Memoirs of Mattancherry - Part1

 

Memoirs OF MATTANCHERRY   
 Melting Pot of Multiculturalism,Vibrant Past and Modern Existence - Part1

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Introduction

For any person born in a  place, let it be a village or town will have deeply embedded nostalgia to be cherished throughout  his life. For me, Mattancherry is such a place. Through this article I propose to give an evocative descriptions what I perceive a story on the places of Mattancherry, Fort Kochi and other places belonging to what currently called “West Kochi” which was originally the commercial hub of Kerala before Ernakulam taking the prominence from this part. This part of Kerala was also a microcosm of a truly multi-cultural,multi-lingual,plural society with people migrated from various parts of India living together for many years.Before  starting to write I was  completely blind where to start  and how to start with. When my mind raced in many directions, a kernel of ideas of the people,their culture,language spoken ,important heritage points that had lain dormant emerged in full flow,and gave all  ingredients  to begin with. 

Mattancherry is the place where I was born, brought up, had schooling and also was the stepping stone for my career in life to begin with. Like any other place,the place is fully bestowed with history, culture, and it’s people. The soul of Mattancherry rests in its people comprising communities belonging to different religious  denominations ,different languages spoken, diverse religious and cultural practices living in perfect harmony respecting each other’s customs and cultural practices. This unity in diversity has helped it for its predominant place in the history of the state.

Before narrating the history of Mattancherry,let's take a general view of what is called History from the book "The Story of Man Kind" by "Hendrik Van Hoon".

What's History 

According to "Hendrik Van Hoon", the famous historian, in his famous book "THE STORY OF MANKIND" published in 1925, explains HISTORY as the mighty tower of experience which time has built amidst the endless fields of bygone ages. It is not an easy task to reach the top of this ancient structure and get the benefit of view. In a simple way, we shall say it is "HIS STORY". Here, the third person used has wider meaning than the simple dictionary meaning.

It connotes the entire mankind. While explaining history, one cannot prejudice the colour, the race, the religion the oldest one and the subsequent religions that came up one by one over a period of thousands of years. The study of history is also the study of mankind from the aboriginal state of wanderings with no specific activity except hunting for food and producing offspring, to the present-day development of science, art and culture, culminating to the present-day age of computer and digital world. If you observe deeply, we can conclude, it is not mere narration of story, but, a progressive onward motion of every aspect of human activities which is science, art, architecture, literature touching all spheres of human development. 

Again, the events that happened in one period stands as a strong citadel for the subsequent events, despite some important historical facts vanquished some due to n

atural calamities and some other one due to human interference like war and plunder. Remnants that were left behind enabled us to reconstruct it for the future generations. The mummies of Egypt, the colosseum of Rome, the artefacts discovered at Mohenjo-Daro, and elsewhere in Africa give us a fair idea of art, culture, language spoken, food habits covering the entire development of the mankind that flourished from time to time, period to period, generation to generation.

The narration of history will not be sound and complete, until a deep study is made of the art, culture, language, etc; of that particular period where it occurred. If we explore these details in its full count, we come to the conclusion that the people always had a vision to progress in life. It was this vision that lead to many scientific inventions we have seen. It is a continuous journey. In all periods; people always wanted to have a happy life. To achieve this, every means available were used. It is for this easy life, that tempted them to plunder and mass killings over the weak societies. 

All the wars waged during the earlier period in Europe and Greece, were to subjugate one race over the other. In that process many precious art forms, culture were destroyed. In this process, the scientific inventions made during different periods stands for special mention. In earlier period, the people were worshiping nature for everything. Thus, the worship of sun, moon, trees had a special place in their day to day life. Today, our scientific passion to know them in detail has enabled us to explore moon, mars, sun and other planets that ultimately results in our greed to rule the universe. If there is one thing that modern science has triumphantly established is the reign of law and process of evolution of the history of all earthly things.

