Cochin

Cochin

Kochi (Malayalam: കൊച്ചി), formerly known as Cochin, is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city is one of the principal seaports of the country and is located in the district of Ernakulam, about 220 kilometres (137 mi) north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram. It has an estimated population of 600,000, with an extended metropolitan population of about 1.5 million, making it the largest urban agglomeration and the second largest city in Kerala after the capital.

Since 1102 CE, Kochi was the seat of the Kingdom of Cochin, a princely state which traces its lineage to the Kulasekhara empire. Heralded as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, Kochi was an important spice trading centre on the Arabian Sea coast from the 14th century onwards. Ancient travellers and tradesmen referred to Kochi in their writings, variously alluding to it as Cocym, Cochym, Cochin, and Cochi. Occupied by the Portuguese in 1503, Kochi was the site of the first European colonial settlement in India. It remained the capital of Portuguese India until 1530, when Goa became the capital. The city was later occupied by the Dutch, the Mysore and the British. Kochi was the first princely state to willingly join the Indian Union, when India gained independence in 1947.

A growing centre of information technology, tourism and international trade, Kochi is the commercial hub of Kerala, and one of the fastest growing second-tier metros in India. Successive waves of migration over the course of several millennia have made Kochi a cultural melting pot. Despite the risk of overdevelopment, the city retains its distinct colonial heritage and a blend of tradition and modernity.

Cochin

Cochin

History

Kochi was the centre of Indian spice trade for many centuries, and was known to the Yavanas (Greeks) as well as Romans, Jews, Arabs, and Chinese since ancient times. Kochi rose to significance as a trading centre after the port at Kodungallur (Cranganore) was destroyed by massive flooding of the river Periyar in 1341. The earliest documented references to Kochi occur in books written by Chinese voyager Ma Huan during his visit to Kochi in the 15th century as part of Admiral Zheng He’s treasure fleet. There are also references to Kochi in accounts written by Italian traveller Niccolò Da Conti, who visited Kochi in 1440.

The Kingdom of Kochi came into existence in 1102, after the fall of the Kulasekhara empire. The King of Kochi had authority over the region encompassing the present city of Kochi and adjoining areas. The reign was hereditary, and the family that ruled over Kochi was known as the Cochin Royal Family (Perumpadappu Swaroopam in the local vernacular). The mainland Kochi remained the capital of the princely state since the 18th century. However, during much of this time, the kingdom was under foreign rule, and the King often only had titular privileges.

Kochi witnessed economic stagnation in the years following India’s independence. The city’s economic recovery gathered momentum after economic reforms in India introduced by the central government in the mid-1990s. Since 2000, the service sector has revitalised the city’s stagnant economy. The establishment of several industrial parks based on Information technology (IT) and other port based infrastructure triggered a construction and realty boom in the city. Over the years, Kochi has witnessed rapid commercialisation, and has today grown into the commercial capital of Kerala.

Cochin

Cochin

Climate

Kochi’s proximity to the equator along with its coastal location results in little seasonal temperature variation, with moderate to high levels of humidity. Annual temperatures range between 20 to 35 °C (68–95 °F) with the record high being 34 °C (96 °F), and record low 17 °C (63 °F). From June through September, the south-west monsoon brings in heavy rains as Kochi lies on the windward side of the Western Ghats. From October to December, Kochi receives light rain from the northwest monsoon, as it lies on the leeward side. Average annual rainfall is 274cms (108 in), with an annual average of 132 rainy days.

Cochin

Cochin

Get in

By plane:

  • Cochin International Airport

is located in Nedumbassery approximately 29 km from the city. There are flights to and from Colombo, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Sharjah, Jeddah, Muscat, Kuwait, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Take a pre-paid taxi to your destination.

  • Trivandrum International Airport, which is around 220 km from Kochi, and travel to Kochi by road/rail. It is 4-5 hour journey.

By train : You can reach Cochin from other cities Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Coimbatore, Kozhikode (Calicut), Chennai, Bangalore, Bombay, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata by train.

