Kochi ( , ),
formerly known as Cochin ( ),
is a major port city along the
Malabar Coast
The Malabar Coast () is the southwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. It generally refers to the West Coast of India, western coastline of India stretching from Konkan to Kanyakumari. Geographically, it comprises one of the wettest regio ...
of India bordering the
Laccadive Sea
The Laccadive Sea ( ), also known as the Lakshadweep Sea, is a body of water bordering India (including its Lakshadweep islands), the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. It is located to the southwest of Karnataka, to the west of Kerala and to the south of ...
. It is part of the
district of Ernakulam 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 ...
. The city is also commonly referred to as
Ernakulam
Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...
. As of 2011, the
Kochi Municipal Corporation
The Kochi Municipal Corporation is the municipal corporation that governs the Indian city of Kochi in the state of Kerala. The Corporation manages 94.88 km2 of Kochi city and has a population of 677,381 within that area. It is the most densely ...
had a population of 677,381
over an area of 94.88 km
2, and the larger
Kochi urban agglomeration had over 2.1 million inhabitants within an area of 440 km
2, making it the largest and the
most populous metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
in Kerala. Kochi city is also part of the
Greater Cochin
Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) is a statutory body headquartered in Kadavanthra, Kerala, India, established in 1976. It is responsible for the development planning of the Kochi Municipal Corporation (except two wards), nine adjac ...
development region and is classified as a Tier-II city by the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
. The civic body that governs the city is the
Kochi Municipal Corporation
The Kochi Municipal Corporation is the municipal corporation that governs the Indian city of Kochi in the state of Kerala. The Corporation manages 94.88 km2 of Kochi city and has a population of 677,381 within that area. It is the most densely ...
, which was constituted in the year 1967, and the statutory bodies that oversee its development are the
Greater Cochin Development Authority
Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) is a statutory body headquartered in Kadavanthra, Kerala, India, established in 1976. It is responsible for the development planning of the Kochi Municipal Corporation (except two wards), nine adjac ...
(GCDA) and the
Goshree Islands Development Authority
Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA) is a government body established in 1994. It is responsible for the development planning of eight island gram panchayats in Ernakulam district and two wards (Thanthonnithuruthu and Fort Vypeen) of Koch ...
(GIDA).
Nicknamed the Queen of the
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea () is a region of sea in the northern Indian Ocean, bounded on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, Gulf of Aden and Guardafui Channel, on the northwest by Gulf of Oman and Iran, on the north by Pakistan, on the east by India, and ...
, Kochi was an important spice trading center on the west coast of India from antiquity. The port of
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 ...
traded with the Romans, Persians, Arabs, and Chinese. From 1503 to 1663, the Portuguese established
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi ( , ; Cochin Portuguese: ''Cochim de Baixo'', , Tamil: ''Koçhé Kōtàì''), formerly also known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin or Old Kochi, is a region of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the For ...
(
Fort Emmanuel
Fort Emmanuel, also known as Fort Manuel, is a ruined fort located at Fort Kochi Beach in Kochi (Cochin), Kerala, India. It was built by the Portuguese to be a bastion & a symbol of the strategic alliance between the Kingdom of Cochin and t ...
), before it was taken over by the
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
in 1663. The Dutch then
ceded the area to the United Kingdom. Kochi remained under the control of the
Kingdom of Cochin
The kingdom of Cochin or the Cochin State, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It originated in the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until i ...
, which became a
princely state of the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
. Today, Kochi is known as the
financial
Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...
,
commercial
and industrial capital of Kerala. Kochi is the only city in the country to have a
water metro system, which has been described as the world's largest electric boat metro transportation infrastructure. Kochi also successfully conducted the test flight for Kerala's first seaplane service. The
Cochin International Airport
Cochin International Airport , popularly known as Kochi International Airport or Nedumbassery Airport, is an international airport serving the city of Kochi, Kerala, in southwestern India. It is located at Nedumbassery, about northeast of th ...
is the first in the world to operate solely on
solar energy
Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is a ...
. Kochi was one of the 28 Indian cities among the emerging 440 global cities that will contribute 50% of the world GDP by 2025, in a 2011 study done by the
McKinsey
McKinsey & Company (informally McKinsey or McK) is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinsey ...
Global Institute.
In July 2018, Kochi was ranked the topmost emerging future megacity in India by global professional services firm
JLL.
Kochi's rich cultural heritage has made it a popular tourist destination among both domestic and international travellers. It has been hosting India's first art biennale, the
Kochi-Muziris Biennale
The Kochi-Muziris Biennale is an international exhibition of contemporary art held in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. It is the largest art exhibition in the country and the biggest contemporary art festival in Asia. The Kochi-Muziris Bienn ...
, since 2012, which attracts international artists and tourists. The
Chinese fishing nets
Chinese fishing nets (''Cheena vala'' in India or ''tangkul'' in Indonesia) are a type of stationary lift net in India and Indonesia. They are fishing nets that are fixed land installations for fishing. While commonly known as "Chinese fishi ...
, introduced during the 14th century by the Chinese, are a symbol of the city and a popular tourist attraction in themselves. Other landmarks include
Mattanchery Palace,
Marine Drive,
Venduruthy Bridge
Venduruthy-Vikrant Bridge, also known as Venduruthy Bridge is a bridge in Kochi, Kerala, India. There are two bridges at present; one railway bridge and one road bridge, running parallel to each other, that connects the Ernakulam side of Kochi ...
,
Church of Saint Francis and
Mattanchery Bridge. The city ranks first in the total number of international and domestic tourist arrivals in Kerala.
The city was ranked the sixth best tourist destination in India according to a survey conducted by the
Nielsen Company
Nielsen Holdings plc (or Nielsen) is an American media audience measurement firm. Nielsen operates in over 100 countries and employs approximately 15,000 people worldwide.
For most of its history, the company was known for its two subsidiarie ...
on behalf of the
Outlook Traveller magazine. In October 2019, Kochi was ranked seventh in
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books.
History
20th century
Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen Wheeler, Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 19 ...
's list of top 10 cities in the world to visit in 2020. In November 2023, the British Luxury travel magazine
Condé Nast Traveller
''Condé Nast Traveller'' was published by Condé Nast Publications Ltd, from The Adelphi, City of Westminster, London. It is a luxury travel
Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical Location (geography), location ...
rated Kochi as one of the best places to go in Asia in 2024.
Etymology
Ancient travellers and tradesmen referred to Kochi, variously alluding to it as ''Cocym'', ''Cochym'', ''Cochin'', and ''Kochi''.
The
Cochin Jewish community called Cochin ''Kogin'' (), which is seen in the seal of the synagogue owned by the community. The
Arab
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
merchants called this place ''Kashi'', which is seen in the books such as ''
Tuhfat Ul Mujahideen
''Tuhfat al-Mujahidin fi ba‘d Akhbar al-Burtughaliyin'' (Arabic:تحفة المجاهدين في بعض اخبار البرتغاليين, often shortened as ''Tuhfat al-Mujahidin'') is a historical work by Zainuddin Makhdoom II on the struggle ...
''.
The origin of the name ''Kochi'' is thought to be the
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
word ''kochu azhi'', meaning 'small lagoon'. Accounts by Italian explorers
Nicolo Conti (15th century), and Fra Paoline in the 17th century say that it was called ''Kochchi'', named after the river connecting the
backwaters to the sea. After the arrival of the Portuguese, and later the British, the name ''Cochin'' stuck as the official appellation. The city
reverted to a closer transcription of its original
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
name, ''Kochi'', in 1996. This change in name was challenged by the city municipal corporation, but the court later dismissed the plea.
History
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 ...
, a port somewhere north of Kochi (mostly identified with
Kodungallur
Kodungallur (; formerly also called as Cranganore (anglicised name), Portuguese language, Portuguese: Cranganor; Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of Per ...
in
Thrissur district
Thrissur (), anglicised as Trichur, is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is situated in the central region of the state. Spanning an area of about , th ...
), was the centre of Indian
spice trade
The spice trade involved historical civilizations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe. Spices, such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, star anise, clove, and turmeric, were known and used in antiquity and traded in t ...
for many centuries, and was known to the
Arab
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
s,
Yavanas
The word Yona in Pali and the Prakrits, and the analogue Yavana in Sanskrit, were used in Ancient India to designate Greek speakers. "Yona" and "Yavana" are transliterations of the Greek word for "Ionians" (), who were probably the first Gre ...
(
Greeks
Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...
and
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
) as well as
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, Syrians, and Chinese since
ancient times
Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian language, ...
.
Kochi rose to significance as a trading centre after the port
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 ...
around
Kodungallur
Kodungallur (; formerly also called as Cranganore (anglicised name), Portuguese language, Portuguese: Cranganor; Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of Per ...
(Cranganore) was destroyed by the massive flooding of
Periyar
Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September 187924 December 1973), commonly known as Periyar, was an Indian social activist and politician. He was the organizer of the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam and is considered the architect o ...
in 1341. The earliest documented references to Kochi occur in books written by Chinese voyager
Ma Huan
Ma Huan (, Xiao'erjing: ) ( 1380–1460), courtesy name Zongdao (), pen name Mountain-woodcutter (會稽山樵), was a Chinese explorer, translator, and travel writer who accompanied Admiral Zheng He on three of his seven expeditions to the We ...
during
his visit to Kochi in the 15th century as part of Admiral
Zheng He
Zheng He (also romanized Cheng Ho; 1371–1433/1435) was a Chinese eunuch, admiral and diplomat from the early Ming dynasty, who is often regarded as the greatest admiral in History of China, Chinese history. Born into a Muslims, Muslim famil ...
's treasure fleet.
There are also references to Kochi in accounts written by Italian traveller
Niccolò Da Conti Niccolò is an Italian male given name, derived from the Greek Nikolaos meaning "Victor of people" or "People's champion".
There are several male variations of the name: Nicolò, Niccolò, Nicolas, and Nicola. The female equivalent is Nicole. The f ...
, who visited Kochi in 1440.
[Niccolò di Conti">] The ruler of
Perumpadappu (near
Ponnani
Ponnani () is a Nagar Palika (Municipality), municipality in Ponnani Taluk, Malappuram District, in the state of Kerala, India. It serves as the administrative center of the Taluk and Block Panchayat of the same name. It is situated at the est ...
