Walking with Gods and Queens

On a sunny Saturday morning, when I met Johann Binny Kuruvilla, the ‘storyteller’ at The Kochi Heritage Project along with six tourists for a walk of Fort Kochi, Kuruvilla, a travel guide, first held up an image of a blue and black peacock and asked us to guess what it was. When we were left without a convincing answer, he said it was the coffee brand Blue Tokai’s logo. He said the Malabari word for peacock was originally ‘tokai’ and the word ‘kapi’ in Sanskrit means monkey. He then segued into how peacocks were among one of the things King Solomon of Israel imported from South India. The other items included ivory, black gold or pepper, teak and sandalwood.

We were at the beginning of the walk, by the pier where the jangars (boats/ferries) would dock. This was the start of the walk, ‘Fort Cochin: A Queen’s Story’, where we covered the Chinese fishing nets, St Francis Church, David Hall, the beach, Parade Ground, and Princess Street. Even to a Kochi-citizen like me, the experience was revelatory. I learnt a lot of interesting facts through the walk— like, St Francis Church, built in 1503, is among the oldest European churches in India and was the original burial place of explorer Vasco da Gama.

Kuruvilla, a resident of Kochi, was always interested in history. Having spent most of his childhood in Bahrain, he fondly remembers his time at his grandparent’s home at Fort Kochi, which is over 200 years old. Fast forward to 2018, Kuruvilla started the Kochi Heritage Project (@kochiheritage­project on Instagram). “A lot of our heritage is lost because many people are not aware about it. I felt it was important that we increase awareness about the heritage and roots of the city to ensure that it continues to be preserved.” This thought process is what prompted him to think of the tagline for the project—“Our past needs a future too”. Kuruvilla conducts several walks across the city; mostly, Fort Kochi, which are most often frequented by foreigners. He curates ‘experiential walks’, which includes stepping into a few iconic eateries like Kashi Art Cafe and Balan Chettande Kada. A typical tour does not necessarily mean entering the place or building, for example, the synagogue or the Dutch Cemetery, but learning more about its story, what it represents and more. One of the walks he conducts is ‘Fort Cochin: A Queen’s Story’.

“A lot of people don’t know about Kochi being an important port. Once known as the first Emporium of India, Musiri pattanam, was a bustling port on the Malabar coast of India, which connected India with the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and other distant people. Its strategic location and maritime prowess allowed it to flourish for centuries, facilitating an exchange of goods, ideas and culture. The legacy of Muziris lives on through its archaeological remains, which reveals a vibrant and cosmopolitan society that embraced diversity and innovation. It is here that the Jews arrived, Christianity arrived, and Islam arrived. When Muziris disappeared, a new port emerged and took its mantle. That was Kochi. In short, there would be no Kochi without Muziris,” he says.

The Kochi Heritage Project is one of many such walks that tourists or those curious about history and heritage can now pursue in Kerala. Kerala has been on the tourist map for long, as it is well known for its beaches and backwaters, tea and coffee estates. Heritage visits have often been confined to places of pilgrimage, whether it was temples or churches. But that is now slowly changing. A clutch of young guides, who prefer to be called ‘storytellers’ are conducting walks and tours, which showcase their locality’s unique heritage, history and culture. Conducted mainly by millennials, these heritage walks are an attempt at conserving the past, along with accompanying folklore and traditions.

Did you know that the Muzhappilangad Beach in Kannur is Asia’s largest drive-in beach or that Kozhikode is home to Kerala’s only fire temple? Or, that Kannur is home to Parassini Temple, one of the only temples, where dogs are worshipped? These tours offer an opportunity to discover these less-known stories and off-beat places. By taking the curious traveller away from the beaten track they reveal not just the sites of the city, but its texture and essence. These tours are not for those who simply want to tick off to-do lists in a new city, instead it is for travellers who want to understand what it is like to inhabit these locations. The founders of these tours and walks are united by their common love and curiosity for their cities. They want outsiders to come and partake of the many unique cultural, culinary and historical gifts that their cities offer.

Sreejith Palliyil, the founder of Moksha Stories (@mok­shastories on Instagram), says that one of his most popular tours is The ‘My Canal and Cycle Stories’. Palliyil, who conducts heritage walks and tours in Palakkad, was born in Kakkayur (three hours from Palakkad). He grew up hearing folklore, stories around rituals, and was fascinated by the communi­ties involved in different aspects of farming, from the people who make the sickles to those who harvest the crops. On a ‘My Canal and Cycle Stories’, guests traverse the canals in Palakkad, that are key for the second harvest of the year. Guests witness the making of pulpayas (traditional woven mats). The tour usu­ally concludes with a Kathakali or a Koodiyattam performance.

“I wanted to bring forth how these communities co-existed and the way it shaped the culture and heritage of Palakkad,” says Palliyil. Many tours and experiences are booked through travel designers from the UK and the US, or by boutique hotels which ask for a bespoke tour for their guests. Another tour they offer is ‘Ancient Communities of Kollengode & Palakkad Gap,’ where the guests are taken to meet local families, to get an idea of the local communities. They visit an ancient temple at the foothills of the Palakkad Gap, meet a blacksmith’s family, and go to a local tea shop for conversations. Situated close to the border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the Palakkad Gap, was a place where a lot of Rawthers and Tamil Brahmins migrated to Kerala making it a melting pot of cultures. It was also a crucial passage that facilitated trade. The Bharathapuzha River that flows through the Palakkad Gap enhanced it as a trade route. The scenic gap, known for its varied flora and fauna, also functions as a habitat for elephants.