There are two major Rail station in Cochin( Ernakulam Town and Ernakulam Junction, locally known as North and South railway stations). The Indian Railways [3] serves Cochin with a number of train services connecting it to other parts of the state and the country. One of the best ways to get to Cochin is to take the Konkan Railway train from Mumbai that passes through the Konkan coast. The train ride is renowned for the breathtaking scenery and the natural beauty of the terrain that the train passes through.

By bus : Cochin (Kochi) is accessible from all parts of the state of Kerala, through the extensive state run Kerala Road Transport Corporation (K.S.R.T.C.) bus service. These buses are generally cheap and reliable, but the drivers are notoriously reckless, although they have excellent control over their vehicles. There buses are classified as Ordinary Passenger, Limited Stop, Fast Passenger, Super Fast Passenger, Lightning Express and Garuda. The last is an air-conditioned service operating on the Thiruvananthapuram-Coimbatore and Thiruvananthapuram-Calicut routes, both passing through Kochi. These are modern buses and compare with buses in Europe, with well-maintained interiors and comfortable seats.

There are also numerous private buses or ‘route buses’ that connect pretty much every single district in Kerala to Cochin. Both the K.S.R.T.C and the private buses offer very basic comforts and are rarely air conditioned.

There also exists daily services to and from other major cities in South India including Mumbai, Bangalore(12 hrs), Mangalore (12 hrs), Coimbatore (4.5 hrs) and Chennai (14 hrs). These are run by both private operators and by the respective State Transport Authorities. The private buses offer better comfort, are cleaner and more modern, and are more expensive. A ticket on a private operator-run bus, especially an A/C Volvo bus, is costlier than a 3-AC train ticket.

By taxi :Trivandrum to Kochi around 220 km

By boat : Cochin can be reached by sea in yachts or by occasional cruise ship from Goa or Bombay.

Cochin

Cochin

See

  • Hill Palace Museum – The erstwhile Cochin Raja’s palace, now converted to a museum along with a small zoo, is 12 Km south-east of Ernakulam at Tripunithura. Has paintings and epigraphy from the collections of the Travancore & Cochin royal families.
  • Museum of Kerala History – at Edappally, 10km. north of the city
  • Pareekshith Thampuran Museum contains oil paintings, old coins, sculptures and Mughal paintings, and models of interesting temples and traditional Kerala buildings.
  • Fort Kochi

Cochin

Cochin

  • Mattancherry There is a beautiful Jain temple here. It is great to visit at about 12:15hrs when the pigeons are feed by Jain mandir people, which they have been doing for the past 17 years. A huge number of pigeons first take three circles of the temple and listen to mantra before eating.
  • Willingdon Island – An large artificial island made out of sand dredged from the backwaters to deepen the Kochi Port.
  • Vypeen and Gundu Islands – The Island boasts a lighthouse at Ochenthuruthu, beaches and the early 16th century
  • Bolgatty – built in 1744 as Dutch Palace; one of the KTDC Hotels with green lawns and Golf Course.
  • Chinese fishing Nets – at Fort Kochi.
  • Dutch Palace – constructed by the Portuguese in 1568 for Maharaja of Kochi Veera Kerala Varma. Later rebuilt by the Dutch.
  • St. Francis Church, Fort Kochi – constructed by the Portuguese[1503]. Vasco da Gama was buried here [1524] and later his remains were transferred to Lisbon, Portugal. His tombstone can be seen inside the church.

