KOCHI: Anyone who walks through the Dutch Cemetery road in Fort Kochi will definitely run their eyes over the old Dutch building -- Thakur House -- built in the 18th century. The building holds the legacy of an erstwhile Dutch rule in Kochi and its opulent way of living.
In the 16th century, Kochi was a Portuguese colony, and it was colonised by the Dutch in the 17th century.
K J Sohan, state convenor of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage and former mayor of Kochi corporation, says the building was constructed on the site of the Gelderland Bastion, one of the seven bastions of the former Dutch fort.
As the building atop the cliff faces the sea, it was earlier called Hill Bungalow or Kunnel Bungalow by the natives. It is believed that the house contains a number of tunnels that connect various places of Fort Kochi such as the Bishop’s House and St Francis Church. The Dutch used this house as a club and community centre of the Dutch East India Company when they were in power.
The bungalow was handed over to a well-known spice trading family in Mattancherry when the Dutch left India in the 19th century. After that, the National Bank of India acquired the building from the family and used it as its manager’s official residence during the British era.
In 1977, Ram Bahadur Thakur and Company, a prominent tea trading firm, bought the building and used it as the residence of Thakurs, following which it got the name ‘Thakur House’.
“The Dutch, which only had commercial interests, conquered the place from the Portuguese and retained only this bastion out of the seven. They also renamed it after one of the islands in the Netherlands. It is one of the Grade-I Heritage buildings due to its historical importance and excellence in architectural style and design,” says Sohan.
The beauty of Dutch architecture is at its best in Thakur House. The wooden floors, spacious rooms and unique windows show how Dutch architecture stands out from others. The notable symmetry between the two floors of the building is another peculiarity, which makes the Thakur House distinctive. Though several alterations were made to the building by various residents, it still stands as the prominent landmark of Fort Kochi.