) fled to
Kodungallur
Kodungallur (; formerly also called as Cranganore (anglicised name), Portuguese language, Portuguese: Cranganor; Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of Per ...
in the early medieval period, when the
Zamorin
The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edi ...
of Calicut annexed
Ponnani
Ponnani () is a Nagar Palika (Municipality), municipality in Ponnani Taluk, Malappuram District, in the state of Kerala, India. It serves as the administrative center of the Taluk and Block Panchayat of the same name. It is situated at the est ...
region, after
Tirunavaya
Tirunavaya, also spelled as Thirunavaya, is a town in Tirur Malappuram, Kerala. Situated on the northern bank of Bharatappuzha (River Ponnani/Nila or Perar), it is one of the major Hindu pilgrimage centres in Kerala. Tirunavaya, home to Tirunav ...
war.
[A Survey of Kerala History, A. Sreedhara Menon, DC Books, Kottayam (2007)] They later moved to Kochi and established the
Kingdom of Cochin
The kingdom of Cochin or the Cochin State, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It originated in the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until i ...
.
When
Vasco Da Gama
Vasco da Gama ( , ; – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and nobleman who was the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India, first European to reach India by sea.
Da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499) was the first to link ...
landed at
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature.
It is the nineteenth large ...
and the Zamorin of Calicut fought against the Portuguese with
Kunjali Marakkar
Kunjali Marakkar was the title inherited by the Admiral of the fleet of the Zamorin, King Samoothiri / Zamorin, the King of Calicut, in present-day Kerala, India. There were four Marakkars whose war tactics defended against the Portuguese Emp ...
, the ruler of Cochin aligned with the Portuguese.
On the
Malabar coast during the early 15th century,
Calicut
Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature.
It is the nineteenth large ...
and Kochi were in an intense rivalry, so the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
of China decided to intervene by granting special status to Kochi and its ruler known as ''Keyili'' (可亦里) to the Chinese.
[.] Calicut had been the dominant port-city in the region, but Kochi was emerging as its main rival.
For the fifth
Ming treasure voyage
The Ming treasure voyages were maritime expeditions undertaken by Ming dynasty, Ming China's Chinese treasure fleet, treasure fleet between 1405 and 1433. The Yongle Emperor ordered the construction of the fleet in 1403. The grand project resu ...
, Admiral
Zheng He
Zheng He (also romanized Cheng Ho; 1371–1433/1435) was a Chinese eunuch, admiral and diplomat from the early Ming dynasty, who is often regarded as the greatest admiral in History of China, Chinese history. Born into a Muslims, Muslim famil ...
was instructed to confer a seal upon ''Keyili'' of Kochi and enfeoff a mountain in his kingdom as the ''Zhenguo Zhi Shan'' (鎮國之山, Mountain Which Protects the Country).
Zheng He delivered a stone tablet, inscribed with a proclamation composed by the
Yongle Emperor
The Yongle Emperor (2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Chengzu of Ming, personal name Zhu Di, was the third List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 142 ...
himself, to Kochi.
As long as Kochi remained under the protection of Ming China, the
Zamorin
The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edi ...
of Calicut was unable to invade Kochi and a military conflict was averted.
The cessation of the
Ming treasure voyages
The Ming treasure voyages were maritime expeditions undertaken by Ming China's treasure fleet between 1405 and 1433. The Yongle Emperor ordered the construction of the fleet in 1403. The grand project resulted in seven far-reaching ocean voy ...
consequently had negative results for Kochi, as the Zamorin of Calicut would eventually launch an invasion against Kochi.
In the late 15th century, the Zamorin occupied Kochi and installed his representative as the king of the port-city.

According to many historians, the precursor state to
Kingdom of Kochi came into existence in the early 12th century, after the fall of the
Chera Kingdom
The Chera dynasty ( or Cēra, ), also known as Keralaputra, from the early historic or the Sangam period in Tamil-speaking southern India, ruled over parts of present-day states Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Cheras, known as one of the mu-ventar ...
.
The reign of the Kingdom was hereditary, and the family that ruled over the region was known as the ''
Perumpadappu Swaroopam'' in the local vernacular.
The port at
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature.
It is the nineteenth large ...
held superior economic and political position in medieval Kerala coast, while
Kannur
Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the maj ...
,
Kollam
Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...
, and Kochi, were commercially important secondary ports, where the traders from various parts of the world would gather.
[''The Portuguese, Indian Ocean and European Bridgeheads 1500–1800''. Festschrift in Honour of Prof. K. S. Mathew (2001). Edited by: Pius Malekandathil and T. Jamal Mohammed. Fundacoa Oriente. Institute for Research in Social Sciences and Humanities of MESHAR (Kerala)] The Portuguese arrived at
Kappad
Kappad, or Kappakadavu locally, is a beach and village near Koyilandy, in the Kozhikode district, Kerala, India.
A stone monument installed by government commemorates the "landing" by Vasco da Gama with the inscription, Vasco da Gama landed he ...
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature.
It is the nineteenth large ...
in 1498 during the
Age of Discovery
The Age of Discovery (), also known as the Age of Exploration, was part of the early modern period and overlapped with the Age of Sail. It was a period from approximately the 15th to the 17th century, during which Seamanship, seafarers fro ...
, thus opening a direct sea route from Europe to India. Portuguese navigator,
Pedro Álvares Cabral
Pedro Álvares Cabral (; born Pedro Álvares de Gouveia; ) was a Portuguese nobleman, military commander, navigator and explorer regarded as the European discoverer of Brazil. He was the first human in history to ever be on four continents, ...
founded the first European settlement in India at Kochi in 1500.
From 1503 to 1663,
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi ( , ; Cochin Portuguese: ''Cochim de Baixo'', , Tamil: ''Koçhé Kōtàì''), formerly also known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin or Old Kochi, is a region of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the For ...
(
Fort Emmanuel
Fort Emmanuel, also known as Fort Manuel, is a ruined fort located at Fort Kochi Beach in Kochi (Cochin), Kerala, India. It was built by the Portuguese to be a bastion & a symbol of the strategic alliance between the Kingdom of Cochin and t ...
) was
ruled by Portugal. This Portuguese period was a harrowing time for the
Saint Thomas Christians
The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an Ethnoreligious group, ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Ker ...
,
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
Mappila
Malabar Muslims or Muslim Mappilas are members of the Muslim community found predominantly in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands in Southern India. The term Mappila (Ma-Pilla) is used to describe Malabar Muslims in Northern Kerala. Muslims sh ...
s, and the
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, as the
Inquisition
The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...
was active in
Portuguese India
The State of India, also known as the Portuguese State of India or Portuguese India, was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded seven years after the discovery of the sea route to the Indian subcontinent by Vasco da Gama, a subject of the ...
. The ruler of the
Kingdom of Tanur
The Kingdom of Tanur (also referred to as Vettathunadu, Vettam, Tanur Swaroopam, and Prakashabhu; or the Kingdom of Light) was a feudal List of feudal states of Kerala, principality on the Malabar Coast of the Indian subcontinent during the Mi ...
, who was a vassal to the
Zamorin
The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edi ...
of Calicut, sided with the Portuguese, against his overlord at
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature.
It is the nineteenth large ...
.
As a result, the
Kingdom of Tanur
The Kingdom of Tanur (also referred to as Vettathunadu, Vettam, Tanur Swaroopam, and Prakashabhu; or the Kingdom of Light) was a feudal List of feudal states of Kerala, principality on the Malabar Coast of the Indian subcontinent during the Mi ...
(''
Vettathunadu'') became one of the earliest Portuguese Colonies in India. The ruler of
Tanur also sided with
Cochin
Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...
.
Many of the members of the royal family of Cochin in 16th and 17th centuries were selected from
Vettom.
However, the
Tanur forces under the king fought for the Zamorin of Calicut in the
Battle of Cochin (1504)
The Battle of Cochin, sometimes referred as the second siege of Cochin, was a series of confrontations, between March and July 1504, fought on land and sea, principally between the Portuguese garrison at Cochin, allied to the Trimumpara Raj ...
.
However, the allegiance of the
Mappila
Malabar Muslims or Muslim Mappilas are members of the Muslim community found predominantly in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands in Southern India. The term Mappila (Ma-Pilla) is used to describe Malabar Muslims in Northern Kerala. Muslims sh ...
merchants in
Tanur region still stayed under the Zamorin of Calicut.
Kochi hosted the grave of
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama ( , ; – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and nobleman who was the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India, first European to reach India by sea.
Da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499) was the first to link ...
, the first European explorer to set sail for India, who was buried at
St. Francis Church until his remains were returned to Portugal in 1539.
The Portuguese rule was followed by that of the Dutch who renamed Fort Immanuel as Fort Stormsburg. In meantime, the Royal Family of Kochi relocated the capital of Kochi Kingdom to
Thrissur
Thrissur (, ), Renaming of cities in India, formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Ke ...
, leaving nominal authority over Islands of Kochi. In 1664, Fort Kochi Municipality was established by Dutch, making it the first municipality in Indian subcontinent, which got dissolved when Dutch authority got weaker in the 18th century. The remaining part of Kochi were governed by governors of Kochi Kingdom. By 1773, the
Mysore
Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...
ruler
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali (''Haidar'alī''; ; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's ...
extended his conquest in the
Malabar region
The Malabar Coast () is the southwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. It generally refers to the western coastline of India stretching from Konkan to Kanyakumari. Geographically, it comprises one of the wettest regions of the subcontin ...
to Kochi forcing it to become a tributary of
Mysore
Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...
. The hereditary Prime Ministership of Kochi held by the
Paliath Achan
Paliath Achan or Paliyath Achan is the name given to the male members of the Paliam family, a Nair'', Menon royal family from the Indian state of Kerala who ruled over Chendamangalam, Vypin, parts of Thrissur and regions that were under the ...
s ended during this period.

Meanwhile, the Dutch, fearing an outbreak of war on the
United Provinces, signed the
Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 with the United Kingdom, under which Kochi was ceded to the United Kingdom in exchange for the island of
Bangka, east of
Sumatra
Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
. However, there are evidences of English habitation in the region even before the signing of the treaty.
In 1866,
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi ( , ; Cochin Portuguese: ''Cochim de Baixo'', , Tamil: ''Koçhé Kōtàì''), formerly also known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin or Old Kochi, is a region of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the For ...
municipality was reinstalled.
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi ( , ; Cochin Portuguese: ''Cochim de Baixo'', , Tamil: ''Koçhé Kōtàì''), formerly also known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin or Old Kochi, is a region of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the For ...