Cochin

Cochin

  • Jew Street and Synagogue – at Mattancherry, the synagogue was constructed in 1568 and rebuilt in 1662.
  • Santacruz Cathedral– at Fort Kochi
  • Art Complex – Madhavan Nayar Foundation – Gallery of Paintings and Sculptures at Edappally, 10 km. north of city. (There is the Kerala History Museum, history students take note!)
  • Thirumala Devaswom Temple – at Mattancherry. A temple built by the Gowda Sarawatha Brahmins, Lord Venkateswara the main deity, famous for second-largest brass bell in Asia. The North Gopuram is fully roofed with copper.
  • Ernakulam Siva Temple – situated at the centre of the town, near the Durbar Hall Ground.
  • Durbar Hall Ground – venue of many fairs during festivals

Cochin  Cochin

Cochin

  • Kalady – Birth place of Sri Shankaracharya (Adi Shankara) [786-820], the great Indian philosopher and founder of the Advaita philosophy. Shrines of Shankaracharya here are open to all pilgrims, irrespective of religion or caste. 48km north of the city.
  • Kanjiramattam Mosque – Muslim pilgrim center, venue of Kudikkuthu Festival, 30km east of the city
  • Chendamangalam – Historically the seat of Paliath Achan, the Prime Minister of Kochi Kingdom, old Oriental Jewish synagogue and colony. Now a centre for handloom weaving and coir manufacturing, view of annual fair “Mattachanda” (Barter Systems). It is 42km north-west of city near North Paravur .
  • Pallipuram Fort – built by the Portuguese in 1503, one of the oldest existing European monuments in India. Situated in Vypeen island at Pallipuram.
  • Aluva – called “Alwaye” till a few years ago, town on the way from the international airport to Kochi, has some places of interest – Sree Narayana Guru’s Advaita Ashram and the erstwhile Travancore king’s palace.
  • Aluva Manalpuram – is famous for the Shivarathri festival on the sandy banks of the Periyar river.
  • Malayattoor Mount – A Christian pilgrimage centre, supposed to be a place visited by St. Thomas. (St. Thomas visited Kerala in AD 52. Don’t forget Christianity reached India much before it reached Europe!)
  • Cherai Beach – near North Paravur is a new-generation tourist hot-spot with golden beaches (with big sand grains, like those of river sand used in construction, probably deposited by the Periyar river at some point in time), coconut palm corridors, backwaters, and historical monuments. You can reach Cherai Beach by bus, auto rickshaw, etc., from Ernakulam town though bus is a lot cheaper. Frequent buses are available from High Court that go through Goshree bridges and Vypeen Island.

Cochin

Cochin

44 comments to Cochin

  • Radhika

    Good Info!! 🙂

  • virendra barman

    hi my name is virendra barman

  • balky

    the best place for honeymoon (ganesan-poongodi)

  • All are good, except the meals. Meals we supply with the tip part of the plantain leaf ( thoosanila), not the middle part and the tip will be directed to left. The best curries like avial, erisseri and many others are not there.

  • best place for relaxing and peace of mind
    very greenery and full of excitiment

  • sudar

    its very nice. i like kerala very much.

  • dhananjay

    very nice place

  • dhananjay

    verynice,
    ihve visited kerala in1984.
    i want to visit kerala as soon as i
    thanks for sending beautiful fotographscan

  • dhananjay

    verynice, ihve visited kerala in1984. i want to visit kerala as soon
    dhananjay Your comment is awaiting moderation
    verynice,
    ihve visited kerala in1984.
    i want to visit kerala as soon as i
    thanks for sending beautiful fotographscan

  • haimanot

    oh my god, it’s cool place on water i like this types of place one day i will be there.

  • sampoornananda

    good information

  • Raghu

    This is not Kochi. There sre lot more to see. Hill palace of the Kochin royal family. Tripunithura is a small town just 6 K.m of kochi city which is the Home of the Kochin Royal family. Lord vishnu Temple belived to be built by the pandava prince Arjuna is located here. Hill Palace, and the famous Atham procession (festival) during Onam season belongs to tripunithura.

  • paul

    see the garabage surrounded china net ….. too dirty indian public area

  • surjyakanta dey

    Hy very nice place of Kerala.

  • poongodi

    the best place for oldage people

  • kaushik mehta

    It is marvelas pictures of scenes its peace of photography my hat off to photographer . It also remind me similarity of kokan of maharashtra. I hope many more photos of rural life and about natives of kerala.

