A Conservation Report from Kerala Patricia Fels

Peer Reviewed Title: Setting Straight the Priorities: A Conservation Report from Kerala [Speaking of Places] Journal Issue: Places, 18(3) Author: Fels, Patricia Publication Date: 2006 Publication Info: Places Permalink: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/0m09p7pm Acknowledgements: This article was originally produced in Places Journal. To subscribe, visit www.places-journal.org. For reprint information, contact places@berkeley.edu. Keywords: places, placemaking, architecture, environment, landscape, urban design, public realm, planning, design, speaking, setting, straight, priorities, conservation, Kerala, report, Patricia Fels Copyright Information: All rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. Contact the author or original publisher for any necessary permissions. eScholarship is not the copyright owner for deposited works. Learn more at http://www.escholarship.org/help_copyright.html#reuse eScholarship provides open access, scholarly publishing services to the University of California and delivers a dynamic research platform to scholars worldwide. Setting Straight the Priorities: A Conservation Report from Kerala Patricia Fels For thousands of years, urban civili- ditions, and designs that reflect social ascendancy after the great flood of zation has flourished on the Indian and religious patterns. 1341 silted up the historic port of subcontinent. In modern, indepen- The state of Kerala stretches along nearby Kodungalloor. The arrival of dent India, the fate of historic monu- the Malabar Coast, in southwestern Vasco da Gama at the end of the fif- ments (temples, mosques, palaces, India. Isolated for millennia from the teenth century began a long period of and forts) varies: some buildings are rest of India by the dense forests and European domination. Fort Cochin, protected; some have become heavily mountain peaks of the Western Ghats, at the tip of the peninsula, became a visited icons; others have been left to the people along the coastline peace- colonial outpost, the first European decay. Completely off the heritage fully interacted with traders from the settlement in India, and one of the radar, the Indian vernacular (housing, Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. few with a history of Portuguese, shops and warehouses) remains The exotic spices that grow there have Dutch and English presence. Mean- unrecognized and ignored, left to long been objects of desire around while, the adjacent, older settlement slowly deteriorate or be demol- the globe. They were freely traded to of Mattancherry remained home to ished. Frequently massed in historic Arabs, Jews, Christians, and Muslims, the ruling maharaja and site of the enclaves, these structures display an North Indians, Chinese, and Southeast port. Here, the storage, shipping and artisan skill with local materials, an Asians—until the Portuguese arrived trading of regional products (from appropriate response to climatic con- seeking control over the trade. spices to rices) took place. A unique Midway up the coast, Cochin vernacular architecture developed, (recently renamed Kochi) is a jewel reflecting the local environment, the Above: A wholesale man sits in his shop on Bazar Road. of this trading culture. It gained trade, and the traders. 66 Fells / Setting Straight the Priorities Speaking of Places The Cochin Peninsula Today Cochin were not torn down; but labeled “marginal” (i.e., poor) by the The state of Kerala is well known neither were they maintained. Now, government, have in fact been “mar- in development circles for its high with an expanding tourist industry ginalized.” Instead of examining inno- rates of literacy, life expectancy, and and soaring property values, local vative ways to reinvigorate the urban live birth—comparable to those of government has taken the first steps settlement or help the spice trade developed nations. The people of toward recognizing this rich patri- metamorphose into a twenty-first- Kerala may have low incomes, but mony. The city tourism office has century activity, local officials con- they uniformly experience a quality declared the colonial center (Fort tinue to turn obsessively to tourism. of life unique in India. After Indian Cochin) a heritage zone, and a As a result, historical buildings are independence, a radicalized Kerala Center for Heritage, Environment visualized as museums or tourist state government instigated broad and Development has been estab- destinations, while residents remain land reforms along with social man- lished. Yet, despite a series of studies unaware of their uniqueness, or poten- dates that brought health care and on the importance of Cochin/Mat- tial for reuse. Meanwhile, many areas schooling to all residents of the state. tancherry heritage, legislative action still have