The latter half of the 15th century was one that known for explorations of new land, new people and new culture in the history of Western Europe. Portugal, a small nation in the Western Europe succeeded in establishing a linkage of a direct sea route from Lisbon to Calicut. Dr. K.M. Panikkar, the diplomat and historian in his magnum opus Asia and Western Dominance, described this development as an epoch-making one in the Asiatic history. Following the Portuguese, the Dutch or the Netherlanders also decided to found a company in 1592 at Amsterdam for trading with India. In 1595, Cornelius de Houtman with a fleet of four vessels arrived in the Indian waters. It changed the political destiny of kerala in the later years. In 1604, the Dutch entered into a treaty with the Zamorin, who claimed as the Emperor of Kerala. On the Dutch side Admiral S. Van den Hagen agreed to the expulsion of the Portuguese from his territory and India, for which the Zamorin allowed them to trade at Calicut and to build a fort for their protection.

However, the pre-occupation of the Dutch in Java and Eastern Archipelago made this agreement a dead letter for decades. In 1642, they could make an agreement with Raja of Purakkad. Their vessels frequently visited the Malabar Coast after the Dutch establishment in Colombo in Ceylon. After that, they could counteract the Portuguese trade and their intervention in the native affairs.

The Zamorin always treated the Raja of Cochin as one of his feudatories and perpetuated invasion of his territories beyond the northern back of Periyar. Portuguese who had already established their factory and settlement at Fort Cochin and Mattancherry supported their ally, the Cochin Raja against the Zamorin. A dispute in the royal family of Cochin for kingship came to the assistance of the Dutch to interfere in the Cochin affairs. The junior branch family in the royal lineage was supported by the Portuguese. The elder branch requested the assistance of the Dutch from Colombo. The dispossessed elder branch was supported by the Zamorin, Tekkenkur and Vatakkumkur Rajas and also the hereditary prime minister, the chief of Paliyam and the Dutch.

By the end of 1658, Quilon was captured by the Dutch under Van Goens and their fleet was off Cochin. In a counter-attack, he was forced to withdraw to Colombo. In 1661, the Dutch and the allies attacked Pallippuram Fort. As per the treaty, it was handed over to the Zamorin. In June 1662, the Dutch could establish their garrison in a Roman Catholic Church at Vypin. Van Rheede, an ensign burst into the palace and took possession of Rani Gangadhara Lakshmi, of the Cochin throne planted by the Portuguese. This ensign Van Rheede became Baron Ivan Hydrecht and the commander of Cochin. He is remembered for the monumental compilation of the work, Hortus Malabaricus in the Botany of Asia. Adrian van Rheede had stayed in his house of David Hall and given leadership of the documentation of Hortus along with Sri. Itty Achuthan, Ranga Bhatt, Appu Bhatt and Vinayaka Bhatt.

The Cochin throne was given to Vira Kerala Varma of the eldest branch with the support of the Dutch. With the surrender act of Portuguese, their flag ceased to fly over Fort Cochin. In Cannanore and Quilon also, their flags were withdrawn. The Dutch occupied them. Cranganore was given to the Zamorin. The Dutch stepped into the shoes of the Portuguese and controlled the commercial and political affairs of Cochin as a sovereign.

Now the Dutch had been compelled to occupy Cochin after costly wars. Nieuhoff, the Dutch factor of Quilon was deputed to negotiate pepper monopoly contracts with the southern states. Although such agreements were signed, they were not fully enforced. Mainly the Rajas had no prescribed quantity of pepper to supply to the Dutch. There were several buyers like the English, the French, the Arabs and the Americans. As Ashin Das Gupta had analysed, the price of pepper was gradually increased and the spice market behaved according to the principle of demand and supply. The concept of monopoly by one nation and their agreements with the Rajas for supply of pepper ended to be a grand failure, as the Rajas were not merchants.

In Northern Malabar the Dutch tried to enforce the monopoly trade agreement with the Kolathiri Raja from their centre at St. Angelo. However, it was jeopardized by the arrival of the English and the French at Tellicherry and Mahe respectively. In Cochin the Dutch had to depend upon the Jewish and Konkani merchants for the supply of pepper. Gradually they found that the Malabar station was a costly affair while comparing with Colombo and Batavia. It was mainly due to the internal warfare which was frequently fought by the chieftains of the coast in a fragmented political system. None of the Rajas could establish a political system and control the whole affairs of the country as a powerful sovereign. The animosity of the Zamorin against the Cochin also drew the Dutch in several unwanted wars. The Dutch desired to act as traders, but they were compelled to be partners in war of the local political powers. In the southern region they were compelled to fight against the Raja Marthanda Varma. The Battle of Colachel in 1741, ended in the political expansion and consolidation of Travancore. It laid a skid against the Dutch ambitions of political and commercial expansion in Travancore.

