Recently in June 2025 Kochi's South Beach, due to incessant sea erosion had revealed the vestiges of Fort Emmanuel, which is said to be Asia's first European fort built in 1503 by the Portuguese traders to safeguard their trade and merchandise. Marine Geologists from Kochi University said, the thick fort wall made of laterite stone and Surkhi - local bricks. They were buried under layers of sand, stones and other debris. Heavy sea erosion stripped the thick outer coastal surface all along , exposing the underlying remnants of fort walls. The previous and the present discovery have created a Global Academic interest recognizing this as an national heritage site and the very first European Fort in Asia.
For the Portuguese, this site on the sea front was linked to the trade route connecting Koch, interior Munnar, Theni (TN) and Rajapalayam in Tamil Nadu. The rocks from that site match crustal blocks along the Munnar, Theni and Rajapalayam. According to Prof .Kumar of Kochi University this shows ''Fort Kochi's potential to be recognized as a colonial renaissance heritage site.''
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| Laterite layers Ft.Immanuel,Kochi onmanorama.com |
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Ft. Emmanuel, cochin, india. en.wikipedia.org
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| cannon bastion at Ft. Emmanuel (Fort Kochi) cochin, indiaalamy.com/ |
The south western state of Kerala for centuries was known for its quality spices and tea world over and merchants from West Asia and Southern Europe established coastal posts and settlements in Kerala to procure and export the products to their respective countries.
The maritime history of coastal Kerala is an old one. Malabar region was and still is popular for spices and medicinal herbs. In the past during the middle and late middle ages the Arab traders had a monopoly in spice trade in Kerala . After the arrival of the Portuguese with the discovery of first sea route to India from Europe by Vasco de Gama who landed at Kappad beach of Kozhicode, north Kerala in 1498, the political tranquility in this region under the Zamorin rulers had begun to change drastically. Taking advantage of the soured relation between local ruler and the king of Calicut, the Portuguese' began to dominate with the establishment of a trading center at Tangasseri in Quilon during 1502. They not only attacked the Arab traders, but also provoked the Zamorin ruler who gave them permission to establish trade on his soil.
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| Afonso de Albuquerque en.wikipedia.org |
Above image: Afonso de Albuquerque, 1st Duke of Goa (c. 1453 – 16 December 1515), was a Portuguese general, admiral, statesman and conquistador. He served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, during which time with skill, strategy and military acumen, he expanded Portuguese influence across the Indian Ocean
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King Manuel I Portugal en.wikipedia.org
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After making a strategic alliance with the Zamorin kingdom the Portuguese traders established Fort Immanuel, in Kochi, in between 1502 to 1503. In September 1503 the ruler of Kochi granted permission to Afonso de Albuquerque , head of the Portuguese settlement, to build a Fort near the waterfront of the Arabian Sea for easy access to the ships.
The construction began on 26 September, and "it took the shape of a square with flanking bastions at the corners mounted with ordnance". It was a sort of jerry-built fortification with walls made of double rows of coconut tree stems securely fastened together and with earth rammed firmly between. It was further protected by a wet ditch around it. The fort was named "Emmanuel" in October 1503 after the then King of Portugal Manuel I. The purpose of the fort was to safeguard their trade activities, their go-downs, stocks, etc. To make the fort much safer and to face threats the Portuguese in enforced the fort in 1538. Fort
Massively built by the traders from Portugal, it had further strengthened their hold on this region as their trade in spices, etc was a lucrative one. It covered the entire township was within its confines. The Dutch who had a monopoly in the East Indies, took keen interest in the better quality spices of Malabar and invaded the Portuguese establishment in the 17th century and caused severe damages Spice trade, being profitable the British had set their eyes on the native spices of Kerala. In the early decades of 19th century, the English company with a strong army and better artillery power, invaded this place and destroyed the buildings, took control over the region,
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| Ft. Emmanuel, Kochi, Kerala notesonindianhistory.com |
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| Ft. Emmanuel, Kochi cochinprivatetours.com |
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Ft. Emmanuel, Kochi, Kerala plaque, gunnery. alamy.com
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Ft. Emmanuel, also known as Fort Manuel, is a ruined fort located at Fort Kochi (Cochin), close to Mattancherry. By 1806, the fort was in a shambles, now visitors can see only the damaged vestiges of the old fort- a Gunnery complete with a cannon . The Dutch, and later the British, had destroyed most of the fort walls and its bastion. The remnants suggest simple fortification resulting from the first strategic alliance between an Indian ruler and the Monarch of Portugal; it was the first Portuguese fort in Asia. The settlement is behind the fort, including the St Francis Church. Within the fort, there is a Catholic Church - St. Francis church built by Francisco de Almeida, Portuguese Viceroy in 1506; In 1516, it was further strengthened. However later the Dutch and English destroyed many Catholic churches except this one.
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