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In 1553 with the permission of Maharaja of Cochin, Fort Immanuel, the first European Fort in India was constructed here by the Portuguese in which they built their houses, Churches and other buildings. Dutch wrested it from the Portuguese in 1663 and during the Dutch era, Fort Cochin climbed the heights of fame as a rich commercial centre, major military base, an illustrious cultural hub, a noted ship building yard and an age-old centre of Christianity. The British took over the town in 1795 and relegated it to the role of an administrative outpost. However, it remained the trade centre of spices and tea and one can still see the distinct strain of Indo-European Architecture i the bungalows and villas in this place that matured mostly in this period.