Centuries-old Tippu Sulthan hotel preserves Fort Kochi’s flavours

Before the colonial-era homes, the historical buildings, the hipster cafes and art galleries, antique shops and Instagram-worthy nooks, what first catches the eye in Fort Kochi is Tippu Sulthan. No, not the Mysuru ruler, but the hotel Tippu Sulthan.

Tucked away on the busy Calvathy lane and bang opposite the teeming ferry, the centuries-old hotel welcomes all — tourists and locals alike — in a humble salute.

Today, however, the 18th-century establishment has started to show its age. Though the rustic, yet vintage ‘thattukada’ appearance still has a charm, decades of developmental works in the region have seen it ‘sink’ into the ground, requiring customers to ‘bow’ before making themselves present before Tippu. But that’s not stopping its patrons, which number hundreds, if not thousands, from stopping here for their usual cuppa or a lip-smacking meal. Others, unfamiliar with the ‘Tippu magic’, would still storm in on learning that the prices here have remained untouched for years.

“Hotel Tippu Sulthan has been in business for the past two centuries. Sadly, it does not get the attention it deserves,” says Stephen Jacob, a local historian. He also adds that the hotel’s ownership has changed hands numerous times. Abdul, its current owner, has been running the outlet for the past three decades. If you are wondering how the eatery got its name, Salim, an autorickshaw driver and one of its regular patrons, has a plausible theory. “The name was suggested by a muralist who adorned the walls of Fort Kochi with Quranic passage,” he says.

In the recent past, Aspinwall House was the venue of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, an international art festival. “The atmosphere during the time of the Biennale is always amazing. Tourists from in and out of the country visited Fort Kochi then and enjoyed good business. The cancellation of this year’s Biennale is certain to hurt several establishments like ours in the area. But thankfully, we have a perennial patronage of the locals,” Abdul says.

Article shared from The New Indian Express by Ashwajeet Nair, Thomas Tony, Photo A Sanesh.