Did you know that there have been no communal riots in Kozhikode, where several communities including Sin­dhis and Boras have co-existed in peace?” says Rajeesh Raghavan, who conducts heritage walks in Kozhikode (@hear_guide on Instagram). “Localised experiences are the best,” he adds. Talking enthusiastically about the city famed for its seafood and biryani, he says, many people don’t know that it offers plenty of options for vegetarians as well.

Many of Raghavan’s guests are again, international. Raghavan began his journey of heritage walks with blogging. In his blog, hearitage.in, he has chronicled stories of about 125 places in India. “Heritage is a mix of culture, tradition, stories, history and gossip,” he says. And while some people want to do a food tour of Kozhikode, some others want to explore the old buildings. For the food tours the guests are taken to places like Sankaran bakery and Paragon; they are shown how chips and Kozhikode halwa are made, and taken to Bombay hotel and Swami’s Mess. While history buffs are taken to The Beach Hospital, the Mishkal Mosque, which is over 780 years old, the Tali Shiva Temple, which is over 1,000 years old and the Mother of God Cathedral, which was built by the Portuguese. An interesting aspect of the Mishkal Mosque is that the structure is in sync with Kerala architecture and does not feature minarets like mosques usually do. The Mother of God Cathedral was built by Italian architects and is home to the tomb of Pedro de Covilhao, the first Catholic mission­ary to visit Kozhikode. “On certain evenings, for the guests who really enjoy culture, we take them for a musical experience— That­tinpuram music. At a lot of stores that are on the first floor, people gather in the evening, like a mehfil, there will be harmonium and shehnai. This makes for a great experience,” Raghavan says. Other lesser-known facts about Kozhikode are that it was the capital of the medieval Zamorin kingdom and in fact, it was the Zamorin who built the Tali Shiva Temple. Currently famed as the host of the annual Kerala Literature Festival, the town was once a major centre for exporting timber and ship building.

In Kannur, Muhammed Shihad hopes to create awareness about the city’s intangible heritage. Muhammed, who was working in Delhi, learnt of heritage walks in the national capital and was immediately hooked. So, around 2017, he quit his job and moved to Kannur to promote the heritage of the city he grew up in. “In 2018, I started Kannur City Heritage Foundation, whilst helping a friend manage his business on the side.” In 2022, Kannur City Heritage Foundation became City Heritage (@city_heritage on Instagram), as he and his team started doing heritage walks in Wayanad, Kasargod and Kochi as well. “Usually, people just buy tickets to the museum (Arakkal Museum), and go around and exit. Here, we take them around telling stories. We aren’t guides, but storytellers— that’s our museum experience,” he explains. Another tour they offer is to the Light House and the museum attached to it, (only four light­houses in India have an adjoining museum, Kannur being one).

Shihad also takes travellers to St Angelo Fort, which was built by the Portuguese Viceroy, Francisco de Almeida, in 1505. In 1663, the fort was captured by the Dutch and they sold it to the Arakkal Royal family in 1772. In 1790 the British conquered it. Depending on the visitor’s interest, they are taken to either the Arakkal Museum or the Theyyam Museum. When it comes to knowing more about Theyyam, Kannur is the place to be, says Shihad. Having originated in nature worship, the ritualistic art form is a way for dancers to seek the blessings of their gods. In Kannur, guests can also ex­perience breaking the fast during Ramzan, with a family, with local delicacies like mottappam included in the spread.

“Kannur is the only place in India, where, within 60 kms, you could experience a variety of terrain, like backwaters, beach, riverside, forest and hill station,” Shihad says. On International Tourism Day, September 27, 2023, Kannur City Heritage Foundation crossed a milestone, when they took the 500th group on a tour in Kannur.

Tripunithura Heritage Walks happened by chance for Balagopal Varma, an IT professional and descendant of the Tripunithura royal family, who grew up in Bengaluru. “Com­ing here for holidays, I would be so pleasantly surprised, com­ing from two-bedroom apartments to a magical world with ponds. But, in 2016, when I had come back after several years, several old buildings had been pulled down; a lot had changed. Then my cousin, Krishnan Varma, an architect, did a heritage mapping of Tripunithura and at the time, he chronicled about 52 heritage buildings and now, there are about 28 remaining, a stark change,” says Varma, who started heritage walks back in 2018 (@cochinchronicles on Instagram).

Tripunithura, also known as the cultural capital of Kerala, is especially vulnerable, when it comes to heritage conserva­tion, he feels. “Heritage buildings are conserved in Trivandrum because of tourism,” he says. When it comes to Ernakulam, a lot of people aren’t aware there’s so much heritage here. If someone was to go on an Tripunithura heritage walk, Varma would take them to the Poornathrayeesa, to a private residence of the erstwhile Tripunithura royal family, a gopuram, a royal kitchen, elephant stables, and finally to the clock tower.

The Poornathrayeesa temple is the family temple of the royal family and even has a special balcony, from where only members of the royal family are allowed the view the festivals at the temple. Tripunithura is home to the famed RLV College of Music and Fine Arts, where the celebrated singer Yesudas learnt Carnatic music. The town is also known as the birth­place of pineapple pachadi, which was invented by one of the cooks at the royal kitchens.

“A lot of the prominent schools in Kochi are in Tripunithura. The parents of the children tell me, ‘We come here so often but we weren’t aware of the heritage and history of the place,’” Varma says. These tours and travels seek to fill that vacuum, through history and anecdotes recounted by passionate storytellers.

ErnakulamHeritage ToursKannur FortKeralaKozhikodePalakkadPavakathakali