Welcome to Kerala - God's Own Country

History: Ernakulam district formed on 1st April 1958 carving areas of erstwhile Travancore-Kochi-Malabar kingdoms. Major portion of the district is from the Kochi kingdom. The district consists of the mainland Ernakulam, the man made Willington Island, Mattanchery, Fort Kochi, world's most populous area of Vypeen Island, Bolghatty Palace etc. Kochi is the most modern city of Kerala where the best shopping, markets and bazars are located.

From time immemorial Arabs, Chinese, Dutch, British and Portuguese seafarers followed the sea route to Kochi and left their impressions in the town. The Chinese fishing nets, believed to be erected in 1350 AD, swaying in the breeze over backwaters, the Jewish Synagogue, Dutch Palace, Portuguese Architecture, Bolghatty Palace etc. enrich the heritage of Kerala. The word Ernakulam was drawn from a Tamil word Erayanarkulam means abode of Lord Shiva's.

The present Ernakulam District include Paravur, Aluva, Kochi, Kanayannoor, Muvattupuzha, Kunnathunadu, Kothamangalam Taluks which come under Fortkochi and Muvattupuzha Revenue Sub Division. Prior to the formation of Idukki District, Thodupuzha Taluk was also a part of Ernakulam District. Ernakulam District was formed on April 1st 1958. The District which has an area of 895.3Sq.K.M. can be divided geographically as Highland, Midland and Coastal area. The altitude of Highland is about 1000 feet.

The borders of the district are the Arabian Sea in the West, Thrissur District in the North, Idukki District in the East and Alappuzha and Kottayam District in the South. Periyar, Kerala's second largest river flows through all the Taluks except Muvattupuzha. Muvattupuzha river and a branch of Chalakkudy river all gifts of this District. Average rainfall yearly is 3431.8 mm and 139 rain days. As there are rivers, lakes and seas the region has a moderate climate. Temperature is between 31.3oCand 25.8oC . Many types of sands and soil and also rocks which are geological importance is abundant here.

Majority of islands in Kerala are in Ernakulam district which was from different parts of old Cochin-Travancore-Malabar area. The main islands of this district all man-made Willington Island,World's most populated Vypeen Island, Cheriya Kadamakkudi, Valiya Kadamakkudi, Ramanthuruthu, Ponjikkara, Vallarpadam, Kumbalam, Panangad, Cheppanam, Nettoor, Pizhala, Kankattuthuruthu, Korampadam, Cheranelloor, Chathanadu, Chendamangalam. All these islands are populated areas. All these islands are believed to have formed from the soil accumulated due to soil erosion of highlands.

MATTANCHERRY PALACE: It is also known as Dutch Palace, built by the Portuguese and presented to the Raja of Kochi in 1555 A.D. It acquired the present name after 1663 when the Dutch carried out extensions and repairs in the palace. It is interesting to note that at no time did the Portuguese or Dutch actually stay here. Its interiors are decorated with murals from the Ramayana and there are some lively displays of royal costumes and palanquins. Timings: 1000 hrs to 1700 hrs. Closed on Fridays and national holidays.

JEWISH SYNAGOGUE: Situated In MATTANCHERRY the Synagogue was built in 1568 AD. The Great Scrolls of the Old Testament, the copper plates in which the grants of privilege made by the Kochi rulers were recorded and the exquisite Chinese hand-painted tiles are of interest. Timing: 1000 hrs to 1200 hrs and 1500 hrs to 1700 hrs. Closed on Saturdays and Jewish Holidays.

ST. FRANCIS CHURCH: Located at Fort Kochi this Protestant church was originally built by the Portuguese in 1510 AD and is believed to be the oldest church built by the Europeans in India. lt is here the remains of the inveterate traveler, Vasco da Gama were initially buried and 14 years later, his mortal remains were taken to Portugal .

SANTA CRUZ BASILICA CHURCH: Fort Kochi The Roman Catholic Church situated close to St. Francis Church and is worth visiting. Some beautiful paintings can be seen here.

ST. FRANCIS ASSISI CHURCH: St.Francis Assissi church popularly knows as Naduvileppalli,the most beautiful and old church in Ernakulam city,the blend of Portuguese and Kerala style of architecture.The unique feature churche's roof is that the entire hyper bolic para bloid shell roof rests only on the centre pillars on the either sides.It has completed 179th year existence....Hundreds of people come here at odd times to sit in the quiteness of the church to commune with god.

CHINESE FISHING NETS: Fort Kochi- The Chinese Fishing nets that line the sea-front and exhibit a mechanical method of catching fish by local fishermen in Fort Kochi. Said to have been brought from China by traders of Kubala Khan's Court, they are used at high tide.

BOLGHATTY PALACE: Bolghatty Palace is situated in Bolghatty Island a narrow palm-fringed Island easily accessible from the mainland. The Palace was built by the Dutch in 1744. Later, it became the seat of the British Resident and today this has been converted into a hotel run by the KTDC.

VALLARPADAM CHURCH: The Basilica of Our Lady of Vallarpadam adds another landmark to its growing reputation with the completion of 20 stations that will depict the 20 mysteries of the rosary. The 20 stations will features the mysteries that are celebrated by Catholics all over the world. These include the Joyous Glorious, Sorrowful Mysteries and the Mysteries of Light that were added to the original by Pope John Paul II. The Vallarpadam Church, which was already a national pilgrim centre, was raised to the status of a Basilica on the basis of a request submitted by Archbishop Daniel Acharuparampil of Varappuzha in December 2003.The Vallarpadam church was bestowed a special status by Pope Leo XIII in 1888. In 1951, it was declared a pilgrim centre.