Let's get back to the narration

Historical Facts on Mattancherry

Historians say that even before the Christian era, Kerala which was then known as Malabar had trading connection with many Middle east and European countries. Taking all parameters to define the importance of a town with it’s rich historical background we may conclude that Kochi had the same place in the global trade what Venice had in ancient Europe

Muziris

The Muziris or Pattanam near Kodungalur was one of the oldest port towns in India. Being an important trading center, it had trading connections with the Arabs and the Roman empire. The Roman coins discovered during the excavation at Pattanam very recently affirm this theory. The seafarers from Europe, and Mediterranean countries visited this port mainly to do business. The main products traded were hill produces such as cashew. Cardamom , pepper, clove, nutmeg etc. In fact, rubber, coffee, tea ,cashew etc were products introduced by the Portuguese and the English people. Locally the Portuguese were called  "Parangi" , and the cashew plant is being known as "Parangi Mavu"

Mattancherry

The island comprises of towns of Mattancherry and Fort Kochi is one of the islands spread in the Vembanad backwaters(Please refer the map) in the central Kerala whereas Ernakulam is present in the nearby mainland of Kerala.

Before the formation of Corporation of Cochin combining Mattancherry,Fort Kochi and Ernakulam,Mattancherry was a separate municipal town. Mattancherry, Fort Kochi and Ernakulam what is known today known as Greater Kochi were administered by separate municipalities. Before the formation of Kerala State, Fort Kochi was under the erstwhile Madras Presidency. Ernakulam and Mattancherry was part of Travancore -Cochin state.

Mattancherry was an important commercial town of the erstwhile Cochin State. It’s earlier name was "Gosreepuram". Even some old group of people use this name for official purposes. Till early nineties, it was the commercial capital of Kerala. With the development of roads and bridges connecting various small and big towns in Kerala, and the extension of railway up to Kanyakumari, it lost its grandeur and lustre and the pivotal position it enjoyed as an important business center and the business activities shifted to other towns of Kerala. Today, the commercial hub looks as a ghost and lost town. 

The "Willingdon Island" which currently hosts the Cochin port and naval base near Mattancherry today did not exist 100 years ago.The ships and boats brought goods to the business hub in Mattancherry for trade.

In those days ships used to anchor about 4 to 6 km away from the shore of Mattancherry & Fort Kochi in the sea. The goods were transported by big boats called “Pathemary” from and to the ships. The “Valloms” or “pathemary” had sufficient space to carry goods weighing 4 to 5 tonnes. It was a delightful sight to see these boats being pushed through the backwater by oarsmen using long sturdy and thick wooden sticks.

Willingdon Island

The Willingdon Island was constructed by an eminent British engineer Sir Robert Bristo to enable safe anchoring and berthing the ships in the back water. A visionary engineer, he prepared an elaborate master plan to remove the sand dune (“munambu”) which was accumulated at the harbor mouth where the sea and the back-water joins. The huge quantity of slurry that was removed enabled to construct a deep channel so that huge ships could enter the back water safely. The slurry that was removed was deposited in an artificial bund to construct a beautiful island that is what we see today. After the construction of the island, many ships both foreign and Indian registration were visiting the Cochin Port. During monsoon one could see more than 20 ships anchored in the back waters as well as at the wharf. The port always gives a safe haven for the ships even when the sea is furious during monsoon.

The COCHIN HARBOUR TERMINUS is one of the oldest railway station in Kerala and it gave a good rail connectivity to the mainland. Before the inauguration of Ernakulam – Thiruvananthapuram rail line, many important train services to Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and other cities started from Harbour terminus station. Also, the proximity of the wharf to the station gave an impetus for the movement of goods from the ship to the various places of the country through the well-knit rail connectivity with the port. For deepening the channel and removing the slurry, two dredgers were used. The names of the dredgers were "Lady Wellingdon" and "Lord Wellingdon" named after the then the Governor of Madras Presidency and his wife . The 2 dredgers were decommissioned  10 years back.

The Southern Naval Command, one of the Navy’s important training centre, and the air command is situated at Willingdon Island. There is an old bridge connecting Mattancherry to Willingdon Island and another bridge connecting Willingdon Island to Ernakulam. After the construction of the new bridges, the old bridges have been converted as heritage centres. After the inauguration of the Cochin International Airport, the old Cochin airport in the Willingdon Island is under the control of Indian Navy.

In those days there were many European companies doing business in coir, rubber, tea, coffee and many other hills produces. With the establishment of the European companies, 2 major international banks viz  National Bank (present Grindlays  Bank),  and Chartered Bank were opened to finance the export/import business. The Mattancherry Branch Of State Bank Of India , earlier called "Imperial Bank" is one of the oldest bank branch in Kerala is now an heritage centre of the bank where one could see the ledgers and other bank books and also the names of the important customers of the bank who had bank dealings 100 to 150 years back.

