivating multi-facets of the place.

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Credits Archana C K

Credits Archana C K

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IN FRAME PHOTOGRAPHY

Credits Archana C K

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Credits Archana C K

Credits Archana C K

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IN FRAME PHOTOGRAPHY

Credits Archana C K

Credits Archana C K

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Credits Alisha Ajani

Credits Alisha Ajani 44

IN FRAME PHOTOGRAPHY

WHO AM I?

Lead Shot Credits Nidhi V

Amidst a developing Mattancherry I stand tall, visible to some and invisible to others, representing the history, culture, architecture and colours. But I look around and see that I am the only one of my kind. Is this my time? Is this my place? Only my creator can tell...

The creator lives in heritage because of his aspirations. I am his Palace, not just a mere house assembled out of wooden ruins. Worthless to some, I am everything to him, the embodiment of all his dreams.

But little does the world know that the hands that polish old valuable temple artefacts are the same that carve out a living by repairing parts of a cycle. The same mind that by night dreams of conserving all that is past, by day is engaged in a contrasting pursuit to earn bread and butter.

But how is this polarity seen in my creator so different from the story of Mattanchery?

Is he just a personification of the city? Are they both striving towards the same goal that of conservation of heritage? Then again, is it so important to conserve something that no longer exists? How is it changing and adding value to Mattancherry, a house to many such objects of history?

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Credits Nidhi V

Credits Nikita

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IN FRAME PHOTOGRAPHY

Credits Nikita

Credits Nikita 47

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Credits Nidhi V

Credits Nikita 48

IN FRAME PHOTOGRAPHY

Credits Nikita

Credits Nikita

Alekya, Meghana M R, Mohit, Nidhi, Sahithi, Monica, Palak, Prathiksha, Raksha 49

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IT’S SO OVERT, IT’S COVERT

Lead Shot Credits Praveen

“I wonder what’s behind this door”.

In its literal sense, doors represent the unknown, as it stimulates curiosity and knocks on our adventurous side, beckoning for us to open and find out.

In a similar perspective multiple doors, can metaphorically represent diverse interpretations — possibly enhance anxiety?

An outward opening door may express its need to be more accessible to others, whereas an inward opening door could show you its desire for self-enquiry —a timed introspection. A door, free to access may fill you with surprises awaiting an entrance but if it’s locked, it could mean opportunities denied to you.

Mattancherry, is a place with multiple communities, activities and stories. Each precinct has its own character which is unique in its being. That kept in mind, its doors are being featured as a characteristic element to describe the nature of the region, and unravel its stories.

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IN FRAME PHOTOGRAPHY

Credits Vaishali

Credits Siri 51

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Credits Siri

Credits Vaishali 52

IN FRAME PHOTOGRAPHY

A FEATHERED RIVER ACROSS THE SKY

Lead Shot Credits: Sriparana

Pigeons are sometimes used in human search-and-rescue missions because of their exceptional vision and memory.

Concept of exploring Mattancherry by following the pigeons.

Be it in the bustling bazaar street, in their trade of spices, in residential areas or in their wall arts- the pigeons act as unseen messengers leaving behind only the noises of their flutter. .

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Credits: Sriparana

Credits: Sriparana

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IN FRAME PHOTOGRAPHY

Credits Vinola

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SINCE THE OLD CLOCKS

Lead Shot Credits Siri

A place that once embodied trade at its primary sense has today dwindled to a tourist attraction majorly merchandising souvenirs. Mattancherry that dwells by the sea saw an indulgence in sea trade of day-to-day commodities, spices and various other essentials extending its reach to bigger cities. In the course of time however, infrastructural developments overpowered the ease and convenience, proving a deathblow to this mode of trade. To this day, the place stands witness to commerce, except the variation in its guise that has come about in the past years. This transition has surfaced gradually with many factors contributing towards it. Trade has always been a cardinal aspect of mattancherry shaping its character, it has only changed its form overtime. It is a home to many godowns, shops and barrows that form the trade circle. The outlook of the city hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t changed much over the years but the essence of it might have transfigured. .

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IN FRAME PHOTOGRAPHY

Credits Siri

Credits Siri

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Credits Archana C K

Credits Archana C K

Credits Archana C K

Vaishali, Siri, Vinola, Pannaga, Ravi Verma, Praveen, Anusha, Sri Parna, Rineeta 58

IN FRAMECaricature CARICATURE

682002 – CARICATURE A Section

Mattancherry 682002.

A city lost in time. It was love at first sight. They say everything is fair in love and war.

But is that true? It was a beautiful summer evening and everything was perfect. It seemed surreal and felt like I had everything I could ask for. The lone plastic bottle floating towards me came in like a reality check. We were so caught up in the moment that we decided to ignore it. Then came another. 20 years later and I still seem to be stuck in the cog wheels of a ticking clock. That one plastic bottle feels like a blessing compared to the other matter I swim with now. The city moved on. After a new hairdo and a makeover, she seemed to have gotten over our relationship.

And here I am…with no identity or direction. I was her prince and today I am her trashcan, choking, suffocating and a breeding ground for a billion mosquitoes. I catch her looking at me occasionally. I smile…she looks away. Where did those days go when we promised to look out for each other? Time flies and people change. I became the person I am today because of her. At a distance, breaking through all the smoke and pollution, I see a small ray of hope. That’s MY silver lining. For you might have given up on me and I might be a forgotten chapter in your life, but I will continue on this journey and bring her prince charming back.

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Caricature

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Lost in a maze.

Synopsis: A rich cultural legacy percieved through the eyes of a little boy.

A day in the normal life of this boy who happens to find a lost blue purse and his attempt in returning it to the owner forms the crux of the story.

In his journey to find the owner he takes us through the various layers and strata and unexplored chapters of kochi through time. He encounters various factors and influences which shapes a different perspective towards the city of Kochi which we thought we knew.

This journey talks about the prominent faces , centres of power, religious attitudes, sociocultural coexistence and attitudes of people of various other issues.

Humanising monuments is another technique intended to be used to describe the daily interactions of the inhabitants of the city and its iconic markers.

In this short capsule of time in the life of a boy...A different face of Kochi is unravelled

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IN FRAME CARICATURE

Ghosts of Mattancherry

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IN FRAME VEDIOGRAPHY

CANAL DIARIES – A COLLECTION OF MEMORIES “Earlier people would use these clean waters for swimming, transport of hay and palm products and more….”

- Babu

“The main problem we face is the lack of sleep due to the mosquitoes constant biting….”

- Bismi

“The present government is in the disinterested in the preservation of the canal and hence it is in this state…..”

- Yusuf

“Elephants used to unload the logs that were transported through the Calvathy canal inland to the wood shops….”

- Sulaiman

The waters of the Calvathy Canals have age old stories flowing through them. Stories of early morning swimmers, ablutions and prayers, water boats carrying spices, wood, coal and other commodities for daily life. Stories of the fishing ships scouting for fish and the clear waters being used to irrigate the large plantations embanking it.

Today the stories of the clear waters has changed drastically.

Where the once clear waters held fish, today they only hold garbage. With drains from houses emptying into it and people dumping their garbage, the water body has become a site for mosquito breeding and stench.

Exploring the memories of six inhabitants, we understand the flood of memories the once pure waters encapsulated and the ever changing story it presents.

B A B U

B I S M I

S H A M S U

Y U S U F

S U L A I M A N K A R T H I K

“Cleaning the canal is equivalent to drowning in it , useless….”

- Karthik

Source : stills from the video Team: Bhavishya, Vasudha, Harshitha, Deeksha, Kavya

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Per Mattu Kalli - Name Change Game How did it all begin? What does the name Mattancherry mean? We went chasing the history behind the name and they told us stories after stories. Some say it was a street filled with mutton butchers and that gave the name “Mutton Cheri”, others say it was essentially a community of Muslims in the beginning and that gave the name “Methan Cheri” translating to “Muslim Street” in Malayalam.

As they were telling us these different versions we saw in them and the name to be a hazy memory, disconnect to the past and more of a lack of understanding of their presence. The name was just a story they told themselves about themselves. A sugar coating. An assumption. They were more than just a name.

They were fisherman, auto drivers, shopkeepers, artisans, mechanists all from different religions and backgrounds. At the end of the day they look beyond these boundaries that separate them and all gather at one place in the heart of the Muslim community to wind down and play Caroms at the “Friend’s Club”.

They are all united by a game, rather than a name. Caroms was the story they had to tell us and we saw in them team work, hardship, pride and passion for the game.

For them Caroms was what defined their friendship and made them a community. So we end with questioning what brings together a community - Is it the name that is an assumption that contemplates life or the game which is an act that defines life?

-Aakarsh Kushalappa - Ann Sankey - Anupama Rao - Bhavana Brindavan - Gaargi R. Kulkarni 64

IN FRAME VEDIOGRAPHY

“ They say cultures have a life, I saw it moving, Bouncing off parapets and Dodging compound walls, Merging from household to street, Pulsating through children’ running footsteps, And foaming off beachy waters.”

Ayesha is 32 years old- a house wife and a mother of one daughter. Her husband works as a laborer on Bazar Street. Their lives have been the same, just like those of their elders who have been residing in Eravelly Canal for the past 80 years.

The sun is beginning to set, and everyone is heading home. Suddenly there is a change in sound, an unrehearsed performance begins to orchestrate and Aisha’s routine has started to dissolve.. The daily cooking, cleaning, and caretaking is quickly replaced by a transient moment of pause yet continuity.

Can these spaces vary from person to person? Are they built spaces or mind spaces or both? Can we define these moments of activity and simultaneity?

Should they be defined at all?

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I AM TRANSIENT

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It matters not how many fish are in the sea - if you don't have any bait on your hookâ&#x20AC;?.

The video attempts to understand the establishment of the Chinese Fishing Net. Despite being an icon for Kochi, the trade has been rapidly depleting in this new age of technology. The growth of water weeds and the administrative working of the Kochi harbour are the main causes for this depletion.

The fishermen have now resorted to selling the nets as a commodity to tourists, under the name of tradition, for the sake of their survival. It tries to capture the disparity between the two communities dealing with the same trade.

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IN FRAME VEDIOGRAPHY

“ശിധിലമീ സ�പ്നങ്ങൾ അസ്ഥിരമീന,

പുനർജ്ജനിക്കുന്നു ഞാൻ ഒരു

കറുമാണി “

A typical Chinese net.

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The excessive sea weed is chocking the life out the Chinese nets.

A new presence on the waters.

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IN FRAME VEDIOGRAPHY

The hustle and bustle of the harbour.

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THE EDGE

The idea is to show how a boundary is not just a threshold but can also be a new beginning. With respect to kochi, this can be experienced at the point where land and water meets. Its not the point where mattancherry ends but can be seen as a beginning of joy. Whether its a fisherman , a school kid or a budding artist, everyone connects to the water of mattancherry even though it lies outside the place

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IN FRAME VEDIOGRAPHY

MANNAH- UNFOLDING DREAMS

The small film is a mosaic documenting the aspirations and dreams of young Mattancherry as seen through the eyes of Safna Nawaz, whose views contradicts the beliefs of the elderly of the town.

The documentary is an attempt to shed light on how the youth is optimistic of the future of the town, when paired against the older who foresee the end of the trade town in the name of ‘reality’.

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Pranav KK

Pavan Kumar S

Nilin Shamrith

SITE TRANSECTS

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Tanushri Dalmiya

Sai Srujan Reddy

Poojit Tata

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Anuja Raju

Deepthi K.S

Neha Gahlawat

SITE TRANSECTS

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Ann Sankey

Archana.C.K

Bhavishya V

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HISTORY

PERIYAR RIVER BASIN

Periyar Basin

Location: Kerala, India Districts in the Periyar basin: Idukki, Ernakulam, Trissur Climate: Tropical humid climate, high humidity (83%) Origin of river: Sivagiri Hills Length: 244 Km Major tributaries: Edamalayar, Muthayar, Chinnar, Perunthuraiar Major classification of forest in the basin: Wet evergreen, semi evergreen, moist deciduous and dry deciduous and pure reed areas.

Major industries and settlements: In the lower reaches especially in the Ernakulam belt and the islands in the lower reaches of the basin

LOWLANDS (6-0m): Coastal plains

FOOTHILLS HIGHLANDS(>1500m) (1500-500m): Deep cut streams Steep slopes Less than 30% slope High drainage

MIDLANDS: Laterite soil Crystalline rock: Slope 30-50%

HIGHLANDS: cardamom, tea, pepper

SOILS OF THE REGION HIGHLANDS: These soils have dark reddish brown to dark brown silt loam to clay loam, And are formed on weathering of the gneissic rocks on steeply sloping hills FOOTHILLS: The soil is dark reddish brown to dark brown silty clay to clay MIDLANDS: The soil is gravely sandy clay loam to gravely clay LOWLANDS: Yellowish brown to dark yellowish brown sand to loamy sand

KODUNGALLUR PERIYAR RIVER

MATTANCHERRY

FOOTHILLS: Rubber, coconut, pepper

WASTELANDS: 5% to 8% of total basin area

MIDLAND: Mainly paddy, coconut and plantains

LOWLANDS: Coconuts

Cultivation in the basin

KOCHI AS A NATURAL HARBOUR Floods of 1341- silted up the mouth of muziris harbour New port at kochi established Lead to shifting of merchants, settlers and rulers made Kochi the capital Lead to growth of town Early settlement of Kochi- mattancherry- facing protected lagoons in the east Connected to coastal stretch- inland waters Agricultural produce from vast hinterland sold

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Kochi discovery:

*15th century : Ma Huan- Chinese traveller mentioned Kochi. *1440: Nicolo Conti talks about Kochi.

Etymology theories summary:

*Initially mentioned as Cocym, Cochym, Cochin, Cochi etc. * Sometimes mentioned as Balapuri (small town). * Named after Chinese ruler Kublai Khan’s homeland. * Sanskrit word- Go Shree (prosperous with cows). *Derived from word Cocha- from bibilical term Cohen. *Derived from Kaki in Tamil/ Kochazhi in malyalam( small sea) *Derived from Kakochi / Kochim used in Portugese records in 15th cent.

Emergence of kingdom of Kochi :

*before 12th century: ruled by Kulasekhara Perumals of Mahodayapuram. *1102: Cochi Royal family- Perumbadappu Swaroopam, however not the base. *1405: Attack by Zamorins. Base capital shifted to Kochi. Hence kindom emerged.

Emergence of port of Kochi:

*Before 1341, Mahodayapuram and it’s port Muziris was centre of trade. *1341: Great flood in river Periyar .

Frequent attacks by Zamorins. *Gradual shift of trade to natural harbour of Kochi region. *1440: Growth of kochi till 5 miles circumference around Mantacherry.

Growth of trade subsequent years.

Timeline of various of invasions in Kochi:

•In 1500: Portugese invaded Kochi under ruler Unni rama Koyil 1 who • befriended them to help him fight against Zamorins, but Portugese gained upper •hand in : 1.trading matters 2.administrative activities 3.religion (forced conversion to Roman Catholism) •16th century: Jews moved from Kodungallur to Sanda Cochin, and it also • sheltered various other ethnic groups.

•1662: Dutch invaded Kochi and interventions continued till 18th century •1770s: Treaty between Travancore Rajas and the Dutch.

• Between 1770 to 1799: Kochi attacked by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan.

• 1799: Control shifted to British. Port and Willington island constructed.

• Till 1947: Under British rule with kings as mere figureheads.

Timeline of Education system in Kochi:

1.Vedic age before 5000 BC: * Gurukul education *vocational courses *Girl schooling 2. After 1812: *English education by missionaries 3. 1921: *Govt. aided schools with technical education with codes and well defined syllabus and systemisation began.

4.1930: *It was the only govt. (under the Kochi royal family) invested maximum percentage of revenue on education.

5.1944: *Cooperative societies and free mid day meals. *Reservations and scholarships. *equality and secularism. *Concessions and scholarships for depressed classes.

6.* Between 1900 to 1932: Women had reservations and educated women took up jobs as teachers.

7.1944: *inclusive of fields like art and craft, sculpture, drawing, painting, music, Kathakali and Bharatnatyam.

8. Between 1845 – 1947: * Reputed colleges of that period Ex. Maharaja’s college, UC college, St.Mary’s, St. Teresa’s etc. were started.

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Economic Life In The Region Of Kochi 

Economy flourished in Kochi due to its GEOGRAPHICAL location.

 The economy majorly flourished due to agricultural production, political ambitions.  Cereals, specially paddy cultivation was one of the major trade as they realised the importance of it in the sustenance of the people.  Cultivation was largely relied on rain, but eventually for better commerce new techniques came up.  Foreign powers elevated the rural subsistence economy of Kochi to the level of an integral part of international economy. 

They channelized water in the fields for cultivation which is not dependent on rain water.



There were kole lands which were long the Enamakkal-Thrissur lake that did not require ploughing and manuring.



Masonry dam at Enamakkal was built to prevent tidal influence on the water stored in the lake.



Bunds were created to prevent further ingress of saline water into the lands which were in proximity with the backwaters.



Kochi were aware of the methods to ensure the fertility of soil



Chama was cultivated in various parts of the region where laterite soil existed.



Importance of horse gram and dal in sustaining the fertility of the soil and both of them had been increasingly cultivated as interim crops.



Since, agriculture was one of the main economic aspect, new techniques and ideas were implemented which are in use till date

 Economically important crops were mainly coconut, pepper and other spices.  Superior character of alluvial sandy soil throughout Kochi has been favorable to the growth of the coconut tree. Which is still prevalent in Kerala till date.

Role of Government 

Government involvement had a major impact on the economy due to agriculture.



The plantations were made by the natives upon tracts of ground rented from government.



During the Europe’s wartime, demands for rubber and coffee were high. It is notices that in between 1862-1870 about 9420acres of land were leased to various British companies.



As spices were available at a cheaper rate in Kochi, ships from Arabia and Persia were frequently seen.



In a commercial perspective, it was evident that these rivers had been used as the convenient and cheap means of transport. Periyar river was the most important one.



Because of this lot of teak, mast wood were floated down to Kochi for shipbuilding.



As the byproduct of the influx of commercial products to and from Kochi, we can see that various groups of traders migrated to Kochi for making use of the lucrative trade.

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HISTORY OF FORT KOCHI

Fort Kochi is a region in the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. This is part of a handful of water-bound regions toward the south-west of the mainland Kochi, and collectively known as Old Kochi or West Kochi. Adjacent to this is Mattancherry. In 1967, these three municipalities, along with a few adjoining areas, were amalgamated to form the Corporation of Cochin

FORT KOCHI it is a water bound area ARABIAN SEA

ARABIAN SEA

ARABIAN SEA

VIPYIN ISLAND

FORT COCHIN

MUNDAMVELI

VEMBANAD LAKE

WILLINGTON

PALLURUTHY

Fort Kochi was once capital of Portuguese India and later Dutch India. The grand fort at Kochi, was built in 1503 by Portuguese as Fort Immanuel, in honour of the Great Portuguese Emperor- King Immanuel. The terroritory marked the first terroritory in India, to be managed by Europeans, granted by H.H Unni Goda Varma Thirumalpadu Maharaja of Kochi (Trimumpara Raja in Portuguese records) as a silver grant to Afonso de Albuquerque, the first Head of Portuguese India and second Portuguese Governor.

The glory of Fort Kochi was enshrined, when Portuguese adopted the First Bastion of the fort, in their emblem, which remained as Seal of Portuguese India till 1950s Fort Kochi and Mattancherry are the apt destinations if you love to make a walk through the colonial history of India. A visit to these places will teach you a lot about the rich past of the Jews, the Dutch, the Portuguese and the English community and their culture prevailed in the area. Fortunately, these landmark sites are well preserved and present some wonderful pictures of the rich and mixed colonial history of the bygone era even today.

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HISTORY

Around 600 AD :

Around 1341:

Around 1500:

Around 1653:

Written documents about the Malabar Coast show that this region had Hindus, Christians, and a Jewish minority.

The natural harbour of Kochi was created by a flood that also destroyed the harbour of the town Kodungallur

This was the time when the first Portuguese ships berthed at the Malabar Coast: Vasco da Gama in Calicut and Pedro Ă lvares Cabral in Kochi.

Dutch conquered Kochi in 1653. The town was now the capital of Dutch Malabar. The Dutch also destroyed many Catholic institution in Cochin.

Around 1760 :

Around 1790:

1947:

1956 :

Kochi was devastated by Hyder Ali then later by his son Tipu Sultan. Tipu subordinated the town temporarily to the kingdom of Mysore.

Kochi came under the influence of the British around this period.

Kochi was made the capital of the Union State Cochin after India gained independence.

The Union State of Kerala was with respect to the Malayalam speaking regions with Trivandrum as the capital.

Kochi was a fishing village in the Kingdom of Kochi in the precolonial Kerala.

In 1928 during chinese period.

Fort Kochi was granted to the Portuguese 1503, by the Rajah of Kochi and remained in their possession for 160 years

British took control by defeating the Dutch. Foreign control of Fort Kochi ended in 1947 with the Indian independence

In 1683 the Dutch captured the territory destroyed many Portuguese institute possessed for 112 years until 1795

DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY 1503, 1st Portugese fort

1516,St.Fransis Church.

1518, St.Antani mont.

1555, M.Chery built

1538, Port.fort built

1665, 1/3 fort size

1570, Temple built

1749, Balgathy palace

1760, Clock tower

1869, Suez canal

1870, Pucca settlmnt

1912, M.Chery muncipal set up

1925, Formatn of Legislativ concil

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1930, Water supply

1940, Major roads

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1400 - 1600

• • • • •

•

1501 - 1600

Kochi Port -1341 Ruler changing his capital.

Prominence as a trade capital, inviting Arabs and chinese Jews and muslims settling on the eastern side.

Konkani Brahmins, Converted christians after Portguese invasion Dutch, overthrowing the raja and taking control of the spice trade

1600 - 1700

1800 - 1900

1700 - 1800

ADVENT AND PERSISTENCE OF VARIOUS ETHNIC GROUPS AND INVADERS Conlusion: Most invaders and migrants came in the through the eastern side, through the Inland waters.

