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Photo: Vis M, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Located at the southern tip of the Vipin Island, the church dates back to 1605. The church follows a distinct Mannerist and Indo-Portuguese architectural style. Statue of Ecce Homo: The church houses a famous 500-year-old rosewood statue of Jesus wearing the crown of thorns (Ecce Homo).
Church of Our Lady of Hope is a Latin Church parish in the Diocese of Cochin. It is located at Fort Vypin in the island of Vypeen, the point where the Vembanad Lake merges with the Arabian Sea, with Fort Cochin on the other side.The church, with an area of 10 km2 (3.9 sq mi), occupies the southern end of Vypeen Island. Ministering to Latin Catholics of Malabar, its liturgies are according to the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. The patron of the church is Our Lady of Hope a form in which Virgin mary is venerated as the patron of fishermen and navigators. The emblem of church is an anchor. It is one of the oldest churches in Kochi, built by the Portuguese in 1605 A.D. It is part of the Diocese of Cochin.
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Malayalam: വല്ലാര്പാടം പള്ളി, Portuguese: Basilica de Nossa Senhora do Resgate
A minor basilica and a major Christian pilgrimage centre. The picture of the Virgin Mary and Infant Jesus, installed at the top of the main altar of the Vallarpadam Church, was brought by Portuguese merchants under the leadership of Vasco da Gama in 1524. In 1676 the old church, founded by the Portuguese missionaries, was destroyed by a heavy flood, and the picture was found floating in the backwaters. Nobody except Paliyath Raman Valiyachan, the prime minister of Maharaja of Cochin, could recover it. The present church at Vallarpadamis is built on land donated by him.
Cochin Lighthouse
The tallest lighthouse (46 metres / 151 ft) in Kerala. The original structure dates back to 1839. The present structure dates back to 1979.
A unique concept where a large shrimp farm of the state-run cooperative Matsyafed is converted into an aqua-tourist village with options to fish for fresh prawns, crabs and shrimp for a nominal fee, canoeing within a mangrove forest, sun-bathing, swimming at a private beach nearby and enjoying sunset picnic cruise. Breakfast and lunch are included in entry cost and have a wide range of fish delicacies and pickles.
The temple is dedicated to Varaha, the third incarnation of Vishnu. The temple belongs to the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin community. The present structure if the temple dates back to 1880s. The temple houses all the seven deities of the Gowda Saraswat Brahmins and hence is referred to as the complete temple.
Gold beaches with big sand grains, coconut palm corridors, backwaters and historical monuments. Cherai Beach surpasses all with its swimming facilities and coconut groves. Occasional sights of dolphins are also an added attraction. This is one of the safest beaches for swimming, watersports and beach games. A very large, beautiful backwater is 250 m from the beach and is famous for its scenic beauty and boating. The best way to reach Cherai is a ferry from Fort Kochi to Vypin Island and then a local bus (₹12) to Cherai Junction. From there, take an auto-rickshaw (₹20) to the beach. An alternative is taking the auto-rickshaw from the ferry for about ₹100. There are also buses from Ernakulam to Cherai Junction.