 

Willingdon Island Arial View, Source :Wikicommons

Cochin Harbour Terminus Railway Station, Source :Indian Express

People and Culture

Mattancherry is unique for its people and culture. Its unity and diversity stand as an important geographical land mark of India. It is a place where you can see people of different religious denominations, language, culture and in all respects living in an utmost fraternity respecting each others’ customs and cultural practices. .Before narrating them ,let us go back to the earlier history of Kerala, especially the part of the state comprising Kochi, Kodungallur and Kozhikode. These were the places where we could see the earliest arrival of foreigners in search of doing business. 

A peak into History

Even before the advent of Christian era and the Islamic history, this part of the country had trading connections with Europe and Middle east countries. Arabs were the earliest people who came here for trading in spices and other important produces. Kodungallur(then called Muziris) was an important port town in those days and many Arab and European seafarers  frequently visited this town for commercial purposes. After the Arabs, the Danish people came here for trading purposes. Locally, the Dutch people were called (“Landhakar”). 

In those times, the three principal states viz Kochi, Travancore, and the Kozhikode were always on conflicts. Being an important trading centre, with a natural safe place for anchoring the ships not far away from the shore, the rulers of Malabar and Travancore state attempted to bring the small Cochin state under their sovereignty. Since the Maharajas of the Cochin state were humble and simple, (an exception Sakthan Thampuran) they sought the help of the Dutch and Portuguese settlers to fight the Samuthiris of Kozhikode and the invaders from the Travancore state.

Pandikasalas/Dutch Palace

As a gratitude for the help rendered by the Dutch settlers, the Maharaja of Cochin state granted them free land and rights to establish trading centres (locally called “pandikasalas”). As return gift, the Dutch settlers constructed a palace at Mattancherry which is known as "Dutch palace".There is a temple inside the palace dedicated to Annapoorneswari (Pazhayannur Bagavathi). On the same premises a Krishna temple also exists. 

Dutch Palace,Image Courtesy : wiki commons

                     

 

DutchPalace,ImageCourtesy : https://keralatourism.travel/

Sri Krishna Temple with dutch palace in the background

,Image Courtesy : https://keralatourism.travel/

Pazhyannur Bhagavathy Temple in the dutch palace building

Image Courtesy : wikimapia.org

Jew Town

Under the Roman empire, Jews of the Palestine and Israel were persecuted. The Maharaja of Kochi gave asylum to many Jewish families, and were permitted to establish a synagogue and do business. The place is called Jews Town. There were more than 200 Jewish families settled in Mattancherry and Chendamangalam near North Parur(present day Paravur) , a town near Kodungallur. The synagogue is very near to the Dutch palace. After the establishment of Israel as a sovereign state in 1949, almost all the Jews settlers migrated to Israel and only 2 families are remaining here. The important antique displayed there is the old testament written on a goat skin, which is kept in a silver cascade. The synagogue is a place visited by many tourists, and occupies an important place in the tourist map of India. After the Jews  Portuguese and English settlers came to Mattancherry subsequently.

Jewish Synagogue, Image Courtesy : Klook.com

 

 

 

 

Jewish Synagogue, Image Courtesy : wikipedia

Reference Map (Not to scale)

Settlers from other places

To develop Kochi as an important business centre, the rulers of Kochi invited people from other places, the Tamil Brahmins from Tamilnadu, the Goudasaraswath brahmins from Konkan Region, the Gujaratis from Gujarat, the Tamil merchant communities from Tamilnadu as so on. These migrant communities were given free land to establish "Samoohams" and rights to do business. The main occupation of the Tamil brahmins were lending money to other business communities, and trading in cloths. The Gouda saraswaths community were doing business in cloths and grains, and the Gujarathi community were doing mainly trading in grains, pulses, hill produces, condiments etc. With the establishment of the trading centres, many banks were opened to finance the trading activity.       