The british culminated the socio-political ly and economically invasions.

1870 INITIATION OF THE IDEA OF MAKING A GREAT HARBOUR, OUT OF THE UNIQUE LAGOONS IN KOCHI

POST INDEPENDENC E SURGE IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES AND URBANISATIO N

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1920

DREDGING WORK STARTS FOR COCHIN PORT. WELLINGDON ISLAND FORMED.

1940 ROAD CONNECTION TO THE MAIN LAND ON THE WEST AND ROAD-RAIL CONNECTION TO THE EAST FROM THE ISLAND COMPLETED

HISTORY

TRADE IN KERALA •

• •

• • •

3000 B.C., Kerala had trade relation with Sindhu Valley Civilization and its spices and commodities like Sandalwood, Ivory, Teakwood etc., were exported to many countries of the west.

It is believed that the Peacocks, Monkeys, Ivory and spices which King Solomon received, were imported from Kerala .

Spices and aromatic herbs including pepper, the black gold, turmeric, dried ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and timber from teak, rosewood and sandalwood, were to be found in plenty in Kerala.

These natural resources attracted the Babylonians, the Phoenicians, Jewish traders from Israel, the Chinese and the Arabs later arrived for trade.’

Used for medicinal and beautification purposes,especially for women.

Phoenicians and the Arabs were the first to carry these priceless herbs and spices to the foreign lands.

JEWS •

•

• •

•

•

The Jews came to Kerala when extensive trade relations were established between the Malabar Coast and the Middle East during the time of King Solomon. their first settlement was in Crangannore, now known as Kodungallore.

There are historical evidences to show that the erstwhile rulers gave trading rights and concessions in the area to the Jewish merchant Joseph Rabban. Following Rabban’s death in the 11th century, a power struggle broke out among his sons which led to the break-up of the community.

Many moved to Mattancherry,which went on to become a major Jewish settlement.

A theory disputing this version says that it was the Portuguese invasion of Kodungallore that forced the Jews to move to Mattancherry where they were welcomed by the king of Kochi.

It is claimed without any evidence that there were Jewish settlements in Kerala from the days of King Solomonn It is true that Solomon's ships came to India but it was not for bringing Jews to settle in Kerala but for the purpose of trade.

Guided by Phœnician pilots, manned by Phœnician sailors, Phœnicians and Jews sailed forth together on their distant voyages, into the southern seas. They sailed to India, to Arabia and Somaliland, and they returned with their ships laden with gold and silver, with ivory and precious stones, with apes and peacocks.

THE PORTUGUESE 1503-1663 • The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in Kerala. They were also the first foreign power that captured the governance anywhere in India.

• The arrival of Portuguese was the result of the many voyages the Europeans undertook since 14th century, to find new markets for their products and acquire new raw materials and products useful for them.

• On 20 May 1498, Vasco da Gama set foot on Kappad beach in Kozhikode. His expedition was sponsored by Portuguese king Manuel I. Till the arrival of Portuguese, the primary foreign trading partners of Kerala were the Arabs.

• The Samoothiri (Zamorin) of Kozhikode gave them permission to conduct trade in Kozhikode market.

• But the demand of Gama to exchange pepper and other was rejected by the Zamorin. Angry at this turn of events, Gama went to Kannur.

• There he met with Kolathiri and signed a pact of trade with him. Gama soon returned to Portugal.

• His follower was Pedro Alvares Cabral. He led the second expedition and reached Kozhikode in 1500.

• The Zamorin allowed Cabral to build a trading center there.

• But the following battle between Arabs and the Portuguese made Cabral leave Kozhikode and go to Kochi.

• The Kochi king was in enmity with the Zamorin and gave every aid to Cabral Vasco da Gama reached Kerala for the second time in 1502.

• He asked the Zamorin to evict all Muslim traders but it got rejected. He attacked the Calicut beach and went to Kochi.

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THE DUTCH 1664 – 1804

• Dutch India is a term used to refer to the settlements and trading posts of the Dutch East India Company on the Indian subcontinent.

• Instead, Dutch India was divided into the governorates Dutch Ceylon and Dutch Coromandel.

• Merchants of the Dutch East India Company first established themselves in Dutch Coromandel, notably Pulicat, as they were looking for textiles to exchange with the spices they traded in the East Indies.

• Apart from textiles, the items traded in Dutch India include precious stones, indigo, and silk across the Indian Peninsula, saltpeter and opium in Dutch Bengal, and pepper in Dutch Malabar.

• Indian slaves were imported on the Spice Islands and in the Cape Colony.

• In the famous Battle of Colachel (1741), Travancore king Marthanda Varma's army defeated the Dutch East India Company, resulting in the complete eclipse of Dutch power in Malabar.By the middle of 1825, therefore, the Dutch had lost their last trading posts in India.

GUJARATHI TRADE •

Muslim ruler attacked Gujarat, they fled to various parts of India. One group travelled south to reach Calicut, Cochin, Allepey and Thiruvananthapuram. The terror of Muhammed Gaazni was so dreadful in their minds that they wanted to settle down in a place where the arms of the Muslim invaders could not reach them. They considered Cochin as their choicest abode as it provided both peaceful atmosphere and plenty of opportunity for trade.

•

They obtained grants of land from his Highness Raja of Cochin and along with it all the security was assured to them for whatever trade they conducted there.

While Cochin and Calicut Gujarati's maintained their culture, the Gujarati's aroung Sri Padbanabaswamy temple got much mixed with the locals that they don't speak Gujarati, eventhough they remember their grandfathers having spoken Gujarati.

•

•

Gujarati's were and are great traders. Since the Gujarati traders were the Chief exporting agents their quantum of trade had to be increased beyond all their expectations. Cochin became the center of activities where adequate facilities were available for the storage of goods and their exportation.

•

A copper plate issued by the Raja of Cochin Veera Kerala Varma in the year 1929 speaks about the special favours granted to them.

In the year 1887 there was a flow of Gujarati families to Cochin. 72 families reached Cochin during the year. They were provided with necessary facilities for settlement and they could live in exclusive area where they could preserve all their traditions and practices without any local interference. In Cochin, the Gujarati communities preserved all their culture and traditions.

Currently there are around 800 families of Gujarati's with a population of around 4000 in Cochin. Most of them live in Mattancherry area of Cochin. As a matter of fact Mattancherry is considered to be the most densly populated town in Kerala.

•

•

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HISTORY

HISTORY Trade in Malabar and the areas south of Malabar, focusing on ports such as Muziris, Quilon.

The Muziris port reportedly silted up as the result of unusual flooding by the Periyar River in 1341 AD. It may have been the Tsunami of 1258 that started the issue of the silting. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The floods in the river Periyar in 1341 choked the mouth of the Cranganore harbor and rendered it useless for purposes of tradeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The Island of Vaypi, on the north side of Cochin, rose from out the sea in the year 1341: The landing of Vasco Da Gama at Kappad, Calicut, in May 1498 marked the beginning of a new era in the history of Kerala.

Before the Portuguese period, the Arabs and Chinese established themselves in proximity to the ports portraying their sole interest in trade. Whereas the Hindu community settled further inward towards fertile lands for agricultural purposes.

Roman catholic Churches were built by Portuguese. They tried converting other religions. During the Portuguese period, there was a mix of religion and culture. Muslims, Hindus, Jews and Christians being the dominant religion in society. Hindus were divided into higher or lower caste based on varnas and jatis.

Mattancherry Palace ( Dutch Palace) :Built by the Portuguese in 1557 AD, given to the king of Cochin.

Renamed due to renovations by Dutch in 1663.

Their religious intolerance provoked the hostility of the Indian rulers and the people. The Portuguese failed to evolve an efficient system of administration. The Portuguese failed to compete successfully with the other European companies.

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HISTORY: The Dutch preferred to build exclusively in Fort Kochi because of their sole interest in trade. Major trade centres of the East India Company around the 1660â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s through which the pepper trade was carried through. There was growth in infrastructure like hospitals, bastions, administrative offices. In the Dutch period for the first time there appeared an (likely to be engineered) offshoot from calavathy canal. The Dutch being great Hydraulic Engineers, probably designed an offshoot to act as a moat for the Fort wall.

The British introduced new buildings the new Santa Cruz church, Town Hall and the Magistrate court.

The Syrian Christians were the earliest christians to arrive probably before 1000AD. The muslim community arrived in different phases. Settled in Cranganore, moved to Mattancherry after flood. Persian muslims settled in mainland as cultivators (marakalam).

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HISTORY

Time line of Cochini Jews JOSEPH RABBAN 1000- 1069 AD

KING SOLOMON 560 BC -Trading Purposes from Cranganore Ivory Spices Peacocks Business -Established good relationship with kings - Apparent evidence of cross marriage

2nd TEMPLE- The exodus 70 CE - In search of new disporas, found Cochin - Welcomed by Rajas - First Major Settlement.

-Merchant chief of Yemeni descent.

- Brought many jews.

-Copper plates -Later, both Cochini Jews claimed him as their forefather.

-Chera King granted him Anjuvannam village with proprietary rights.

INDIAN RAJAS 1100-1400 AD -Flooding of Cranganore in 1341 by Periyar.

-Shift of port to Mattancherry.

-Prominance of Mattancherry,Kochi as a trading port increases

-Invasion of Kochi by Portuguese- 1500 AD

DUTCH 1662 – 1795 AD

- Migration of Jews from Spain in 1492 and Portugal in 1497.

-Rebuilding of Paradesi Synagogue after partial destruction by Portuguese-1664 AD

- Jew town built and occupied in 1567.

-Mattancherry Palace1555 AD -Persecution of Portuguese by Zamorin of Calicut. Shift from Cranganore to Kochi1565 AD

spice shops seen in past

- Migration of Jews from all over the world, Aliyah.

-400 Jews in 1945 to 27 Jews in 1989.

-5000 collapsed to 200.

-Cemetery of Jews Town, clock towerbuilt in 1760 AD.

-Abraham Barak Salem, Jewish Gandhi- Unite black and white Jews.

INDEPENDENT INDIA 1947 -Discrimination ended, exodus continues

-

Arrival of the Jewish pilgrims at Cochin, A.D. 68 Jewish settlement in Mattancherry as of 1948

A further wave of immigrants arrived after the Roman capture of Jerusalem and destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. The immigration of Cochin Jewry to Israel started in the early 1950s and continued until early 1970s.

Initially they struggled very hard as they faced many problems such as language, culture, climate, geographical isolation, and racial discrimination.

- Formation of Israel1948 AD

-Chinese tiles placed in Synagogue-1762

-Paradesi Jews Synagogue-1568 AD

HISTORY Its beginnings lie in Biblical times.

The available history is a patchwork of folklore, fable and historical fact. The Old Testament indicates that the first Jews landed on Indian shores thousands of years ago, sailing from Israel on trade missions from the court of King Solomon.

Biblical accounts depict sailors and merchants docking at Kerala’s main harbour , charged with procuring spices and exotic treasure such as ‘elephant’s tooth, peacocks and apes’.

BRITISH INDIA 1797-1947 AD

PORTUGUESE 1500- 1663 AD

1565 initial Jewish settlements moved from Cranganore due to Portuguese invasion.

The Kerala King allocated land for Jewish settlement, close to the Dutch palace.

Dutch palace Paradesi synagogue

Route connecting synagogue and the palace

Map showing Jew settlement region in Mattancherry

current street view

As of today,2015 ,a meagre 7 Paradesi Jews are left .

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Jewish residence details

Living

Courtyard

store shop

Section and plan of a typical Jew residence before Dutch influence Compact planning Living space on top Storage and shops open to the ground Low pitched roof lesser water excavating performance

Section and plan of a typical Jew residence after Dutch influence • narrow plan •Courtyard at the back •High pitched roof •Increase in height to throw water away from the building , forming a verandah in front of the shops.

The row housing like façade treatment having verandahs like spaces in front of the shop Direct access to the upper residential part by stairs on the side

INTAC fort cochin (Prasad,1994)

The clock tower

Mezuzah’s on the door

The Dutch style clock tower is placed at one end of the Jew street, unused for more than sixty years, has fallen into decay.

Was funded by the World Monuments Fund for its restoration.

It is truly a cultural oddity because clocks were not integral to synagogue ritual or architecture.

The clock tower respects all the residing religious sects- Hebrew numerical facing the Synagogue, Roman for the street and Malayalam for the local populace.

http://www.indiaseminar.com/2007/572/57 2_amita_baig.htm

Menorah used inside the residence

Kadavumbagam Synagogue (black Jews)

Jew town, Cochin built and occupied in 1567 A.D. Building of Cochin Synagogue in 1568 A.D. Rebuilding of Cochin Synagogue after destruction by Portuguese in 1664 A.D. Clock tower built in 1760 A.D. Tiling of the Synagogue with tiles from Canton (China) in 1762 A.D.

Paradesi Synagogue (white Jews) Now in a dilapidated state Sources: Joshua, Isaac. The Synagogues of Kerala 70 CE to 1988, unpublished, 1988.

Extensively known as the synagogue for black Jews.

Now used as a godown.

Was given the same name as the Synagogue in Cranganore.

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HISTORY

JEWS ISRAEL

CRANGANORE

MATTANCHERRY

The history of the Jews in India reaches back to ancient times.

Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in India in recorded history .

Indian jews are a religious minority of India, but unlike many parts of the world, have historically lived in India without any instances of antisemitisim from the local majority populace, the Hindus.

The better-established ancient communities have assimilated a large number of local traditions through cultural diffusion. The Jewish population in India is hard to estimate since each Jewish community is distinct with different origins; while some allegedly arrived during the time of the Kingdom of Judah, others are seen by some as descendants of Israel's Ten Lost Tribes. In addition to Jewish expatriates and recent immigrants, there are five Jewish groups in India The 'black' Malabar component of the Cochin Jews, according to Shalva Weil, might have arrived in India together with Solomon's merchants. The Cochin Jews settled down in Kerala as traders. The 'white' component is of European and other Jewish descent.

JEWS

WHITE JEWS

BLACK JEWS

Why did the community die?

Many people migrated to the western countries mainly. (USA) The White Jews were accepted whereas the Black Jews couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get adjusted in Israel they moved back to Kochi.

They did not want a mix of these communities ,instead of working out their differences they continued to hate each other which eventually lead to the downfall of Jews in Kerala

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R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE 1498 marked the arrival of Vasco da Gama.

1663 is the year in which the centre of Portuguese activities in Malabar was captured.

TIMELINE 1341

1498-1663

1947

2015

PORTUGUESE INVASION

Scenario immediately before Vasco De Gama’s visit Kerala on the eve of the arrival of the Portuguese - feudal polity.

The bitter rivalry between the Zamorin on the one side and the Raja of Cochin, the Kolathiri.

The Raja of Cochin saw the arrival of the Portuguese a golden opportunity to get foreign assistance against his traditional enemy and build up his political strength.

Rajas of Quilon and Purakad soon formed alliance with the Portuguese, with the objective of overthrowing the Zamorin.

Kerala Before the Portugal Invasion

Vasco De Gama’s arrival at Kappad, near Calicut, on May 20th, 1498 was a culmination of a continuous, Portuguese thrust into the Atlantic, south of the Cape Of Good Hope, and on to India. De Gama stayed for the months, May to October, 1498 in this Southwest region of India.

Map of Samoothiris kingdom, also known as the Zamorin. Year of mapping is 1498 A.D, immediate period before Vasco De Gama’s first visit.

Source: Archeological Survey of India Explorations of ‘The Other World’ Vasco De Gama’s First Voyage to India, 1497-99 The above map shows the overall sea route that was taken by Vasco De Gama’s pioneering venture to Portugal’s explorations of ‘The Other World’ which was referred to as the coming and discoveries of ‘The New World’, by the Portuguese.

Source: 5explorations.wordpress.com

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HISTORY

Motive of the Portugal return to Kerala - Debated understandings of the prospects in India -“We seek Christians and Spices” – member of da Gama’s crew -‘To serve God and make a profit of ourselves’ on findings in the ‘New World’ -“We have come across the mighty deep, where none has sailed before us, in search of the Indus.” – Luis de Camoens, The Lusiads, trans. Penguin 1952, p-166 -Substitute the bitter relations with the Arabs, having grand visions of building up an empire in India by bringing the local powers under subjection -Economically rise in trade, business and production amongst the Western Powers

Map of voyage conditions, route notes to and from India made right after Vasco de Gama’s description to the King, Dom Manuel I of Portugal Source: Academia de Ciencias de Lisboa

The First Viceroy in India

-Portuguese state of India – 1505 A.D -Dom Francisco de Almeida- Portuguese nobleman, soldier and explorer -On arrival to Cochin, 1505 A.D - He strengthened the Portuguese fortifications of Fort Manuel on Cochin -The Portuguese ruled Kerala for 160 years (from 1503 – 1663). Cochin was the Headquarters of the Portuguese empire in India till 1663, after which it was moved to Goa. -The first capital of the growing Portuguese empire in Asia, Cochin, was also the first Western-style city to be raised on Indian soil.

First Portugal Map of Cochin, 1505 A.D Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vasco_da_Gama_perante_o_SamorimdeCalecute.png

Initial Mappings of Cochin Source: www.colonialvoyage.com

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Marakkarkotta ancient Portuguese Manuscript

Methods of documentation in Cochin by the Marakkars, 1633 A.D Source: https://quintessentialhope.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/advaitham

Religious Influence of the Portuguese Portugal was ruled by Moors (Muslims) for a long period of time and them being Catholics had crusading spirit towards the Moors.

Portuguese always had an anti spirit towards Muslims. They carried this spirit to India and slowly filled all the new converts and the old converts with this anti fortitude.

In Malabar people use to live together. People after being converted to Christianity also went on living together with non-Christians and they even shared a house with Muslims.

Affonso Henriques ordered Christians to live in separate quarters for this purpose king of cochin gave Portuguese a separate land.

This shows a definite rupture in social relationships along with a change in custom of land, which they had been living for centuries.

King of cochin had objections towards the Christians. He maltreated many of them.

Many of the times Christians were killed and their properties were taken.

Post Independence & Birth of Cochin Corporation In 1956 Elamkulam Panchayat + Cheranallur Panchayat (Pachalam - Vaduthala) = Cheranallur Panchayat (Pachalam - Vaduthala) The idea behind the formation of Cochin Corporation was first shaped in the Mattancherry Municipal Council.

Mattancherry has emerged as a commercial town and became the nerve center of commercial and industrial activities The landforms and lagoon system contributed to the concentration of economic activities on the water front areas.

The establishment of railway line and also the trade access between the neighboring cities also shifted the centre of focus from Mattancherry. The industrialization in turn resulted in population increase and consequent urban growth. Mattancherry started losing its importance even though the population statistics showed increase.

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HISTORY

Monuments erected by the Portuguese In Portugal, fortresses and churches were the two most important types of buildings.

‘Fort Kochi’ or ‘Fort Emmanuel’(Manuel Kotta) is the first Portuguese structure in Kochi which was built in 1503.

This was the seat of Portuguese activity in Malabar.

Some of the other buildings built by the Portuguese were churches, factories, hospitals, residences etc.

1663

1498 (John, 2010)

Map of fort Kochi etc List of Monuments

Other buildings erected by the Portuguese The first factory in Cochin was built in 1501 by Pedro Alvares Cabral.

The first hospital was erected by the Portuguese in 1505 by Francisco da Almeida.

Some of the other churches erected include St. Dominic church, Madre de Deus of the Jesuits, Chapel of St. Sebastian.

Santa Cruz Basilica-view

St Francis church- front view

The fortresses erected by the Portuguese were self sufficient containing artilleries, hospitals, offices for secular administration, charitable institutions, military installations, etc.

With the arrival of the Portuguese and the construction of their monuments, it was not long before Cochin attained the status of a ‘city’ according to European standards.

It was the first city in India to receive this title.

(John, 2010)

Sources John, J. (2010, Oct 26). The Portuguese and the Socio-Cultural Changes in Malabar: 1498-1663.

Pondicherry University. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10603/837 Archeological Survey of India 93

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Arrival of Dutch European Advent The Europeans had identified Kochi as an important place to begin with their domination. Following the Portuguese, the Dutch were the next Europeans to come to Kochi.

During the initial years of the Dutch period we can find two processes, which interdependent on each other, in shaping the regional identity of Kochi.

Firstly, the Dutch had to specify their position in the political landscape of Kochi by wiping out the Portuguese presence from the region and secondly.

To have a definite and cordial relation with the royal family of the regional state of Kochi. These two processes had been gone together and it played a crucial role in shaping the regional identity of Kochi.

The Dutch campaigns in Kerala were controlled and directed by the Batavia Council and towards the beginning of the 1660s they decided to intensify their mobilizations in Kerala.

Dutch East India Company Ditch rule in Kerala was more centered around the spice trade rather than the expansion of their territory.

Portuguese ruled the spice and textile trade in Asia.

During that time the invasion of Portuguese was In 1594, a meeting of merchants in Amsterdam founded the Dutch East India Company.

Steven Van Der Hagen appeared off Calicut in 1604.

With the support of the Zamorin of Calicut they invaded Kochi to drive Portuguese out in the year 1661.

Later Advents

Battle of Portuguese and Dutch

Dutch trading ships off Kochi coast

First attempt to capture the main Portuguese fort of goa in 1604 and 1639.

The Dutch decided to end for the secondary Portuguese trading port on the Malabar coast.

In 1650â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dutch possessed only the unfortified factories at Kayamkulam(Kerala).

Captured Kollam on 29th December 1658, but was reconquered by Portuguese on 14th April 1659.

Dutch took over Kollam(Quilon) in the battle of 1661, with the succour of the prince of Calicut.

Battle between Dutch and the Portuguese

Spreading of religionLiberal Tolerance The policies of Dutch were less forceful and less impetuous as compared as compared to the Portuguese.

Dutch attitude towards the people of Jews, Syrian Christians, Muslims, Hindus, all were free from any kind of persecution.

