St. Francis Chruch 

Situated at Parade Road, 2 Km west of Mattancherry in Fort Cochin, this church was originally dedicated to Santo Antonio, the patron Saint of Portugal. It was built by the Portuguese presumably by the Franciscan friars in 1503. It is the first church to have been built in the new European influenced tradition. The original structure in wood, was rebuilt in stone around the mid 6th century. Vasco - Da - Gama the first European to reach India, died in Kochi in 1524 and was originally buried in this church cemetery. After 14 years his remains were removed to Lisbon in Portugal. The gravestone of Vasco - da - Gama can still be seen here. The old rope operated fans in the church are still preserved. 

In 1663, when the Dutch arrived in Kochi, they converted it to a protestant church and substantially modified it. The church was under the control of the Dutch until 1795. In 1804, they surrendered the church to the Anglican Communion of the British. The congregation joined the Protestant Church of South India in 1949. The Sunday service is at 0800 hrs, except the 3rd Sunday of each month. Open from sunrise to sunset. Read more details.

Santa Cruz Cathedral, Fort Kochi

This Roman Catholic Cathedral close to  St. Francis Church, was built by the Portuguese and elevated to a Cathedral by Pope Paul IV in 1558. In 1795, the British demolished the original building. Nearly a hundred years later in 1887, Bishop Dom Gomez Ferriera commissioned a new building which was proclaimed as a Basilica in 1984 by Pope John Paul II. Built in the neo-classical style the pulpit is carved on wood and has a fantastic pastel-coloured interior. This church has some very beautiful paintings on the ceiling.  Read more details.

St.George Ferona Church

Located in Edappally, 10 km from Kochi, this Roman Catholic church is one of the oldest churches in Kerala. It was built in 594 AD in the land donated by the Raja of Edappally. In 1080, a new church was built adjacent to the old church. The deity is popular known for his powers of get rid of snakes.

The annual nine day festival is celebrated in the month of May.  Vendors sell all kinds of wares mainly mud vessels during this festival. The main offering here is chicken and devotees cook and eat food. 

This festival which is commemorated every year on the 4th of May is famous all over Kerala. The main offering here is chicken and eggs. These chickens are auctioned during the festival season which the devotees buy as a 'nercha' (offering)  which they cook in the church premises.  The festival begins on  23rd of April with solemn High Mass and Litany and on 25th flag is hoisted solemnly and ceremoniously. On 4th the idol of the deity is taken out in a grand procession when people throw 'Pori and beetle leaves as an offering. Band orchestra, different varieties of 'Panchavadyams' etc accompanied this procession along with the devotees.

The whole compound converts into a commercial venue with  shops. Vendors sell all kinds of wares mainly mud vessels during this festival. 

Sri Raja Rajeshwari Temple, Chottanikkara

The temple is located in Chottanikkara via Thrippunithura, 15km from Kochi. The presiding deity here is Durga Bhagavathy also known by various names such as Bhadrakali, Saraswati, Amman etc. The goddess is worshipped here in her three forms, one after another- as Saraswathy in the morning, Bhadrakali in the noon and Durga in the evening. There is also one more temple as a part of the complex where the deity is Bhadrakali Devi. The major festival 'Makam Thozhal' falls during Feb-March every year for a period of 9 days. This temple is  famous for the healing powers, especially relating to mental illness and disorders. Read More

Sree Poornathreyesa Temple

Located at Tripunithura,10 km from Kochi city, this temple formerly belonged to the Cochin Royalty. The deity here is Maha Vishnu and the temple is one among the three Vishnu temples in Kerala. This is the only place in South India where one can see an odd pose of Lord Vishnu, known as 'Poornathrayeesa' sitting under the shade of five royal hoods of the divine serpent, Ananthan, whose folded body itself acts as the throne for the God. Arjuna, the great archer and warrier, one of the Pancha Pandavas is believed to have established this temple. The eight day long annual festival of this temple is held during Nov-Dec, while the other cultural festival 'Attachamayam' is celebrated during harvest festival of Onam. 

Mookambika Temple

Saraswathy temple, also known as the Mookambika Temple is situated in North Paruvur a small town in Kerala. It is one of the rare temples dedicated to Goddess Saraswathy (the Goddess for arts and learning) in Kerala. The 'srikovil' stands in the middle of a sacred lotus pool. At the corner of the Nalambalam (the inner wall) a Ganapati is enshrined and surrounding the nalambalam, there are idols of Subramanian, Mahavishnu, Yakshi, Hanuman and Veerabhadran. Besides this, a Ganapathi Temple is situated near the large sacred pool. The famous Navaratri festival is celebrated here with great fervor. The ten-day annual festival in kanni (October) starts from the Uttrattati asterism. Music festival and 'Vidyarambham' ceremony are the main features of this festival. Thousands of people participate in the Navarathri music festival. Read More

Vamanamurthy Temple, Thrikkakkara

This ancient temple is dedicated to Vamana, the fifth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The temple holds a large number of lithic records, some of great historical significance. The annual festival is held in the month of August-September.

Ernakulam Shiva Temple

Situated in the heart of the city, facing Rajendra Maidan is one of the ancient temples in Central Kerala. Lord Shiva also known as 'Ernakulathappan' is the presiding deity of this temple. It was built during the Maharaja rule. This is one of the rarest Siva Temples where the deity is facing the sea. The annual festival in the temple is celebrated for 8 days during January-February every year. The festival concludes with the 'Arattu' procession when the image of the deity is taken for a sacred bath in the temple pool and in the night there is spectacular fireworks. A cultural festival is also held with a variety of programmes such as music concerts, classical dance performances including Kathakali, Kerala's very own spectacular dance drama. 

St. Mary's Church, Vallarpadam 

A major pilgrim center for Christians, St. Mary's church is located in the middle of Vallarpadam island across the backwaters from the mainland Ernakulam This popular shrine was built by the Portuguese missionaries in 1524. History has it that the old church, which was then known as the Church of the Holy Spirit, was destroyed in floods in the 17th century and a new church was built on the same spot in 1676. It was declared a special church by Pope Leo XIII in 1888. In 1951, the Union Government declared it a major pilgrim centre. The church was declared the status of a basilica on February 12, 2005. The church has the famous picture of the 'Blessed Virgin Mary' which the Portuguese brought from their native land. Read more