An important feature, which could be prominently visible is that each of these migrated communities are settled in clusters in a particular locality .The main entry to the Dutch palace is from a gate called "Ana Vathil (Elephant gate)" .There is another entry too from the eastern side very near to the boat jetty. It is from here the local buses operate to various places such as Alwaye ,Ernakulam, Thoppumpadi etc.From Anavathil there is a straight road called Palace road. It is about 3 to 4 kms in length and joining the other end to a road perpendicular to it and connected to Fort Kochi. From the beginning of the palace road the Tamil speaking brahmins constructed their agraharams on either side of the road within a distance of about 400 to 500 meters. The early settlers were from Kalladaikurichi of Tirunelveli district of Tamilnadu. 

 

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Anavathil,Entrance to Dutch palace and Bhagavathi temple Source :internet

 

 

 

 

 

Back side gate to Dutch palace and Bhagavathi temple near boat jetty, source :internet

Kochi Karanthayar palayam Maha Samooham

There is a Dharma Sastha temple called Kochi Karanthayar palayam Maha Samooham. The temple is believed to have been consecrated about 400 years back.

The recorded facts say that the deity was brought from Kayamkulam through back water. In those periods, in the absence of well laid out roads,the mode of transport between various towns of the state were through back waters only. Analyzing the route through which the migration happened we may conclude that earliest migration was from Kalladaikurichi,the journey being taken via Shencottai,Quilon,Kayamkulam,Alleppy and finally to Kochi. A topographical analysis conforms that the Kalladai kurichy and Shenkottai regions falls within the vast region of an area wherein the Sabarimala temple exists. Naturally, the people of this area became devout Ayyappa devotees. Probably this might have been the base reason for the establishment of many samoohams in many parts of our state especially from Quilon to Kochi, and subsequently at places such as North Parur,Alwaye,Trichur ,Kozhikode,and finally to Palakkad..

There were more than 400 to 500 brahmin families settled in Kochi after the initial migration. There is another samooha madom called "Vadakke Madom" on the side of New road established by "Noorani Grama Samudayam" of Palakkad. Most of the brahmin settlement took place, after the European persons established their trading companies. Proximity to the port enabled them to export spices from here, and import goods from Europe and other Mediterranean countries. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Karanthayar Palayalam Mahasamooham, image courtesy : www.culturalmapping.in

 Gujaratis and Konkans

While proceeding further through palace road, there is a junction called New Road junction. A road from the junction leads to the Mattancherry bazaar. It is in this locality Gujarathi community are settled. In those days more than  1000 Gujarathi families were there. With the expansion of trading activities from Mattancherry to other places in Kerala, many of the descendants migrated to Mumbai and Gujarat. If one travels further through New road, on a small road on the western side there is a Krishna temple called "Pandithan Temple", where few families from Maharastra are settled. When we proceed further westwards from the new road junction, there is a temple called "Palliyarakavu" and the junction is referred to as temple junction.

From Palliyarakavu temple junction and up to Amaravathy, the major settlement is of Gouda Saraswath Brahmins migrated from Konkan area to escape the persecution of Portuguese settlers in Goa and others parts of western India. Apart from engaging in trade, many of the community members were employed in European companies and banks. There were more than 4000 families of the community living in Mattancherry. The main centre of their activities was in a place called Cheralai. There is a big temple dedicated to Lord Venkiteswara. The old settlers say that the deity was brought here from the Vijayanagara empire which saw its end with the invasion of Central India called Deccan plateau by Mughal invaders

Venkateswara Temple ,Mattancherry

There is a school established by the community called Thirumala Dewaswom High School. The school is more than 175 years old. In those days the result was almost 100 per cent and many students from this school secured ranks in Kerala as well as in the district. There is a big bell made of bell metal weighing more than 1000 Kg hung near the Rajagopuram of the Venkiteswara temple. When it is rung, the sound could be heard around 5 to 6 kms surrounding the temple. 

From Cheralai, the road leads to Amaravathy junction. There is a settlement of Vysya communities migrated from South and north Karnataka. Locally they are called "Vallamkorikal". They are a minuscule community, compared to  the Gouda Saraswath  brahmins.  They are settled around a temple called "Sree Janardhana Swamy Temple". Their members  are devout followers of Sringeri Sankaracharya Madom in Karnataka.  

Another important community to be mentioned specially are the Konkani speaking community called "Kudumbis". Locally they are called "Mooppans" meaning head of  a tribal community. Their old women wears their sarees similar to the tribal ladies wear in Wayand and Mananthawadi. Because they are speaking konkani it has to be presumed that they were migrated from Dakshina Kannada. Their earliest settlement was at Kodungallur. Subsequently they migrated to other places such as Kochi,Cherai ,Varapuzha, Edavanakad seeking jobs at the business concerns.

