Showing posts with label Fort Kochi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fort Kochi. Show all posts

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Splendour of The Chitoor Kottaram

The Mansion next door to the famous "Chittorappan Temple" in Ernakulam ,Chitoor and very near/stones throw distance from my Aunts house had always intrigued me.The mansion was none other than the splendorous "Chittoor Kottaram" that was built nearly 50 yards from the temple.The Raja of Cochin built this palace to cater to the use of the Raja during his regular visits to the shrine.


The Kottaram /Palace steeps in history and folklores of the time when the Rajas ruled Kerala.Suresh Nampoothiri gave us a warm welcome and this visit of mine happened some years back and he had told me about the "kottaram" being run by CGH earth for catering to the tourists.As told by him the restoration activities was quite a challenge for him,as he got all tiles replaced,the granite pathways,the teak doors,flooring detailing and wood work too..The athangudi tiles were added for more royal look.Glass door were put in at the entrance on the ground floor to provide more light and the furnitures replicated from old designs .The palace exudes in grandeur..Enjoy with the Periyar river flowing next to it its a paradise for sure!



the grandeur..

notice the columns and the sides
inside out


the long corridors..


the swings and the athangudi tiles

wonderful place to rest,read and have your tea
the back side 




the trees and the tropical lush greenery

shadows cast a magic
onto the periyar river



the wooden stairs
beautiful are these windows

in love with the corridors
the separate dining room


the umbrella  from earlier times made with palm leaves
the temple pond entry





as we sat down to relax

its beautiful:)-




All Images Idea:Lakshmi Arvind
Please do not copy elsewhere ..without the prior permission

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

The Old Courtyard ,Fort Kochi

The Courtyard House is situated in one of the beautiful alleys of Fort Kochi. Its Just a walkable distance from the sea side. This "piece of History"is beautiful and magnanimous.

What we craved on that rainy day was some hot tea and french fries.So that was the perfect setting on a rainy day.."the old courtyard  and rain."Surrounded by the mango tree,the courtyard,the serene white balmy rooms,the wooden flooring,the old switches ,the blue tile skirting all added to its grandeur.A pleasure to be there in the rains always.

A little history too.....

The Old Courtyard Hotel was known as Lily Koder’s house. The eminent Koder family of Fort Cochin, who were Jews.
The house was built for Lily Koder’s brother, but unfortunately he did not live long to occupy the house. And since Lily Koder was unmarried, she lived in that house with some nephews. When the nephews migrated to Israel, she lived there alone. Her brother lived in the Koder House which was connected to her house by the shop next door and by a bridge over the road. She used to spend time and eat at her brother’s house. Lily Koder was well known among her colleagues and in the society and the young girls used to go to her to learn bridge and French. She died in the early 90’s and the house was left abandoned until it was bought over in 1999.
Jacob and Rose Kuruvinakunnel found Lily Koder’s house the perfect setting to start their own hotel. The old mango tree in the center of the courtyard was the clincher. Being a graduate of Ecole Les Roches, Cran Montana, Switzerland, it was their dream to find a place they could transform to a small and intimate hotel.
With Jacob’s love for antique furniture, he searched all over to find the kind of furniture he envisioned to fill the place. Thus, he created rooms in the colonial style of four poster beds, intricate cupboards, tables, lion face, 5 headed elephant and other unusual pieces. His love of art enabled him to collect original art work and paintings which are show cased in the Old Courtyard Restaurant and rooms.(text credit here)


the rainy alleys of fortkochi

the patina in its beauty
the walls are steeped in history
the seating overlooking the courtyard
the grandeur,the courtyard



the restaurant 




tiled skirting



the floor up 


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these dreamy bedrooms
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loved the light here
and finally the tea
  All pictures courtesy:Lakshmi Arvind
please do not copy nor save images..

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

The Tower House,Neemrana,Fort Kochi

A charming non hotel-hotel on the sea side.Its none other than the Neemrana "Tower house ".We always loved the old world feel of Neemrana's. The location, just opposite the iconic Chinese fishing nets, cannot get better. The building itself is elegant and charming and you feel as if you are living in an old colonial residence. We stayed in the Braganza room which was huge and quiet because the room looked out onto a side street.The 17 th century building restored by Neemrana is beautiful with lot of artefacts very carefully placed without  losing the  colonial charm of the building.

We loved the white washed feel,the big long windows onto the streets,the quiet minimalism and the monsoony look ,the blue cushions and the white curtains..a dreamy decor,but very down to earth.Lot of artefacts in  a  very minimalistic pattern.Do have a look next time you are in fort kochi!They are perfect for the monsoons..



the white washed building at the end of the road



 the fragrance of flowers floating and the beautiful arrangement on the walls 



As you climb the staircase ,theres a living room to the right

beautifully lit..








artefacts arranged beautifully and minimally

to look on to the streets..

a beautiful south indian lamp



upper dining area



as we entered our room..this wondow just took our breath away
the room braganza
a dreamy room and decor..a monsoony look
  
countless time near the big window sill



the plumerias from the Lilly street
the countless chais in the morning

a dreAmy look..yes i did dream countless times

Images and Ideas:LAkshmi Arvind

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