ÔÎÒÎÃÐÀÔÈÈ

With its wealth of historical associations and its setting on a cluster of islands and narrow peninsulas, Kochi perfectly reflects the eclecticism of Kerala. You can see the oldest church in India, winding streets with mosques and 500-year-old Portuguese houses, cantilevered Chinese fishing nets, a Jewish community with ancient roots and a 16th-century synagogue, and a palace built by the Portuguese and given to the raja of Cochin..
Strung out along the tip of Fort Cochin, the fixed, cantilevered Chinese fishing nets were introduced by traders from the court of Kublai Khan. Called cheena vala in Malayalam, they're mainly used at high tide, requiring at least four men to operate their system of counterweights...
Lonely Planet