In 1665, the episcopal succession of Persian bishops was re-established (which was banned in the year 1558) upholding the Syrian liturgy who came unimpeded by the Dutch.

Kochi Jews, were opposed by the Portuguese, they lived in peace after the invasion of Dutch.

Even the Latin Catholics, after suffering a few disabilities in the very early years of Dutch rule, were afterwards provided so much liberty.

Kollam(Quilon) in 1661

Fort of Kollam 94 Fort of Kollam

HISTORY

Contribution of Dutch Method of Governing The Dutch unlike the Portuguese before or the British after them, were not interested in bringing the benefits of Western civilization to Kochi , except by the way they trade.

They established no colleges, founded no libraries, and made almost negligible, and made almost negligible attempt at missionary activities.

Even if they employed the Ezhavas as soldiers and at times in other humble capacities, and thus gave assistance to this caste indirectly in its long climb out of untouchability.They were moved by no passion to assert the equality of the humble before God like that which sent Francis Xavier to preach among the poor and lowly class of fishermen.The attitude of the Dutch towards the places where they settled was particularly significant. While the Portuguese had constructed in Cochin as if they were constructing a future metropolis.

Monumentalising

Pallipuram fort

The Dutch purposely reduced the fort area and the city, and pulled down probably all the public buildings which the Portuguese had erected.

The buildings constructed by them were devoted to commerce, and if the Portuguese are reminded by the great churches they left behind in the villages of the Malabar Coast, the Dutch are reminded by the warehouses at Mattancherri along the waterfront and the merchants' houses in Fort Cochin.

The one area in which they benefited Kerala was in the extension of the agricultural improvements which was introduced by the Portuguese and in the introduction of such industries as salt-making and dyeing.

Monuments during Dutch period Pallipuram Fort Pallipuram fort was built by Portuguese and captured by Dutch in 1661, and sold it to the kingdom of Travancore in 1789.

This fort is situated in northern extremity of Vypeen island.

This fort is in a hexagonal shape and popularly known as Ayikkotta.

Bolgatty palace Bolgatty palace is a former palace built by the Dutch in India.

Located on the island popularly known as bolgatty island in Kochi Kerala.

One of the oldest existing Dutch palaces outside Holland.

Built in 1744 by Dutch traders, was later extended and gardens were landscaped around it.

Bolgatty palace

Mattancherry palace(Dutch palace) This is popularly known as Dutch palace was built by Portuguese .

The palace was built and gifted by the Portuguese as a present to the Raja of Kochi .

The Dutch carried out some extensions and renovations in 1663, and there after the palace was called as “Dutch palace” The Raja’s made more improvements to the palace .

Subsequently the area was taken away by Hyder Ali and still later by East India Company.

Mattancherry palace

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HISTORY TIMELINE of Gujarati families GUJARATIS

1341

1800

1947

2015

1025 AD-Muhammed Ghazni attacked Gujarat, forcing many Guajarati communities to migrate to safer places southwards.

1295 AD- Large scale migration to Cochin, after receiving grants for trade.

Between 6th & 8th century B.C, Kerala was a center of Jainism.

Trade began to flourish, and more and more Gujarati families, traders/merchants began to consider settling in Cochin permanently.

1841-Raja of Cochin granted a piece of land- Mattancherry to Gujarati merchants for the construction of more warehouses & other trade purposes.

(http://www.jaintemplecochin.org/adv ent.htm)

The Gujarati traders found in Cochin are of mostly 3 categories- Exporters & importers - Dealt primarily with gold/silver markets - Moneylenders and Hundi merchants They mostly live in and around the Gujarati street(New road) & Palace Road in close proximity to the 100 year old Jain temple.

The Gujarati settlements began in isolation in the beginning, but in 1883, an association, Shri Cochin Gujarati Mahajan was founded to bring the community together, develop & implement schemes/infrastructure for its development.

GUJARATI STRUCTURES/AREA OF SETTLEMENTS Jain temple and temple related structures

Gujarati school and college

Gujarati settlement

Jewelers shops on palace road

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HISTORY

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION Shri Dharmanath Jain Temple

Jainism came to Kerala in the 3rd century after Chandragupta Maurya travelled to Shravanbelagola in Karnataka.

The temple is dedicated to lord Dharmanath, the 15th Tirthankar.

The temple has an imposing gateway embossed with a picture of Gajalakshmi sitting on a lotus The pillars here are curved elephant trunk brackets.

The entire marble interior is adorned with artworks and beautifully arranged with the sculpture pillars and idols of jain gods and Tirthankars.

The walls of the shrines have many jain holy pilgrimage places depicted in detail.

The temple complex is over a hundred years old and was recently officially granted the Teerth status.

HOUSING TYPES Front view of the temple (Www.Pixelshots.Com)

(www.indianscripture.com)

GUJARATI CHAWLS

Around new road, the Guajaratis live in chawl type quarter with offices or shops on the ground floor and residences on the first floor.

They also live in the area behind these structures.

The chawls front the street, and openings in the middle, usually arched lead to residential behind.

ELEVATION AND PLAN OF GUJARATI CHAWLS (Prasad N. D., 2014)

Chawl settlement in Mattancherry-context Typical gujarati chawl (Google) SOURCE: (M.ARCH THESIS,NOBLE)

The chawl faces the palace road, with the religious spaces adjacent and behind the settlements.

ROW HOUSING Gujaratis also live in row type housing.

The drawing shows one such block with 14 units and general details of one such unit.

In most cases, common toilet blocks serve the needs of the residence.

Schematic plan and section of row housing in mattancherry (Prasad N. D., 2014)

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GUJARATI STREET in Mattancherry The street was created as part of the settlement pattern of various communities in West Kochi. The region always had a dominant presence of vegetarian communities such as Gujaratis, Konkanis, Tamil Brahmins and Jains. All these communities had financially well-off members who could support a street exclusively for fruits and vegetables. (http://www.thehindu.com/)

IMPACT OF GUJARATI SETTLEMENT ON PALACE ROAD Pullupalam road used to have strong Gujarati participation till the riots in 1993, then the whole community shifted towards Palace road.

Palace road has jewellery shops contributed by the Gujarati settlements.

(http://www.cochingujaratimahaja n.com/Our_Services.html) Line of jewelleery shops on palace road and gujarati settlements behind it.

A

A

Palace Road Source: (M.Arch Thesis,noble)

Shri Cochin Gujarati Mahajan Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the representative organization of 800 families and 5000 members of Gujaratis and Marvaris residing in the corporation of Cochin.

This organization is responsible for building a number of schools, colleges, temples, a commercial complex, sports club as well as shelters for cows and birds.

Shri Cochin Gujarathi Vidyalaya Upper primary school, Sri Gujarati Vidyalaya Higher Secondary School, SRBS college Gujarati Bhavan- dormitory Gujarati Bhavan Commercial complex

Section aa

Gowsala In Panjarapole Lane

Sri Gujarati Vidyalaya High School 98

HISTORY

INVASIONS OF KONKANIES 1341

1947 2015

1560

MIGRATION OF KONKANS The influx of this community to Kerala began in the 12th century but it was the Portuguese attack of Goa in the 16th century that prompted a mass migration. Fearing coercive conversion to Christianity, the Konkanis fled to Kochi where the king gave them refuge. The saraswats of lower strata converted to Christiainity due to the fear of the Portuguese. The powerful rich community were resistant to this change due to their power.

The Middle Class - Kundumbis (who do field work), Vaniyars (traders), and Sonars (who do the goldsmith work) refused conversion and fled to Kochi.

The Mughal invasion and later the Portugal reign made many families leave the Konkan desh, bringing many to shores of Calicut, the throne of the Zamorin, who did not give them any shelter. The migrants later found a benevolent King of Kochi.

The Raja of cochin took them under his protection. An area of land was given to them and helped to build a Temple and also made arrangements for the conduct of festivals in the temple built by them.

It is believed that they came to shore through the canal and put their belongings at the place now called Sasti parambu and went straight to the King. The Raja of Cochin permitted them to stay and also allotted an area of land now known as cherlai. This was later renamed as Gosripuram.

The GSBs thus belonged to 3 classes - businessmen, landlords and poor.

The 20th century and Rise of Middle class •

During and after the first world war, many GSBs doing petty business utilised the business opportunities and made quick bucks. They realised the benefits of literacy and educated their children.

•

Basically good in Mathematics and Commerce many of these children managed to get jobs as teachers, clerks and accountants.

•

The introduction of Kerala Land Reforms Act in 1963 relating to the fixation of ceiling on land holdings, the vesting of lands in excess of the ceiling in Government, abolition of tenancy system and assignment of proprietary right on land to the cultivating tenants changed the fate of the temples and many GSBs.

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Major Events and Activities •

•

•

•

•

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In 1627 A.D, Vira Kerala Varma Raja of Cochin gave the Konkanis certain rights and privileges such as excemption from payment of Purushantharam or succession fee, permision to construct houses with bricks mortar and wood and also to conduct business from Cochin with foreign countries.

In 1648 A.D, the Raja of Cochin, Vira Kerala Varma, gave the community the civil and criminal powers to be exercised by them within the well-defined boundary of their settlement called ‘Sanketam’.

During the second half of the 17 Century AD while the portuguese were dominating Cochin, The Konkanis who rendered assistance to the Dutch were tortured by the Portuguese and their houses, markets and temple known as Cochin Tirumala Devaswom were plundered.

The Konkanis left Cochin along with the Venkateswara idol to a place called Udayamperur and remained there till Jan 1663. When the Portuguese surrendered to the Dutch, the Konkanis came back to Cochin and reconstructed the Cochin temple.

While the Konkanies were at Udayamperur where they remained as refugees without shelter, they took a pledge to spread their habitation in sixteen places, eight in Cochin Kingdom and eight in Travancore area thereby building sixteen Tirumala Devaswoms and calling each place a gramam.

The Saraswats competed with the Jaina traders and the Muslim Mopla traders on the West Coast in their overseas trade. The Europeans especially the Dutch and the Portuguese, who disliked the local Muslims for their close alliance with Arabs who were the rivals of these Europeans in oceanic trade, maintained special relations with the Saraswats in their commercial transactions.

Source: Author Calibri 8 italics

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HISTORY

TAMIL BRAHMINS

source;:photography group(inframe workshop)

• Kerala Iyers, like the Iyers of Tamilnadu and the Namboothiri of Kerala belong to pancha dravida classification of Indian Brahmin community .

• Iyers were usually employed as cooks, musicians, and temple assistants, since they were not allowed to conduct Pooja as a priest, in Kerala temples which follow thanthric rituals.

• Iyers being Vedic scholars build their own temples in agraharams to conduct Pooja, since they followed vedanthic agama rituals.

• During the rule of Travancore kings many Iyers(Tamil Brahmins) were invited to Tirvenanthapuram of administrative requirements of the kingdom and for participating in rituals related to Padmanabhaswamy temple.

• They migrated in 16th and 17th century and settled in cochin and Thrivandcore • Their settlements are called as agraharams that can be found at the Dutch palace ,end of the palace road with communal feeding place or samoohamadam on the other side of the street.

Google map image showing connection bwtween palace road and agraharam

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TYPOLOGY

TYPOLOGY STUDY

Matancherry Palace

Source: jewishmonumentskerala.blogspot.com

Pardesi Synagogue Black Jew Synagogue

Source: cochinsyn.com

Source: ourcochin.com

Source: jewishmonumentskerala.blogspot.com

Source:www.indiadirections.com

Source: www.img-Kadav-Mattan2.com

BLACK JEW SYNAGOGUE Built (Unclear): 1130 - 1400 - 1539 – 1549 Who built (Unclear): Local Narrative: established as early as 1130. Oral Stories : 1400 when Jews abandoned the nearby Kochangadi Synagogue just south of Jew Town.

Rebuilt by the mudaliyar (community leader of the Kerala Jews) Baruch Levi in 1539 or that his son, Joseph David HaLevy, was responsible for beginning its construction.

1549, the synagogue was completed by Yaakov ben David Castiel, the brother of Elihu Shmuel Castiel, the third mudaliyar and father of David Yaakov Castiel fourth mudaliyar.

1539/40 the building of the Kadavumbagam Synagogue was begun Was completed by Barukh Joseph Levi who had restored the Kochangadi Synagogue Extended or restored in 1549 by Jacob David Castiel Reason for Building: The establishment of the Synagogue was most likely due to the Malabari Jew Community that settled in Mattancherry after the resettlement of the Kerala Jews when the Moors attacked the Jewish settlements near Cranganore , the people fled to the port town of Mattancherry to seek refuge.

Non – Existing Features: Gatehouse & Breezeway.

Open Space extended to the East.

Portion which stood at the Coast line.

Ornamentation and Painted Surfaces Carved Woodwork.

Wooden Windows and Doors.

Cultural Significance in the Past: Anyone who was sick, sought protection, safety, or misplaced something and sought to recover it, or when a woman was soon to give birth or just thereafter and wanted a miracle, it was customary to bring a gift or donation to the synagogue as well as to pray for good will.

Whenever his Highness was about to travel southward and pass the Kadavumbagam Synagogue, The Rajah’s boat would pause at the landing, offering him a clear vista from the water, across to the shore, through the gap between neighboring buildings towards the synagogue and all the way through the spaces of the building to the end point: the Sefer Torahs. According to this tradition, the Rajah of Cochin would then stand and prostrate himself towards the synagogue.

Present Condition of the Synagogue: After the Malabari Jews of Mattancherry lef for Israel in 1955, the synagogue was first entrusted to the Paradesi Jewish community. The synagogue was later rented and then sold to non-Jews. The first owner used the place of worship to store prawns, a food item forbidden to Jews.

The building later became a woodshop, a workshop for producing ropes and mats and used to store coir products.

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Source: http://thinkingparticle.com/blog/keralan-odyssey-lost-streets-mattancherry-koch

Source: kerala.blogspot.com

Source: mithunonthe.net

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1 .

WHITE JEW SYNAGOGUE Built (Completed): 1568 Who Built and Intent for building: Built by the Jews of Kerala. Initially, Malabar Jews were th prosperous with spice trade. 16 Century Portuguese Invasion – destroyed original Synagogue. Second Synagogue built under the protection of Raja of Kochi in 1558. New Jewish group called Sephardim came in – Shared many aspects of their religion with the Malabar Jews and learned the Judeo-Malayalam dialect. In 1661, The Dutch challenged the Portuguese for the European supremacy in South India. Portuguese defended Fort Cochin and in March 1662 the Dutch withdrew.The Portuguese took revenge on the Jews. The Paradesi Synagogue was set on fire and partially destroyed. In 1665, the Dutch were finally able to oust the Portuguese and the Paradesi Synagogue was then repaired.

Existing Features: Sanctuary, Clock Tower, Cultural Significance in the Past: The Paradesi Synagogue had three classes of members White Jews were full members, Black Jews, or Malabar Jews and Meshuchrarim.

Like orthodox Jewish synagogues, the Paradesi Synagogue also has separate seating sections for men and women. In conformity with the Hindu and Islamic traditions of Kerala, the worshippers are required to enter the Synagogue barefoot. Also, as a result of Hindu influence, special colors of clothing were chosen for each festival. In addition, the Cochin Jews currently have no rabbis, as the community is led by elders.

Objects of antiquity: Scrolls of the Law, several gold crowns received as gifts and many Belgian glass chandeliers. Copper plates given to Joseph Rabban, the earliest known Cochin Jew. The floor of the synagogue – willow pattern tiles. Oriental rug, a gift from Haile Selassie, the last Ethiopian Emperor.

2.

Source: Intach Cultural Heritage Casestudies-II, Fort Kochi and Mattancherry A Monograph

Source: Intach Cultural Heritage Casestudies-II, Fort Kochi and Mattancherry A Monograph

Street Context: 1. Clock tower on the north of Synagogue lane.

2. Paradesi Synagogue

TYPOLOGY

.

Source: Wikipedia

Source: http://asi.nic.in/asi_museums_kochi.asp

Built :

•

1557 A.D.

Who built :

•

Built by the Portuguese in 1555.

•

Renovated by the Dutch in 1663 and since been called the “DUTCH PALACE”.

Reason for Building:

It was the Portuguese who, after grabbing Cochin from the Dutch, had initially built the Mattancherry Palace in 1557.

They, then, gifted it to the Raja Veera Kerala Varma of Cochin, as compensation for a temple they had destroyed, and also as a bribe to gain favors from the ruling dynasty.

It was later, in 1663, when the Dutch wrestled Cochin from the hands of the Portuguese that the palace shifted hands.

The Dutch revamped the Mattancherry Palace, which is why it is also famous by the name of Dutch Palace.

Mattancherry Palace/ Dutch Palace Establishment Existing features of the Palace

The nature of its arches and the generous proportions of its chambers represent features of European architecture.

The palace is constructed in the form of a Nalukettu (quadrilateral structure). But, its indigenous features are marked by wooden coffered ceilings and mezzanine flower arrangements.

The central courtyard enshrines the Pazhayannur Bhagavati, the patron deity of the Kochi Royal family. The main rooms In this palace are the palliarai or bed chamber (Ramayana room), the coronation hall, Kovinithalam (staircase room), and the ladies' chamber .The palliarai and ladies' chamber especially carry on all their four walls the magnificent mural paintings, as many as fifty seven of them, covering a total wall area of nearly 1000sq.ft.

They had been added in three phases, from the beginning of 17th century AD to the end of 18th century.

The themes depict here are mainly religious in nature. For the drawing of the Murals only natural colors were used.

The complete story of Ramayana has been depicted in seven panels on the walls of the Palliarai (Bed chamber).

Paintings of Durga, Ganapathi, Vishnu as Aadimurthl, Bhuthamatha, and Rama Pattabhishekam etc. are also seen.

The Mural paintings such as Krishnaleela, Siva Parvathi and Mohini were in the ladles' chamber. The ladies' chamber consists of unfinished paintings and line drawings.

They are mainly the scenes from Kumarasambhavam and Parvathiparinayam.

The palace also contains rare examples of traditional Kerala flooring, which looks like polished black marble but is actually a mixture of burned coconut shells, charcoal, lime, plant juices and egg white 105

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Source: http://www.cochin.org.uk/touristattr actions/mattancherry-palace.html

Source:http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/kerala/kochi-cochin/sights/museumsgalleries/mattancherry-palace#ixzz3iDqIcQ1C

Cultural significance of the Palace in the past This palace was used as the Royal home and also to conduct coronation ceremony.

Mattancherry Palace kept on transferring from the hands of one ruler to another.

After the Dutch rule, the palace was renovated numerous times by a number of native rulers. The murals present in the palace tell the stories of the kings who ruled it.

The palace walls are picture galleries of the Cochin Rajas. Since the palace was home to a number of native as well as foreign rulers and invaders in its entire history, each one added something or the other supplementing it with unique tints from various cultures.

Source: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/kerala/kochi-cochin/sights/museumsgalleries/mattancherry-palace#ixzz3iDqIcQ1C

Present condition of the Palace The Dutch palace remains more or less the same in structure and appearance even today. Its facade is fairly unornamented and is made up of stark white walls, sloping roofs and trees around it.

The site is a Centrally Protected Monument under the control of Archaeological Survey of India since 1951. Presently Archaeological Museum is housed In the Palace.

The present museum was established in May 1985 housing a variety of exhibits such as portraits of the Cochin Kings, palanquins, dresses, weapons, three royal umbrellas, canopy, dolis, swords, stamps and coins etc.. The life-size portraits of the kings of Cochin from 1864 onwards are displayed in a long hall originally served as coronation hall. The weapons on display are sheathed swords, daggers and axes besides ceremonial spears decorated with feathers. There are in total five palanquins including doli in display in three different galleries. Of this, the most important one is the ivory palanquin made of wood laminated with ivory.

The ceremonial dress of the kings with intricate lace work in golden thread woven into them is in display. Also in display are royal caps worn by the Cochin kings. The coins issued by the kings of Cochin and postal stamps are exhibited besides important plans of Cochin drawn by the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries.

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Source: https://www.keralatourism.org/kochi/ dutch-palace-mattancherry.php

TYPOLOGY Bastian bungalow – Dutch house Built in 1667 Found in the European portion of Fort Kochi .

Set well within plots along tree lined avenues.

Indo-European type of architecture.

Massive teak beams Wooden staircase.

Long open verandah running along the length.

Tiled roof.

Source: Intach Cultural Heritage Casestudies-II, Fort Kochi and Mattancherry A Monograph

Source: http://thefortcochin.blogspot.in/2008 _01_01_archive.html

Tamil Agraharam Source: Sketched on visit to site.

Raja visited Kayamkulam-community of business men there from Kallidaikarchi in Tirunelveli.

Narrow and deep plots.

Frontage 12-13 feet Courtyards along the length and common side boundaries.

Outdoor seating facing the internal street“pial”.

Across the main road- temple, pond and feeding halls of the tamil brahmin community.

Source: Intach Cultural Heritage Casestudies-II, Fort Kochi and Mattancherry A Monograph

Houses on Princess Street

Source: http://seenjoykerala.com/destinations/ Source: Intach Cultural Heritage Casestudies-II, Fort Kochi and Mattancherry A Monograph

Living quarters on the upper floors Lobby in the front for entertaining guests.

Street level- pleasure parlors for European sailors and soldiers.

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HOUSING TYPOLOGIES OF MATTANCHERRY Kochin architecture’s aesthetic appeal : • Human Scale • Simplicity of form

3 Factors affecting the architecture : Geographic Climatic Historic BUILT FORM ANALYSIS

3 different types of house typologies in mattancherry •Bungalow •Street form •Large court form

Source(pics):m.Arch thesis, cept

BUNGALOW FORM • Building set back from the street • Well landscaped wide street • Large public open spaces • Buildings of distinctive colonial character (mostly Dutch) • Represent the high income group residential area, both in the past and present.

Sloping roof with clay tiles ‘Pial’ for seating overlooking the street

Elevation

Pial

AGRAHARAM •Narrow and deep plots •12-13ft frontage •Houses share walls along the side boundaries •Courtyards present along the plot length •Outdoor ‘pial’ for seating, a common feature, facing the internal street.

