Cherai is a small town located in north side of Vypin island. It is a region in the suburb of the city of Kochi, in the state of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is at a distance of about from the ''High Court Junction'',

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

. Cherai has the longest beach in

- the Cherai beach. The beach is located towards the centre-north of the Vypin island. The ''Cherai Beach'' is long. Dolphins are occasionally seen here. Cherai has played an important role in the history of modern Kerala by becoming the birthplace of two prominent political personsages of modern Kerala - Mathai Manjooran and Sahodaran Ayyappan. '' Cherai Gowreeshwara Temple'' is one of the main

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

temples. The temple is maintained by ''Vijnana Vardhini Sabha'' (V. V Sabha). It also known as Kerala palani. The festival in the temple is the biggest festival in Eranakulam district. The festival happens every year towards the last 2 weeks of January or first 2 weeks of February. The main attractions are Elephant parade (around 20-30 elephants). There is one more famous temple in Cherai, which is ''Azheekkal Sree Varaha Temple'' famous for its beautiful

chariot A chariot is a type of vehicle similar to a cart, driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid Propulsion, motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk O ...

. It is one of the oldest temple owned by Gowda Saraswatha Community.

Nearby attractions

* Kottakkavu Mar Thoma Syro-Malabar Pilgrim Church, North Paravur: First church in India and one of the seven churches founded by St. Thomas the Apostle in the first century. * Portuguese Fort : Built in 1503 by the Portuguese also known as Pallipuram Fort (''Aya Kotta''). It is the oldest European monument in India. It was an out post to safeguard the famous

Muziris ''Muciṟi'' (, ), commonly anglicized as Muziris (, Malayalam, Old Malayalam: ''Muciṟi'' or ''Muciṟipaṭṭaṇam'', possibly identical with the medieval ''Muyiṟikkōṭŭ'') was an ancient harbour and urban centre on India's Malabar C ...

Port. In 1661 the Dutch captured the fort and in 1789 the fort was handed over to the King of

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

. * Pallipuram Basilica of Our Lady of Snow: The church is built by the Portuguese in 1577. The exquisite picture of Virgin Mary on the top of "Altar" is brought from Portugal.The yearly celebrations of Lady of snow happening in August every year.The Water parade of boats is one of the notable function .

Notable people

* Mathai Manjooran * Sahodaran Ayyappan * Mary Verghese * TVR Shenoy * S. Sharma * M. K. Prasad

Gallery

Image:Cherai Beach2.jpg, Cherai beach Image:Chinese_Fishing_Nets_Cherai.JPG, Chinese fishing nets Image:Walk_Way_Cherai.JPG , Walkway on the sides of the road to Cherai from

North Paravur North Paravur (; formerly known as Paravur or Parur), is a municipality in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is located north of the district collectorate in Thrikkakara and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. N ...

External links

Satellite image of the town
{{Suburbs of Kochi Geography of Ernakulam district Tourist attractions in Kochi Beaches of Kerala