  • Best place for enjoyment. i will go there for honeymoon with my wife .

  • KAUSHIK JUVARIWALA

    I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT FIRST COCHIN AND THEN TO KERALA OTHER PLACES. PLEASE GUIDE ME, HOW CAN I BOOK MY TICKETS FROM COCHIN BY PAYING ADVANCE PAYMENT FOR TAXI.

  • oommen

    very beutiful pictures and informative history

  • vipin

    adipoly what a wonderful show

  • krishnamurthy A.G.

    very beautiful pics

  • vetrislevan John

    God’s creation and Men interior works beyond the description

  • raj

    very easy to circulate pictures which are already available on one or the other site – how many of us would love this city the moment you get to see the blockholes on the national highways or the congested traffic or the never-ending constructions of the ‘so-called’ posh apartments…

    God left this country long ago… and mind you, a very recent study showed there are many more keralites out of kerala than are in there…

  • Saji Babu Sivan

    God’s own country.. Kochi kandawar Achcee venda.. (A person who’s been to Cochin does’t want his wife)

  • SR.VENKATESH

    The way which was in mail seems to me that it took me to ERNAKULAM. It was very informative and impressive. Eventhough it is near to my place (coimbatore) I am unfortunate to go there. But my next plan is to visit that place as early as possible.

  • Abdul

    romba nalla eruku thanks

  • Sathes Kumar

    Very nice and interesting.

  • Its really good. Well done.

  • Gopi Kumar

    Good advert for Kochi. You must also add the fantastic pot holes of MG Road and the magnificient musquitos of Ernakulam and the great garbage piles along the Mullasseri canal and Keral High Court.
    Kochinites must have civic sense first and foremost. Malayalees pride themselves as ‘clean’ people, but just take a look outside their home. Blame it on the corrupt corporation, completely misguided by outdated communist ideology, making them the most sarcastic government employees. Despite that Kochi is a good place to visit, -if only the musquitos were not there, the backwaters would be a great place to relax.!!

  • jessy

    magnificiant, gods own created beauti, must visit at least once definatly.

  • soni

    that is so interestinggggggggggg…………..

  • i like most all pictures.

    i love natural sceneries.

    &my ID is [email protected]

  • What I enjoyed most about Kochi was wandering around the many small artist studios and galleries-both contemporary and traditional art.

    Also, don’t forget to take a day trip to the backwaters if you don’t have time to visit the backwaters for longer.

  • very nice in kerla my friends live there

  • kochin is very cold climate

  • Wow, this is very good information, appreciated.

  • franchab

    Your are not allowed to put my picture on your web site.
    This is the 2nd picture, please delete it !!!

  • fpath

    Many of the places in the world have unnecessary been praised by the tourists for convenience and beauty. Cochin is one among them. It may well be a good business place but not good for a visitor.
    Everything is a mess at Cochin. The roads are strewn with garbage with more garbage heaped wherever there is some space with streams of urine around them. The backwater is stinking – luckily overpowered at Mattancherry by the smell of spices!!
    At night there are armies of huge mosquito and various other hum around you. It is one of the most unhealthy and dangerous places in India for a Westerner to be in.

  • frank

    Seen all the comments. Kochi is a very nice place ruined by the local authorities and the un civilized local population. It is a mess. The concerned govt. officials are all courept and un cultured. Food is un higinic in most places. I don’t quite understand why it is called the God’s
    own country. I advice not to go there and ruin your holidays.

  • Jagdish Jariwala

    Kerala is one of the best destination for greenery. Chinese fishing net is attraction point and the huge old church.

  • kunjubi

    A place where gods reside in their own abode of magnificence!

  • Shangubi

    MANY YEARS BACK I visited Cochin (in fact an inclusive tour of Kerala) and enjoyed my trip to the best. Except for breakfasts, there was no problem to find good food, coconut dishes, delicious, specially those plates served on leaves..
    Kerala is a beautiful place, with friendly people, unlike those in Tamil Nadu (the worst of India)… India is a great country..

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