Agraharam a private neighbourhood, enhanced by the arch entrance.

Backyard

Source(pics):m.Arch thesis, cept 108

TYPOLOGY LARGE COURT FORM •Building set on street edge with large building bulk and large courts for godowns

Source(pics):m.Arch thesis, cept

•Narrow streets with good water access

Jew Community

•No public open space •Buildings have controlled gates on the street side with a passive street interface •These godowns/office area presently being converted to pulic facilities and institutions.

The produce that came, like spices, from growers in small quantities was gathered and stored in large halls and open yards, used for drying and transacted to ships for export through the European traders.

The goods the came in were collected near the jetty, stored and sorted in the godown, some kind of spices were dried in the open yard, packed and sold in the shops or offices abutting the road Baazar street Godown Offices/shops Open yards Water body

STREET FORM •Buildings edge the street often with on-street first floor access.

•Small narrow streets •Very little public open space •Buildings of mixed architectural style with active street interface •Middle/lower income group residential areas.

•Shop fronts abutting the street to create a unique street character Shop front along the street Source(pics):M.Arch thesis, cept

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HOUSES WITH COURTYARDS The common spaces below on the ground floor. Private bedrooms, living and study on the above floor

Courtyard

First floor

Ground Floor

Source(pics):m.Arch thesis, cept

Courtyard

Princess street housing â&#x20AC;¢Direct frontage on street Ground Floor

Typology 2

First floor

JEW HOUSING

Godown Offices/shops Residency

Source(pics):m.Arch thesis, cept

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the

TYPOLOGY Source(pics):m.Arch thesis, cept

Existing building typologies Source(pics):M.Arch thesis, cept

Bazaar Road-Movement of trade and goods via boats in the backwater.

Sectional elevation of typical godowns on the backwaters with one end relating to the street for the offices.

Section showing how the ground level acts a crowd puller by shops flanked on both sides.

Office

Commercial

Courtyard

Godown

Commercial

Street

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MATTANCHERRY OVER THE AGES….

Design philosophy centered around courtyards and Aroofs due to existing coastal climate

1000 A.D

Early 1500s – Jew influence: Built first synagogue in 1568 Early 1500s – Portuguese: •Replaced thatched roofs with tiles •Forts, elegant houses and monasteries lined streets •Transformed simple homes with more ornate and fine lines of detailing •Brought in the concept of arched windows and verandahs

1663 A.D 1341 A.D

Arab and Chinese enter Kochi, bring with them fishing nets and compound wall designs used to store goods.

1795 A.D 1500s A.D

Dutch influence: •Their rule was very tight knit, segregated and trade focused •Plenty of open spaces for natural light and ventilation.

Use of glass tiles •High thick compound walls for privacy •Use of courtyards and verandahs •Houses were painted pale blue, white or yellow

112

British influence: •Courthouses had pale facades, tiled roofs and large thick compound walls •Compound walls lined with plenty of banana and breadfruit trees for security and privacy •Houses had strong 6” thick walls and were built to resist bombardments

2000s A.D

Present day Mattancherry: The Bazaar road - all the trade took place from here traditionally.

Has evolved to be one of the central markets in the present day Façade shows continuous rows of buildings, but towards the interior are enormous go-downs used to store spices and grain

TYPOLOGY

JEW COMMUNITY

Jewish settlement at Mattanchery Source: N. Devi Prasad, INTACH, Cultural heritage case studies-II, Fort Cochin and Mattanchery - A monograph

Jew Town in 1948 showing the properties occupied by the Jews.a

The settlement around synagogue and the major spine is the Jew town street.

The buildings resemble the traditional Dutch architecture the ground floor rooms are used as shops or warehouses and the living rooms are on the first floor.

The frontage on the street side is continuous in pattern of row houses.

Presently, the buildings are antique shops and warehouses.

Jew town floor plan 113

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COMMUNITIES IN MATTENCHERRY… During Portugese Period: •Jews •Konkini Bhramins •Tamil Bhramins During British Period: •Gujarathis •Kutchi muslims •Muslims

History and evolution

1

3

2

4 5 Communities in Mattancherry during Portuguese period

•Community dwelling posses good spatial organization allowing fair interaction between dwellers.

•Intensity of interaction is based on caste and eating habits.

•People in the community have the tendency to isolate themselves from other communities.

•Communities are self sustained in terms of religious and educational institutions community halls and open grounds.

•Available public space do not have enough level of accessibility.

•Government open spaces separated by compound walls, and community spaces wont allow people from other communities.

INTER RELATION OF COMMUNITIES Gauda Saraswat ha Brahmin Jews Maharas htra Brahmin

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Tamil Brahmin

Musli m Christia n

Gujarath i

TYPOLOGY

Konkini Brahmins

Konkini Brahmin’s settlement at Mattanchery Source: N. Devi Prasad, INTACH, Cultural heritage case studies-II, Fort Cochin and Mattanchery - A monograph

Konkini Brahmin’s settlement around Thirumala devaswam temple

Source: google earth

HISTORY

•The migration of GSB to Kerala was mainly in two phases- In 13th •century and in 15th century.

•In the first phase, ie, in 13th, 14th and 15th century, the Brahmins from the Goa, were forced to leave there by the attack of the delhi sulthan Alauddin Khilji and his forced religious conversion •policies •The raja gives them the title ‘Konkanastha Mahajanam’ and •an area of land was allocated to them. There they built a temple. Their land was known as Sashasthiparambu.

THE SETTLEMENT:

Konkini Brahmin’s housing settlement pattern at Mattanchery

Source: Urban design studio - 2007

•The settlement of Konkini Brahmins’ is around the Thirumala Devaswam temple, making it as the centre.

•The four streets along the cardinal directions end at the gopuram of the temple and the houses are aligned on both sides of these streets.

• The houses are of row house pattern with hardly 5 to 6 meters width.

•Houses are facing the street to ensure the visibility of the procession from the temple.

•The temple is closely attached to their lifestyle.

•The row houses can be an influence of Dutch, who brought the row houses to the Peninsular cochin, and the Konini’s had a good relationship with them.

•even so some elements, such as the seating at the entry, the courtyards, etc, are seen in the Tamil agraharams •Their settlement pattern was developed as the resultant of need for security and unity.

•Each house has a pooja room facing the front, and the upper storey using the steep slop of the roof.

Louvered windows and coloured glasses-Konkini Brahmin’s house, Mattanchery Cochin Source: Urban design studio-2007

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JEW TOWN

JEW STREET

•Trade – main profession •Hence, godowns, shops, office were the entrance to the house •Living on the first floor •Reconstructed with dutch influences •Narrow and deep plan forms •Stepped gables •High pitched roofs

•Houses are separated by colours of the facades

Jew community of Mattancherry in 1913

Roof Plan of Jewish community

Comparison between communities Agraharam Residents part of the temple community Private community as there was no necessity to socialise.

Pial on the street front, interacting with the street.

Courtyard along the length of the plot Sloped roof with clay tiles

Jew Community Residents part of the trading community Hence, streets open to public; porous for marketing.

Shop fronts interacting with the street Courtyard in the middle of the house Public activities on the ground floor, private activities on the first floor

Community distribution •Traditional streets and markets choke with traffic – overuse •Lack of pollution control •Lack of water edge development guidelines and organised development Issues related to heritage site : Urban degeneration Pulling down or unauthorised modification of valuable heritage buildings Unsympathetic development – destroying architectural harmony

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TYPOLOGY

GUJARATIS

The Gujarati and Kutchi Muslim’s settlement at Mattanchery

Source: N. Devi Prasad, INTACH, Cultural heritage case studies-II, Fort Cochin and Mattanchery - A monograph

It is believed that the Gujarati migration started when Mohammed Ghazni attacked Gujarat and took over Somnath Temple.

Some people left the Kutch region, where rainfall was scanty.

Initially they conducted business in spices, and later started diversifying their trade into other commodities also.

Around 13 sections of Gujaraties reside in Cochin.

Today Gujaraties hold so many shops and warehouses at Mattancherry.

Gujarati row houses, Mattanchery, Cochin

Source: Vandana Viswanath, 2003-08 B.Arch

GUJARATHI HOUSES •A typical Gujarati house will have a central court yard with a thulasithara, and their own place of worship, similar to the Konkini Brahmins.

•The house will have an entrance gateway.

• The architectural style is inherited from the Buddhist as well as the Hindu tradition.

• Row house pattern can be seen in some cases, which was adopted from the adjacent Tamil Brahmin community or the Konkini Brahmins, who gained this from the Dutch trade relationships.

•The thulasithara is a Kerala influence, where as the entrance gateway and the row house pattern is by the Tamil Brahmin influence, which further came from the Europeans.

Source: N. Devi Prasad, INTACH, Cultural heritage case studies-II, Fort Cochin and Mattanchery - A monograph 117

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Tamil agraharam elevation

Source: N. Devi Prasad, INTACH, Cultural heritage case studies-II, Fort Cochin and Mattanchery – A monograph

Tamil Brahmin’s settlement and housing pattern at Mattanchery

Source: N. Devi Prasad, INTACH, Cultural heritage case studies-II, Fort Cochin and Mattanchery- A monograph

HISTORY •Tamil Brahmins are one of the most influential of the non – indigenous communities that migrated to Cochin.

• Holding a dominant position in public life, Tamil Brahmins engaged themselves in trade, money lending and agricultural pursuits.

•The origin of Tamil Brahmin community is still a mystery.

• However it is sure that in Kerala they came from the Thirunelveli and Ramnad districts of TN (known as the Pandi Iyers) and from Tanjore district of TN to Palakkad (known as Palakkad Iyers).

The Agraharam •The Agraharam of the Tamil Brahmins is clearly visible at the Palace road with the communal feeding place or ‘Samoohamadam’ on the other side of the street.

•In the Agraharam, long narrow plots are found on two sides of a narrow street.

•The houses are built with common walls between and characterised by a linear configuration of rooms with intermediate courtyards for light and ventilation.

Tamil Brahmin’s settlement and housing pattern at Mattanchery

Source: N. Devi Prasad, INTACH, Cultural heritage case studies-II, Fort Cochin and Mattanchery

•There are 2 kinds of agraharam : - Houses on one side of the street - Houses on two sides of the street

•Invariably, the archway leads into an entrance lobby which runs the depth of the shops fronting the street and opens into a yard behind.

• Staircases lead up to the first floor and rarely beyond. The first floor is usually residential and consists of large rooms which •reflects the proportions of those on the ground floor and are ventilated by large windows facing the street.

• The roofs of these rooms are usually tiled offering the use of an attic above.

Gateway to Tamil Brahmin’s settlement, Mattanchery Source: N. Devi Prasad, INTACH, Cultural heritage case studies-II, Fort Cochin and Mattanchery – A monograph

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TYPOLOGY

HISTORY TIMELINE GUJARATIS

1341

1947

1800

2015

HISTORY 1025 AD-Muhammed Ghazni attacked Gujarat, forcing many Guajarati communities to migrate to safer places southwards.

1295 AD- Large scale migration to Cochin, after receiving grants for trade.

Between 6th & 8th century B.C, Kerala was a center of Jainism.

Trade began to flourish, and more and more Gujarati families, traders/merchants began to consider settling in Cochin permanently.

1841-Raja of Cochin granted a piece of land- Mattancherry to Gujarati merchants for the construction of more warehouses & other trade purposes.

The Gujarati traders found in Cochin are of mostly 3 categories- Exporters & importers - Dealt primarily with gold/silver markets - Moneylenders and Hundi merchants They mostly live in and around the Gujarati street(New road) & Palace Road in close proximity to the 100 year old Jain temple.

The Gujarati settlements began in isolation in the beginning, but in 1883, an association, Shri Cochin Gujarati Mahajan was founded to bring the community together, develop & implement schemes/infrastructure for its development.

Source: (http://www.jaintemplecochin.org/advent.htm)

GUJARATI STRUCTURES/AREA OF SETTLEMENTS Jain temple and temple related structures

Gujarati school and college

Gujarati settlement

Jewelers shops on palace road

Source: (M.Arch thesis,noble) 119

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RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION SHRI DHARMANATH JAIN TEMPLE Jainism came to Kerala in the 3rd century after Chandragupta Maurya travelled to Shravanbelagola in Karnataka.

The temple is dedicated to lord Dharmanath, the 15th Tirthankar.

The temple has an imposing gateway embossed with a picture of Gajalakshmi sitting on a lotus The pillars here are curved elephant trunk brackets.

The entire marble interior is adorned with artworks and beautifully arranged with the sculpture pillars and idols of jain gods and Tirthankars.

The walls of the shrines have many jain holy pilgrimage places depicted in detail.

The temple complex is over a hundred years old and was recently officially granted the Teerth status.

Source: (www.indianscripture.com)

HOUSING TYPES GUJARATI CHAWLS Around new road, the Guajaratis live in chawl type quarter with offices or shops on the ground floor and residences on the first floor.

They also live in the area behind these structures.

The chawls front the street, and openings in the middle, usually arched lead to residential behind.

Elevation And Plan Of Gujarati Chawls Source: (Prasad N. D., 2014)

Typical Gujarati Chawl Source: (Google)

Chawl settlement in Mattancherry-context

The chawl faces the palace road, with the religious spaces adjacent and behind the settlements.

Source: (M.Arch thesis,noble)

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Front View Of The Temple (Www.Pixelshots.Com)

TYPOLOGY

ROW HOUSING Gujaratis also live in row type housing.

The drawing shows one such block with 14 units and general details of one such unit.

In most cases, common toilet blocks serve the needs of the residence.

Schematic Plan And Section Of Row Housing In Mattancherry Source: (Prasad N. D., 2014)

GUJARATI STREET IN MATTANCHERRY

Source: (http://www.thehindu.com/)

The street was created as part of the settlement pattern of various communities in West Kochi. The region always had a dominant presence of vegetarian communities such as Gujaratis, Konkanis, Tamil Brahmins and Jains. All these communities had financially well-off members who could support a street exclusively for fruits and vegetables.

IMPACT OF GUJARATI SETTLEMENT ON PALACE ROAD Pullupalam road used to have strong Gujarati participation till the riots in 1993, then the whole community shifted towards Palace road.

Palace road has jewellery shops contributed by the Gujarati settlements.

Gowsala In Panjarapole Lane

Palace Road

A

A Section Aa Line of jewelleery shops on palace road and gujarati settlements behind it.

SHRI COCHIN GUJARATI MAHAJAN

Sri Gujarati Vidyalaya High School (http://www.cochingujaratimahaja n.com/Our_Services.html)

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the representative organization of 800 families and 5000 members of Gujaratis and Marvaris residing in the corporation of Cochin.

This organization is responsible for building a number of schools, colleges, temples, a commercial complex, sports club as well as shelters for cows and birds.

Shri Cochin Gujarathi Vidyalaya Upper primary school, Sri Gujarati Vidyalaya Higher Secondary School, SRBS college Gujarati Bhavan- dormitory Gujarati Bhavan Commercial complex

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STREET TYPOLOGY : PALACE ROAD

COMMUNITY MAPPING ALONG PALACE ROAD

HISTORICAL CONTEXT •In the year 1405, the Cochin raja shifted their capital to Mattancherry, and thus it became the administrative centre also. There was a palace near to the present Dutch palace, which is the first palace built in Mattancherry.

Hence the name.

•The Palace road street ends at the entry of the Mattancherry palace complex and acts as a central spine for various important religious and community precincts.

•All communities are settled in and around the Mattancherry palace. The Konkini Brahmins and the Tamil Brahmins are along the Palace road, forming a commercial stretch along the road, and the Jews are next to the Palace sharing the wall of the palace complex. ?

User groups consist of : Jew community ,Tamil brahmins,Konkani brahmins,Gujarathis,Hindus and muslims •Main commercial spine of Mattancherry.

•Forms a central axis terminating in the Palace road-boat jetty complex in the east end •Retail – commercial belt •Connected to Temples, Schools and Govt. offices.

Source:M.ARCH Thesis

122

TYPOLOGY

ARCHITECTURAL STYLE •Fusion of various cultures and traditions.

•Some have been modified to suit the present needs.

RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE •The Thirumala Devaswam temple Gosripuram Cochin Thirumala Devaswom Temple is the premier institution of the Gowda Saraswath Brahmins. Dedicated to Sri Venkateswara or Venkatachalapathy of Thirumala Hills, it was established in A.D 1599.

The site is said to be allotted by the Raja of Cochin ?

•The Samoohamadam is the common feeding space, similar to the Oottupura in the Kerala temple. Along with that the Pond - similar to kulakadavu in Kerala temples, is also there.

• Inside the Mattancherry palace courtyard there stands a small temple dedicated to 'Pazhayannur Bhagavati', the protective goddess of the Kochi Royal family. There are two more temples on either side of the Palace, one dedicated to Lord Krishna and the other to Lord Siva .

ABSENT STREET •This axis link important religious, community and other precincts.

•Also the residential settlements are closed linked to these precincts.

•If absent, it would result in chaos and crowding of the other minor streets which were offshoots of the main spine.

Source:M.ARCH Thesis

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STREET TYPOLOGY : JEW STREET Historical time line

•Ground floor- shops looking onto the street •Upper floor- Living area

•Ground and upper floor are shops with very less residences on the Jew street •As of 2005, only 30 Jews reside in the Jew town

•Used by the jews- Black and white •popular among tourists •20th century many jews migrated back to Israel •Left belongings in their houses •These belongings now sold in antique shops all along Jew town street RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE

•Three types of jews in india: Bene Israel jews, Cochin Jews, Baghadadi Jews ?

•Cochin Jews, also called Malabar Jews, oldest group of Jews in India, with possible roots claimed to date to the time of King Solomon. Used to live in cranganore. Called black jews •Early 16th century, expulsion from the Iberian Peninsula (mainly Holland, Spain and Portugal) a few families of Sephardic Jews eventually made their way to CRANGANORE. Formed White jews.

•The jews in Cranganore and Portuguese there did not see eye to eye •Jews came to Mattancherry in 1514 AD •Welcomed by local ruler – Raja Rama Varma and given land for settlement and building their synagouge.

WHAT IF THE STREET WAS ABSENT •Jew town street is the spine of the Jew community in Mattancherry •Source of livelihood of most jews •Antique shops- income generator •If absent- will affect the tourism of Mattancherry •If absent- Void in the social fabric of Mattancherry

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Source: History of Mattancherry Kochi, Chapter 7

TYPOLOGY

STREET TYPOLOGY : JEW STREET IMPACT OF THE STREET •Boundary of jew community was well defined •Did not extend much beyond their location in the south east of Mattancherry.

TOPOGRAPHY •3m contours towards the western part of the Jew Street •1m contours seen along the Jew Town Road ARCHITECTURAL STYLE • Jews-insecure, lived in close knit rowhouses • Jews lived in buildings such as these typologies • Spacious rooms, large doors and windows • Windows with inbuilt seating, aligned to window of house across street, enabled conversations STREET SECTIONS • • • • • •

Shops facing the street Residence on the other side of the shop in the same building Single storey buildings with sloping roofs Conforms with UDPFI guidelines Broad street with shops .

Only 2 wheelers can move in this street

Source: Author Calibri 8 italics

Source: INTACH

Source: Author

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STREET TYPOLOGY : BAZAAR STREET Initially all the processing of the spices was done in the godowns, but nowthat the processing has reduced these godowns have turned into residential buildings •Spice route from Rome ,Africa connecting Spice capital of the worldKerala (through Fort Kochi) and then to China and Japan •Boat jetty facility to travel .

•Trade activities

The Bazar Road ensemble is an excellent example of a townscape touched by daily activity and the styles of many diverse lands.

The history of the spice trade and the power of the architectural spaces in Cochin provide potent images.

Kochi(Cochin) became a colonial outpost of the First European settlement in India.

Arabs, Jews, Christians, South East Asians, Chinese-freely traded. Portuguese took control over the trade.

A unique vernacular style developed reflecting local environment of the trade and traders. The historic patterns of trading culture is visible in the buildings and layout of the city.

•The Bazar road is oriented in northwest-south east direction.

•It is compactly packed providing sufficient shade for people to move even in harsh summers.

• This type of arrangement is appropriate for trade and market Godowns - along the water-side and the shophouses line the lanes leading to the Synagogue.Godowns are packed with old furniture, building parts - including granite columns, wood carved gable ends and doors, religious artefacts - Hindu, Jewish and Christian, array of lamps, statues, photographs, jewellery and household containers.

Bazar road is lined with shops which are two storied buildings with Decorated windows and carved eaves enhancing the street facade. The godowns in Mattancherry run perpendicular to the streets. Grand doors, expansive courtyards. Interior courtyards are enclosed by godowns- designed for storing goods- gable roofed- clay roofing tiles, timber rafters, heavy timber ties and brick stuccoed walls.

Source:INTACH, M.ARCH Thesis, www.worldcitizen-trail.net 126

UDPFI

UDPFI Social infrastructure: Educational facilities: Primary to secondary-2,500 Higher education to general-1.25 lakhs Technical education – for every 10 lakhs Professional education engineering and medical 2 of them in urban extension.

Distribution services: Petrol pump – 150 hectare – residential - 40 hectares – industrial - 1 in community centre - 2 in district centre Milk booth – 1 booth – 5,000 population LPG godown – 1 for 50,000 population

Health care facilities: General hospital – 2.5 lakhs – 500 beds Immediate hospital – 1 lakh – 200 beds Poly clinic – 1 lakh Nursing – 1 lakh – 30 beds Dispensary – 15,000

Police: 1 for 90,000 population

Parking space requirement: Car - 3m * 6m for individual parking space requirement.

- 2.5 m * 5m for community parking space requirement.