, which was a part of
Malabar District
Malabar District, also known as British Malabar or simply Malabar was an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast of Bombay Presidency (1792–1800), Madras Presidency (1800–1950) and finally, Madras State (1950–1956) in ...
until 1956, was made a municipality on 1 November 1866, along with
Kannur
Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the maj ...
,
Thalassery
Thalassery () (also called Tellicherry) is a city and municipality on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district in the state of Kerala, India, bordered by the districts of Mahe and Kozhikode. Thalassery municipality has a population of just under ...
,
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature.
It is the nineteenth large ...
, and
Palakkad
Palakkad (), Renaming of cities in India, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of P ...
, according to the Madras Act 10 of 1865 (Amendment of the Improvements in Towns act 1850)
of the
British Indian Empire
The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent,
*
* lasting from 1858 to 1947.
*
* It is also called Crown rule ...
. Its first
Municipal Council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...
seating contest was conducted in 1883. In 1896, H.H.
Rama Varma XV, The
Maharaja
Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...
of Cochin, initiated local administration by forming town councils in
Mattancherry
Mattancherry (; Cochin Portuguese Creole: ''Cochim de Cima'' ), is a historic ward of Kochi, Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, follow ...
and
Ernakulam
Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...
. In 1907, the Governor of the Madras Presidency, Sir
Arthur Lawley
Arthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock, (12 November 1860 – 14 June 1932) was a British colonial administrator who served variously as Administrator of Matabeleland, Governor of Western Australia, Lieutenant-Governor of the Transvaal Colony, Trans ...
and his brother,
Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock
Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock (12 May 1849 – 15 January 1912) was a British soldier, Liberal politician and colonial administrator who was the Governor of Madras from 1891 to 1896.
Early life
Lawley was the son of Beilby Lawley, 2nd ...
, Governor of Madras, 1891 to 1896, left for an official tour of Cochin and
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 ...
, which lasted from 25 January to 14 February. On 26 January, they were met by His Highness the Rajah of Cochin who gave a State Dinner in their honour at
Ernakulam
Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...
.
[Sir Arthur Lawley's Photo Album, Empire and Commonwealth Museum][The Fourth Tour of His Excellency Sir Arthur Lawley to Cochin and Travancore – 25 January to 14 February 1907. Madras Government Press.][Letter from Lord Wenlock to his wife Constance, 29 January 1907. Hull University. Forbes Adam Archive.][Sir Arthur Lawley, Eloquent Knight Errant, Chapter 5. Ruler of the Raj. Lady Lawley Cottage (Western Australian Red Cross) 2008 iBooks] By the 1870s, the capital of Kochi Kingdom was relocated again to Kochi Suburb of
Tripunithura
Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (Malayalam:തൃപ്പൂണിത്തുറ) is a prominent historical and residential region in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura wa ...
. In 1910, Ernakulam became the administrative capital of Kochi Kingdom with establishment of Royal Secretariat and State Durbar. The offices of the Diwan and High court were soon moved into Ernakulam.

In 1925, Kochi legislative assembly was constituted due to public pressure on the state. Towards the early 20th century, trade at the port had increased substantially, and the need to develop the port was greatly felt. Harbour engineer
Robert Bristow was brought to Kochi in 1920 under the direction of
Lord Willingdon
Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon (12 September 1866 – 12 August 1941), styled as the Earl of Willingdon between 1931 and 1936, was a British people, British Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician and administrator who served ...
, then the Governor of
Madras
Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
. In a span of 21 years, he transformed Kochi as one of the safest harbours in the peninsula, where ships berthed alongside the newly reclaimed inner harbour equipped with a long array of steam cranes.
In 1947, when India gained independence from the
British colonial rule
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establish ...
, Cochin was the first
princely state to join India willingly.
In 1949,
Travancore–Cochin
Travancore–Cochin, officially the United State of Travancore and Cochin and later the State of Travancore–Cochin, was a short-lived States of India, state of India. It was formed through the merger of two former kingdoms, Travancore and Kin ...
state came into being with the merger of Cochin and
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 ...
. The King of Travancore was the
Rajpramukh
Rajpramukh was an administrative title in India which existed from India's independence in 1947 until 1956. Rajpramukhs were the appointed governors of certain Indian provinces and states.
Background
The British Indian Empire, which incl ...
of the Travancore–Cochin Union from 1949 to 1956. Travancore-Cochin, was in turn merged with the
Malabar district
Malabar District, also known as British Malabar or simply Malabar was an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast of Bombay Presidency (1792–1800), Madras Presidency (1800–1950) and finally, Madras State (1950–1956) in ...
of the
Madras State
Madras State was a state in the Indian Republic, which was in existence during the mid-20th century as a successor to the Madras Presidency of British India. The state came into existence on 26 January 1950 when the Constitution of India was ad ...
. Finally, the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
's
States Reorganisation Act
The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 was a major reform of the boundaries of India's States and union territories of India, states and territories, organising them along linguistic lines.
Although additional changes to India's state boundaries ...
(1956) inaugurated a new state—Kerala—incorporating Travancore-Cochin (excluding the four southern Taluks which were merged with
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
), Malabar District, and the
taluk
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ...
of
Kasargod
Kasaragod () is a municipal town and the administrative headquarters of the Kasaragod district in the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1966, Kasaragod was the first municipal town in the district. It is the northernmost district of Ker ...
,
South Kanara.
On 9 July 1960 the
Mattancherry
Mattancherry (; Cochin Portuguese Creole: ''Cochim de Cima'' ), is a historic ward of Kochi, Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, follow ...
council passed a resolution—which was forwarded to the government—requesting the formation of a
municipal corporation
Municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally o ...
by combining the existing municipalities of
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi ( , ; Cochin Portuguese: ''Cochim de Baixo'', , Tamil: ''Koçhé Kōtàì''), formerly also known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin or Old Kochi, is a region of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the For ...
,
Mattancherry
Mattancherry (; Cochin Portuguese Creole: ''Cochim de Cima'' ), is a historic ward of Kochi, Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, follow ...
, and
Ernakulam
Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...
. The government appointed a commission to study the feasibility of the suggested merger. Based on its report, the
Kerala Legislative Assembly
The Kerala Legislative Assembly, popularly known as the Kerala Niyamasabha, is the State Assembly of Kerala, one of the 30 states in India. The Assembly is formed by 140 elected representatives. Each elected member represents one of the 140 ...
approved the corporation's formation. On 1 November 1967, exactly eleven years since the establishment of the state of Kerala, the
Kochi Municipal Corporation
The Kochi Municipal Corporation is the municipal corporation that governs the Indian city of Kochi in the state of Kerala. The Corporation manages 94.88 km2 of Kochi city and has a population of 677,381 within that area. It is the most densely ...
came into existence. The merger leading to the establishment of the corporation, was between the
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
of Ernakulam, Mattancherry and
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi ( , ; Cochin Portuguese: ''Cochim de Baixo'', , Tamil: ''Koçhé Kōtàì''), formerly also known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin or Old Kochi, is a region of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the For ...
, along with that of the
Willingdon Island
Willingdon Island is the largest artificial island in India, which forms part of the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala. Much of the present Willingdon Island was claimed from the Vembanadu Lake, filling in dredged soil around a previous ...
, four
panchayats (
Palluruthy
Palluruthy is a region in the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. Palluruthy is part of the water bound West Kochi, lying westward to the Kochi mainland. Palluruthy comprises the regions Thoppumpady, Perumpadappu, Edakochi, Mund ...
,
Vennala
Vennala is a ward of Kochi, Kerala. It was one of the early panchayats of Kerala, that was amalgamated with other panchayats during the formation of Kochi
Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as ...
,
Vyttila
Vyttila, , is a ward in the city of Kochi, Kerala. It is a prominent area located in southern Kochi. The Vyttila junction is the busiest as well as the largest intersection in Kerala. This node intersects the main north–south artery of the ...
and
Edappally
Edappally or Idappalli is a region in the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is a major commercial centre as well as a prominent residential region. Edappally junction is one of the busiest junctions in the city.
History
Edappally in English li ...
), and the small islands of
Gundu and
Ramanthuruth.
The Kochi and
Ernakulam
Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...
districts formed on 1 April 1958 carving areas of the erstwhile Travancore-Kochi-Malabar regions. A major portion of the district is from the Kochi kingdom.
The city's economic growth gathered momentum after
economic reforms in India introduced by the
central government
A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or deleg ...
in the early 1990s. Since 2000, the
service sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...
has energised the city's economy. The establishment of several industrial parks based on
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 hub of Kerala.
Geography and climate
Geography
Kochi is located on the southwest coast of India at , with a corporation limit area of . Over the years, the city has expanded considerably outside the corporation limit set in 1967, although the official city limits haven't been changed. The city straddles the backwaters, encompassing the northern end of a peninsula, several islands and a portion of the mainland. To the west lies the
Laccadive Sea
The Laccadive Sea ( ), also known as the Lakshadweep Sea, is a body of water bordering India (including its Lakshadweep islands), the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. It is located to the southwest of Karnataka, to the west of Kerala and to the south of ...
, and to the east is the urbanised region in the rest of the mainland area. Much of Kochi lies at sea level, with a coastline of 48 km.
The eastern part of Kochi is mainly known as
Ernakulam
Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...
, while the western part of it after the
Venduruthy Bridge
Venduruthy-Vikrant Bridge, also known as Venduruthy Bridge is a bridge in Kochi, Kerala, India. There are two bridges at present; one railway bridge and one road bridge, running parallel to each other, that connects the Ernakulam side of Kochi ...
is called as Western Kochi. The current metropolitan limits of Kochi include the mainland Ernakulam,
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi ( , ; Cochin Portuguese: ''Cochim de Baixo'', , Tamil: ''Koçhé Kōtàì''), formerly also known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin or Old Kochi, is a region of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the For ...
, the suburbs of
Edapally
Edappally or Idappalli is a region in the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is a major commercial centre as well as a prominent residential region. Edappally junction is one of the busiest junctions in the city.
History
Edappally in English l ...
,
Kalamassery
Kalamassery () is a major industrial region in the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. It is located around northeast of the city centre.
Kalamassery is a major hub for industrial and Information Technology, IT activities in Kochi. In ...
,
Aluva
Aluva () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality and a northern suburb of the city of Kochi in Kerala. It is located about north of the city centre.
Aluva is known for the Aluva Sivarathri festival, Sivarathri festival, which is celebra ...