The Dutch policy in Kerala falls into three periods (1) from 1664 to 1697 (2) from 1697 to 1717 and (3) from 1717 to 1754. During the first period the Company maintained a considerable military establishment and pretended as a great power. They tried to enforce rigorously the pepper contracts. The Raja of Cochin was reduced as a mere dependent. In all matters of state they interfered including the internal affairs of royal family. The chief of Cranganore was declared as a bondsman of the Company. This policy caused them great military expenditure, for maintaining garrisons.
During the second phase the company was dragged to a war against the Zamorin. In this war the Zamorin was supported by Robert Adams, the chief of Tellicherry factory. The Batavians Government even suggested not to support Cochin in a war against the Zamorin. In the third stage, they ceased to be a military power which gave Travancore Rajah by an occasion to consolidate his power.

By the latter half of the 18th century Malabar was conquered by Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan. Although the Dutch maintained friendly relations with them, they were also pepper monopolists. By 1772, Fort St. Angelo was sold by the Dutch to the Ali Rajah of Kannur. During the same period the English factory at tellichery was reduced to a trade residency. Further, in 1789 Jayakotta and Cranganore, two fortresses of the Dutch in the territories of Cochin Raja were sold to Travancore as part of reduction of their expenditure. Now their possessions were reduced to be fort of Cochin and a few acres near Quilon. By 1792, the British had occupied the entire Malabar from Tipu Sultan. The Napoleanic wars in Europe had brought Holland with the Revolutionary Republic. As such Major Petrir of the British demanded the surrender of Fort Cochin. Dutch Governor Van Spoll refused to surrender and a make shift of war on 20th October 1795 brought the Fort under the British.

By concluding monopoly treatise of pepper, the VOC was entangled in Malabar politics. The internal conditions and fragmented power of the Rajas compelled the Dutch to interfere in politics. Cochin Palace had always been a seat of intrigues by Konkanis and Pattars. The conflict between Cochin and Zamorin and Cochin and Travancore demanded the Dutch interference in local politics.

The Dutch gave freedom to the local traders and trade was much flourishing during their time than at the time of the Portuguese. They had adopted a liberal policy in religious matters and never fell into bigotry. Their destruction of the valuable Jesuit library of Cochin was only a major act of intolerance. The Dutch commanders left voluminous writings for their successors in Kerala and that are valuable sources for historians to reconstruct that period. The Dutch letters of Visscher, writings of Nieuhoff and others contribute as sources.

Plantations of coconuts and Indigo were introduced by the Dutch in their land. Handloom dyeing was also popularized at that time by them. Hundreds of salt pans were started indigenously. Their scientific enquiry had resulted in the compilation of Hortus Malabaricus. Their work in sanitation had popularized the term ‘kakuz’ for latrine all over Kerala. Instead of Bungalows, a new style of architecture had been adopted in many of their constructions in and around Cochin. The style was similar to that of the later Gothic. Many of the old Portuguese buildings were repaired by them, in the settlement. The memories remain with the buildings of the Dutch Palace, Mattancherry, Paliyam building, Bolgatty Palace, Kalikotta Palace, Bastian Bungalow, VOC gate, St. Francis Church, Our Lady of Hope Church, Jewish Synagogue, Chendamangalam and this renovated building David Hall are good examples of the Dutch shared culture of Kerala. The Dutch cemetery at Fort Cochin with hundreds of epigraphs remind us a by gone age of the Dutch activities in Kerala, primarily based on tolerance, scientific mind and culture.

It is necessary to organize an Indo-Dutch Cultural Association at Cochin for looking after and popularizing this great cultural legacy from the people’s side. I am happy that the Centre for Heritage Studies under the Department of Culture, Govt. of Kerala is propagating the message of Hortus Malabaricus, in college campuses through planting evergreen trees under a program of ‘green campus’. I am also happy that His Excellency, the Ambassador has taken a keen interest in this programme and promotion of ideas of Hortus Malabaricus.

Dr. K.K.N. Kurup is now serving as the Director General of Centre for heritage Studies.