Striking a Dutch Note
While Fort Cochin’s British and Portuguese past is prominent, its Dutch aura is less palpable and evident.
The Eighth Bastion is an attempt to bring the Dutch chapters of Malabar’s colonial chronicles to the fond attention of the modern traveler seeking to read the faded script of a lost but influential and tumultuous period of Indo European history. Down the road from us lies a little slice of frozen time. It is hard to imagine, as one wanders around the tranquil pathways of the old Dutch cemetery, that this region - the Malabar - was once a battleground for Europe’s prominent seafaring nations that fought over spices and trade routes for 300 years.
The Eight Bastion conjures up these visions from the past, connecting many dots on the map of time for you to reflect upon and wonder at.