,
Perumbavoor
Perumbavoor () 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. Perumbavoor is part of the Kochi metrop ...
,
Angamaly
Angamaly () is a municipality in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. Angamaly is part of the Kochi metropolitan area and is located northeast of the Kochi city centre. As of the 2011 Indian census, the municipality has a population of 33 ...
and
Kakkanad
Kakkanad is a region in Kochi, Kerala, located east of the city centre. The term is used to refer to an area covering Thrikkakara municipality and the built-up areas in the western parts of the adjoining Kunnathunad grama panchayat.
Kakkanad i ...
to the northeast;
Tripunithura
Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (Malayalam:തൃപ്പൂണിത്തുറ) is a prominent historical and residential region in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura wa ...
to the southeast; and a group of islands closely scattered in the
Vembanad Lake
Vembanad () is the longest lake in India, and the largest in the state of Kerala. The lake has an area of 2,033 square kilometers and a maximum length of 96.5 km.
Spanning three districts in the state of Kerala, it is known as Vembanad L ...
. The state government and the GCDA have plans to include
Mala and
Kodungallur
Kodungallur (; formerly also called as Cranganore (anglicised name), Portuguese language, Portuguese: Cranganor; Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of Per ...
in Thrissur district.
Piravom
Piravom () is a town and Municipalities of Kerala, municipality in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is located 30 km from Ernakulam, the nearest city and south of the district collectorate in Thrikkakara.The Piravom Road Railway Sta ...
and
Kolenchery
Kolenchery is a town in the Poothrikka gram panchayat in Ernakulam district, Kerala. Located on National Highway 85, Kolenchery is situated from Poothrikka and from Kochi. There have been plans to include Kolenchery as part of the Kochi metr ...
in Ernakulam district,
Thalayolaparambu
Thalayolaparambu is a town situated in Kottayam district in Kerala, India. Spanning over an area of 19.3 square kilometres with a population of 22,571 people, this mini-town is home to some of the well-known personalities such as the former Ch ...
and
Vaikom
Vaikom () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala. It is located north of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about north of the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, V ...
in Kottayam and
Cherthala
Cherthala is a municipality in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, India and acts as a satellite town of Kochi. It is located north of the district headquarters in Alappuzha and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 20 ...
in Alappuzha district within Kochi metropolitan limits. The newly formed metropolis would be put under the charge of a new authority called Kochi Metropolitan Regional Development Authority. However, ''The Hindu'' reported that the state government is yet to take any concrete steps in this regard.
Soil consists of
sediment
Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently sediment transport, transported by the action of ...
s such as
alluvium
Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...
, teris, brown sands, etc. Hydromorphic
saline soils are also found in the areas surrounding the backwaters.
Predominant rock types found here are
Archaean-basic
dykes,
Charnockite
Charnockite () is any orthopyroxene-bearing quartz-feldspar rock formed at high temperature and pressure, commonly found in granulite facies’ metamorphic regions, ''sensu stricto'' as an endmember of the charnockite series.
Charnockite seri ...
s and
Gneiss
Gneiss (pronounced ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. This rock is formed under p ...
es. An ecologically sensitive area, the
Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary is located in the central part of the city. It has a wide range of mangrove species and is a nesting ground for a vast variety of migratory birds.
Kochi's water needs are entirely dependent on ground water and the two rivers flowing through the district viz.,
Periyar
Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September 187924 December 1973), commonly known as Periyar, was an Indian social activist and politician. He was the organizer of the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam and is considered the architect o ...
and
Muvattupuzha
Muvattupuzha () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipalityhttps://lsgkerala.gov.in/system/files/2017-10/localbodies.pdf in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is located east of the district headquarters in Thrikkakara and a ...
. Periyar serves the entire northern part of the city whereas
Muvattupuzha
Muvattupuzha () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipalityhttps://lsgkerala.gov.in/system/files/2017-10/localbodies.pdf in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is located east of the district headquarters in Thrikkakara and a ...
river under the JnNurm project covers the western part.
Climate
Under the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, Kochi features a
tropical monsoon climate
An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...
(''Am''). 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 with the record high being , and record low .
From June to September, the
south-west monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscill ...
brings in heavy rains as Kochi lies on the windward side of the
Western Ghats. From October to December, Kochi receives lighter (yet significant) rain from the northeast monsoon, as it lies on the leeward side. Average annual rainfall is , with an annual average of 124 rainy days.
Civic administration
The city is
governed by the
Kochi Corporation
The Kochi Municipal Corporation is the municipal corporation that governs the Indian city of Kochi in the state of Kerala. The Corporation manages 94.88 km2 of Kochi city and has a population of 677,381 within that area. It is the most densely ...
, headed by a
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
. For administrative purposes, the city is divided into 74
wards,
from which the members of the corporation council are elected for five years. Earlier;
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi ( , ; Cochin Portuguese: ''Cochim de Baixo'', , Tamil: ''Koçhé Kōtàì''), formerly also known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin or Old Kochi, is a region of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the For ...
, Mattancherry and Ernakulam were the three Municipalities in Cochin area, which was later merged to form the Cochin Corporation. The corporation has its headquarters in Ernakulam, and zonal offices at
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi ( , ; Cochin Portuguese: ''Cochim de Baixo'', , Tamil: ''Koçhé Kōtàì''), formerly also known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin or Old Kochi, is a region of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the For ...
, Mattancherry,
Palluruthy
Palluruthy is a region in the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. Palluruthy is part of the water bound West Kochi, lying westward to the Kochi mainland. Palluruthy comprises the regions Thoppumpady, Perumpadappu, Edakochi, Mund ...
,
Edappally
Edappally or Idappalli is a region in the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is a major commercial centre as well as a prominent residential region. Edappally junction is one of the busiest junctions in the city.
History
Edappally in English li ...
and
Pachalam
Pachalam is a region in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. Goshree bridge road at Marine Drive side ends at Pachalam. Pachalam can also be reached by Chittoor Road. Mulavukad island is on its west, Vaduthala and Chittoor island is on its ...
. The general administration of the city is handled by the Personnel Department and the Council Standing committee Section. Other departments include that of
town planning
Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...
, health, engineering, revenue and accounts. The corporation is also responsible for
waste disposal
Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final Waste disposal, disposal. This includes the Waste collection, collection, transport, Sewage treatment, treatm ...
and sewage management. The city produces more than 600 tons of waste per day and a large portion of waste is decomposed at
Brahmapuram Solid Waste plant into organic manure. The supply of
potable water
Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...
, sourced from the
Periyar River is handled by Kerala Water Authority with support of Water works department of Kochi Corporation.
Electricity is provided by the
Kerala State Electricity Board
Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is an Indian public sector undertaking under the Government of Kerala that generates, transmits and distributes electricity in the state. Established in 1957, the agency comes under the authority of the Po ...
.
The
GCDA and
GIDA are the government agencies initiating and monitoring the development of
Greater Cochin
Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) is a statutory body headquartered in Kadavanthra, Kerala, India, established in 1976. It is responsible for the development planning of the Kochi Municipal Corporation (except two wards), nine adjac ...
area, mainly in developing infrastructure facilities for the city.
Law and order
Kochi is the seat of
High Court of Kerala
The High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep. It is located in Kochi. Drawing its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the High Court has the power to issu ...
, the highest judicial body in the state of Kerala. The
Kochi City Police
Kochi City Police (KCP), also known as the Ernakulam City Police, is the police force of the Indian city of Kochi. The force is headed by a Police Commissioner, an IPS officer. The city police was reorganized as Metro Police force, on 1 April ...
is headed by a
Police Commissioner
A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...
, an
Indian Police Service
The Indian Police Service (IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became Partition of India, independent from the British Empire.
Along with the Indian Admini ...
(IPS) officer. The city is divided into five zones and each zone under a circle officer. Apart from regular law & order, the city police comprises the Traffic Police, Narcotics Cell, Riot horse, Armed Reserve Camps, District Crime Records Bureau and a
Women's Police station
Women's police stations (WPS; also units or offices) (, ) are police stations specializing in handling crimes with female victims. The "women's police station" concept was first introduced in the Kozhikode District of Kerala, India on 27 October 1 ...
.
It operates 19 police stations functioning under the Home Ministry of
Government of Kerala
The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who ...
. An
anti-corruption
Anti-corruption (or anticorruption) comprises activities that oppose or inhibit corruption. Just as corruption takes many forms, anti-corruption efforts vary in scope and in strategy. A general distinction between preventive and reactive measur ...
branch of the
Central Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the domestic crime investigating agency of India. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Originally set up to investigate bribery and gover ...
also operates out of the city.
CISF
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. CISF's primary mission is to provide security to large institutions, be it state or privately-owned.
It was set up unde ...
maintains 3 squadrons for providing security to various central and state heavy industries, airport and seaport zones. Other major central agencies are
NIA,
DRI and
Indian Customs due to the presence of major port. According to
National Crime Records Bureau
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is an Indian government agency responsible for collecting and analyzing crime data, as defined by the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL). NCRB is headquartered in New Delhi and is ...
(NCRB), Kochi reported significant increase of 193.7 per cent IPC crimes in 2010 compared to 2009, and reported a crime rate of 1,897.8 compared to the 424.1 in whole Kerala. However, the city
police commissioner
A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...
defended that in major crimes such as murders and kidnapping, the city registered a low crime rate even behind other cities in the state.
Politics
Kochi is part of the
Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency
Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 20 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in Kerala state in southern India.
It comprises 7 legislative assembly constituencies. The constituency is dominated by Latin Catholics, making this sea ...
in
Indian Parliament
The Parliament of India (ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People). The President o ...
. The current elected Member of Parliament representing the constituency is
Hibi Eden
Hibi George Eden, commonly known as Hibi Eden (born 19 April 1983) is an Indian politician from Ernakulam, Kerala and member of the Indian National Congress. Hibi is the son of the late George Eden, a long time member of Parliament from the E ...
of
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
. The Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency elects seven members to the state Legislative Assembly, one each from
Ernakulam
Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...
,
Kalamassery
Kalamassery () is a major industrial region in the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. It is located around northeast of the city centre.
Kalamassery is a major hub for industrial and Information Technology, IT activities in Kochi. In ...
,
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 ...
,
Paravur,
Thrikkakara
Thrikkakara () is a municipality in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is part of the Kochi metropolitan area, and is located east of the Kochi city centre. As per the 2011 Indian census, Thrikkakara has a population of 77,319 people, ...
