Kochi jew town street & synagogue-taiyaba

KOCHI-JEW TOWN STREET & SYNAGOGUE

-TAIYABA RASHID B.ARCH (DAY) III YEAR 2013-14 JAMIA MILLIA ISLAMIA

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FORT KOCHI

Fort Kochi is a region in Kochi which is part of a handfulof water-bound regions toward SW of mainland Kochi, &collectively known as Old Kochi or West Kochi. Adjacentto this is Mattancherry. 2

DEMOGRAPHY & SETTLEMENT HISTORY

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• Kochi was a fishing village in Kingdom of Kochi in pre-colonial Kerala.

• The territory was granted to Portuguese in 1503 by Rajah of Kochi, after forcesof Afonso de Albuquerque helped him fighting forces of Saamoothiri ofKozhikode.

• Rajah also gave them permission to build Fort Emmanuel near waterfront toprotect commercial interests. “Fort” in Fort Kochi comes from this fort.

• Portuguese built their settlement behind the fort, including a wooden church,which was rebuilt in 1516 as a permanent structure, today known as St FrancisChurch.

• Fort Kochi remained in Portuguese possession for 160 years.

• In 1683 the Dutch captured territory from Portuguese, destroyed manyPortuguese institutions.

• The Dutch held Fort Kochi in their possession for 112 years until 1795, when theBritish took control by defeating the Dutch.

• Foreign control of Fort Kochi ended in 1947 with the Indian independence.

AREAS OF STUDY

• Paradesi / Mattancherry Synagogue.• Mattancherry / Dutch Palace.• Street Market.

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PARADESI SYNAGOGUE• Has the Torah, severalgold crowns received asgifts, many Belgianglass chandeliers, 10th

century Cu plates and abrass-railed pulpit.

• Floor is composed ofhundreds of Chinese,18th-century, hand-painted porcelain tiles,each of which is unique.

• Has an 18th-centuryclock tower.

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PARADESI SYNAGOGUE

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MATTANCHERRY PALACE / DUTCH PALACE• Portuguese palace featuring Kerala murals depicting Hindu temple art, portraits &exhibits of the Rajas of Kochi.

• Quadrangular structure built in traditional Kerala Nālukettu style, with a courtyard inmiddle.

• Courtyard enshrines a small temple dedicated to protective goddess of Kochi royalfamily.

• Nature of arches & proportion of chambers are indicative of European influence in basicNāluketttu style.

• Dining Hall has carved wooden ornate ceiling decorated with a series of brass cups.

• Ceiling of Coronation Hall is decorated with floral designs in wood craft.

• Rare examples of traditional Kerala flooring, which looks like polished black marble butis actually a mixture of burned coconut shells, charcoal, lime, plant juices & egg whites.

• An architectural masterpiece showcasing blend between colonial & Kerala architecture.7

MATTANCHERRY PALACE / DUTCH PALACE

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MATTANCHERRY PALACE / DUTCH PALACE

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STREET MARKET

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STREET MARKET

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STREET MARKET

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STREET MARKET

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• Paradesi Synagogue is located in bottle-street.

• Streets leading to Synagogue are all market selling souvenirs chiefly.

• Typical Kerala-style pitched roofs, covered with brick tiles & shingles. Mansard roof alsoused.

• Wide windows for light & ventilation. Venetian windows also used.

• Windows at top of storey are as wide & high as those at bottom for escape of hot air.

• Brackets & pitched-roof to shield sunlight.

• Typical Kerala-style wooden screens.

• Fringes for ornamentation.

• Double-storied brightly painted brick structures.

• Buildings resemble Kerala-type in external appearance with different plan concept withcontinuous frontage of buildings in pattern of row houses.

• A mix of old houses built by Portuguese, Dutch & British in these colonial periods linestreets of Fort Kochi.

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTICS

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ISSUES

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• Traffic congestion.

• Uncontrolled traffic movement.

• Not so well-defined parking areas.

• No shaded areas to walk under in market.

• No provision of seating.

• Ugly bunches of wires criss-crossing above street itself.

• No green spaces at all in the whole stretch of study area.

• No uniform identity of spaces, built & unbuilt, within the area.

• Absolutely no hierarchy of shops.

• Rain water pipes running on façade.

PLACE IS IN DIRE NEED OF REDEVELOPMENT!!

RECOMMENDATIONS

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• Parking can be provided as mentioned.

• Vehicles can be restricted up to this pointonly since distance is walkable.

• Shaded platforms along rows of shops canbe provided.

• Benches can dot the area, can even beplaced under shaded platform.

• Wires can be bunched underground.

• Green patches will do wonders toaccentuate the feel of the street.

• Structures can be united by merely treatingsurfaces uniformly.

• Shops can be categorised according toproducts & services.

PARKING

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THANK YOU!!

Education

Kochi jew town street & synagogue-taiyaba