Walking on the b e a c h - s i d e stretch of Fort K o c h i , y o u could well stumble upon a cannon, a granite pillar and a ship's boiler.
These are no ordinary articles and have great archeological significance.
The whole place in fact teems with such historical riches, that every stone literally has a story to tell.
And yet, a tourist or passerby could miss these spots, as they have been left to languish since a while.
The state in which they lie is truly pitiable.
The old cannon, part of the erstwhile Fort Emmanuel, erected in 1503 by Portuguese now lies shrouded in wild plants and waste.
The Fort itself got demolished after the Dutch invasion though its traces are left here and there.
On the dais where the cannon has been placed is inscribed how this was the gunnery area of the Fort where powerful guns were kept to keep a vigil on the in-coming ships.
The poor condition in which the spot has been kept shows that the authorities are scarcely concerned.
Walking a few more paces, one sees a pillar that locals and guides call the 'Granite pillar', which has inscriptions in Portuguese.
Some unravelling would certainly reveal an interesting piece of history.
But on this too, are random scraps of advertisements and pamphlets that destroys the spot's sanctity altogether.
For a passerby, it is just another generic wall on the street.
Usually when something of this nature is identified, they are often brought to museums to be preserved.
But these spots have been kept here as it is, so as to give an ethnic feel to Fort Kochi, an area identified as a heritage zone by the government.
This isn't a bad idea of course, but the shabby manner in which they have been kept obviously robs them of any dignity.
Another archeological site is where two steam boilers have been indifferently kept.
They were a part of an old crane used at Kochi's dry dock for more than 20 years since 195.
These boilers that once used coke, coal and firewood to run powerful cranes, are today a 'use me' dustbins filled with waste and flies on them.
When asked about this lack of maintenance, councillor, Antony Kureethara says, “We had asked the authorities to clean these areas before Christmas season but it was not done.
They have assured that they will clean the mess by this weekend.” However, fact remains that at the peak of tourist season, the sites remain in an extreme state of neglect.
Unless the authorities take note, the spots have no hope as of now.
featureskochi@newindianexpress.com