,
Thrippunithura
Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (Malayalam:തൃപ്പൂണിത്തുറ) is a prominent historical and residential region in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura wa ...
and
Vypin
Vypin (, Cochin Portuguese: Isla Santa) is one of the group of islands that form part of the city of Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala. Vypin forms a barrier island which lies between the Arabian Sea in the west and the Cochin backwaters ...
.
Economy
Kochi is widely referred to as the financial
and commercial
capital of Kerala.
Federal Bank
Federal Bank Limited is an Indian private sector bank headquartered in Aluva, Kerala. The bank has 1588+ banking outlets and, 2079+ ATMs/ CDMS spread across different states in India and overseas representative offices at Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
...
, the fourth-largest
Private-sector bank in India is located in
Aluva
Aluva () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality and a northern suburb of the city of Kochi in Kerala. It is located about north of the city centre.
Aluva is known for the Aluva Sivarathri festival, Sivarathri festival, which is celebra ...
which is a suburb of Kochi. Being a major online trading centre in the country, Kochi has a newly opened
SEBI
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is the regulatory body for securities and commodity market in India under the administrative domain of Ministry of Finance within the Government of India. It was established on 12 April 1988 a ...
office.
Availability of electricity, fresh water, long coastline, backwaters, good banking facilities, presence of a major port, container trans-shipment terminal, harbour terminal and an international air terminal are some of the factors which accelerated the industrial growth in the city and its adjoining district.
In recent years the city has witnessed heavy investment, thus making it one of the fastest-growing
second-tier metro cities in India.
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...
income generated in the Kochi metropolitan area contributes heavily to state revenue.
The district contributes 15.1% of the state GDP. Construction and manufacturing industries combined contributes 37% of the district's total GDP, and trade, tourism and hospitality industries together provides another 20%. Major business sectors include construction, manufacturing,
shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...
, transportation/shipping, seafood and spices exports, chemical industries, information technology (IT), tourism,
health services
Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...
, and banking. Kochi is recognised as one of the seventeen major industrial cities of India by the World Bank Group. However, in the 2009 rankings of ease to start and operate a business, among the 17 Indian cities selected, Kochi was rated as the second most difficult city to start business and was ranked 16th, above Kolkata.
As in most of Kerala, remittances from
non-resident Indians
Overseas Indians (ISO: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and People of Indian Origin (PIOs) are people of Indian descent who reside or originate outside of India (Including those that were directly under the British Raj). According to t ...
(NRI)s is a major source of income.
Eloor
Eloor is a suburb of Kochi and a municipality in Paravur Taluk, Ernakulam District in the Indian state of Kerala, India. It is an industrial area situated around north of the city centre. It is an island of 14.21 km2 formed between two d ...
, situated north of the city-centre, is the largest industrial belt in Kerala, with more than 250 factories manufacturing a range of products including chemical and
petrochemical
Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable s ...
products,
pesticide
Pesticides are substances that are used to control pests. They include herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, fungicides, and many others (see table). The most common of these are herbicides, which account for approximately 50% of all p ...
s,
rare earth element
The rare-earth elements (REE), also called the rare-earth metals or rare earths, and sometimes the lanthanides or lanthanoids (although scandium and yttrium, which do not belong to this series, are usually included as rare earths), are a set o ...
s, rubber processing chemicals,
fertiliser
A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrition, plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from Liming (soil), liming materials or other non- ...
s,
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...
and
chromium
Chromium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6 element, group 6. It is a steely-grey, Luster (mineralogy), lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal.
Chromium ...
compounds, and leather products.
Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT), one of the oldest fertilizers and chemical industry in Kerala is located in Kochi.
Kochi Refineries
Kochi Refinery Limited (KRL) is a crude oil refinery in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. It is the largest public sector refinery in India with a production capacity of 15.5 million tonnes per year. Formerly known as Cochin Refineries Limited ...
of (BPCL) at
Ambalamugal
Ambalamukal is an industrial suburb in the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. Situated around 12 km from the city centre, the area is heavily industrialised. Kochi Refineries and Hindustan Organic Chemicals are located here. In 2010, it was decl ...
is the largest
state owned
State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to a ...
refinery
A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value.
Types of refineries
Different types of refineries ...
in India.
Petronet India has now almost completed
Kochi LNG Terminal, for importing and storing natural gas, for energy and fueling needs. Central Government establishments like the
Coconut Development Board, the
Coir Board and the
Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) have head offices located in the city.
Kalamassery
Kalamassery () is a major industrial region in the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. It is located around northeast of the city centre.
Kalamassery is a major hub for industrial and Information Technology, IT activities in Kochi. In ...
which is situated around 16.5 km from the City Center is one of the major Industrial areas. Leading factories like
FACT
A fact is a truth, true data, datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance. Standard reference works are often used to Fact-checking, check facts. Science, Scientific facts are verified by repeatable careful observation or measurement by ...
,
HMT and IT/Biotechnology park like
KINFRA Hi-Tech Park are located here. The
Cochin University of Science and Technology
Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) is a state government-owned autonomous university in Kochi, Kerala, India. It was founded in 1971 and has three campuses: two in Kochi (Kalamassery and Ernakulam) and one in Kuttanad, Alapp ...
is located at Kalamassery.
Irimpanam is another major industrial area in Kochi. The
Seaport-Airport Road
Seaport-Airport Road (SPAP Road) is supposed to be a four-lane, highway from Cochin seaport to the Cochin International Airport developed to improve the transport infrastructure in the city of Kochi, India. This highway passes through the ...
(SPAP Road) passes through this place and oil giants like
Indian Oil Corporation
Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL or IOC), trading as IndianOil, is an Indian multinational oil and gas company under the ownership of the Government of India and administrative control of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. It is ...
,
Bharat Petroleum
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited is an Indian public sector oil and gas company, headquartered in Mumbai. It is India's second-largest government-owned downstream oil producer, whose operations are overseen by the Ministry of Petroleum and ...
and
Hindustan Petroleum
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) is an Indian public sector undertaking in Petroleum industry, petroleum and natural gas industry, headquartered in Mumbai. It is a subsidiary of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), which ...
have plants here.
Like elsewhere in Kerala, tourism is one of the major contributors of the local economy.
Ernakulam district
Ernakulam (; ISO: ''Eṟaṇākuḷaṁ'') is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala, and takes its name from the Ernakulam, eponymous city division in Kochi. ...
, in which Kochi is situated, ranks first in the total number of domestic tourists visiting Kerala,
and thus contributes to the economy of the city. The tourist enclave at
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi ( , ; Cochin Portuguese: ''Cochim de Baixo'', , Tamil: ''Koçhé Kōtàì''), formerly also known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin or Old Kochi, is a region of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the For ...
and presence of several historical monuments, museums etc. as well as natural attractions like the Vembanad lake and the backwaters attract large number of tourists to the city. Presence of several leading hospitality brands have been a major source of employment for locals. The Kochi Port is one of the leading ports where international cruisers call on regularly.
The city has the first marina facility in the country,
Kochi Marina which attracts large number of yacht-totters.
Real Estate industry is also one industry which is contributing a lot to the economy of Kochi. Many players have entered the market and have developed residential properties.
Kochi is the headquarters of the
Southern Naval Command, the primary training centre of the Indian Navy.
The
Cochin Shipyard
Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) is the largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility in India. Cochin Shipyard is part of a line of maritime-related facilities in the port-city of Kochi, in the States and union territories of India, state of Kerala, ...
, contributes to the economy of the city.
The fishing harbour at
Thoppumpady is a minor
fishing port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manche ...
in the state and supplies fish to local and export markets. To further tap the potential of the all-season harbour at Kochi, an international cruise terminal was also constructed.
Exports and allied activities are also important contributors to the city's economy. The
Cochin Port
Cochin Port or Kochi Port is a major port on the Arabian Sea – Laccadive Sea – Indian Ocean sea-route in the city of Kochi in Ernakulam district in the state of Kerala and is one of the largest ports in India. The Vallarpadam container ...
currently handles export and import of container cargo at its terminal at
Willingdon Island
Willingdon Island is the largest artificial island in India, which forms part of the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala. Much of the present Willingdon Island was claimed from the Vembanadu Lake, filling in dredged soil around a previous ...
. The
International Container Transshipment Terminal operating out of
Vallarpadam
Vallarpadam is one among the group of islands, that form part of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. It is situated in the Vembanad Lake, locally known as The Kochi Lake and has a population of over 10,000. ''Vallarpadam'' is one of the two ...
, is India's largest transshipment terminal.
Cochin Port Trust also planning to build an Outer Harbour near
Puthuvype. Kochi's historical reliance on trade continues into modern times, as the city is a major exporter of spices and is home to the
International Pepper Exchange, where
black pepper
Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...
is globally traded. The
Spices Board of India and World Spice Organisation are headquartered in Kochi.
The
IT and
ITES related industries are growing up in Kochi. Availability of cheap
bandwidth
Bandwidth commonly refers to:
* Bandwidth (signal processing) or ''analog bandwidth'', ''frequency bandwidth'', or ''radio bandwidth'', a measure of the width of a frequency range
* Bandwidth (computing), the rate of data transfer, bit rate or thr ...
through
undersea cables and lower operational costs compared to other major cities in India, has been to its advantage. Various technology and industrial campuses including the government promoted
InfoPark,
Cochin Special Economic Zone
The Cochin Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) is a multi-product special economic zone located at Kochi, Kerala. It is established in an area of in Kakkanad.
It is a multi-product zone, with industrial units operating in Electronics Hardware, Engin ...
and
KINFRA Export Promotion Industrial Park operate in the outskirts of the city. Several new industrial campuses are under construction in the suburbs of the city.
SmartCity at Kakkanad is one of the prominent projects.
Cyber City at
Kalamassery
Kalamassery () is a major industrial region in the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. It is located around northeast of the city centre.
Kalamassery is a major hub for industrial and Information Technology, IT activities in Kochi. In ...
is another integrated IT township SEZ being planned in the private sector.
Kochi has an established electronics hardware industry with companies such as V-Guard Industries, OEN India Limited, FCI OEN Connectors and SFO Technologies. The Government of Kerala has announced a project to build an industrial park named Electronic City
spanning an area of , to cater to the electronic hardware industries. The private operator NeST
is building a
Special Economic Zone
A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...
specifically for electronics hardware spanning an area of .
