Kochi (all images)

The city of Kochi (known as Cochin in the colonial period) lies along the coast in the southern part of the state of Kerala, at one of the sea accesses of the Kerala backwaters. Kochi extends over some islands in a lagoon, all interconnected by bridges, near the city of Ernakulam on the mainland. The historic area of Fort Kochi lies on the island immediately facing the sea and extends over an area of 2km x 4km at the northern end of the island. Kochi has a rich cultural heritage, having been settled for many centuries before the arrival of the Europeans and being an important city during the colonial period. There are several old, colonial era buildings sread all over Fort Kochi. Although Kochi supposedly is one of the more interesting tourist areas in India, the tourist infrastructure is relatively underdeveloped.