In The Land ( and Waters) of The Cheras
The heaving Chinese Fishing Nets , dipping into the shimmering waters below the promontory of the "Cranganore Fort" - now known as Kottappuram Fort - look like beautiful Art Installations. Remnants of a Fort occupy the higher ground. Chera's Own Country , rich in all ways , long before it became God's own. KOTTAPPURAM FORT aka Fortaleza da Sao Tome - situated on a bend , affording panoramic views of Periyar Lake on both sides , was built by the Portuguese in 1523 , captured and remodelled by the Dutch in 1662 , coveted by The Mysore Sultanate , purchased , by The Travancore Kingdom in 1789, and in 1909 , made a Public Property . A stone tablet announces this last fact , while the rest of the brick fortifications are in utter ruin . But conserved now under the The Muziris Heritage Project ( initiative of Kerala Govt. with UNESCO). Of what is left standing , the "Ko-Thi Kallu" , Stone...