The Cochin International Airport is in the process of setting up an
aerotropolis
An aerotropolis is a metropolitan subregion whose infrastructure, land use, and economy are centered on an airport. It fuses the terms "aero-" (aviation) and "metropolis" and is similar to the concept described as an airport city. Like the tradi ...
at
Nedumbassery
Nedumbassery () is a census town within the Nedumbassery gram panchayat in the Aluva taluk of Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. Situated between Angamaly and Aluva, it is home to Cochin International Airport.
Location
As per the 2011 cens ...
.
Perumbavoor
Perumbavoor () 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. Perumbavoor is part of the Kochi metrop ...
is a major town in the Kochi metropolitan area. Spread over several panchayats like Rayamangalam, Vazhakulam, Asamannur, Vengola, Kottapadi, Koovappadi and many other places in the Perumbavoor municipality, the town is famous for Asia's Largest plywood industries. The plywood sector employs about two lakh people directly and about three and a half lakh indirectly in a sector with over 1,400 units.This industry includes units that manufacture not only plywood but also veneer and sawn or bandsaw. All the units operate within a radius of 15 km. The industry has started growing here over the past two decades. Initially, there were only 10 companies. But later, as more people entered the sector and set up more units, the business picked up. The industry witnessed a major change when rubber wood became available in abundance due to fluctuations in rubber prices. The plywood is also imported from foreign countries like Vietnam, Loas and China. some more Eucalyptus timber is also imported from countries like Brazil. There is no market for plywood in Kerala. Places like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and parts of North India are the biggest markets for plywood. This industry is now the backbone of Perumbavoor's economic potential. Another unique feature of the industry is that 90 percent of the workers in the units are migrants. The crisis that hit the construction industry during the period from 2003 to 2004 led to a large influx of migrant workers into the plywood industry.
Transport
Air
The air gateway to Kochi is the
Cochin International Airport
Cochin International Airport , popularly known as Kochi International Airport or Nedumbassery Airport, is an international airport serving the city of Kochi, Kerala, in southwestern India. It is located at Nedumbassery, about northeast of th ...
(CIAL) located at
Nedumbassery
Nedumbassery () is a census town within the Nedumbassery gram panchayat in the Aluva taluk of Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. Situated between Angamaly and Aluva, it is home to Cochin International Airport.
Location
As per the 2011 cens ...
, which is about north of Kochi city, and handles both domestic and international flights. It is the first international airport in India to be built without Central Government funds
and is the world's first fully solar energy powered airport.
The Cochin airport provides direct connectivity to popular international destinations in the Middle East,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
,
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
and
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
and to most major Indian cities apart from tourist destinations like
Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep () is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands divided into three island subgroups: the Amindivi Islands in the north, the Laccadive Islands (separated from Amindivi roughly by the 11th parallel north), and th ...
. With a terminal area of , and a passenger capacity of 2200 (international and domestic), it is the largest and busiest airport in the state.
It is also the fifth busiest airport in India in terms of international passenger traffic, and seventh busiest overall.
Road
Kochi is well connected to neighbouring cities and states via several highways. It is a node in the
North-South Corridor of the National Highway system. The road infrastructure in Kochi has not been able to meet the growing traffic demand and hence traffic congestion is a major problem in the city.
Kochi is served by
National Highway 66
The following highways are numbered 66:
International
* European route E66
Australia
* Barkly Highway (Northern Territory)
* Riddoch Highway
Canada
* Alberta Highway 66
* Highway 66 (Ontario)
Cuba
* Autopista Sancti Spiritus (4-6 ...
,
National Highway 544
National Highway 544, commonly referred to as NH 544, is a National Highway in South India connecting Salem in Tamil Nadu to Kochi in Kerala. It is a spur of National Highway 44 and forms part of the North–South corridor of the National H ...
,
National Highway 966A and
National Highway 966B.
Several
state highways
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...
also connect Kochi with other parts of Kerala.
SH 15, Ettumanoor-Ernakulam Road, connects the city to
Kottayam
Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...
,
Pala,
Kumily
Kumily, also spelt as Kumaly () is a revenue village and Gram Panchayat in the Idukki district of the state of Kerala. It is a town in Cardamom Hills near Thekkady and Periyar Tiger Reserve and a well frequented tourist destination. Kumily is a ...
,
Changanacherry
Changanassery, () formerly Changanacherry, is a municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is located south of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 I ...
,
Pathanamthitta
Pathanamthitta (), is a municipality, city in southern Kerala, India, spread over an area of . It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The town has a population of 37,538 (as of 2011 census). The Hindu pilgrim centre Sab ...
etc.
SH 41, Palarivattom-Thekkady Road, provides a corridor to the eastern parts of the district.
SH 63, Vypeen Pallipuram Road and
SH 66, Alappuzha – Thoppumpady road are coastal roads that serve the narrow sliver of land between the backwaters and the sea.
The main arterial roads of the city are the
Mahatma Gandhi Road and
Sahodaran Ayyappan Road in Ernakulam, constructed in 1925 & 1962 respectively which runs parallel & perpendicular to the coast and having the proposed Metro Rail connectivity. The
Seaport-Airport Road
Seaport-Airport Road (SPAP Road) is supposed to be a four-lane, highway from Cochin seaport to the Cochin International Airport developed to improve the transport infrastructure in the city of Kochi, India. This highway passes through the ...
is another major road and connects the
Cochin Seaport to the
Cochin International Airport
Cochin International Airport , popularly known as Kochi International Airport or Nedumbassery Airport, is an international airport serving the city of Kochi, Kerala, in southwestern India. It is located at Nedumbassery, about northeast of th ...
. The Infopark Expressway in
Kakkanad
Kakkanad is a region in Kochi, Kerala, located east of the city centre. The term is used to refer to an area covering Thrikkakara municipality and the built-up areas in the western parts of the adjoining Kunnathunad grama panchayat.
Kakkanad i ...
is connected to the Seaport-Airport Road and stretches all the way to
Infopark. Other major roads include
Chittoor Road,
Banerji Road
Banerji Road is one of the major arteries of downtown Kochi, in the Kerala, state of Kerala, India. It lies east-west between the ''High-Court Junction'' (Marine Drive, Kochi, Marine Drive) in the west, and Ernakulam North in the east. It pas ...
,
Shanmugham Road
Shanmugham Road is a major road of Kochi, India, named after R. K. Shanmukham Chetty who was the Diwan (title), Diwan of the Kingdom of Kochi from 1931 to 1945. It runs parallel to Kochi Backwaters, and popularly known as Marine Drive, Kochi, Ma ...
,
Kochi Bypass
The Kochi Bypass is a segment of National Highway 66 that bypasses the CBD of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. The highway stretches 17 km from Edapally in the Ernakulam district to Aroor in Alappuzha district, via Palarivattom, Vyttil ...
,
Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road
Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road is an arterial road of Kochi City. Also known as KK Road, it is one of the three north-south arteries in the city of Kochi. Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road starts at the Kadavanthra Junction and ends at Kaloor; Kadavanthra Junct ...
,
Park Avenue
Park Avenue is a boulevard in New York City that carries north and southbound traffic in the borough (New York City), boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the wes ...
etc. A new ring road is proposed for Kochi city by the state government for which a project study is being currently undertaken by NATPAC.
Public transport
Road
The primary form of public transport within the city is largely dependent on privately owned bus networks. The state-run also operates its services in the city through the Thirukochi service. The major bus terminals in the city are Ernakulam Town, Ernakulam Jetty and the private bus terminal at Kaloor. An integrated transit terminal namely The
Mobility Hub at
Vytilla
Vyttila, , is a ward in the city of Kochi, Kerala. It is a prominent area located in southern Kochi. The Vyttila junction is the busiest as well as the largest intersection in Kerala. This node intersects the main north–south artery of the ...
is under second phase of construction. The terminal acts as a hub for long-distance bus services away from the city centre, and also a converging point for different modes of public transport, namely bus, metro and ferry.
Kochi is one of the few cities to be granted the new-generation air-conditioned low-floor and non-air-conditioned semi-low-floor buses under the
JNNURM city transport development project. KSRTC and private buses operate frequent schedules to neighbouring areas of
Nedumbassery
Nedumbassery () is a census town within the Nedumbassery gram panchayat in the Aluva taluk of Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. Situated between Angamaly and Aluva, it is home to Cochin International Airport.
Location
As per the 2011 cens ...
,
Perumbavoor
Perumbavoor () 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. Perumbavoor is part of the Kochi metrop ...
,
Aluva
Aluva () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality and a northern suburb of the city of Kochi in Kerala. It is located about north of the city centre.
Aluva is known for the Aluva Sivarathri festival, Sivarathri festival, which is celebra ...
,
Muvattupuzha
Muvattupuzha () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipalityhttps://lsgkerala.gov.in/system/files/2017-10/localbodies.pdf in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is located east of the district headquarters in Thrikkakara and a ...
,
Kothamangalam
Kothamangalam () is a municipality at the foot of the Western Ghats in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is located east of the district collectorate in Thrikkakara and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per t ...
,
Cherthala
Cherthala is a municipality in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, India and acts as a satellite town of Kochi. It is located north of the district headquarters in Alappuzha and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 20 ...
and
Poochakkal. Taxis and
auto rickshaw
An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many other terms in various countries, including three-wheeler, Adaidaita Sahu, Keke-napep, Maruwa, auto, ...
s (called ''autos'') are available for hire throughout the day.
Development of road infrastructure not keeping pace with the increase in traffic is a major problem faced by Kochi, like most other parts of Kerala.
Rail
The city has four major railway stations –
Ernakulam Junction
Ernakulam Junction railway station (also known as Ernakulam South, station code: ERS) is an NSG–2 category List of railway stations in India, Indian railway station in Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is the m ...
,
Ernakulam Town (locally known as the ''South'' and ''North'' railway stations respectively),
Aluva
Aluva () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality and a northern suburb of the city of Kochi in Kerala. It is located about north of the city centre.
Aluva is known for the Aluva Sivarathri festival, Sivarathri festival, which is celebra ...
, and
Tripunithura
Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (Malayalam:തൃപ്പൂണിത്തുറ) is a prominent historical and residential region in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura wa ...
followed by smaller stations,
Edapally
Edappally or Idappalli is a region in the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is a major commercial centre as well as a prominent residential region. Edappally junction is one of the busiest junctions in the city.
