page_title: History of Kochi
section_title: Portuguese period (1503–1663)
hierarchical_section_title: History of Kochi / Foreign rule / Portuguese period (1503–1663)
caption_attribution_description: English: This photograph was taken by me in December 2000. I release it in This image is of the Kshetram (or temple) devoted to the deity Palayannur bhagvathy in the central courtyard of the Mattancherry Palace, in Kochi (Cochin), in Kerala, South India. The traditional lamp or Velakku, is seen in the foreground. While the Dutch-Kochi Jewish Synagogue is faintly seen in the distant background.
context_page_description: Kochi is a metro city located in the Ernakulam District in the Indian state of Kerala. Kochi, which is the largest city in Kerala is located about 200 km from Trivandrum capital of Kerala.
  For many centuries up to and during the British Raj, the city of Kochi was the seat of the eponymous princely state. Kochi traces its history back many centuries, when it was the centre of Indian spice trade for hundreds of years, and was known to the Yavanas, Jews, Arabs and Chinese since ancient times. Kochi earned a significant position on the world trading map after the port at Kodungallur was destroyed by massive flooding of the river Periyar in 1341.
  The earliest documented references to Kochi occur in the books written by Chinese voyager Ma Huan, during his visit to Kochi in the 15th century as part of the treasure fleet of Admiral Zheng He. There are also references to Kochi in accounts written by Italian traveller Niccolò Da Conti, who visited Cochin in 1440.
  Today, Kochi is the commercial hub of Kerala, and one of the fastest growing second-tier metropolises in India.
context_section_description: Kochi was the scene of the first European settlement in India. In the year 1500, the Portuguese Admiral Pedro Álvares Cabral, landed at Cochin after being repelled from Calicut. The king of the rival of Kochi welcomed his guests and a treaty of friendship was signed. Promising his support in the conquest of Calicut, the admiral coaxed the king into allowing them to build a factory at Cochin. Assured by the support, the king called war with the Zamorins of Calicut. However, the admiral retreated in panic on seeing the powers of the Zamorin. The Zamorins, on the other hand, eager to win the favor of the Portuguese, left without a war.
  
  Another captain, João da Nova, was sent in place of Cabral. However, he too faltered at the sight of the Zamorin. The consecutive retreats made the King of Portugal indignant. The king sent Vasco Da Gama, who bombed Calicut and destroyed the Arab trading posts. This invited the anger of the Zamorin, who declared a war against the Kochi Raja. 
  The war between Calicut and Cochin began on 1 March 1503 and the second invasion lasted from March 16, 1504, to July 3, 1504 (Battle of Cochin (1504)). However, the oncoming monsoons and the arrival of a Portuguese fleet under Lopo Soares de Albergaria in September, 1504 (and a year later, the armada led by Francisco de Almeida and Afonso de Albuquerque), alarmed the Zamorin, and he recalled his army. The Zamorin resorted to a retreat also because the revered festival of Onam was near, and the Zamorin intended to keep the auspicious day holy. This led to a triumph for the king of Kochi, who was later reestablished in the possession of his kingdom. However, much of the kingdom was burnt and destroyed by the armies. The tiny garrison, led by Duarte Pacheco Pereira, had achieved a rare military feat in history, successively repelling an invading army several hundred times bigger. It proved a humiliating defeat and a moral blow for the Zamorin of Calicut and undermined his authority in the Malabar region.
  After securing the king in his throne, the Portuguese got permission to build a fort –- Fort Kochi (Fort Emmanuel) (after the reigning king of Portugal) -- surrounding the Portuguese factory, in order to protect it from any further attacks. The entire work was commissioned by the Cochin Raja, who supplied workers and material. The Raja continued to rule with the help of the Portuguese. Meanwhile, the Portuguese secretly tried to enter into an alliance with the Zamorins. Later attempts by the Zamorin at conquering the Kochi port was thwarted by the Cochin Raja with the help of the Portuguese. Slowly, the Portuguese armory at Kochi was increased, with the presumed notion of helping the raja protect Kochi. However, the measure led to decrease in the power of the Cochin Raja, and an increase in the Portuguese influence.
  From 1503 to 1663, Kochi was ruled by Portugal through the namesake Cochin Raja. Kochi remained the capital of Portuguese India till 1510. In 1530, Saint Francis Xavier arrived and founded a Christian mission. The following Portuguese period was difficult for the Jews living in the region, since the Inquisition was established in Portuguese India in 1560. Kochi hosted the grave of Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese viceroy, who was buried at St. Francis Church until his remains were exhumed and interred in Portugal in 1539.
  Soon after the time of Albuquerque, the Portuguese rule in Kerala declined. The failure is attributed to intermarriages, forcible conversions, religious persecution, etc.
caption: Mattancherry Palace-temple, which was built during the Portuguese period by the Cochin Raja Veera Kerala Varma
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