Truck – 3.75 * 5m

Parking car units: Car /taxi – 1.00 2 wheeler – 0.25 Auto rickshaw – 0.50 Bicycle – 0.10

Planning unit population

Socio-culture facilities: Community centre – 5,000 – 680 sq.m Community hall and library – 15,000 – 2,000 sq.m Recreational club – 1 lakh – 10,000 sq.m Music , dance & drama centre – 1 lakh – 1,000 sq.m Meditation , spiritual centre – 1 lakh – 5,000 sq.m Socio culture centre – 10 lakh – 15 hectare

Foot path:

1 housing cluster/ neighbourhood - 5000 2 neighbourhood - 5000-15,000 3 community/ ward upto 100,000 4 district - 5 lakh-zonal 10 lakh 5 sub city centre - 25 lakh – 50 lakh 6 city - 50 lakh +

Capacity

Width in mts

One direction

Both direction

1220

800

1.5

2400

1600

2

3600

2400

2.5

4800

3200

3

6000

4000

4

Urban street: Road

Min. Intersection spacing

Speed

Land width (Right of way)

Arterial

500 m

80 kph

50-60 m

Sub-arterial

300m

60kph

30-40 m

Collector street

150m

50kph

20-30 m

Local street

-

30kph

10-20 m

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Typical cross sections of urban roads

Urban arterial road

Urban sub - arterial road through open area

Urban collector street through residential area

Urban cul â&#x20AC;&#x201C; de â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sac

Urban residential street

Source: UDPFI Guidelines Appendix B

Rail roads Normal gauge Narrow gauge Roads All weather Hard surface, two or more lanes wide Hard surface, one lane wide Loose or light surface Fair or dry weather, loose surface Cart truck Footpath trail Boundaries International Source: UDPFI Guidelines Appendix B

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UDPFI Main groups

Sub-groups

Residential

Primary residential zone Mixed residential zone Unplanned/informal residential zone

Commercial

Retail shopping zone General business and commercial district/ centres Wholesale, godowns, ware- houses/ regulated markets

Industrial

Service industry Light industry Extensive industry

Open space Classifed Un classfied Transport and communication Road Railways Airports Sea ports and dock yards Bus depots/truck terminals/freight complexes Transmission &communications( telephone exchange, TV station, broadcasting station, etc.)

Agriculture land Agriculture, forests, rural settlements Poultry and dairy farm Public and semi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; public

Govt/semi govt/ public offices Govt land(use undetermined) Education &research Medical & health Social cultural and religious Utilities and services Cremation and burial grounds

Vacant land

Built but un-occupied Vacant under construction Vacant developed but unbuilt 129

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Sub groups

Old built up (core) areas Heritage & conservation areas Colour coding used in master plan:

Scenic value areas

Source: Author

Source: Author 130

UDPFI

Statistics â&#x20AC;˘About 4 lakh people visit the biennale. For a time period of 108 days. â&#x20AC;˘About 400-500 people on normal day and can go up to 2000-5000 on a holiday or weekend.

Connections The road from fort Kochi towards bazaar street is the major street connecting them.

The street measures 8m wide with 1.5m footpath on either side.

According to UDPFI rules for a foot fall of 1000-2000 on a normal day on both sides .

A minimum of 3m wide foot path is required.

So the footpath is insufficient to cater to such large crowds.

Source: Google

The Council passed a resolution requesting the Government to form Cochin Municipal Corporation amalgamating the Municipalities of Ernakulam, Mattancherry and Fort Cochin on 9 July 1960.

Kerala State Assembly approved the proposal of Cochin Municipal Corporation. Govt. of Kerala as per their order G.O. (MS) 276/67/DD dt. 27/9/67 notified the formation of the Cochin Municipal Corporation by amalgamating the three ancient Municipalities of the state, viz. Ernakulam, Mattancherry and Fort Cochin and the Willingdon Island and four Panchayats viz. Palluruthy, Vennala, Vyttila and Edappally and the small islands of Gundu Deepu, Ramanthuruth having an area of 83.524 km2. The new born Corporation came into existence on 1 November 1967.

Kochi biennale :

Source: Author

Source: Google

3 major locations- Aspen wall, Pepper house and Cabral yard.

Source: Author 131

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Principal arterial roads Collector roads

The important roads in the precinct.

Local roads

Base map indicating roads

Source-Author

Streetscape framework Gathering spots are majorly located in proximity to the local roads approaching the residential units. Thus the local streets are the places where most of the public activities converge.

Those located on the principal arterial road are major spaces which are comparatively visited by more people than other internally located spots. This streetscape framework seeks to Provide guidance in setting the stage for providing the places for this interaction and community building to occur.

According to UDPFI guidelines •Formal community buildings should be designed for optimal utilisation for the areas with lower income group population as maintenance and management becomes easy in such a case.

•Community halls for middle and higher income areas are utilised more compared to lower income areas.

•Schools can also be used for social functions in congested areas during non teaching hours.

132

Gathering spaces ( religious , educational, political Instituitions.)

UDPFI

Note : the pedestrian traffic is in both directions along the bazaar street since it connects Fort Kochi and Jew town and the other import nodes along itself.

Base map

Source--Author

SECTIONS Average footfall : A biennale site hence , about 400-500 people on normal day and can go up to 2000-5000 on a holiday or weekend.

Required width(according to UDPFI) of footpath : 4m 8m

1.5m

1m

Average footfall : average Foot fall is about 1000 - 2000 people .

Required width(according to UDPFI) of footpath : 2m

1.5m

Average footfall: The palace attracts a total of 5000 people per day during the peak season.

Required width(according to UDPFI) of footpath : 4m or more.

2m

10m

8m

3m

1.5m

8m

1m

Source- Author

Inference

The width of the road and the footpath is insufficient according to UDPFI .

Especially in front of the Dutch Palace where there is a need for a footpath , but the road extends and functions also as a footpath and parking area , which is demarcated only by a line with no level difference .

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Different state/national/international, governmental/non-governmental, autonomous bodies and their legislations which impact the development of Mattancherry palace area : NOTE : the 100m radius is taken from the built edge and not the compound as the ASI protected monument is just the Mattancherry palace.

Far to be restricted to 2.

Archeological survey of India AMSAR ACT Source : Archeological Survey of India maps

Note : 100 m from high tide line and 500 m influence zone from high tide line floor space index (FSI), which was restricted to between 1.25 and 1.66, has been increased to 2.5.

Source: author calibri 8 italics

Moef coastal management notification ( CRZ rules) Source: Coastal Regulations Maps

Rules

•Buildings shall be permitted only on the landward side of the existing road, or on the landward side of existing authorized structures; • Buildings permitted on the landward side of the existing and proposed roads or existing authorized structures shall be subject to the existing local town and country planning regulations including the ‘existing’ norms of floor space index or floor area ratio: provided that no permission for construction of buildings shall be given on landward side of any new roads which are constructed on the seaward side of an existing road •Reconstruction of authorized building to be permitted subject with the existing floor space index or floor area ratio norms and without change in present use.

134

UDPFI Airport authority of India The site falls near the air base of the air force which is the old cochin airport. The airport rules of the earlier times has influenced the development of the .Area as the air funnel needed to be considered.

This may have led to the absence of any tall buildings in the island .

Even now the airport rules apply as the airport is still used by the air force. The airport fall in 1 km range and hence the respective rules apply.

Source : Google earth maps

These are the development guidelines applicable for any normal plot available anywhere in Kerala barring the special zones.

Coverage and floor area ratio (F.A.R) Sno. (1) 1

Port Trust of India The water bodies around the area is under the port trust This is because of the cochin port area in the Willington island Hence any construction or activity that is on water needs to permitted by port trust Even uses like fishing, private dock etc. Needs to be send for permission.

Port activities and projects like Vallarpadam container terminal and Port trust housing are under construction in nearby areas.

2

Building B use/occupancy

Maximum permissible Maximum coverage (percentage permissible F.A.R without fee of plot area)

(2) Residential A1 Special residential A2

(3)

(4)

Maximum permi-ssible F.A.R with additional fee (5)

65

3.00

4

65

2.50

4

3

Educational B

35

2.50

3

4

Medical/hospital C

40

2.00

3

5

Assembly D

40

1.50

2.50

6

Office/business E

40

2.00

3

7

Commercial F

65

2.50

40

1.50

Small industrial G2

60

2.50

Storage H

60

2.50

11

Hazardous I -1

30

1.00

12

Hazardous I-2

25

0.70

8 9 10

Industrial G1

4

3 33 3

Source: Zoning Regulation Department of Kerala

Port Trust of India

The office of the Cochin Port Trust in Willingdon Island

Source : Table 3 Airport Authority of India 135

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Comparison between allowed construction on an ordinary site and an ASI site

Residential

Commercial

Residential use the allowed FAR without extra pay is 3 whereas at the site you are allowed only to built up to 2.But due to different rules and regulations new construction is impossible.

The allowed FAR without extra pay is 2.5 ( 4 with pay)whereas at the site you are allowed only to built up to 2.Due to tourism certain commercial activities are promoted and hence hotels/shopping and souvenir shops are coming up.

Overlap of different development regulations

Height restrictions

Sno.

A

Inference

A complex mosaic of multiple guidelines – international, national , state and local are applicable to this zone.

This creates mismatch between idea . for instance the far allowance on CRZ is negated when ASI guidelines are taken into account ; hence preventing development.

A more comprehensive and inclusive plan that is more site (Mattancherry) is required.

All the rules and regulations try to regulate and protect the architectural and the physical fabric but the socio-cultural fabric is ignored .

These number of restriction make it very difficult for people to change with time .

The growing pressure on land – due to tourism – is making the original residents to leave or change into commercial places.

136

International civil Air ports and their alternatives

B

Other Civil Air ports and civil Aerodromes

Permissible height of structures from Aerodrome point

C

D

1

Between 8.53 km and 22 km

Between 7.92km and 22 km

159 m

2

Between 7.31 km and 8.53 km

Between6.70km and 7.92 km

122m

3

Between 6.09 km and 7.31 km

Between 5.48 km and 6.70 km

91m

4

Between 4.87 km and 6.09 km

Between 4.26 km and 5.48 km

61 m

5

Between 4.26 km and 4.87 km

Between 3.65 km and 4.26 km

48 m

6

Between 3.65 km and 4.26 km

Between 3.04 km and 3.65 km

36 m

7

Between 3.04 km and 3.65 km

Between 2.43 km and 3.04 km

24 m

8

Between 2.43 km and 3.04 km

Between 1.82 km and 2.43 km

12 m

9

Less than 2.43 km

Less than 2.43 km

Nil

PRECINCT STUDY

PRECINCT 1 STUDY AND ANALYSIS Situated along the palace road, the main axis of Mattancherry with the Dutch palace on one end and the Thirumala Devasthanam Temple at the other, this precinct is predominantly residential. Comprising of a number of different communities, this precinct holds up the image of Mattancherry as a cultural hub.

The figure ground map of the precinct.

Source: Nobel, M.Arch thesis, CEPT

The building height map of the precinct.

View of EWS housing and paved road connections.

View of Calvathy Canal and the boats along the housing.

Mosque in EWS Housing area.

Kutchi Memon community â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Small time business, kite making etc.

Close knit community â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5000 Kutchi Muslim family. Kutchi Hanafi mosque built in 1875 and still used.

Association called Jamaat.

Memories: They used to sell shrimps, known for exporting seafood and Philanthropy.

Traditional dress which is no longer seen.

Memon from the word momin meaning faithful in Arabic.

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Pepper house cafe

Xandari The important markers in the precinct.

LEGEND 1.Reading/Sports center 2.Informal meeting spot 3.Cultural/art center 4.Community hall

Typical scene in front of masjid on Fridays

5. Mosques/masjids 6.Madrasas

Kathakali art center

7.Cultural field 8.Religious field 9.Informal meeting zones

Kochi-Muziris Biennale main venueAspen Wall.

Readiing/sports club

Meeting area in slums near Calvathy Canal, Behind Government school

Location of katte near major transit zone-Fort Kochi ferry point Calvathy Road

CULTURAL FIELD: Godowns turned restaurants: Biennale venues. Calvathy road frequented by tourists- culturally & socially active RELIGIOUS FIELD: Mosques in commercial/important junctions. Masjids-residential areas. Fridays-traffic due to parking, hawkers/vendors INFORMAL MEETING ZONES:Katte-people watching main activity, located in transit/commercial zones. Open to sky space in slum settlements-washing area, prawns business(shelling activity) 138

Katte

Source: Author

PRECINCT STUDY

2.5 – 4.0m 1.5 – 2.5m 0.0 – 1.5m

Fort Cochi

Dutch Palace Source: Hydrogeological studies of River Periyar

The land has very gentle slopes – the 3km width has no more than 4m variation. This makes the valley formation very short and shallow thus allowing water to flow in a meandering path. Thus it can be seen that the canals, though flowing in the general direction of decreasing slope, does not follow the valley.

Source: www.skyscrapercity.com

valley Source: Tony www.flickr.com

wasserman,

tanks Existing Canal The variation in the elevation of Mattancherry shows us that the Fort Cochin area was evidently located in the higher ground, the palace was located on a relatively high ground as compared to its immediate surroundings and that the EWS section has settled on the lowest ground.

canal

Inference:

tanks

If the canal is to be revitalized, the slope of the canal might have to be modified to prevent the stagnation of water – it will have to be engineered as the natural valley formation s insufficient and is present in an area that in densely built.

If the canal is to be used as a mode of transport, some of the old routes that have been covered up might have to be opened as well as extended to create through connectivity – it can provide an alternative to using the narrow road for transport.

Some of the old canal systems are shown – diagram is based on the Imago Mundi drawn in history. A large part of the canals have been covered and are used are drains.

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British Cochin

Mattancherry

To ll bri dg e

British imperial bank

Mattanc herry T.D.TEMPLE

The Calvathy canal divided the British cochin from Mattancherry and a tax was collected at the bridge .The canal acted as a major spine for goods to flow in and out of the interiors.

While Fort Cochin was under ,the British ,Mattancherry was ruled by Rajas of Cochin

The bridges built earlier had provision for the passage of boats

The newer bridges built across canal prevents usage of boats, very low used as a pedestrian crossing.

View from a Calvathy bridge

View of Bank of Madras , Kochin

Mouth of the clavathy canal

INFERENCE: over a period of time the two cities have merged together, but still a disparity can be seen between the two. The godowns and bridges have changes overtime with requirements 140

View of Bank of Agents Residence , Kochin

PRECINCT STUDY

A diurnal change is seen in how the animals behave: in the daytime the goats roam along the streets and take shelter under trees, and other parked vehicles on the road.

In the night they sleep at doorsteps, with the hens inside the houses, and the stray dogs roaming along the streets, and take shelter in front of the houses

The precinct gives shelter to various domestic animals, like goats, ducks, hens and cocks, and a few stray animals, like dogs and cats.

The goats and hens are usually breed by the low income families (usually by the Muslim community) as an additional source of income. These require low maintenance, as the goats ae usually left on the streets to eat among garbage, and other fallen leaves and branches. They do not have a specific place assigned to them in the house of the family that owns them and stay at the door step.

There are various types of cats throughout Mattancherry, an they do not have specific owners catering to them; they roam among various houses in the locality.

View through one of the alleyways between two housing units acting as living connects.

The vegetation in this precinct varies with being within a plot or outside, along the streets.

The houses here irrespective of their income group prefer to grow plants that can be economically beneficial to them. i.e. they tend to grow trees like coconut, banana, papaya trees etc. within their or adjacent to their homes.

But trees like gulmohar, etc are seen along the main roads and streets.

These also are useful to the people by providing shade to the many pedestrians in the precinct. In some places thin stone slabs are placed under these trees and a few squatters are seen from time to time.

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TYPES OF USERS/USER DENSITY LEGEND 1.Businessmenshopkeepers, etc.

2.Tourists/Non-residents 3.School children 4.Residents/ families

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PRECINCT STUDY

The precinct gives shelter to various domestic animals, like goats, ducks, hens and cocks, and a few stray animals, like dogs and cats.

The goats and hens are usually breed by the low income families (usually by the Muslim community) as an additional source of income. These require low maintenance, as the goats ae usually left on the streets to eat among garbage, and other fallen leaves and branches. They do not have a specific place assigned to them in the house of the family that owns them and stay at the door step.

There are various types of cats throughout Mattancherry, an they do not have specific owners catering to them; they roam among various houses in the locality.

A diurnal change is seen in how the animals behave: in the daytime the goats roam along the streets and take shelter under trees, and other parked vehicles on the road. In the night they sleep at doorsteps, with the hens inside the houses, and the stray dogs roaming along the streets, and take shelter in front of the houses The precinct gives shelter to various domestic animals, like goats, ducks, hens and cocks, and a few stray animals, like dogs and cats.

The goats and hens are usually breed by the low income families (usually by the Muslim community) as an additional source of income. These require low maintenance, as the goats ae usually left on the streets to eat among garbage, and other fallen leaves and branches. They do not have a specific place assigned to them in the house of the family that owns them and stay at the door step.

There are various types of cats throughout Mattancherry, an they do not have specific owners catering to them; they roam among various houses in the locality.

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Through the year-Routine activities

Biennale venues- active once in 2 years Period of about 100 days

TRANSECTS AT VARIOUS TIMES

TIME-11am onwards

TIME- 9am to 10.30

Typical morning scene on Calvathy Road .

Calvathy canal

Paved road

Govt. school

Pepper house courtyard: more active during biennale

144

Cemetery(Calvathy Juma masjid)

Morning(around 10am) No traffic yet, garbage pick ups happen all along the roads, activity in front of warehouses and shops.

Shopkeepers set up, trucks are unloaded at warehouses. (1) 9.30-11am Area around Government school in Calvathy is busy with children.

Pedestrian activity. Peak traffic begins on Calvathy road around 10.30 am Fridays/ Muslim festival days The whole residential area behind the Mosque is isolated, all residents are seen in the vicinity of the Mosque. Calvathy road becomes busy.

During Biennale Hundreds of tourists through the entire Calvathy area with themain axis being Aspin Wall to Pepper House.

Kathakali center: culturally active through the year

PRECINCT STUDY

HOUSE TYPOLOGY 1: The paved road makes the public territory of the road appear more private and thus more usable.

The road becomes an extended part of the house although it is beyond the physical boundary. It becomes a shared space. The road has a sense of ownership from the people, making it more vibrant and friendly.

As the houses are small and poorly lit, these common spaces become excellent spaces for social activities.

Verandah

In some cases , there is a separate bridge leading to each house. The bridge becomes a private entity.

Visual connect and physical access (to some extent) makes it a little less private.

There is a contrast in the religion on the two sides. The Muslims who stay closer to the canal are economically weaker than the Christians on the other side.

Private

Semiprivate

Private

Public

Storage

Utility

Kitchen

Private

Semi public

Semi private

Section aa

Road

Semiprivate

Alley

Public

Utility

Semi private

Section bb Road

House

Boundary

Bridge

Frontyard

Christians

Private

House

Muslims

Semiprivate

Semiprivate

Public

Boundary

INFERENCE The common spaces become breathers for the poorly lit and poorly ventilated houses. These spill over spaces is where most of the people spend time. Hence these spaces create a sense of community among the people and becomes a crucial aspect while designing for these people.

By putting a solid external boundary between the houses, it changes the language of the space.

House

Living

House Sit out The alleyway gives direct access to the utility space at the back. Since the houses have private access to the utility space the alley way is not needed and it functions as a storage space. The alley might have been present at one point in time to provide access to manually remove solid waste from the houses. Now all houses use soak pit built under it.

Paved road

Semiprivate

Private

Boundary

View of the private bridge

View of the paved road

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Toilet Kitchen

Common area

Room

Road

Utility

Storage

Section dd

Boundary

Section cc

Common space/utility

D

Public

Semi-public

Semi-private

Private

Reading room

D

Kitchen Storage Toilet

C

Plan Typology 3

C Carrom room

Bedroom Living

Plan

Circulation Space Bedroom

Dining

Reading room plan

HOUSE TYPOLOGY 2 This house is built on the site of an old salt factory.

The building is divided into smaller houses which do not have full partition walls, thus reducing privacy.

It is very badly lit and thus the small semi private common area becomes the space where everyone spends their time. It also serves as a utility space.

READING ROOM The reading room is a community center funded by private individuals or political parties. It is a small establishment that has some open space around it which becomes an important space for socializing.

It has very basic and minimal amenities.

INFERENCE: Though the houses lack of basic amenities, it provides an interesting way of life due to the way people claim the public sphere.

While designing, one must keep in mind the tight community and build appropriate spaces for socializing.

The canal has become almost irrelevant to the citizens and it can be used to tie them all together better.

Section ee ee Section Semiprivate Boundary

Boundary

These are the most common type of houses. Many of them are built to form a small colony. They are neither well ventilated not well lit.

They can hold up to 12 family members.

The houses are arranges HOUSE 1 symmetrically and many of HOUSE 2 these units form a colony.

Source: Author 146

Private

PRECINCT STUDY

PRECINCT 2 STUDY AND ANALYSIS This map tries to describe the various ethnicities around Mattancherry and the prominent presence of the Muslim community around Bazaar street

Source: CEPT

This view shows the edge condition of the water front adjacent to Bazaar street and the docking of boats at various small decks that were used by fishermen.

Source: Google Earth Maps

This map aims to highlight the boundary that is formed due to religion.

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Building heights Ground floor G+1 G+2 G+3

Age of the building BELOW 10 YEARS 10-25 YEARS 25-100 YEARS ABOVE 100 YEARS

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PRECINCT STUDY

Pedestrian High

low

Traffic mapping

Vehicular traffic High

low

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Tourist footprint Locals foot print Tourist centric buildings Local centric buildings (like institutions)

Footprint mapping

Vehicles that pass by the area Trucks 4-5 in number.

Two-wheelers 20.

Cycles 15

Dominantly caused by two wheelers

Vehicular traffic nodes 1pm-2pm

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PRECINCT STUDY

N

Built analysis

A D

B A

B

D E

C

E

C

Map showing section lines.

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SECTION AA

SECTION BB

SECTION CC

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PRECINCT STUDY

SECTION DD

SECTION EE Water edge

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Transects

Spatial nature transect

Spatial utility transect

Built nature density

Space utility transect

154

The semi open space which is an extension is used for loading and unloading goods into the Godown.

