The four acre Parade Ground in Ernakulam district of Kerala, was where once the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British colonists conducted their military parades and drills. The buildings around the ground housed their defence establishments. Today, the largest open ground in Fort Kochi, the Parade Ground is a sports arena.
After Independence, Parade Ground, earlier Barraca Maidan or the barracks ground, became a sporting arena and regularly hosted cricket and football matches. Many decades back, it had been selected as the venue for the prestigious Ranji Trophy and the All India Rugby Football Tournament.
The Ground, once green and well maintained, has very little or nothing of its past glory. However, with the St Francis Church on one side and the VOC Gate and Cochin Club on the other, this historical landmark is still a picturesque sight.