History
Edappally in English l ...
and Kalamassery. There is also the
Cochin Harbour Terminus
Cochin Harbour Terminus (station code: CHTS) is an NSG–6 category List of railway stations in India, Indian railway station in Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is one of the railway stations in the Kochi, cit ...
providing rail connectivity to the southern segment of the
Port of Kochi. The terminus is currently under renovation for the suburban rail networks in the city. The main rail transport system in Kochi is operated by the
Southern Railway Zone
Southern Railway (SR) is one of the eighteen zones of Indian Railways. It is headquartered at Chennai and operates across the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and the union territory of Puducherry. The origin of the Southern Rai ...
of
Indian Railways
Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...
, and comes under
Thiruvananthapuram Railway division. The
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
station is one of the busiest railway stations in South India, with more than 128 scheduled train services daily. The
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
station situated on the northern side of the city, caters mostly to long-distance services that bypass the
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
station, and also is an additional halt station for many trains.
There is also a historic station named as
Ernakulam Terminus(station code:ERG) situated behind the
High Court. Great personalities like
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...
and The
British Viceroy have visited Cochin through this old railway station. Ernakulam Terminus was the first station to serve the city but had to be abandoned in the early 1960s. Now this station operates as a goods depot of Southern Railway.
Metro
The
Kochi Metro is a
metro rapid transit system serving the city of Kochi, intended to considerably ease traffic congestion in the city and its surrounding metropolitan area. It is being constructed in three phases. The construction work of the first phase began in June 2013. The section of the line from
Aluva
Aluva () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality and a northern suburb of the city of Kochi in Kerala. It is located about north of the city centre.
Aluva is known for the Aluva Sivarathri festival, Sivarathri festival, which is celebra ...
to
Palarivattom
Palarivattom is a ward of Kochi, Kerala. It is known for a four-directional intersection at its highway signal point on the Kochi Bypass. The district is a commercial area, which gained importance as a connecting point between the city's dif ...
consisting 11 stations was opened to passengers on 17 June 2017 by
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
, the
Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...
.
The first phase spanning from Aluva to
Thrippunithura
Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (Malayalam:തൃപ്പൂണിത്തുറ) is a prominent historical and residential region in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura wa ...
with 25 stations was completed in March 2024 at an estimated cost of . The second phase from
JLN Stadium to
Infopark-
Kakkanad
Kakkanad is a region in Kochi, Kerala, located east of the city centre. The term is used to refer to an area covering Thrikkakara municipality and the built-up areas in the western parts of the adjoining Kunnathunad grama panchayat.
Kakkanad i ...
, known as the Pink Line, is expected to be commissioned by 2026.
Water
Kochi ranks among India's major seaports, partly due to being one of the safest harbours in the Indian Ocean.
The port, administered by a statutory autonomous body known as the
Cochin Port Trust, offers facilities for
bunkering
Bunkering is the supplying of fuel for use by ships (Marine diesel oil, such fuel is referred to as bunker), including the logistics of loading and distributing the fuel among available shipboard tanks. A person dealing in trade of bunker (fue ...
, handling cargo and passenger ships and storage accommodation. The port is a complex of three islands,
one
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
of which is man-made.
It also operates passenger ships to
Colombo
Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
and
Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep () is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands divided into three island subgroups: the Amindivi Islands in the north, the Laccadive Islands (separated from Amindivi roughly by the 11th parallel north), and th ...
. Boat services are operated by
Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation, the
State Water Transport Department and private firms from various
boat jetties in the city. The ''junkar'' ferry for the transshipment of vehicles and passengers between the islands are operated between Ernakulam and
Vypin
Vypin (, Cochin Portuguese: Isla Santa) is one of the group of islands that form part of the city of Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala. Vypin forms a barrier island which lies between the Arabian Sea in the west and the Cochin backwaters ...
, and between Vypin and Fort Kochi. However, with the construction of the
Goshree bridges (which links Kochi's islands), ferry transport has become less essential. The main boat jetties are Ernakulam Main Boat Jetty near Park Avenue, High Court Jetty in Banerjee Road, Embarkation Jetty in Willingdon Island and Fort Kochi Jetty. In April 2023, Kochi became India's first city to have a water metro project. The
Kochi Water Metro is the first water metro project in India and the first integrated water transport system of this size in Asia connects 10 islands of Kochi through a network of 15 routes that span 76 km and 38 jetties.
Demographics
Kochi has the highest population density in Kerala with 7139 people per km
2.

, Kochi had a metropolitan area population of 2,117,990. The female-to-male ratio is 1,028:1,000, significantly higher than the all-India average of 933:1,000. Kochi's literacy rate is 97.5%. The female literacy rate lags that of males by 1.1%, among the lowest such gaps in India.

Kochi's major religions are
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
,
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
and
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
.
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...
,
Judaism
Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
,
Sikhism
Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...
and
Buddhism
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, with smaller followings, are also practised in Kochi. Though 44% practice Hinduism, Christianity's large following (38%) makes Kochi a city with one of the largest Christian populations in India.
The majority of the city's residents are
Malayali
The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its south ...
s. However, there are significant ethnic minority communities including
Tamils
The Tamils ( ), also known by their endonym Tamilar, are a Dravidian peoples, Dravidian ethnic group who natively speak the Tamil language and trace their ancestry mainly to the southern part of the Indian subcontinent. The Tamil language is o ...
,
Gujaratis
The Gujarati people, or Gujaratis, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who reside in or can trace their ancestry or heritage to a region of the Indian subcontinent primarily centered in the present-day western Indian state of Gujarat. They ...
,
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
,
Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indian people are a distinct minority group, minority community of mixed-race British and Indian ancestry. During the colonial period, their ancestry was defined as British paternal and Indian maternal heritage; post-independence, "Angl ...
s,
Sikhs
Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...
and
Konkanis Malayalam is the main language of communication and medium of instruction for primary education, although a number of schools do offer English medium education. The higher education is invariably in English medium, and it is the preferred language in business circles.
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
and
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
are widely understood—albeit rarely spoken.
Like other fast-growing cities in the developing world, Kochi suffers from major
urbanisation
Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It can also ...
problems. The city was ranked tenth among Indian cities in terms of house-cost and availability, urban household crowding and household incomes.
The government has plans to make the city slum-free by 2016.
According to the
National Crime Records Bureau
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is an Indian government agency responsible for collecting and analyzing crime data, as defined by the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL). NCRB is headquartered in New Delhi and is ...
, the city holds the fourth position in the number of recorded crimes in India.
In 2009, the city recorded an average crime rate of 646.3 against the national average of 181.4.
But Kochi City Police Commissioner later clarified that this anomaly was due to higher reporting rates of minor crimes in Kochi than in other Indian cities.
The State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) report gives further credence to this as it finds that Kochi has the fewest crime against women in the state of Kerala.
According to the 2011 CII/Institute of Competitiveness report on Liveability,
Kochi stands first in the state, and sixth in the country. Kochi is ranked seventh in the list of the top ten most affluent cities in India by 2009 study by Nielsen Company.
Kochi was ranked the fourth cleanest city in India in the
Swachch Bharat rankings for cities. It was selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a
smart city
A smart city is an urban area that uses digital technology to collect data and operate services. Data is collected from citizens, devices, buildings, or cameras. Applications include traffic and transportation systems, power plants, utilities ...
under Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
flagship
Smart Cities Mission
Smart Cities Mission was an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with the mission to develop smart cities across the country, making them citizen-friendly and sustainable. The Union Ministry of Urban Development ...
.
Culture
As a result of successive waves of migration over the course of several centuries, the population of the city is a mix of people from all parts of Kerala and most of India. The pan-Indian nature is highlighted by the substantial presence of various ethnic communities from different parts of the country.
Kochi has a diverse, multicultural, and secular community consisting of
Malayalis
The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian languages, Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, ...
,
Konkanis,
Gujaratis
The Gujarati people, or Gujaratis, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who reside in or can trace their ancestry or heritage to a region of the Indian subcontinent primarily centered in the present-day western Indian state of Gujarat. They ...
,
Bengalis
Bengalis ( ), also rendered as endonym and exonym, endonym Bangalee, are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of South Asia. The current population is divi ...
,
Marathis
The Marathi people (; Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-A ...
,
Punjabis
The Punjabis (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ; ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ; romanised as Pañjābī) are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group associated with the Punjab region, comprising areas of northwestern India and eastern Paki ...
,
Tamilians,
Kannadigas
The Kannadigas or Kannadigaru (), often referred to as Kannada people, are a Dravidian ethno-linguistic group who natively speak Kannada, primarily in the south Indian state of Karnataka and its surrounding regions. The Kannada language belongs ...
,
Biharis
Bihari () is a demonym given to the inhabitants of the Indian state of Bihar. Bihari people can be separated into three main Indo-Aryan ( Bihari-speaking) ethnolinguistic groups: Bhojpuris, Maithils and Magahis. They are also further divid ...
,
Anglo Indians and a few families of Jews among other denominations. The city once had a large Jewish community, known as the ''Malabar Yehuden''—and now increasingly as
Cochin Jews
Cochin Jews (also known as Malabar Jews or Kochinim from ) are one of the oldest groups of History of the Jews in India, Jews in India, with roots that are claimed to date back to the time of King Solomon. The Cochin Jews settled in the King ...
—who figured prominently in Kochi's business and economic strata
and owned
several Synagogues across Kochi and nearby areas such as
Chendamangalam
Chendamangalam (or Chennamangalam) is a small town and a panchayat in Paravur Taluk, Ernakulam district in the state of Kerala, India.
Location
It is about 23 km from Kochi, Ernakulam. It has three rivers, seven inlets, hillocks and l ...
,
Paravur or
Mala.
Kochi was one among the seven diocese of Syrian Orthodox (
Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, also known as the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church, or the Syriac Orthodox Church in India is an autonomous maphrianate of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Syriac Orthodo ...
) in Kerala formed in 1876. The seat of the Bishop is at St George Cathedral, Karingachira. Also at Mary's Cathedral Elamkulam, seat of bishop of Simhasana churches of Jacobites is in the city. The seat of
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
Cathedral of Kerala's first Archdiocese
Archdiocese of Verapoly and the first diocese
Diocese of Cochin
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cochin () is a Roman Catholic Diocese in Cochin, Kerala, Kochi, Kerala, India. A constituent of the Latin Church, the diocese was established in 1557 after the domination of the Portuguese language, Portuguese-spe ...
are located in the city. The
Syro-Malabar Church
The Syro-Malabar Church, also known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church based in Kerala, India. It is a '' sui iuris'' (autonomous) particular church in full communion with the Holy See and the worldwide Cathol ...
