When it comes to retaining the past in its full spirit and radiating the old charm, ‘Delite’ has few competition.
When you step into the premises of ‘Delite’, one of the oldest homestays at Fort Kochi, the welcoming tamarind tree and the creeping grandfather’s pipe would not give a cue that you are entering a place which is almost 300 years old.
According to Flowery David, owner of the place, it is around 300 years old and speaks of Portuguese history.
“Before converting it into homestay, the lower floor of the building resembled a dungeon. It was too low that we had to stoop to enter it. From the kind of its make, we presume that it might have been used by the Portuguese for stocking grain sacks,” says Flowery.
She adds that the place was so pitch-dark that it evoked a strange sense of trepidation. The uniqueness of the building is evident in the wooden craft work which embellishes the main hall. The 100-year clock and a gramaphone adds to the historical nature of the building.
‘Delite’ sports a hanging adornment which could definitely be mistaken as a chandelier. “It is a wine stand which is hung down. There is a switch and when it is pressed, the wine stand comes down and one can choose a wine glass of his/her choice from the stand,” Flowery adds.
The tables inside the hall had a specific pattern of Portuguese design, she adds.
Though Flowery and her husband are aware of the age of the building, they are yet to come up with the real history of the building. “Though we know that there is a history associated with the building, we couldn’t get to know it. As it is now used as a homestay, foreigners frequent this place and one tourist told us that the place is definitely Dutch. But, a friend of mine says the place is Portuguese,” she says.
Flowery and her husband are happy that the historic touch of the building is one of the prime factors that attracts tourists to their homestay.