HILL PALACE MUSEUM (Tripunithura-682301 Tel: 781113): Hill Palace Museum is situated 12 km away from Eranakulam on the Eranakulam Chottanikkara route.Different types of sculptures, collection of rare coins,old weapons, manuscripts in ancient scripts and collection from Kochi Royal Family are exhibited here. Tourist may also visit the Deer Park situated there. Horse riding facility is also available. The Parishith Thampuran Musueum situated at the Durbar Hall Ground together with its collection were transferred to Hill Palace Museum in 1997. Timings: 9:00 hrs to 12:30 hrs and 14:00 hrs to 16:30 hrs. Closed on Mondays & National holidays. Admission : Rs. 10/- per adult; Rs. 5/- per child. Camera Rs. 20/- Video Camera Rs. 1000/- for photography.

WILLINGDON ISLANDA: Man-made island created from the material dredged while deeping Kochi Port. Situated between the main land Emakulam and the old town Mattancherry and separated by the backwaters. Willingdon Island is an important part of Kochi. The Govt. of India Tourist Office, the Southern Naval Command Headquarters, the Seaport, Naval Airport, Railway terminus, Customs House, Kochi Port Office etc are all located in this island.

MUSEUM OF KERALA HISTORY (Edappally, Kochi - 682024 Tel: 558296): Situated at Edappally 10 km on the National Highway from Eranakulam on the Alwaye route. Presents one hour light and sound spectacles of life-size sculptures in concrete, of the makers of Kerala history, together with the background music and commentary with glimpses of the vastness and diversity of Kerala's history over the centuries. Timings: 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30 12:00, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00 15:30, 16:00 Closed on Mondays and Public holidays. Admission: Rs. 5/- per adult and Rs.2/- per child/student upto 12 years Rs.2.50

M. N. F. GALLERY OF PAINTINGS & SCULPTURES (Edappally, Kochi-682 024): The centre for Visual Arts and Gallery Paintings & Sculptures is situated at Edappally about l0km from Emakulam and located next to Museum of Kerala History. It houses about two hundred original paintings of recognized Indian masters, both contemporary and of the past. There is also a large collection of modern sculptures in marble, bronze, granite etc. Timings: 10:00 hrs to 17:00 hrs. Admission: Rs.5- per adult and Rs. 3- per child/student. Mangalavanam-" The green lung of Kochi city" The ecologically sensitive Magalavanam is safely tucked away behind the Ernakulam High Court. This evergreen forest land in the heart of Kochi is a green oasis for many migratory birds as a nesting ground. Visitors to Mangalavanam are captivated by the sheer variety of migratory birds that have nested atop the huge trees. Get a little closer and the birds fly away, leaving behind the eggs and newborns at the mercy of crows and kites. These birds are sensitive to the presence of human beings.Mangalavanam is the only existing green lung in Kochi city, offering a nesting ground for a vast variety of migratory birds and supporting many varieties of mangroves. As a source of oxygen, the rare eco-system in the heart of Kochi city, Mangalavanam has been keeping pollution under check. Thus, it supports to become rich resource for eco-tourism

CHITRAM ART GALLERY (Kochi - Tel: 351295): Opposite Air India, M. G. Road, Eranakulam Exhibit regularly collection of paintings. KUMBALANGHI - ALL SET TO REACH OUT TO INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS Some time in August, Kumbalanghi, the first model village in the country, will play host to 80- odd high-end tourists from the United States. This visit is expected to cement the position of this village, on the city suburbs, as a much sought after tourist destination in the state.The tourist group will arrive in the luxury liner, Pacific Princess, and will spend a whole day in Kumbalanghi. "We have been taking small groups, but this is the first time a group this big is being taken there. Our effort has always been to promote Kumbalanghi as a typical Kerala village," said Mr. Unni Menon, branch manager of Travel Corporation of India who will be doing the ground handling for the cruise liner.

Hospitality: Even while the tourist flow increased during the last couple of seasons, the village had not advanced much with respect to hospitality extended to high-end tourists. There is at present only one quality resort that can cater to high-end tourists, who may not be keen on home stays.Kumbalanghi now has around 10 home stays. The village panchayat and tourism coordination committee are encouraging residents to convert more homes to receive tourists.Foreign tourists mostly prefer houses with water frontage. So we have been getting enquiries from many such residents in the village. We issue forms through the District Tourism Promotion Council and guide them how to go about it. Once it is ready, the place will be listed in the tourism department's website, said Mr. M.P. Sivadathan, panchayat president.As part of the model tourism project, around 100 families in the village will be trained on traditional cuisine. The home stays will be the main window through which this will be popularized.

By Road: Three important National Highways(NH) pass through/start from Kochi, apart from many state roads. NH 47 from Kanyakumari to Salem pass right through the heart of Kochi while NH 17 to Mumbai and NH 49 to Madurai(in Tamil Nadu) starts from Kochi. Private and public transport services are available to/from all major cities of South India from here

By Rail: Kochi and Ernakulam are connected to the rest of India by an extensive network of rails.There are three important railway stations here namely Cochin Harbour Terminus, Ernakulam Junction and Ernakulam Town . Many important trains start from here and many others pass through these stations.

By Air: Cochin/ Kochi (Airport Code: COK) has a domestic airport with flights to Agatti, Bangalore, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Goa, Madras and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum - the capital of Kerala). The Cochin International Airport is under construction and is in the finishing stages. Currently, there are regular international flights to the Gulf. Flights to other destinations will start soon. Other international airports nearby includes Mumbai, Madras, Bangalore and Trivandrum.

By Sea: Kochi has a magnificent all weather natural port. Regular boat service to places like Kottayam and Alleppey are available through the scenic backwaters of Kerala.