Buy unique Tote Bag with Constitution of India PreambleBuy the famous Kerala Kasavu Handloom SareeDuffmuttu with Koya Kappad at Artiko.tales in Fort Kochi [Oct 11]
cats of kochi
cats of kochi
Fort Kochi

Post office · Fort Kochi

Head Post Office, Kochi

Post a card from a 1928 bungalow that’s handled mail since Portuguese times.

All 8 photographs

The Head Post Office for Fort Kochi occupies a 1928 bungalow with arched verandahs, a short walk from St. Francis Church. Mail has been handled on this spot since Portuguese, Dutch, and British times. Look beside the entrance for the sealed green-and-gold Anchal box, cast in Madras and once capable of holding 3,000 letters. Anchal runners carried bags on their heads with bells on their staffs, and by law everyone else had to make way. You can still post a card here from PIN code 682001.

What the cats hear

Worth knowing

  • Aadhaar-related services can take a long time.
  • Parking nearby is limited.
  • Can get crowded at peak hours; service speed can vary.

What visitors liked

  • Clean, well-maintained, pleasant atmosphere.
  • Staff are kind, helpful and professional.
  • Convenient for postal and passport-related needs, with special services available.

Did you know

  1. Anchal, the name of Kerala’s old postal service, comes from the Greek angelos — messenger.

  2. Kerala’s mail runners had legal right of way. By law, everyone else had to step aside.

  3. The sealed green box outside the post office is cast iron, made in Madras, and held up to 3,000 letters. Nothing has gone into it since the Anchal service merged with India Post in 1951.

  4. Mail has been handled on this one spot since the 1500s — Portuguese, then Dutch, then British, same address. The building itself is only from 1928.

Guides

2
  1. Heritage & History in Fort Kochi
  2. Photo: Ranjith Siji, 19 September 2016, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.Where Vasco da Gama Was Buried for 14 years: A Visit to St. Francis Church in Fort Kochi

Readings

1
  1. The Marathon Mail Runners of Fort Kochi Post Office

Events

1
  1. Nammu Haada: North Karnataka’s Hidden Soundscape Arrives at Kochi Biennale [Feb 8]Ended · 8 Feb 2026

Drawn from OpenStreetMap, by its contributors.

Free

Your own pocket guide to Fort Kochi

Select the places you like. We email you a PDF of just those, usually within two minutes.

Build your pocket guideOr download ours (PDF)
A pocket PDF: its top page shows Kashi Art Cafe and Gallery, with a photograph, a short description and a small map