PRECINCT STUDY

The edges are critical to bazaar street.

The extended katte creates a small gathering space.

Built nature transect

Spatial utility transect

Built nature transect

Spatial utility transect

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Study and analysis of godown typologies

Typology 1

Typology 1.

Key Plan

View and Plan

Section

Elevation Source: Author 156

PRECINCT STUDY

Typology 2.

Typology 2

Key Plan

View and Plan

Section Source: Author

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Typology 3.

Typology 3

Key Plan

View and Plan

Section Source: Author

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PRECINCT STUDY

Typology 4.

Typology 4

Key Plan

Source: Author

View and Plan

Section Source: Author

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Typology

1

Typology 3

Typology 4

Typology 5 160

Typology

2

PRECINCT STUDY Section

Morning 9-12 pm

Vehicular density Afternoon 12-04 pm

161

Evening 4-08 pm

Built density

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Commodities

Pedestrian footfall Tourists

Inference

Locale • Mixed use typology is observed in this street.

Close proximity of retail shops within the residential area is convenient.

• Lack of commercial activities or storage facility (godowns) results in the absence of trucks.

• Predominantly muslim community.

• Working class forms the majority.

It includes auto drivers ,mechanics and petty vendors.

• Majority a residential area • Continuous façade treatment for multiple properties which are differentiated by the use of colour.

• Small alleys connecting various houses and acting as public gathering spaces.

• Built density is very high.

• Informal spill out spaces • Major street connecting to Palace road hence wider road.

• Highly commercial zone.

• Narrow street packed with commodities on either sides.

• Mutually shaded roads.

• High vehicular traffic.

• Strong sensorial presence.

• Highly commercial zone backed with residential belt.

• Narrow street packed with commodities on either sides.

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PRECINCT STUDY

Bazzar street egde- inadequate paving used for storage of objects and garbage

Pavements used by the general public as informal gathering spaces.

Ariel view of bazaar street with holy cross on the right

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View of bazaar street. Notice pattern of delivery trucks at godown side

Congestion of traffic on bazzar street- not designed for vehicular traffic

Typical elevation of bazaar street

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PRECINCT No 3 STUDY AND ANALYSIS

Source: Author

Standing through the tides of time Stationed at the crossroads I wed the natives and the Jews Fresh fragrance of ginger cheers my neighbor Aroma of spices tickles my nose Antiques left behind by many remind me of the glorious past I tolerate diversities and embrace them at my door step You can sail the sea or ride the wheel I stand mighty, marking my presence I am the constant.

Am I the constant ?

The important markers in the precinct.

Source: Author

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Source : Author

DUTCH PALACE JUNCTION Meeting point of the Bazaar road, Palace road and the Jew Town.

View showing various boundaries and intersections between character of building and street typologies.

Source : Author ROAD WIDTH Bazaar Road

Dutch Palace Junction

Jew Town

STREET TYPOLOGY Marked change in the character of the streets in terms of the width.

From squeezing through narrow roads of Bazaar Street to a sense of vastness at the junction which further narrows to an essential pedestrian lane in Jew town.

BUILT TYPOLOGY Bazaar road ends with linear godowns and spice storage warehouses that transforms into Tourist shops at the junction that cater to the Dutch Palace crowd, hence shuts at the same time As the artefact. Jew street has a typology of primarily handicraft and antiques.

Source : Author Godowns

Temporary Souvenir Shops

BAZAAR STREET

Handicraft JEW TOWN

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Source : Author

PRECINCT STUDY PYSCHOLOGICAL BARRIER The boundary wall demarcates the entire precinct creating a sense of doubt in tourists before entering the premises

Source : Author

AMORPHOUS BUFFER The puncture in the boundary wall also leads to the most important connections from Bazaar street to the Palace Road

Source : Author

STARK BOUNDARY The temple opens in the evening after the Dutch Palace shuts down. The arched entry at the junction closes and are forced to go around the precinct and enter through the arched opening at Palace Road

Source : Author

POTENTIAL The important node for development of community/ tourist related activities.

Underdeveloped waterfront dilapidated buildings and nonfunctional godowns.

An essential transit point for pedestrians as well as the transport facilities . Hence good connectivity through bus/ jetty.

PROBLEMS The Absence of moderate hotels with good services near tourist centres.

Absence of eating places serving hygienic local food. Lack of wayside amenity centres and comfort stations

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Source : Author

SECTION AA Section indicating usage of space within the Palace precinct by a neighbouring NairHindu community, often for parking and other activities such as kite flying. A pond in the precinct indicates performance of ritual activities by the temple alongside.

Source : Author

Source : Author

STARK BOUNDARY CONDITION The boundary wall shows an opening leading to the Hindu community which also serves as the easiest way to reach the Jewish synagogue. However the boundary acts as a religious divide as tourists going to the synagogue are not encouraged to take the route.

Community and gathering spaces

Minors roads within the precinct, used as communal spaces often seen with long queues to pump water.

Front yards form the major gathering space, utility area, drying of clothes, welcoming guests where most of the day activities are performed.

Source : Author

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PRECINCT STUDY

Source : Author

TOURIST AND LOCAL ZONE MAPPING ACROSS THE DUTCH PALACE The average footfall of tourist recorded is 1000 on a daily basis and 5000 during the months of Oct-Mar. After the Dutch Palace shuts, the temple is often visited by the Hindu-Nair community living around the area.

Morning section

Source : Author

Evening section

Source : Author

Interesting usage of community space. People from all fields of work drop in for hours, leaving behind newspapers and books for free learning of the society. At evening these spaces transform for children to watch games.

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Amaravat hi Rd

KB Jacob Rd

TM Muhammad Rd

Bellar Road

Jawahar Rd

Source : Author

Map Highlighting The Bus And Jetty Routes Of Mattancherry And Fort Kochi Heavy Vehicle

Four wheeler â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bus/ Car

Auto

Pedestrian Auto stand Bus depot/ Car parking Boat Jetty

Dutch Palace As A Transit Point For Various Vehicles Source : Author 170

PRECINCT STUDY

Green Spaces Shops for Tourists Transit- bus/ jetty Local Commercial Local Residential Source : Author

Importance of location of the Dutch palace The Palace Road, Bazaar street and the Jew town converge at the Dutch Palace precinct.

It also acts as a buffer area between the High Tourist Zone facing the water and the Local Zone at the Palace Road. Character of the commercial shops are drastically different on either side.

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Tourists Locals Vendors Informal Vendors Shops

Activity mapping in the morning (10:30am)

Potential

Dutch palace an important node, in terms of its location leading to congregation of many activities.

Highly tourist centric locality â&#x20AC;&#x201C; can be enhanced by proposals for waterfronts and proposals for evening activities?

What for the locals, if not tourism?

Activity mapping in the evening (05:30pm) 172

Source : Author

PRECINCT STUDY Industrial Commercial Residential Public / Semi Public

N Source : Author

Godown converted into a housing , now room for 12 families Open to sky drying area 1 Godowns

2

Lady of Life Church Once a portal for the boats loaded with the freshest of the spices, now in ruins Source : Author

Godown typologies 1

2

SECTION â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Through godown and church compound

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Transit points

Ferry points Auto stands Bus stands/stops

N

KEY PLAN

Source : Author

Tourist density

Low density- 5-10 Medium density- 10-20 High density- 20-30 Source : Author

Inference : The active zones change by the end of the day.

During the day, the tourists concentration is higher near the seafront and during evenings it is higher near residential areas.

The movement of active tourist zones inwards, away from the seafront.

Pedestrian density

Low density- 5-10 Medium density- 10-20 High density- 20-30

Source : Author

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PRECINCT STUDY

Section-CC

School ( not functioning ) Anganwadi Our lady of life church

Bazaar road

Ginger godown Built density Analysis

Built

Unbuilt

( built in red and unbuilt in blue)

Footfall

(Darker colour corresponds to higher footfall.) public

ownership

private

Inference: small church often unnoticed by many. Just a transit to the Dutch palace node, relatively fast moving traffic.

Built density high towards the newly constructed buildings as the warehouses cannot be brought down, sea front remains fairly unoccupied.

Footfall is higher on the main road as compared to alleys .

Mostly public buildings and the sea surround the warehouses.

Potential: Seafronts of the ware houses can be connected to form a network of jetties/ walkways etc.

The warehouses if pushed inside slightly can give a space of good width.

KEY PLAN

N 9:00 AM

12:00PM

6:00PM

AUTO

BUS

PRIVATELY OWNED VEHICLES

PEDESTRIANS

Source : Author

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Section-DD

Residence

Kalyana Mantapam

( built in red and unbuilt in blue)

Bank of India

public

Unbuilt

Built density Analysis

Built

Footfall

(Darker colour corresponds to higher footfall.)

Ownership

Inference: Fairly quiet residential area, less number of pedestrians using the route.

9:00 AM

AUTO

BUS

PRIVATELY OWNED VEHICLES

PEDESTRIANS

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12:00PM

Source : Author

6:00PM

PRECINCT STUDY Section EE

Bazaar street

Students biennale Built

Unbuilt

Built density Analysis ( built in red and unbuilt in blue) Footfall

(Darker colour corresponds to higher footfall.) private

public Inference: Seasonal crowd, biennale crowd comes in during different times of the year.

Older constructions have higher density as compared to new ones.

Moderate traffic density, moving towards Dutch palace node or fort Kochi.

Potential: Can attract seasonal crowd, heritage buildings can be engaged as centers of commercial/tourist/artist centers.

Ownership

Unbuilt

Built

Unbuilt

Built density Analysis ( built in red and unbuilt in blue)

(Darker colour corresponds to higher footfall.) private

Public

Semi public

Footfall ownership

Inference: Entrance of the Dutch palace node.

Easily accessible. Janamythri police station of Mattancerry with a jail adjacent to it, this place is intensely used government hospital also acts as a node. Space of intensely differing characters form the node, mix of people who come for differing intents.

Potential: The tourists and the localities come into contact but never interact with each other, Good location for setting up commercial works etc.

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Dutch palace

Bus stand

Bazaar street

Temporary shops Built

Unbuilt

(Darker colour corresponds to higher footfall.)

Boat jetty Built density Analysis ( built in red and unbuilt in blue)

Footfall

ownership public

private

Inference: Dutch palace is the destination point of many tourists, further it leads to jew street(another tourist attraction) High number of vehicles(land and watr based) are seen here.

Good public private partnership, as private becomes public during day time.

What is public?

Potential: Can become a public private interface wherein the two groups come in contact.

Scope for Commercial/public projects. Can sell the products made by localities. Can develop a strong water based network with mattancherry enhancing its connectivity with other parts of kochi.

Urban symbiosis: Precinct 3( strategic positioning and influx of people)

Most open sea frontage Underutilised as compared to fort kochi.

Can be worked on to create a commercial business oriented

Heritage site: Common tourist attraction.

Path undertaken by tourists Possibility of change of mode of transport( land to water ways) Transit point to jew street

Lungs of mattancherry.

Green area network surrounding dutch palace.

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4/min

3/min

12/min

<1/min

1/min

3/min

3/min

3/min

6/min

Source : Author

Inference: The built area is closely equal to the unbuilt area.the population density is very low in proportion to area. There is sequence in land use but undulations in the nature of functions that create mild boundaries. There is a sequence in the boundaries that create active and inactive thresholds that become more active towards Pullupalam road.

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View opposite to commertial taxes building

View of residential area behind commertial taxes building

Source: Author

Source: author

Source : Author

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DUTCH PALACE

Site plan

TEMPLE

Views of palace

Source: Author, Google images

Plan Source: Trade and development of port towns in Kerala- academia.edu

Restricted Entry to Temple inside

Main Entrance View of entrance gate Source: INTACH Report

Private entrance CURRENT

1600 AD

Public entrance to museum

Source: Author

The Mattancherry Palace was built in 1555 by the Portuguese for the Raja of Kochi. The Dutch carried out some extensions and renovations in the palace in 1663, and thereafter it was popularly called Dutch Palace.

The rajas also made some improvements to it which included constructing a temple within the courtyard, which was used solely by the royal family.

Earlier the rajaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quarters were in the first floor and the lower floor consisted the dining area, living, etc. the lowermost storey was also used a as a jail for imprisoning smugglers and drug dealers.

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East elevation

Source: Author

West ELEVATION LEGEND

Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residential Family temple Hindus only Public Access

1600 AD

CURRENT

The materials used for construction are: 1.

Laterite masonry for the walls

2.

Teak wood used for floors as well as the rafters in the roof

3.

Roof is tiled using Mangalore tiles Laterite stone masonry

Mangalore tiles

Wooden rafters Source: Google images 182

PRECINCT STUDY Mattancherry – Precinct 4 – Jew Town

PRECINCT 4 STUDY AND ANALYSIS

A look into the Precinct

Ginger house (Antique Shop + Cafe)

This part of Mattancherry is where the streets are filled with memories of a once prominent community – the Jews. Apart from about 10 Jew families that continue to live here, all others have immigrated to Israel, leaving only traces of a once burgeoning culture.

The Jew Street is a pinched narrow street culminating in a dead-end, allowing entry only to pedestrians. It has old Jewish houses on both sides. These look uninhabited and sparse. Yet these houses are clean enough to not look abandoned. Near the deadend is the Jewish synagogue.

Mattancherry Boat Jetty

White Jew (Paradesi) Synagogue

Pepper Exchange

Jewish Cemetery

St. Jacob’s Chapel

Black Jew Synagogue

Darul Salam Juma Masjid

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View of the street leading to the bell tower of the white jew synagogue, from being a street of residential buildings to now becoming a street of mainly commercial activities Older buildings being placed more compactly which were previously residences are now shops pr godowns.

Newer residentiial buildings with more open space, more porous spaces.

Land Use Map Commercial ATTRIBUTES Land use map chategorising various functions within the precinct.

Showing various pictures of buildings on site with respect to the map.

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` `

Residential Open Space

`

Industrial Communication

`

Public Space

or

PRECINCT STUDY

Aerial view of the roofs showing transition from sloped roofs to flat roofs.

Legend 1 Height of buildings Ground ` Ground+1 ` Ground+2 `` Ground +3

Attributes Map representing the heights of the buildings in the precinct showing the area around the synagogue which cannot be intervened.

Condition of buildings represented in the map below giving us input about the abandoned buildings and the ones kept well maintained for the sake of tourism.

Tourism demands the place to be frozen in time, especially the immediate surroundings of the synagogue.

Only the old houses and plots near the black jew synagogue have been sold out to the muslims or catholic christians validating the extinction of black jews The houses on the main road, either have been turned into gallery/shops near the white jew synagogue, or have been bought by traders (spice, fishnet, antique, etc.) As one moves away from this synagogue.

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Condition of the buildings towards the white jew synagogue are retained in good condition after renovation.

Many of the buildings along the coast, which are predominantly go downs were left abandoned and almost deteriorating.

Most of the buildings near the synagogue have been retained mainly for the purpose of tourism and are well maintained well used multifunctionally.

Legend 2 Condition of the building ` Well maintained ` Good

Houses located near the synagogue arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t taller than the synagogue, so as to retain its monumentality.

` Not great

Tourism demands the place to be frozen in time, especially the immediate surroundings of the synagogue.

Only the old houses and plots near the black jew synagogue have been sold out to the muslims or catholic christians validating the extinction of black jews

The houses on the main road, either have been turned into gallery/shops near the white jew synagogue, or have been bought by traders (spice, fishnet, antique, etc.) As one moves away from this synagogue.

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The bye-laws are somewhat in play with regard to maintaining the maximum heights of the buildings around the heritage building, the synagogue.

The part of the old jewish houses facing the sea are only single storeyed for climatological reasons, the part facing the street are g+1 so as to provide shade to the pedestrians, by means of the eaves projecting on to the street.

PRECINCT STUDY

100m radius around which no intervention can take place

Aerial view of the street adjacent to the chapel.

Left Aerial view showing change of the character of roof from an axis on theA.B. Salem road referring to old buildings versus new.

Right

Inferences

Legend 2 Age of buildings `

<20 years

`

20-100 years

`

>100 year

Attributes Map representing the age of buildings in the precinct highlighting the area around the synagogue around which no intervention can take place.

Radius of 100m.

Commercial buildings i.E. Shops are located in close proximity to the heritage building, the synagogue. Tourism being the fuel for the rampant commercial activities.

Residences have come up only after the second crossing on the jew town road, as the synagogue has a stipulated radius of non-intervention around it. Since the building of new houses for habitation is legally not possible, the residential area hardly touches the synagogue as opposed to how the jews lived.

Preservation of the old jewish houses for the sake of tourism is clear.

New residential buildings have come up only beyond the 100m radius.

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ACTIVITY | JEW STREET DAY : Bustling with tourists and commercial activity

ACTIVITY | RESIDENTIAL COLONY of JEW TOWN DAY: People tend to stay inside the house, due to heat.

EVENING : Shops shut. Not too much activity

EVENING: People start spilling onto the street as the weather cools down.

Commercial activity of various types take place around the precinct.

Buying/Selling of fish: Residents buy fresh fish from a local vendor every evening for dinner.

• Kashmiri shops and Antique shops : Mainly aiming at tourists and not the locals • Vegetables/Fruits: Aimed mainly for the residential layout.

• Spices: Involved in the spice trade godowns.

• Vehicular activity is prohibited

FESTIVALS: The whole of Jew Town come together to celebrate the festival of Hanukkah.

The streets are brightly lit up with festive lights and there is a vibe of joy and Celebration in the air. Special lights are put up near the Paradesi Synagogue to mark the importance of the festival.

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The unique aspect of the typology of the street are the huge double windows which lets people stand on the first floor and enjoy the view of the processions that take place during the festival.

PRECINCT STUDY The White Jew Synagogue The migration of the Kashmiri community is a direct result of the tourism that the white Jew Synagogue brings. The migration is purely based on business as the tourism brings in a lot of profit to the salesman during season (October- May).

During Hanukah, a religious festival of the Jews, the street adjacent to the Synagogue upto A.B Salem Road is decorated and lit up to commemorate the festival with Jews all over the world

INFERENCE: The white Jew synagogue along with the black Jew synagogue behave as â&#x20AC;&#x153;anchorsâ&#x20AC;? that hold down the entire of the Jew street. Therefore forming a strong boundary within itself.

The white Jew synagogue is also responsible for the tourism in this precinct as it is considered to be an attraction.

Empty plot (before it directly connected bazaar street and synagogue)

Aerial view synagogue

of

white

jew

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Black Jew Synagogue View of entrance to Neglected Black Jew Synagogue Flat roofed houses in street next to Jew Town Street

Double storeyed godowns

Jetty and dockyard

Gabled roof Double storeyed godown Jetty and dockyard

Section AA’ Black Jew Synagogue (Dilapitated)

Gabled roof

Section BB’

CTTU POLITICAL UNION Cochin Thuramugha Thozhilali Union Office forms the only Political Union in the precinct.

The union assists with efficient functioning of the trade of spices as it was one of the predominant activities since ancient times.

Currently due to the dip in trade, the Union is also rendered less important.

TYPOLOGY- GODOWN (TYPE 1) STORAGE/ PREPARATION ROOM

Antique Owner’s residence Store in the backyard can Owner’s be accessed only Residence by passing through Foyer the shop.

A

OFFICE STORAGE PLAN

Living Kitchen Owner’s Residence Room Original Jewish Settlement: Stepped Areas with the most public portion (i.e the verandah) in the front and the very private areas (i.e the kitchens) at the back overlooking the backyard.

Ground Floor Plan and First Floor Plan, identical.

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SECTION AA’

A’

INFERENCE The black Jew synagogue along with the white Jew synagogue behave as “anchors” that hold down the entire of the Jew street.

Therefore forming a strong boundary within itself.

Due to its negligence, presently the black Jew synagogue can easily be missed as one passes by it as it doesn’t seem to stand out from the surrounding buildings.

PRECINCT STUDY 1 JEWISH ANCESTORY – A WITHERING ROSE Would you tell us about your ancestry, Ms. Yaheh?

“I hardly remember anything in particular that could help you. There are no stories to tell.”

Would you say that the streets celebrate Hannukah, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah and prominent other shabbaths?

- “No. We have a minor service here in the synagogue.

The streets have hardly anything to do with the festivals.”

Is it the umpteenth visitor’s curiosity that has you pressurized or do you find it dull to ponder over things you can’t change?

- “Maybe.”

1

2

3

Yaheh Hallegua, the last of the paradesi Jews in Kochi finds it rather uninteresting to revisit her memories. Possibly the emotional ambivalence of being the last of her own accord makes her reluctant to answer personal questions. To her, the paradesi Jewish ancestry is limited by bedtime stories her grandparents used to her as a child, or even the memory of her grandparents itself. White Jews, wither while their historical presence shall be deeply revered in their anticipated absence.

5 4

5

2. COMMERCIAL PLURALITY The Synagogue lane has been repainted with bright colours of the facades of the shops selling antiques and handicrafts.

Keralites have long owned the antique shops. The old Jewish houses, part renovated and part rebuilt in contemporary styles (Crafters, for example) seem to add to the illusory presence of the Jews that have been long gone.

Kashmiris, for they receive 25% waiver on setting up business in any part of the country, also seem to migrate to Mattancherry. The oldest shop, established in 1992, ‘A hassle free shopping experience’ points to kashmiris as the new businessmen of the area. Raja Mohammed who set up his shop here 11 years ago recalls Jew town being desolate hence, the perfect place to set up a base for handloom and handicrafts shops targeting tourists.

“We don’t even know how to sell this for that low a price. Foreigners come and feel awed by our collection and that has spoilt us over the years. We never bothered to learn Malayalam, when speaking English with an accent has garnered us all that we own here.”

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R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE 3. I REMEMBER A FRIEND… What can you tell us about the Jews in your neighbordhood, Sebastian chetta?

- “I used to be young when there were still a few Jews in the neighborhod. Gumbriel Guy Salem, my friend, he was the first to marry a white Jew, Reema. His father was a brilliant man who once fought against political discrimination practised to side line Jews. A brilliant man, you see.”