Gujarati shop in Mattancherry,image courtesy : wikimapia

More Communities

Parallel to Palace road, there is another road called Manthara road, that ends at an open ground called (“veli maithanam”). On the southern part of this road is Muslim, Ezhava and Christian community settlers. From Koovapadam junction, the road leads to Pandikudi, where the Tamil business communities are settled.

Their main business  was selling oil brought from Tamilnadu. There is some chakku (the indigenous version of oil extracting machine)for extracting  oil. Near the open ground, one could see the settlement of  washer men  communities. The vast open space enables them to dry the washed clothes.        

On the southern part of the open ground, up to chellanam, the main settlers are Christian community. Many of them are the descendants of mixed race of Portuguese and Indian parental community. Their dressing and cultural habits are both Indian and Portuguese. Near Fort Cochin, most of the people belongs to Anglo Indian community. Their lifestyle, culture and dressing pattern is almost European style. In the early fifties, many of  men folk of  this community were employed in Indian Railways as loco Pilots, and station masters.There is a famous church at Fort Cochin called St Francis Church. It is here the last remains of Vasco-de-Gama, the famous Portuguese seafarer who landed at Kappad beach, Kozhikode in the year 1498 were kept. Subsequently, it was taken to Goa and from there to Lisbon.

St.Francis Church , Fort Kochi : Source : wikipedia

 

While travelling from Ernakulam to Alleppey through NH 47 there is a junction called Thoppumpady junction. On the southern part of this junction, the main settlement is of Ezhava community. There is a famous temple dedicated to Bhavaneeswari managed by SNDP. It is said that this temple was consecrated by Sree Narayana Guru. The contribution of the Ezhava community for the growth of Mattancherry and also maintaining the cohesive culture of different communities is worth mentioning. Almost all the reformers of the state such as Sahodaran Ayyappan, Ayyankali, poet Kumaranasan had visited this temple and their vision have greatly influenced  the progress of the community in all respects.

Sree Bhavaneeswari Temple,Palluruthy:Image Courtesy:facebook

 Fort Kochi & Chembittappalli

Another church in Fort Kochi is St. Mary’s Church, founded by the English settlers. The houses in Fort Kochi reminds us the houses in England and other European countries. Most of the houses are of wooden structure. Today most of the houses have been converted as paying guest houses and many foreign tourists prefer to stay here, instead of budgeted hotels. The Fort Kochi beach is very small and not as famous as Kovalam. The Chinese fish net attracts many tourists from inland and foreign countries. The nets are arranged in an array near the “Azhimukam” where the sea and the backwater joins. 

Fort Kochi Beach, walkway and Chinese fishing Nets,                source :wikicommons

There is large number of Muslim settlements on the western part of Mattancherry from Thoppumpadi up to Mattancherry. The community is mainly concentrated in places called Panayapilli, Chakkamadom, Kappalandimukku. There is an old mosque called Chempittapalli (or Copper coated Mosque) at Panayapilli where many Muslims from far and near come as pilgrims.

Chembitta Palli(Copper coated Mosque), source : The Hindu

Earlier Companies

Some of the earliest European companies established who were engaged in export and import trade to name a few are Pierce Leslie & Co., Aspinwall , Volkart Bros.,Madura & Co, Binny & Co., Indo Burmah Trading Co, and Indo Scottish trading co, Harrisons and Crossfield, Brook Bond, Lipton &co and many more small  and medium companies. Along with the European companies, some domestic companies were also established viz., South India Corporation, Jairam & Sons, and many other small and medium companies.

 In those period many foreign ships belonging to European shipping lines viz., Clan Lines, Prince Lines, American President lines, Oriental Shipping Lines and ships belonging to domestic shipping companies viz Great Eastern Shipping Co. ,Shipping Corporation of India used to call on Cochin port. Proficiency in English,  typewriting and short hand enabled many migrant members of the community to find job in those companies. Many hard working among them reached to the top level too. After India becoming an independent nation, many British officials continued to head these companies. Around 1955, when most of the companies were Indianised, the British officials left, and thereafter these companies were headed by native officials. By the end of 1980s majority of the companies were either closed or taken over by Indian companies. When more warehousing facilities were provided at W/Island, almost all the remaining companies shifted their offices to W/Island for better operational management. 

