The ancient temples, churches, mosques, synagogue and palaces and above all the birth place of Sri Sankaracharya provided a great deal of interest for the archaeologists and historians in particular and all tourists in general. The city of Kochi known as the "Queen of Arabian Sea" has one of the finest natural harbours in the world. From time immemorial, Arabs, Chinese, Dutch, British and Portuguese sea forces followed the sea route to Kochi and left their indelible impressions on the town.