How deeply do the locals, you think regard the reminiscent of Jewish heritage?

- “The synagogue hardly has enough members for a service in off season. Soon it’ll be passed on as a monument of their slow demise.

Once there were more than five thousand Jews here, now they are hardly five. Migration to Israel has almost cleaned the slate for Mattancherry.”

A lot of migrants have bought a few house, renovated them and are living in them like they have always been here. For them, the Jew Town is a tourist magnet and that is all.

Christians by St. Jacob’s church and Muslims around the Masjid are metamorphosing the old settlement into a religiously diverse yet integrated residential neighbourhood.

4. TOWARDS THE SEA

5. DUST SETTLING OVER THE SUN

The alleys that elude passers-by , drip into the buildings taking ones eyes towards the ships and feet to the shore.

Something so bright as the sunlight reveals what’s always been suspended in the air, dust.

Tourism, one of the major industries of Kochi seems to have excavated the dormant city, long after its inhabitants deserted it.

Shaban, who makes fishing nets works in one such alley. “The sea never leaves my nose, and my hands never slip out of the nets. Everyday, I wander about through this alley into the sea, and return with a few hundred fish.”

Sushamma has been handling pepper for almost a decade. She speaks of Mattancherry as a place where she came as a newly wed bride who learned to cook with the pepper that now fetches her a wage as a worker under a spice trader. “Dry ginger, actually comes from Palakkad. Gone are the days of exquisite spice trade.

Some three decades ago, there still was some ginger. Now, you will only find pepper seeds’ husk and the pungent smell of almost foreign ginger.”

The spice trade, that once hypnotized thousands of traders has waned out since Liberalization and Privatization.

Limited to a few godowns that house a handful of spices, Jew street has a but a faint fragrance, like someone pulling out a packet of freshly ground spices, years ago and miles away.

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Mattancherry, had always been a haven for Jews, who were protected by the Raja power and strengthened by the will and austerity of the self sufficient community. Unlike most of the places in the world, jews were not compelled to flee. Mattancherry Palace is right behind the Synagogue, figuratively watching over the Jews in absentia.

Tourism seems to have goaded the once predominant Jewish conservatism. The religion, as a discipline has always led the followers to remain self absorbent and close looped. But the brimming culture of tourism has unravelled a diametrically opposite behaviour of the locals, proactive hospitality.

Alex, a local mechanic finds it compulsive to show any and every tourist around the Jew town. Most of the other residents, much similar to the migrant traders seem to be overwhelmed by every question one asks, answering it ever so enthusiastically.

PRECINCT STUDY

PRECINCT 5 STUDY AND ANALYSIS

Precinct situated along the palace road, the main axis of Mattancherry with the Dutch palace on one end and the Thirumala Devasthanam Temple at the other, this precinct is predominantly residential. Comprising of a number of different communities, this precinct holds up the image of mattancherry as a cultural hub.

Key plan

Palace ROAD

Town hall road

Paliiyarkavu road

Source: M.Arch thesis by Nobel

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Each community has grown around specific markers like temples and institutions that provide a unique identity.

KONKANI BRAHMINS MUSLIMS SYRIAN CHRISTIANS

Either sides of the palace road are of commercial buildings whereas the interior are of residential buildings. Palace road is the busiest road.

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INFERENCE Most of the buildings in the precinct are residential independent houses and thus are single or double storeyedstructures.

Many of the buildings are still the same even today without any renovation done. Hardly new buildings can be seen in thesite.

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Since the whole area has a rich traditional past, it follows a similar pattern of architecture and hence forth there are very few multistoried buildings.

Sitearea and publicbldgsbuiltup area =40.180acres Sitearea =162619squaremeters Townhall=1.72acres(6978sqm) Palliyarakkavu temple= 0.39 acres(1595sqm) Sastha temple=0.72acers(2927sqm) Hehm school=1.09acers(4427sqm)

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PRECINCT STUDY

KONKANI HOUSING 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Orientation withthe temple Lane type houses Tulsi-significant Linear openingsair circulation High plinths Buildingedge-seats

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The layout of the Gujarati owned houses are distinct in its layout with the courtyard in the middle separating the owner’s house and theshopsatthe streetedge.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Source: INTACH

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•Settled for weather and trade.

•Arrangement for settlements toensure safety oftheir goods •Stayed ingo-downs •Pvt warehousegranted byraja in 1841.

•Jointfamilies

PRECINCT STUDY

Raja visited Kayamkulamcommunity of business men there from Kallidaikarchi in Tirunelveli.

The tamil agraharam have their own typology with row-housing and inward looking streets.

Source: INTACH

1.

2.

3.

Narrow and deep plots. Frontage 12-13feet Courtyards along the length and common side boundaries. Outdoor seating facing the internal street- â&#x20AC;&#x153;pialâ&#x20AC;?.

Across the main road- temple, pond and community feeding halls of the tamil brahmin

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1 Palliyarakkavu Temple

2 Townhall

3 Shri Navneeta Krishna Temple

4 Tamil Brahmin Community

Plan OfTownhall 5. SasthaTemple

Section Through Townhall

Section through HEHM school Plan Of Hehm School Source: INTACH

200

Gopalakrishna avenue

B

B

Jew streeet

Section B-B

Bazar Street

Section C-C

Guajarati road

PRECINCT STUDY

Section A-A

Southern Elevation - Palace Road

Section through HEHM building

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A

B

B

C

Bazar Street

Gopalakris hna avenue

Guajarati road

A

C

Jew streeet

Palace road

Pavement in the Konkani locality

Boundaries

Inscriptions in urdu and the pavement in the muslim locality.

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PRECINCT STUDY

Shortcut to the bazaar road from Palace road which reduces the traffic

Influence of community and religious event Influence of political events

VEHICULAR TRAFFIC Peak hours â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9am-1pm

ACTIVITY PATTERNSTUDY

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Memories of the place: • • • • • • •

Physical markers that sets apart the precinct: Roads are narrower Godowns and stores have heavy teak doors rotting at the timbers Beehive of activity Commercial stores lined along the main roads North Indian sweet shops and Rahamathullah restaurant which caters the world famous kayeeka’s biryani Indian textile heritage – block prints, dyes, hand woven cotton, silk, linen cloth material etc.

Jain Jain Temple, dedicated to Shri Dharmanath, the 15th Jain Tirthankar. This sprawling temple complex was built in 1960 and the architecture is similar to that of the Jain temples of Gujarat.

Tamil Brahmins Ancestors were money lenders from Tirunelveli; Followers of Sankhara sect of Hinduism; five rituals of Brahmins Spartanism – way of life passed on from forefathers Temple oriented group – Karanthayar Palayam Mahasamooham Belief about two lamps – which are present in the temple.

Programmes and competitions organised by the Sabha to ensure awareness of heritage.

400 year old Dharma Sastha Temple, locally known as Thekke Madam Temple is associated with their community Gujarthi 19 sects under the gujrati mahajan, about 700 families, hindus and jains; generaly independent communities but here under one umbrella distinguish themselves through food , clothing and customs.

Generally do not intem Gujratis frequent the krishna café.

Mahajan are building apartment blocks to offer better accommodation same temple complex- gujrati hindus ,jain and agarwals Konkani Konkanis in different places incorporated Malayalam to different extent in their speech.

True representation during Dutch rule and collation of Hortus Indicus Malabaricus; affidavit in Lingua Brahmanica. Proof script for the community.

Kutchi Memon Kutchi Memon community – Small time business, kite making etc.

Close knit community – 5000 Kutchi Muslim family. Kutchi Hanafi mosque built in 1875 and still used.

Association called Jamaat.

Chembitta palli

Muslims South of Mattancherry, sits Kochangadi, the original Muslim Quarters – indigenenous kerala mosque architecture is an example of cultural adaptation.

Carved inscription boards above the prayer hall entry doors.

Memories: They used to sell shrimps, known for exporting seafood and Philanthropy.

Traditional dress which is no longer seen.

Memon from the word momin meaning faithful in Arabic.

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PRECINCT STUDY

PRECINCT 6 STUDY AND ANALYSIS

MOHD ABDUL REHMAN ROAD

CHERLAI ROAD

PALACE ROAD

Key plan Important streets considered within the precinct.

Density of pedestrian and vehicular movements decrease drastically as one moves away from the school precinct.

View showing commericial side of Palace Road. Significant increase in pedestrian and vehicular density during peak work hours (9-10am and 4pm-6pm). Also affected due to the proximity of TD temple.

Corners and street edges being misused and loaded with garbage.

The important marker of the precinct is the td school that was established in the year 1887. The precinct acts as a junction of various communities leading to different typologies and activities in and about the streets.Palace road, cherlai road, gujurati street, jain street, mohd abdul rahman road all add a different character to the precinct.

ANALYTICAL SECTION: TD School serves as an important marker about the entire precinct.

Pedestrian and vehicular movements depend mostly upon the workings of the school hours.

What happens at the junction of these social boundaries? The aim is to study the transitions in the character of the streets keeping in reference with the td temple, which acts as the factor for the origin of td school and contributes to a major population of konkani brahmins about the area. Can there be a scope to bring about the communities together? Or is it just the need to cater to different communities in a way that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just survive but thrive as a community?

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Legend Ground floor G +1 G +2 G +3

Most of the buldings are upto ground floor and first floor.

Buildings of g+2 are mostly mixed used buildings or residential apartments. The precinct on an average has g+1 floors characterised by temples and shops and individual houses.

Heights of buildings Legend Maintained Medium Average Poor

The institutional buildings are fairly well maintained by the respective communities/authorities. In the case of residential, the poorly maintained houses are either abandoned or owned by economically lower income population.

Building condition Legend Within 20 yrs 20-100 yrs 100 yrs +

Td school is one of the oldest institutions in the precinct followed jain school and gujurathi community hall. There is a fair share of recent and old residential houses. Most of the shops are within 20-100 years of construction.

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PRECINCT STUDY

Key plan

N

Legend Commercial Residential Institutional Classified greens Unclassified greens

N

Landuse map Types of institutional and commercial buildings

Residential

N Along palace road

N

Along mohammad abdul rahman road Formal Residential To Informal Commercial types

Open to public institutions Public to certain communities

Legend

Formal To Informal Commercial types

N

Along gujurati road Formal To Informal Commercial types

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Open to public Public to certain communities

Residential

Open to public Institutions Public to certain communiti es

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Vehicular and pedestrian mapping Vehicular movement is mainly characterised by two wheelers and smaller vehicles. Buses around the institution are rare as most of the students live closeby and commute by cycles. It shows the nativity of the td school.

Morning 9am-10am is the peak traffic time followed by evening 430pm-6pm.

N

Pedestrian Movement Is Mainly Crowding Around Palace Road Due To The Activities Of The Shops And Vendors As Well As The Institutional Buildings Around It. The Residential Streets Have Low Density Of Pedestrian Movements. The Palace Road Followed By Gujurathi Street And Mohd Abdul Rahman Road Have Found To Have The Most Dense Pedestrian Movement Having An Average Of 85 Per Hour At Peak Periods.

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PRECINCT STUDY LEGEND

Shree Gujurathi vidyalaya

Jalaram Dham

MAP SHOWING EXTENT OF DIFFERENT SPOKEN LANGUAGES T.D. School

T.D.temple

Commercial and Distinctive smell institutional buildings on boundaries. the main road.

Residential buildings on the smaller roads .

The width of the road reduces further north as the street terminates.

Jain temple VIEW OF THE STREET: Taken from a building , shows the pedestrian activities on the street at the end of Gujrathi street.(more activity,wider road)

Food stores, buildings in good condition Unkempt buildings Junction of Jain temple road and Gujrati street

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R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE This area mostly consists of Gujratis at one end of the street and Muslims mostly at the other end. The Gujratis are of two types- Jains and Vaishyas and have two temples in the premises. The Chawls built earlier by the Gujratis are no longer occupied by them but are occupied by Muslims and other smaller Hindu families. The Gujratis now have independent houses and some even reside in partments.

KEY PLAN

RESIDENTIAL

COMMERCIAL SRI SAI BABA TEMPLE

PANDITHAM ROAD

MOHD ABDUL RAHMAN ROAD

PRECINCT PLAN

STREET ELEVATION: Along Gujrati street. The main street consists only of institutional and commercial buildings

ABSTRACT: The change in character from the beginning of the street to the end of the street is evident. The beginning of the Gujrathi street mostly consists of food and perfume stores whereas the end of the street contains hardware stores. The condition of the buildings also deteriorate as we reach the end of the street. The smell of food changes to that of dust .

Street characterized by smaller hardware stores and shops

Typical gujrathi chawl Food stalls along the periphery of the road and footpath.Wider road

Entrance to chawl

Two wheeler parking at the end of the street.Narrower road.

New housing typologies emerging: The new housing typologies consist of independent houses and apartments.

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N

PRECINCT STUDY Abstract:founded in 1887, thirumala devasom vidyasala- an anglo- vernacular school , initially only for boys, has the rare distinction of having witnessed three centuries- the 19th,20th and 21st..The southern side serves as the main entrance to the school, which comprises of the main academic block for classes from 5th to 10th, and three other surrounding buildings which hosts the primary and higher secondary education classes. It also comprises of a large open ground for the school’s recreational purposes.The TD school forms the main institutional physical boundary in the precinct.

The surrounding homes and the establishments were mainly, though not entirely konkani and as the TD complex was so central to the life of their community, the community would congregate in this area on the very many special occasions and festivals that took place throughout the year.

Floor plan Lower level, of the school consists mainly of the preliminary classrooms a,long with the staff and administrative offices. It is characterised by two large courtyards on two sides of the main central axis that is open for gardening, encouraging students towards green initiatives.

Residential bldgs Td school Looking onto South Palace road Entrance Palace road

50 m

44 m

Shops spilling Physical boundary Out onto street with access Conceptual section aa’across palace road and td school Northern side Residential area Td school

Key plan

N

A

B B’ Precinctplan

Conceptual section bb’ across td school Entrance and residential area.

Sections Palace road becomes the main spill out of the school and the shops adjacent. The peak activity times are 4pm after school and 6pm as the shops abut further into the road.

Td school as viewed as one walks along palace road. The entire facade is facing the palace road. The frontage of the school is bordered with a 2m compound wall followed by a school play ground.

Td temple and td school Td temple was built around the 15th century and was destroyed and rebuilt for a second time in 1729 ad, but the deity was taken again and returned back to kochi only in the year 1881. The 125th anniversary of the third pratishta of the temple, was celebrated at the TD school in year 2007. 6 years after the third pratishta, the gowda saraswath brahmins built the TD schol for their community.

Around tit developed several libraries and instituions over time.

Td school

Td temple N Analytical section: TD school now serves as a reminiscence of a 125 year old school. It forms an important marker in the entire precinct forming a strict institutional boundary. Strong physical boundaries characterize the settlements about this area, the main physical boundary being established by the TD school itself.

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Section of a shop

Section of a typical cow shed Key plan

Section of two storeyed building with attached shop-typology 2 Typology 4-cow shed)pashu tozhuttu)

Typology 1-shops Ground floor M.A cyril road

First floor Typology 2 –shop attached to two story residence

Typology 3shop attached to residence

Memory sketch by mr. Arvind shetty (konkani resident).

Entrance

Typologythe typology of the konkani houses is a regular rectangle. The entrance leads to a hall. The house is divided such that the private spaces are on the left side of the house and kitchen , dining area and work area are on the right side. The houses are either one – storied or two – storied. They have a typical sloped roof. The buildings along palace road are part commercial and part residential. The part facing the palace road are the shops and the rear part consists of a residence which extends to the next flloor.Few buildings with shop and residence also include a car park within the compound and a shop front facing the road. Another type of building visible is the “ pashu tozhuttu” that is the cowsheds. These are usually found amongst the residential area.

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Plan of the konkani residence.

Analytical section: Most of the buildings face the street.

The maximum height is two storeys.

Combination of commercial and residential is seen.

PRECINCT STUDY

PRECINCT 7 STUDY AND ANALYSIS Precinct 7 is the area that surrounds the inward bound circuit of the Calvathy canal and residential areas surrounding it, one of which is the Cherlai street. The interesting factor in this area is the growth of three different communities of the Konkani Brahmins, the Syrian Christians and the Sunni Muslims.

1. Masjid

PULLUMPALAM ROAD

KUNNUMPURAM ROAD

2. Rahma Masjid

The important roads in the precinct.

THIRUMALA DEVASWOM SCHOOL

3. Catholic Ashram

CHERLAI BAZAAR STREET THIRUMALA DEVASAWOM TEMPLE Source: Author

4. 100 year old Church

5. Deliverance Church

Source: Author Calibri 8 italics

6. GSB Temple

Source: Author

Source: Author 213

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KONKANI BRAHMINS MUSLIMS SYRIAN CHRISTIANS KONKANI BRAHMINS:- The Konkani Brahmins first entered Kerala in the 16th century.

They fled Goa following the invasion of the Portuguese. The Zamorin then, refused to allow them to settle as he did not want to invite the wrath of the Portuguese. They then followed the water route to Kochi, where the Kochi Rajavu gave them a marshy land to live in. the area was called “Chala” which meant marsh and in the present day has evolved to “Cherlai”. They are the second largest Non-Malayali community in the city and include the Gowda Saraswath Brahmins, Kudumbis, Vaniyars and Daivajnars.

SYRIAN CHRISTIANS: The Syrian Christians are divided into many sects such as Syrian catholics or Jacobites or orthodox or Marthomites or even Anglican Christians. The Syrian Christians owe allegiance to the Pope and Rome. The Syrian Christians who mostly converted Hindus by traders from Syria and other countries in and around occupied by Syrian Christians. Syrian Christians have occupied a very high position in Kerala society. This is because they had good ties with traders who converted them, and were more commercial, hence prosperous and respected. Facing pressure to switch to catholic faith by the Portuguese, many Syrian Christians took a public oath at a place called koonan cross or koonan kurisu to defy the Portuguese and persist with the Syrian rights. This movement that happened in 1653 is and important part of their history.

SUNNI MUSLIMS:- The Muslims of Kerala arrived several hundred years ago. They were lead to Kerala by the water trade business mostly from the Babylonian and Persian regions. Their trade mostly revolved around spices, scents, silks and other luxurious items. Because of their good relations with the people of Kerala, The raja of Kochi allowed them to settle on the outskirts of the land near the shore where their ships came and went. Due to their proximity with the coast, they also took up the profession of fishing and made small fishing communities along the coast. Even today, the Muslim population is seen mostly around the trading ports and water canals. They continue to work as fishermen and take up jobs by the canal like wood workers. They still work on the wood that arrives in their vicinity in the same manner that they did when the boats brought in wood, coal and large palm material from the ports inland through the canal.

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Source: Author

PRECINCT STUDY INFERENCE: The precinct is predominantly consistent of residential buildings.

The residential areas are further divided into communities where each one has a main road with commercial activity that the entire community goes through.

These are the most public community spaces and interaction points.

INFERENCE: The heights of the buildings have been kept low because most of the people residing there are from low income groups and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the financial capability to buy large plots of land and build high rise buildings. Also because their plots of land are so small, they cannot build over three storey's as it is not in compliance with the building regulations of the area. There seems to be minimal setback area as well.

The current residential typology of the settlement is high density, low rise. In order for the settlement to become high rise, large areas will need to be constructed and the people placed in temporary accomodation.

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CONDITION OF BUILDINGS Well maintained Ok to good Not great Bad condition

Well maintained

Source: Author

AGE OF BUILDINGS Above 50 YRS 20-50YRS 10-20YRS

Ok to good

Not great Source: Author

INFERENCE: Most of the oldest buildings date back more than 60 years. They mostly arise due to the canal position. The old buildings are mostly workspaces or sheds for woodwork that came about when the canal was used to transport heavy loads. Now they mostly stand as dilapidated structures.

The newer houses have been constructed by the current generation after the hierarchal division of plots while being handed over from father to sons.

There has been no effort to restore the dilapidated buildings that are not residential.

The wood work continues inside these buildings and seem oblivious to their surroundings.

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Bad condition

Source: Author

PRECINCT STUDY 1DEGREE STREET 2 DEGREE STREET 3 DEGREE STREET

1 DEGREE Name -Cheralai Bazaar Road Activity- commercial shops on either side eg.grocery, flour grinding, stationary etc.

2 DEGREE Name- RG Pai Activity- mostly residential, dotted with a few shops.

HIERARCHY OF ROADS Source: Author

SUB ARTERIAL ROADS

ALLEY

INFERENCE: 3 DEGREE Name- North Cherlai Street, MB lane Activity- residential , high density

Being small roads, the vehicular density is quite less. The only trucks we see are on Cherlai road early mornings. Most residents prefer to commute by ferry and public buses to their place of work and autos seem to be the predominant mode of transport for school going children.

ARTERY

An alley

Sub arterial road

Arterial road

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Source: Author

Source: Author

The car frequencies are quite low and most vehicular transport seems to be limited to twowheelers or cycles. As such, it is very easy to get autos as shown in the auto radius diagram above.

BOUNDARIES

Section 11â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Source: Author 218

Among the people, it is believed that one could see the temple from the palace and vice-versa.

Then, the palace road was a much larger precinct. But now with time, buildings have come up ,number of people and vehicles have increased making the place feel like parts in that whole.

PRECINCT STUDY

Source: Author

Used as a transport systems for goods earlier, the growth of road transport has mostly reduced it to a sewage line with many bridges right over it leading to houses located right off the water edge.

Source: Author

Source: Author

The calvathy canal separates Fort Cochin from Mattancherry. At one time it was the border between colonial control and the Maharajahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. through a formidable network of rivers, streams and lakes, boats from all over the backwater bought goods to Mattancherry. From here they were shipped to all over India and the world. Along this canal lived many people who traded and moved the goods. The waters of the Calvathy canals have age old stories flowing through them. Stories of early morning swimmers, ablutions and prayers, water boats carrying spices, wood, coal and other commodities for daily life. Stories of the fishing ships scouting for fish and the clear waters used to irrigate the large plantations embanking it.

