ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the generation of diverse and contrasting discourses on colonial occupation and analyses the different ways in which narratives about European cultural connections are presented using the discursive space of museums. It inquires into the ways in which the architectural forms in the erstwhile colonial port city are transformed and recast as a cultural heritage and places of memory. After the colonial period, as the local administration and economic activities shifted to mainland Ernakulam, Fort Cochin lost its earlier importance and became a sleepy town. As Kirshenblatt-Gimblett has argued, heritage and tourism are collaborative industries, with heritage converting locations into destinations, and tourism making them economically viable as exhibits of themselves. Apart from the heritage buildings and historical monuments, there are two small museums at Fort Cochin: the Indo-Portuguese Museum and the Maritime Museum. The museum presents a chronological account of the maritime history of India and the evolution of the Indian Navy.
