The arrival of Rijklof van Goens at Cochin. In 1663 Rijcklof van Goens fought a decisive battle against the Portuguese. One of the descendants of the former rajah requested help from the VOC against the Portuguese and the then ruler, the king of Cochin. Initially Cochin was only conquered on account of the city's strategic importance. This was because the Portuguese in the Malabar region posed a threat to the nearby island of Ceylon, that the VOC had conquered not long before.