Today, the story of the clear waters has changed drastically. Where the once clear waters held fish, today they hold only garbage. With drains from houses emptying into it and people dumping their garbage, the water body has become a site for mosquito breeding and stench. It has become an environmental hazard there.

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Source: Author

Konkani Bhasha Prachar Sabha N Purushothama Mallaya is known in kochi’s Konkani community as the man who ensured that his language was recognized as an independent language in the eight schedule of the constitution. Surrounded by various publications in his Mattancherry home, Mallaya recollected his verbal duels with bureaucrats and administrators so that Konkani was recognized as a language that can be taught in schools and colleges.

Son of Kerala’s first women teacher N M Saraswati Bai, Mallaya also founded the Bhasha Prachar Sabha in 1965.

Usage –Multipurpose building that serves banking facilities at lower level including ATM’s and conducts Konkani language classes at the first floor twice a week. Addition to this its also used as a function hall for political events. Acts as a major landmark in the area.

Architectural elements – polygonal shaped plan , rcc construction with exterior cornice. Vertical projecting columns at equal intervals on the exterior façade.

Position in the plot - situated alongside the regulation line of the street and run alongside the plot. Plan is adjusted to the corner position.

Tirumalai Devaswom Temple The temple was established in 1727 AD by Devaresa Prabhu. The main deity is Shri Ventachalapathy. It is the biggest and most important socio-religious institution of Gowda Saraswat Brahmins of Kerala. It is one of the famous Mahakshetrams of kerala.

It is always a festive mood at the temple with daily, weekly monthly and yearly functions and special sevas conducted by the community members.

SINDOORA BHAGAVATI MANYAMANDALA TEMPLE – another temple for Gowdasaraswat Konkani Brahmins.

KRISHNA TEMPLE A temple under construction, owned by a family residing in Mattancherry .The temple is being built at the site of their ancestral house. The temple is opened for the public.

Architectural elements – Open and symmetrical plan with inner sanctum , garbh griha. Constructed with size stone masonry with decorative motifs on walls, Position in the sitePlaced in between the ancestral house and the new house of the owner. It showcases a small pond in front of it. Konkani settlements are found more densely around TD temple. Farther you move from the temple , more mixed are the settlements. In spite of the mixed settlements, great care has been taken to preserve the language. Konkani language is a part of the T D school syllabus and the Bhasha Prachar Bhavan takes weekly language classes for the community.

Muslim House

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Syrian Christian House

Source: Author

Inference: The Konkani settlements are inherently attached to the temple and their Bhasha Sabha which makes them appear to have their own hub of activities. As such the large grounds in front of the temple are used only during festivals and have the potential to become a third space in terms of community.

PRECINCT STUDY

Cherlai Street Elevation Konkanin Bhasha Pracharsabha Street Konkani Residential Area Street The Konkani Bhasha PracharSabha junction is a main meeting junction and possess importance to the Konkani community. There are two main gathering spots.

One at the junction where men are predominantly seen . The other at the end of the street for women . They sell snacks during the evening.

In the neighbourhood there are aganavadis and old age homes.

Cherlai Street Elevation

Konkani Bhasha Pracharsabha Street

Konkani Bhasha Pracharsabha Street

Konkani Residential Area Street

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R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE Konkani Brahmin House 1.High walls surrounding the house 2.Little portion for plantation , however small the house.

3.Generally gabled roof Newer versions/constructions or renovate the house 4.Generally 2-3 floors, flat roof, complete concrete const.

5.Very little or no plantation TYPE A

Source: Author

Ground floor

Second floor First floor An old house was partitioned into 3 houses for the three sons and the lower portion accommodated 2 shops facing the street and 3 rentals.

Muslim House 1.No plantation .

2.Compound walls are not high , sometimes absent TYPE C

TYPE B

INFERENCE:

Source: Author

The three different types of housing seen in this precinct are inherently different according to their function religious or otherwise. For instance, in the Muslim house, the prayer room is always in the direction of Mecca. Also most of them have a shop adjoining their house and their houses spill out directly into the road for that reason.

The Konkani houses on the other hand almost always have some sort of plantation to symbolize nature and growth.

The larger workshops are huge spaces with columns in between them to create a workable space for the workmen.

Any intervention should keep these preferences in mind.

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Workshop â&#x20AC;&#x201C; wooden workshop which was stratergically located near the canal for Source: Author

PRECINCT STUDY

PRECINCT 8 STUDY AND ANALYSIS TD temple

Peepal tree katte market

TDLP school

Ambala kolam

Peepal tree katte worship place

Heritage building

STREET ELEVATIONS AROUND THE TD TEMPLE

TRANSECTS

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R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE LEGEND FAIRLY GOOD MODERATE POOR Classification according to maintenance and materials used in construction Fairly good: pakka construction (rcc or masonry); completely safe, habitable, no visible damage, not dilapidated Moderate: comparitively poor maintenance; platsring/paint wearing off; still habitable Poor: kuccha construction (tatch roof, poor masonry), visibly dilapidated, fallen roof, broken windows, etc.;Not habitable

LEGEND 16 VEHICLES PER MINUTE 10 VEHICLES PER MINUTE 8 VEHICLES PER MINUTE LESS THAN 5 VEHICLES PER MINUTE Vehicular density at palace road at noon is 16 vehicles (auto, 2wheelers, cars and cycle) passing through the same point every minute.

Hence all other comparison or rank mapping are done accordingly LEGEND 14 PEOPLE PER MINUTE 9 PEOPLE PER MINUTE 6 PEOPLE PER MINUTE LESS THAN 6 PEOPLE PER MINUTE

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Pedestrian density at palace road at noon is 14 people passing through a given point in a minute Hence all other comparisions or rank mapping are done accordingly

PRECINCT STUDY LEGEND COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL INSTITUTIONAL TRANSPORT-ROADS

The plots of land have been attributed the use based on the type of buildings existing on the plot

LEGEND COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL INSTITUTIONAL The classification of bulidng uses has been done according to udpfi guidelines LEGEND G G+1 G+2 G+3 G stands for an approximate height of about 3-4m G + 1 stands for about 6-8m G+2 stands for about 9-12m A single syoried structure which is more than 4m is still considered G+1 and not G. The above point has been kept in mind when considering the temple structure

LEGEND LESS THAN 20 YEARS OLD 20-100 YEARS OLD MORE THAN 100 YEARS OLD The age of some buildings were available as solid facts and the rest were estimated according to the state of the structure

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N

T D PUBLIC SCHOOL

T D TEMPLE PLAN Cochin Thirumala Devaswom is the biggest and most important socio-religious institution of Gowda Saraswat Brahmins of Kerala. One of the famous Mahakshethrams of Kerala GOSRIPURAM is one of a kind in terms of architectural splendor and style. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple is built in Nagara Style of Hindu Temple architecture with the customary copper plated roof and an imposing gold shikha.

Srikovil is Vimana shaped which is a unique feature.

The temple has 4 cardinal GATEWAYS. These gateways form an axis along which the main residential settlements of the community is devoloped.The path around the temple is known as the RATHAVEEDHi. In the outer most periphery is housed the Sukratindra Sadan, the Bungalow for Swamijis to camp during their visits, Saraswati Nilayam, which houses the Temple Library, Santhi Kulam, the bathing tank for temple priests, Dove cot, Mini Garden, Elephant Shed, Gosala, vast Agrasalas, Stores, Yogasala, Treasury, Vessel Store, Main Office, Veda Patasala, Vyasa Mandir, Vahanas-Gallery, Vimana House, Washing Tank, Huge Uootupura, & Main Flower Garden. The next Prakara is wide open ground for Sheeveli and Vahana Pooja . Adjacent to it is Kalyana Utsavaveethi through which the Festival deities are taken in Palanquin in a procession before and after Kalyanotsavam with all temple Paraphernalia. Next to it is Pallaku Pooja Panthal. The biggest bronze bell and one of the biggest Deepasthambhams in India are seen in the Nada Panthal Lane.

Inside these are minor shrines, Yakshi Peetam, Tulasi Tara, Vana Bhojanasala, Shatabdi Panthal, & Yagna Sala.

The average footfall is highest in the region during the Mahotsavam and Rathotsavam mainly.

Some of the other important festivals of this temple include the Kartika Purnami, Uthana Dwadasi, Akshaya Thritiya, Anantha Chaturdesi, Ashtami Rohini and Deepavali.

Scores of devotees participate in the drawing of chariot on the Mahanavami day during Navarathri.

Madwa Navami and the punyathithi of H.H Sukratheendra Thirtha Swami of Kashi Math are the other red letter days in the festive calendar of the temple.

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THE NORTH GATE (GOPURAM) Richly decorated monumental tower on the northern side of the temple is in Pagoda Style that is influenced by the Indo-Tibetan architecture.

Double storeyed, it has a Copper plated roof. Rich wooden carvings by the master craftsmen of South india depicting scenes from the holy relics are a salient feauture.

PRECINCT STUDY The two main temple festivals popularly known as 'Aratt' are the most important events of the year. Two eight day long festivals (Rathotsavam and Mahotsavam) are celebrated in the temple annually.

Mahotsavam is in commemoration of the first Pratistha and it ends on the full moon day of the month Chaitra (March-April). Rathotsavam performed in the month of November-December is similar to Mahotsavam in all respects except on the afternoon of the seventh day of festival, the Lord is taken round the temple in a special chariot known as Pushpaka Vimanam.

The festival commences with the formal hoisting of the sacred Garuda ensign. The two processions that are held one each in morning and evening which involves taking the representative image of the Lord in procession, draws huge crowd. Palanquin pooja is conducted at noon and night when the fully decked up idol will be taken in procession. One of the Important item during the temple festival is Vishnu Yagam, which starts from first day night onwards and concludes with Poornahuthi on the 8th day of the temple festival.

It is the only temple in Kerala where this Vishnu Yagam is held.

On the 4th 5th and 8th days of the temple festival, the image is carried in a golden palanquin along the Southern, Northern and Western streets respectively. On the seventh day evening the image of the Lord will be taken around in a horse carriage with all the paraphernalia along the corridors of the temple for the palli vettai (the symbolic wild animal hunt) and meets the Siva of Udyansewara in the temple. On the 8th day, the deity is taken for bathing ( avabritha snanam) at the lake mandapam.

Before this ceremony, there will be a procession of the community members who carry two country boats on their shoulders to the accompaniment of two caparisoned elephants, drum beats and nadaswaram, which start from the sasati area of Cherai to commemorate the fact that the forefathers had come to Cochin from the sasathi Pradesh of Goa to escape the forcible religious conversion of the Portuguese..

The procession ends at the Papanasam Lake where the country boats are lowered.

Soon after the Holy bath of the deity, there will be a sumptuous feast for all the devotees.Yearly hundreds of devotees from all over the country gather during this 8 day celebration.The community actively involves in various cultural as well as social activities during these festivals.

Kumlamandapam Kulamandapam is situated at the centre of the pond which is known as Papanasam Lake just outside the temple east gate. It is the place where the temple deities are brought twice a year on the 8th day of the Arat Festival.

On the 8th day of the temple festival (Arat Day), the temple deities are shifted to a throne installed on a make-shift twin boats joined together and profusely decorated with cloth, garlands of flowers, etc. and taken to the mandapam at the centre of the lake. At the mandapam, Deities are seated on the upper floor on a throne specially decorated for the purpose. Pujas and artis are then performed for the Deities along with a purification homam(yajna) and puja for the lake. Symbolically representing the Lord, the Chief Priest carries the Chakra and Saligramam on his head and take a plunge in the lake from the mandapam steps.

This is called Chakra Snanam and it is believed that it purifies the lake water and converts it to Theertham. This theertham is splashed on the persons witnessing this ritual. Many persons take a dip in the lake theertham to purify their being. It is believed that the splashing of the lake water theertham or taking a dip in the lake after the Chakra Snanam absolves them of all sins and purify their being by removing all the bad and negative traits.

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R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE SOUND TRANSECT 2

1

3

4

5

6 8

7

Smell transect As one walks from the palace road towards the temple, they begin to encounter a strange smell. a mix of the smell of the milk from abhishekam, the smell of cow dung from the cow sheds within the temple, the smell of the waste from the temple which the locals just refuse to acknowledge as garbage and many others, they lend a distinct character to the region and seem to announce the presence of the temple even before actual visual confirmation 228

PRECINCT STUDY

GARBAGE DUMP AS A BOUNDARY •it was observed that the dumping of trash outside the house followed a certain pattern within this community •every house on a street dumps their waste at one point on the road, usually the street corner •this forms a distinct character of each street, adding to the visula and olfactory experience of the street •a very strong linguistic boundary was felt in the precinct •a typical malyalam speaking street which is the palace road, suddenlay transforms to a strict konkani speaking community with just one road difference

Linguistic boundary

Noise as a boundary a distinct change in noise level and character is experienced when one walks from palace road towards td temple

MALYALAM

KONKANI

Graffiti as a boundary

•an encroachment area (claimed to be given to them by the government) is seen in the middle of this konkani settlement •resided mostly by daily wage labourers, this slum like settlement has distinct boundaries in the form of graffitti •while the remaining portion of the precinct has strict ‘stick no bills’ signs, this area displays a rather modern take on wall grafittit 229

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TEMPLE EDGE

RG PAI ROAD

PALACE ROAD PEOPLE DENSITY VEHICULAR DENSITY

MODERAT E 10-70

HIGH

MODERATE

60

30-

LOW

HIGH

PEDESTRAIN MOVEMENT

30-50

AGE GROUP

MODERATE

TOURISTS

STREET CHARACTER

Wider roads and smaller temoles.Te a stalls and smaller gathering spaces, repair shops.

Used for procession s during the festive season.

Peak usage hours are during evening.

Joins the temple edge with palace road. Mixed use street.

Public gathering spaces like peepal tree katte occupy major intersections . Residential area opens out to rg pai road.

Forms the major commercial area of the precinct.

Grocery , daily needs and electrical shops with roadside eateries are common. Narrow roads , electrical poles and street lights make it congested.

Temple edge

R.G. Pai road

Palace road 230

PRECINCT STUDY

LEGEND

PALACE ROAD R.G. PAI ROAD 6 PEOPLE PER MINUTE LESS THAN 6 PEOPLE PER MINUTE

STREET ACTIVITIES As one moves along palace road and the surrounding of td temple and td school, they come across various local activities that are quite familiar in a residential locality.

•These street activities bring out the local character of the place.

•One comes across small home-based papad-snack making houses, fruit and vegetable vendors, cyclists, street hawkers serving food or household commodities •The community is self sufficient in terms of religious, educational, cultural grounds and caters to their daily needs but lack the ability of interaction with other communities along palace road

Source: Author

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PRECINCT 9 STUDY AND ANALYSIS Situated at the end of palace road around the Amman Kovil Temple.

It is predominantly residential area with mainly Konkani's.

West of the temple is a mixed community with Muslims, Hindus and Christians.

Source: Author RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL INSTITUTIONAL BRIDGE

3 4 1 5

`

2 6

INFERENCE: The commercial spaces are situated on the primary route. the residential occupies the secondary and tertiary streets.

Source: Author

1. Ammankovil

4.Amaravathy Jama Masjid

3. Library

2. Shri Janardhana Temple

5.Amaravathy Govt.

Up School

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R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE Many alleyways found throughout the length of the street. they are residential, densely populated streets which are paved. width being about 2.5m, can only be used by pedestrians and two wheelers.

TEMPLE AS A VISTA:

Source: Author

Source: Author

7 AM

1 PM

6PM 234

Source: Author 9 PM

The temple is located in such a way that it forms the focal point on the axis which is the Amman kovil road.

The changing character of the Amman kovilAmaravathy junction at different times of the day.

The Amaravathy road acts as a strong boundary between the Konkani community and the mixed community.

PRECINCT STUDY BUILDING HEIGHTS GROUND GROUND + 1 Majority of the ground height buildings have the commercial zone facing the road with the residential zone behind.

Whereas the ground+1 and above are mainly residential or have the commercial zone on the ground floor and residential on the upper floors MAINTANENCE GOOD AVERAGE POOR DIALAPIDATED The buildings are in a good to average range based on maintenance as the have been rebuilt in the past few years.

Very few buildings are in a dilapidated or low maintained state.

Source: Author

Building Typology In Amman Kovil Road 1.

Simple housing

2.

No special detailing

3.

Unlike Agraharas, They are not gated communities.

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Amman Kovil Road

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PRECINCT STUDY

No of vendors on street increase around 4p.m: â&#x20AC;˘Schools close by 4p.m â&#x20AC;˘Harsh sunlight decreases

Mostly two wheelers.

Narrow roads.

Street busy by 5p.m due to location of temple.

Kindergarten children return home at 12p.m.

Senior school students return at 4p.m.

Goats seen around temple vicinity

Majority: Konkani, also know Malayalam garbage towards canal Vegetation increases towards canal side

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Palace Road Section

Amaravathi Road Section

As the historical significance of palace road is more than Amravati road, place road remains denser and narrow .Both are majorly commercial in nature but remains more flexible in usage. Palace road remains culturally multidimensional again because of the historical impact.

Typical Alley Section

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PRECINCT STUDY SECTION THROUGH PALACE ROAD Palace road despite being a busy road the edges are very dense and closely packed. No footpaths and no spill out spaces on the street.

Source: Author TRANSECTS AT AMMAN KOVIL ROAD Only on this road shops are found, most of the ground floor is rented for commercial.

Temples are visible from all the streets. This road has maximum vehicles, pedestrians in the Vaishnava region rest of the roads are reposed.

Amaravathy Road Palace Road Auto Stand Graffiti Colourful grafitti seen on the walls of the school

Amaravathy road- main link to fort Kochi

ONAM PROCESSION

Bus bays and auto stands on main road in close proximity to Amman kovil temple- which is an important landmark

JAGANATH YATRA AT TEMPLE

SHIVRATRI CELEBRATION AT AMAN KOVIL TEMPLE

During religious processions- the main roads are blocked

Source: Author

SECTION THROUGH AMARAVATI ROAD: Wider streets placed for hawkers and public to use the buffer space on the road. Better conditions for spill out.

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R V COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE Edge conditions of the canal

Section across autorickshaw community

Source: Author

Section across the paper factory

Section across l.G.Pai road Edge condition changes with respect to the dock line profile.

The new bridges were built and influenced by the new road network system, the difference can be noticed as the bridge width changes at nodes.

As the canal separates Mattancherry and fort Kochi the main bridges between these places were wider compared to the bridges built by the later or the most recent residents, few bridges behave as private entrance to residences.

The canal divides the gowda saraswata brahmin and vaishyavani brahmins, 240

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TIME PROBLEM

Urban Boundaries An Exploration on Constructs in Time URBAN DESIGN STUDIO MATTANCHERRY COCHIN KERALA TIME PROBLEM BOUNDARY AS I SEE IT

Adapted from the fiction by Shagun Modi and Tasneem Vohra of 7C 2012 Batch CHARACTER 1 He was very concerned about his wife, it had been a while since he wanted to quit his life style, but it was too enticing to carry on. The more he tried to run the more it roped him in.

Khan wasn’t a smuggler by choice, but fell more like it due to his destitute condition.

He was a mere 15 year old when he got draw to into tit, guided by his maalik or the manager of the boat trading company where he worked. It was agreeable to him because he was making quick money just for transporting goods across the bridge.

He soon gained fame in the smuggling world by the name of ‘easy khan’. People of Kochi waited for the exotic whiskey that he got from the foreign lands. From an errand boy, he had risen up to the level of a local don. The trade across the canal was in his pocket. I solved all his problems for a while until the police started banging on his front door. However they did not find any hard evidence against him but surely he was now on their hit list.

In this entanglement and confusion comes love, his salvation; he fell so hard and fast in love that he forgot all about his problem and trade. He married her without their family’s approval and did not want to give her the life of a fugitive. He was in a dilemma, he wanted the money but he also wanted her safe. He was born a Christian but nobody still knows his Christian name. Love triumphed and so he quit all his religion and luxuries. He plans to settle down with a …….. And that’s where I met him.

CHARACTER 2 A little boy jumped out of his Wednesday class to go watch a play at the famous star theatre, but was sadly caught midway by his uncle. The 12 year old got very dejected and decided to try it with extra caution next time. It was his passion; the plays performed at the old theatre however he was forbidden to go to the ghastly area of Mattancherry by his father.

Gomez grew up very sheltered and protected. His father was a priest, a God fearing man himself, who wanted his son to become the same. Gomez has sneaked to the theatre, until his father was alive and then it became a weekly affair.

Once he was returning home after the play; he came across the vices of the island at the bridge - smugglers. They immediately engaged his attention. Smuggling still goes on but in a much silent and secretive manner. He soon made it a monthly practice to go see this by the bridge. Slowly and gradually, the image embossed in his mind about the place changed. He no longer believed the city he saw beneath.

In this passion for theatre and encounter with the vices comes love, his salvation; he fell so hard and fast in love that he forgot all about his confusions about the city. He married her without their family’s approval and did not want to give her to continue her religion. He was in a dilemma, he wanted the graces but he also wanted his passion. She was born a Muslim but nobody still knows her Muslim name. Love triumphed and he too plans to settle down with a …... And that’s where I met him.

THE TASK The Coelho family is planning to migrate to Israel and wants to rent out this property.

Incidentally both Mr Khan and Mr Gomez are keen to acquire it. That is then I thought of working out a story board for design for each one of them separately. I plan to recreate it based on the character sketch above.

Develop a context for each one of them Define the boundaries from they have developed in their life and various decisions Draw 3 spatial conditions that they would develop with their immediate which is transgressed, negotiated and denied Deliverables: Context + appropriated thresholds and house – an exploded axonometric view.

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TIME PROBLEM- DESIGNING FOR MR. KHAN AND MR. GOMEZ

Pavan Kumar S 243

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Pranav K K 244

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Nilin Shamrith 245

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URBAN DESIGN STUDIO 2015 Journal

R V College Of Architecture Urban design Collective Journal Š Published 2015