no water service or sewer, However, the Cochin penin- has not been forthcoming. No state or sula slipped into a daydream as the local guidelines for a historic district mainland area of Ernakulam became have been enacted, and no legal status Above: Map of the greater Kochi area. The Cohin/ a modern city and a new port was has been given to historic buildings. Mattancherry Peninsula is to the left. The modern built on an adjacent island. Lack Part of the problem is that the Mat- city of Ernakulam is to the right. The new port is of demand meant the buildings of tancherry area and its inhabitants, in-between. Places 18.3 67 and open drains carry a foul mixture rain trees, occupies the center of this tea merchants, Jewish businessmen, of refuse. The inventive spirit of post- old colonial area, and is in continual the Dutch governor who compiled independence is no longer discernible. use today by local youth for cricket Hortus Malabaricus, and many more. and soccer matches. Around this space The Fort Cochin area is connected Elements of Urban Form are a series of historic bungalows and to Mattancherry by Bazar Road. At its In terms of layout, the Cochin the oldest European church in India. southern terminus is another impor- Peninsula has two principal foci linked Private individuals have renovated tant building complex that includes by a commercial spine. The Fort some of the bungalows (many turned the maharaja’s palace (now called the Cochin neighborhood, site of the into tourist guesthouses or hotels). Dutch palace) and a Hindu temple. original Portuguese fort, is bounded The adjacent streets are lined with Immediately adjacent is Jewtown, once on three sides by the sea. A large rowhouses. Both the bungalows and home to Middle Eastern traders. Here, parade ground, surrounded by huge the rowhouses in this area show signs godowns (Asian vernacular for ware- of Dutch, Portuguese, English and houses) stretch along the waterfront, Above: A Catholic Church on Bazar Road shares the Keralan influence. These buildings while shophouses line the lanes leading neighborhood with Hindu temples, a synagogue, and were once home to major players to a sixteenth-century synagogue. many mosques. in the history of Cochin: coffee and Today, Jewtown has become an 68 Fells / Setting Straight the Priorities Speaking of Places antique center where aged godowns ware stores and numerous wholesalers Godowns and Courtyards: are packed with old furniture, build- of goods occupy small ground-floor An Urban Typology ing parts (including granite columns, shops. On roads leading inland, ethnic Narrow and long, Bazar Road was wood carved gable ends, and doors), communities with connections to local once a bustling regional marketplace. religious artifacts (Hindu, Jewish and trade maintain unique historic enclaves, In its heyday, its two-story buildings, Christian), and a dizzying array of such as the agraharam of Tamil Brah- with decorated windows, patterned lamps, statues, photographs, jewelry mins (an internal street off the temple eaves, and carved doors, must have and household containers. Few build- with rowhousing). Even today, thirteen presented a formidable, unified facade. ings remain in use for the spice trade, different linguistic groups can be found In general, the impressive Mat- and it is almost a shock to see a ware- in Cochin. And within a one-kilometer tancherry godowns run perpendicular house full of ginger. radius can be found Hindu and Jain to the street. Grand doors lead from However, moving north toward Fort temples, a Catholic church, a Syrian Cochin, the activities of the city’s older Christian shrine, a Jewish synagogue, Above: The shophouses of Jewtown once housed trading days continue. Rice, ginger, and at least four Muslim mosques. This Middle Eastern traders, but now its streets are rubber, cashews and spices are moved is the heart of Mattancherry—a center primarily for tourists. The building at the end of the in and out of large godowns. Hard- pulsing with diversity. street is the sixteenth-century synagogue. Places 18.3 69 70 Fells / Setting Straight the Priorities Speaking of Places Bazar Road to expansive courtyards A Vision for the Future compounds, and godown courtyards surrounded by structures that extend The history of the spice trade and can all work together to create density to the water’s edge. Designed for the power of the architectural spaces and livability. storing goods in a hot climate with in Cochin provide potent images. In It is a fact that the spice trade is no two monsoon seasons, these wharf particular, the Parade Ground and longer a dominant force in Cochin. buildings have steep wood-framed surrounding colonial gardens contrast And Fort Cochin and Jewtown gable roofs covered with clay tiles. dramatically with the linear, dense

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