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               COCHIN TRAVEL GUIDE

Kochi is a city in the Indian state of Kerala and is the commercial capital 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.

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.

Theories regarding the etymology of the name "Kochi" are disputed. One suggests
that the city's modern name is derived from the Malayalam word koch azhi, meaning
'small lagoon'. Another version mentions the name as derivative of the Sanskrit word
Go shree which means 'prosperous with cows'. Certain ancient texts refer to the city
Balapuri (Sanskrit for 'small town'), which became Cochin in course of time.
According to some accounts, traders from the court of the Chinese ruler Khubilai
Khan gave Cochin the name of their homeland. Yet another theory is that Kochi is
derived from the word Kaci meaning 'harbour'. Certain scholars claim that Cochin is
derived from the term Cocha, which is a transfiguration of the Biblical term Cohen.

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.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Time zone         IST (UTC+5:30)

Area                     94.88 km² (37 sq mi)
Elevation             0 m (0 ft)
Coastline            48 km (30 mi)
Climate                Am (Köppen)
Precipitation       2,743 mm (108 in)
District(s)            Ernakulam

Population          596,473[1] (2001)
Density                6,250/km² (16,187/sq mi)

PLACE TO VISIT

Hill Palace Museum - The King Palace now converted to Museum along with
a small zoo is 12 Km south-east of Ernakulam at Tripunithura have Painting,
Epigraphy, the collections from Travancore & Cochin Royal families.

Parikshith Thampuran Museum - contains Oil paintings, old coins,
sculptures and Mughal paintings, Interesting temple models and traditional style
Kerala buildings.

Mattancherry - There is beautiful Jain temple here. It is great to visit at about
12:15hrs when the pigeons are feed by Jain mandir people last 17 years. A huge
number of pigeons first take three circle of the temple and listen to mantra and
before eating.

Willington Island - An large artificial island made out of sand removed in order
to deepen the Kochi Port.

Vypeen and Gundu Islands - The Island toasts 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.

Dutch Palace - constructed by Portuguese in 1568 for Maharaja of Kochi Veera
Kerala Varma. Later rebuilt by 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
Libson, Portugal. His tombstone can be seen inside the church.

Jew Street and Synagogue - at Mattancherry, it constructed in 1568 and
rebuild in 1662.

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 Devoswam Temple, Mattancherry - Gowda Sarawatha
Brahmins temple for Lord Venkatesha, its 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.

Kalady - is the birth place of Sri Shankaracharya [786-820], the Great Indian
Philosopher, who is the founder of advatic philosophy, shrines of Shankaracharya
here are open to all pilgrim's irrespective of religion or caste, its 48km north of City.

Chenamangalam - Historically the seat of Paliath Achan, the Prime Minister of
Kochi Kingdom, old Oriental Jewish synagogue and colony. Now center for
handloom weaving and coir manufacturing, view of annual fair "Mattachanda" (Barter
Systems). It is 42km north-west of city near North Paravur .

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 the stores of India, much before it did Europe!

Cherai Beach - near North Paravur is a new generation tourist hot spot with
Golden beaches, (sand grains are big and looks like river sand used in construction,
probably deposited by Periyar at some point of time) coconut palms corridors,
backwaters, historical monuments.

HOW TO REACH

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.

By train - You can reach Cochin from other cities Thiruvananthapuram
(Trivandrum), Kozhikode (Calicut), Chennai, Bangalore, Bombay, New Delhi, 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
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 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 services.
These 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-Palakkad 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 are rarely air conditioned.