The Bolgatty Palace, now a KTDC heritage hotel, the Dutch Palace at Mattancherry and the David Hall in Fort Kochi are among the surviving monuments to the Dutch colonial rule in the 17th and 18th centuries in Kochi.

The Dutch, who had arrived on the Kerala coast in 1604, a full century after the Portuguese landed, overthrew the Portuguese from Kochi in 1663.

The Dutch sway continued until 1773.

For scientists and academicians, the most important relic of the Dutch past is the great botanical classic ‘Hortus Malabaricus' (literally, the garden of Malabar), which is a detailed treatise on over 700 plants, herbs and trees found in Kerala during the 17{+t}{+h} century. The book was conceived by the then Governor of Kerala, Hendrik van Rheede.

It took van Rheede 30 years to complete the book (with a lot of inputs from Itty Achuthan, an ayurvedic scholar of herbs from Cherthala.) ‘Hortus' was published in 12 volumes from Amsterdam during 1678-93.

Hortus Malabaricus will be among several pieces of cultural heritage of the Dutch past of Kerala that will be put on show during a ‘Dutch heritage day' to be held in Kochi next March.

The Dutch day will be a sequel to the India heritage day celebrated in The Hague in Netherlands last month. “The Dutch heritage day will celebrate the long trade and cultural relations between India and the Netherlands,” said E. Muhammed Afsal, policy advisor at the Dutch embassy in Delhi.

“A composite programme consisting of art, academics, archaeology and heritage conservation is being chalked out.” Mr. Afsal said the Dutch heritage day would coincide with the opening of the first phase of the Muziris Heritage Tourism project with which the Dutch are collaborating. The Dutch are also partnering with the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, which will showcase art from around the globe.

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