College and School

Till 1967, there were no colleges in Mattancherry. Before the establishment of Cochin College the students from here were mainly depended on Colleges in Ernakulam.  Despite the lack of higher education facilities, the area has produced many prominent personalities. Though there were no colleges for pursuing higher education, Matancherry had many prominent schools facilitating education in Malayalam and English mediums. Some of the old and famous schools are TDHS, St. Mary Anglo Indian school, Britto school, OLGHS at Thoppumpadi, and the Govt.Girls School. The Govt.Girls high school is also known as Jews Town school since  at the start of the school  most of the students were from Jews and some forward communities. The  school  Hajee Essa Hajee Moosa was founded by one Kutchi Muslim businessman.The school is  managed by a  trust of Kutchi memom Muslims. In the early part of last century, the Gujarathi community started a nursery cum primary school which is now a higher secondary school. Recently, they celebrated the centenary year  in a grand manner with cultural  programs etc. 

TD High School, source : internet

Gujarati Vidyalaya,Mattancherry,source:Gujarati Mahajan

Cochin College

Ode to Institutions and Personalities

I will be failing in my duties, if I do not mention the contributions made by the following institutions and personalities in the field of education and cultural side. As to the educational side three commercial institutes which are , The Cochin Commercial Institute founded by late N. Gopalakrishna Iyer, Sri Ramakrishna Institute by Sri Purushothoma Mallaya, and Sree Krishna Institute by Smt. Vimala Bai. These three institutes together have trained thousands of students in English/Malayalam Type writing, Short hand in English, accountancy, and commerce. All the students who have come out successfully found very good jobs in prominent institutions, banks both foreign and Indian and other major commercial institutions such as Lipton, Brooke Bond, ITC Tata Sons etc; and many Central/State Govt departments. 

On the cultural side, none cannot forget the name of Sri Nannu Master, who was a prominent mridangam vidwan, In respect of the classical Carnatic music, the names of Smt Sarasa teacher, Sri Vijaya Raghavan Sir, Shri N.P.Ramaswamy,one of the famous Carnatic music Vidwan of South India, who expired very recently, have contributed to groom many outstanding students of yesteryears. 

Festivals

I wish to bring a special mention of Sree Rama Navami festival conducted at Madapally Madom for nine days in which eminent musicians from South India were invited, A noteworthy point is, Shri Augustine Joseph, father of Shri K.J. Yesudas, was a regular visitor to those programs. Similarly, during Navarathri festivals, the Guajarati community used to arrange Dandya and Garba dance forms in which many people used to participate. In respect of classical Hindusthani music, the name of Sri Mehboob, considerd to be junior Mohammed Rafi is well etched in the mind of any person hailing from Mattancherry.

The annual festival at Palliyarakkavu Temple is conducted at the 4th week of December. Formerly it was conducted for two days. Now it is conducted for three days. On all the three days many cultural  programs are conducted at the palace    ground. On the third day  five caparisoned  elephants are taken for the evening procession from Palace ground to Palliyakkavu Temple, and the night procession from Palliyarakkavu temple to Palace ground. One of the attractive programs is the Kathakali played  by major artists from Kerala Kala Mandalam.  Many reputed percussionists of Kerala Vadhyam participate in the festival. The festival concludes on the 4th day early morning at 3 00 am with a  grand fire works.   

Ask any person from Mattancherry regarding the annual Carnival conducted at Fort Kochi, he will be voluble to explain the fun, gaiety, and funfair associated with it. Every year on 31^st December, the carnival commences with a procession starting from Veli ground and ending at Fort Kochi beach. In the procession various tableau representing various religious denominations, great people, social reformers, folklore images of various places of Kerala and India, historical events, people in fancy dress depicting various shade of human life are definitely mesmerizing.

Competitions like fancy dress and sports events are conducted  as part of the carnival. There will be a galore of food courts, entertainments that adds further colour and gaiety to the festival. At the strike of 12.00 am culminating the end of a year, and birth of another is marked by a massive firework, and people exchange New Year Greetings with all fanfare. Thousands of people including tourists from across the world assemble at Fort Kochi beach to witness the event. It also culminates with burning of a huge effigy called "Pappanji"