cochin

cochin
/koh"chin, koch"in/, n.
one of an Asian breed of chickens, resembling the Brahma but slightly smaller.
[1850-55; short for Cochin-China fowl]

* * *

India
      town and major port on the Arabian Sea, west-central Kerala state, southwestern India. Also the name of a former princely state, “Cochin” is sometimes used today to refer to a cluster of islands and towns, including Ernākulam, Mattāncheri, Fort Cochin, Willingdon Island, Vypīn Island, and Gundu Island. The urban agglomeration includes the localities of Trikkakara, Eloor, Kalamassery, and Trippunithura.

      Cochin was an insignificant fishing village until the backwaters of the Arabian Sea and the streams descending from the Ghāts caused the separation of the village from the mainland, turning the landlocked harbour into one of the safest ports on India's southwestern coast. The port assumed a new strategic importance and began to experience commercial prosperity. When the Portuguese penetrated the Indian Ocean in the late 15th century and reached India's southwestern coast, the Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral (Cabral, Pedro Álvares) founded the first European settlement on Indian soil at Cochin in 1500. Vasco da Gama (Gama, Vasco da, 1er Conde Da Vidigueira), discoverer of the sea route to India, established the first Portuguese factory (trading station) there in 1502, and the Portuguese viceroy Afonso de Albuquerque (Albuquerque, Afonso de, the Great) built the first European fort in India there in 1503. The city remained a Portuguese possession until it was conquered by the Dutch in 1663. Much Portuguese architecture still exists in the city.

      Under Dutch rule (1663–1795) Cochin had its greatest prosperity. Through its harbour were shipped pepper, cardamom, and other spices and drugs as well as coir, coconut, and copra. All of the city's racial and religious groups, including its Hindu majority and Muslim, Syrian Christian, and Jewish minorities, shared in the city's prosperity.

      British rule over Cochin lasted from 1795 until 1947, when India became independent. At the beginning of the 20th century a modern port with dry docks and ship repair yards was constructed, and Willingdon Island (connecting Fort Cochin with Ernākulam and other townships by a rail bridge and road) was built from the dredgings of the harbour's inner channels. After India's independence, Cochin became the major training centre for the Indian Navy.

      A system of inland waterways running parallel to the coast provides Cochin with cheap transportation, encouraging trade. The deepwater harbour is open year-round, even in the monsoon season, and is served by a railway that connects it with Ernākulam. An airport has flights from Cochin to such major Indian cities as Bombay, New Delhi, Bangalore, and Madras.

      Cochin, set among picturesque lagoons and backwaters, attracts a considerable tourist trade. At Fort Cochin is St. Francis Church, built by the Portuguese in 1510 and reputedly the first European church on Indian soil. It was for a time the burial place of Vasco da Gama before his remains were taken to Portugal. Other churches as well as Hindu temples, mosques, and the historic synagogue at Mattāncheri all stand in the area. The Jewish community in Cochin was the oldest in India, claiming to date from the 4th century AD. Almost all of its several thousand members had emigrated to Israel by the late 20th century, however. Pop. (1981) town, 513,249; metropolitan area, 685,836.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cochin — bezeichnet: Cochin (Huhn), Hühnerrasse, benannt nach der Herkunft aus Cochinchina Cochin ist der Name folgender Orte: Kochi (Indien) (bis 1996 Cochin), Stadt in Kerala, Indien Cochin (Staat), früheres Königreich in Südindien Cochinchina, Gebiet… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • COCHIN (A.) — COCHIN AUGUSTIN (1876 1916) Après de solides études en lettres et en philosophie, et un brillant passage à l’École des chartes (il y entre et en sort premier), Augustin Cochin s’est, de bonne heure, intéressé à un événement fondateur la… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • cochin — n. [a shortened form of cochin china fowl.] an Asian breed of large fowl with dense plumage and feathered legs. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Cochin — [kō′chin΄, käch′in] n. [after Cochin China, place of orig.] [also c ] any of an Asiatic breed of large domestic fowl with black, buff, white, or gray plumage and thickly feathered legs: also called Cochin China …   English World dictionary

  • Cochin [1] — Cochin (spr. Kotschin), 1) Königreich an der Südwestspitze Vorderindiens, benannt nach der früheren (jetzt britischen) Hauptstadt gleiches Namens; von dem britischen District Malabar, der Arabischen See u. dem Gebiet von Travancore umgrenzt;… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Cochin [2] — Cochin (spr. Koschäng), 1) Niklas, geb. in Troyes 1619, stach viel nach Callot, Städte, Belagerungen etc. 2) Noel, dessen Bruder, auch Kupferstecher. 3) Niklas, geb. zu Paris 1688, Maler, später Kupferstecher, bes. von Architektonik, st. 1754 in… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Cochin [1] — Cochin, ind. Vasallenstaat, s. Kotschin …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Cochin [2] — Cochin (spr. koschäng), Charles Nicolas, franz. Kupferstecher, geb. 1688 in Paris, arbeitete nach alten und neuen Meistern, wurde 1731 Mitglied der Akademie und starb 1754. – Sein Sohn und Schüler Charles Nicolas, geb. 22. Febr. 1715 in Paris,… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Cochin — (spr. kõschäng), Charles Nicolas, franz. Kupferstecher, geb. 1688 in Paris, gest. 1754. – Sein Sohn Charles Nicolas C., geb. 22. Febr. 1715, Hofkupferstecher, gest. 29. April 1790, lieferte 1500 geätzte Blätter; schrieb: »Voyage d Italie« (3 Bde …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Cochin [1] — Cochin, kleiner indischer Staat unter einem eigenen Radschah an der Küste Malabar mit gleichnamiger Hauptstadt; diese liegt auf einer Landzunge, ist Bischofssitz, hat Hafen und Schiffswerfte und ungefähr 30000 E …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Cochin [2] — Cochin (Koschäng), franz. Kupferstecherfamilie von 1688–1790 blühend; der berühmteste ist Nikolaus C., geb. 1715, gest. 1790; unter seinen Werken ist eine Beschreibung Italiens wegen der schönen Kupferstiche besonders geschätzt …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”