, one of the 22 ''
sui iuris
''Sui iuris'' (), also spelled ''sui juris'', is a Latin phrase that literally means "of one's own right". It is used in both the Catholic Church's canon law and secular law. The term church ''sui iuris'' is used in the Catholic ''Code of Canon ...
''
Eastern Catholic Churches
The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of ...
and a part of the
Saint Thomas Christian
The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Kerala ( Malabar region) ...
community, has its seat at Ernakulam. Prominent places of Christian worship include the
St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Catholic Cathedral Basilica, Ernakulam
The St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Cathedral Basilica is a cathedral in Ernakulam, Kerala, India. It was founded in 1112, and is also known by the names Nasrani Palli, Anchikaimal Palli or Thekke Palli. The church is the headquarters of the Syro-Malab ...
, St. Francis Assisi Roman Catholic Cathedral, Ernakulam,
Basilica of Our Lady of Ransom, Vallarpadam-Ernakulam,
Santa Cruz Basilica Roman Catholic Cathedral,
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi ( , ; Cochin Portuguese: ''Cochim de Baixo'', , Tamil: ''Koçhé Kōtàì''), formerly also known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin or Old Kochi, is a region of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the For ...
,
St. Antony's Shrine at
Kaloor
Kaloor is a city in the Kochi, city of Kochi, in the Kerala, state of Kerala, India. It is from the Ernakulam Town railway station, Ernakulam North Railway Station. Kaloor Junction is also the name of a major intersection in this part of the ci ...
, St. George Forane Church,
Edappally
Edappally or Idappalli is a region in the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is a major commercial centre as well as a prominent residential region. Edappally junction is one of the busiest junctions in the city.
History
Edappally in English li ...
and appropriate to its multi-ethnic composition, Kochi celebrates traditional Kerala festivals like
Onam
Onam () is an annual harvest and Hindus, Hindu cultural festival celebrated mostly by the people of Kerala. A major annual event for Malayalis, Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events.
H ...
and
Vishu
Vishu (Malayalam: വിഷു) is a Hindu festival celebrating the Malayali New Year in Kerala, Tulu Nadu, and Mahe of India. Vishu falls on the first day of the month of ''Medam'', the first month of the Solar calendar used in Malabar of ...
along with
North India
North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...
n Hindu festivals like
Holi
Holi () is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...".Yudit Greenberg, Encyclopedia of Love in World ...
with great fervour. Christian and Islamic festivals like
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
,
Easter
Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
,
Eid ul-Fitr
Eid al-Fitr () is the first of the two main festivals in Islam, the other being Eid al-Adha. It falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the ...
and
Milad-e-sherif are also celebrated. A merry making fest called the
Cochin Carnival
Cochin Carnival is an entertainment event held every year in the last week of December at Fort Kochi in the city of Kochi, Kerala. This event is held mostly during the last two weeks of December and finally ends on 1 January. It is officially i ...
is celebrated at Fort Kochi during the last ten days of December.
The residents of Kochi are known as Kochiites; they are an important part of the
South Indian culture
South Indian culture refers to the cultural region typically covering the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. The idea of South India is closely linked to the Dravidian ethnic and linguistic ide ...
. However, the city's culture is rapidly evolving with Kochiites generally becoming more cosmopolitan in their outlook.
The people are also increasingly fashion-conscious, often deviating from the
traditional Kerala wear to western clothing.
Kochiites generally partake of
Keralite cuisine, which is generally characterised by an abundance of
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
and
spices
In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...
. Other
South Indian
South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
cuisines, as well as
Chinese and
North Indian
North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...
cuisines are popular. Fast food culture is also very prominent.
Being a tourist hotspot, Fort Kochi have a number of restaurants that offer international cuisine, like Italian, French, Mexican etc. Being close to the ocean and the backwaters, Kochi has an abundance of seafood, which reflects in the cuisine. Cochin is also called the official food capital of Kerala with largest number of restaurants and cafeterias in Kerala that serves every kind of delicious cuisine. A service known as ''You Buy, We Cook'' is available at the waterfront of Fort Kochi, where the fresh seafood purchased from the nets is cooked as per the customers needs.
Arabian food joints that serve
Shawarma
Shawarma (; ) is a Middle Eastern dish that originated in the Levant during the Ottoman Empire, consisting of meat that is cut into thin slices, stacked in an inverted cone, and roasted on a slow-turning vertical spit. Traditionally made with l ...
and roasted chicken are a new addition to the fast food scene in the city.
Kochi also has a number of shopping malls including
Oberon Mall
Oberon Mall is a shopping mall located in the Indian city of Kochi. The mall was opened formally on 2 March 2009, though it was launched in 2008. The cost of construction of the mall is about 1 billion. It is built on an area of across five flo ...
, Gold Souk Grande, Bay Pride Mall, Centre Square Mall,
Abad Nucleus Mall and
LuLu Mall, which is one of the largest shopping malls in India in terms of total leasable area of .
Various shopping malls are expected to open in the city in the near future including
Forum Thomsun Mall.
Kochi is the official food capital of Kerala because of the highest number of restaurants and the varieties of foods available. Kochi serves every type of food available in Kerala. Its very famous for varieties of non-vegetarian food. Kochi also has the most
five star hotel
Hotel ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality. From the initial purpose of informing travellers on basic facilities that can be expected, the objectives of hotel rating have expanded into a focus on the hotel experie ...
s in the state. These include international brands like
Crowne Plaza
Crowne Plaza by IHG is a multinational chain of full service, upscale hotels headquartered in the United Kingdom. It caters to the business, leisure and blended travel market usually located in city centers, resorts, coastal towns or near major a ...
,
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational company that operates, franchises, and licenses lodging brands that include hotel, residential, and timeshare properties. Marriott International owns over 37 ho ...
,
Grand Hyatt
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational hospitality company headquartered in the Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vac ...
,
Sheraton,
Le Méridien
Le Méridien is an American upscale, design-focused international hotel brand with a European perspective. It was originally founded by Air France in 1972 and was later based in the United Kingdom. Marriott International now owns the chain. As of ...
,
Radisson Blu
Radisson Blu is an international hotel brand managed and operated by Radisson Hotels, and owned by Choice Hotels, Jinjiang International and the Radisson Hotel Group. Founded as the SAS Hotels in 1960, the Radisson Blu brand name came into exi ...
,
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn by IHG is a chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson (1913–2003), who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee. The chain was a division ...
,
Ramada
Ramada is a large American multinational hotel chain owned by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. As of December 31, 2022, it operates 851 hotels with 120,344 rooms across 63 countries under the Ramada brand.
Name
The ''Ramada'' name derives from th ...
,
Ibis
The ibis () (collective plural ibises; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word f ...
,
Taj Malabar, The Gateway etc.
Kochi was home to some of the most influential figures in
Malayalam literature
Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puduchery, is one of the six classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary text ...
, including
Changampuzha Krishna Pillai
Changampuzha Krishna Pillai (10 October 1911 – 17 June 1948) was a celebrated Malayalam poet from Kerala, India, known for his elegy '' Ramanan'' which was written in 1936 and sold over 100,000 copies. It is a long pastoral elegy, a play wri ...
,
Kesari Balakrishna Pillai,
G. Sankara Kurup
G. Sankara Kurup, (3 June 1901 – 2 February 1978) also referred to as Mahakavi G (The Great Poet G), was an Indian poet, essayist and literary critic of Malayalam literature. Known as one of the greats of Malayalam poetry, he was the first r ...
, and
Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon
Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon (11 May 1911 – 22 December 1985) (also written as Vailoppilli) was an Indian poet of Malayalam literature. Known for his works such as ''Kudiyozhikkal'', ''Kannikkoythu'' and ''Mambazham (poem), Mambazham'', Menon wa ...
. Prominent social reformers such as
Sahodaran Ayyappan
Kumbalathuparambu Ayyappan (21 August 1889 – 6 March 1968), better identified as Sahodaran Ayyappan , was a social reformer, thinker, rationalist, journalist, and politician from Kerala, India. As a vocal follower of Sree Narayana Guru, he ...
and
Pandit Karuppan
Pandit Karuppan was a poet, dramatist, and social reformer who lived in Kerala, India.
Pandit Karuppan emerged from Ernakulam of Cochin State as a relentless crusader against untouchability and social evils. He was called the " Lincoln" ...
also are from Kochi. The
Kochi International Book Festival is an annual event.
The Maharajas of Kochi (then Cochin) were scholars who knew the epics and encouraged the arts. The paintings at the
Hill Palace
Hill Palace is an archaeological museum and palace located in the Tripunithura neighbourhood of Kochi, Kerala. It is the largest archeological museum in the state and was the imperial administrative office and official residence of the Cochin ...
and the
Dutch Palace are testimony to their love for arts.
Kochiites are known for their enthusiasm in sports, especially
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
and
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
.
The
Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi is one of the largest stadiums in India with floodlights for Cricket and Football matches.
The
Regional Sports Centre
The Waterford Regional Sports Centre (or simply, the RSC) is part of Waterford Corporation's Municipal sporting facilities and home to Waterford F.C. of the League of Ireland. Waterford moved to the newly opened RSC from their former home, K ...
is an important centre of sporting activity in the city.
Kochi is reportedly the sixth best city in India according to the livability index of 2011.
Healthcare

With many advanced tertiary/quaternary care facilities, Kochi has one of the best healthcare facilities in India. It is the prime destination for people seeking advanced healthcare facilities from across Kerala.
In recent times, it has attracted many patients from India, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the United States looking for relatively inexpensive advanced medical care. Kochi is the only city from
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 ...
that have carried out successful heart transplantations.
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre
Amrita Hospital, formerly known as Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) is a multi-speciality tertiary care hospital based in Kochi, India. It is attached to Amrita University school of medicine and is one of the largest medical faciliti ...
,
Sunrise Hospital,
Specialist Hospital,
Medical Trust Hospital
Medical Trust Hospital is a "super speciality" hospital located at Kochi in Kerala, 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 coun ...
, PVS Memorial Hospital,
Renai medicity
Renai Medicity is a multi super-speciality Hospital in Kochi, Kerala, built in memory of founder late Polakulath Narayanan. The hospital is situated on of land adjacent to NH 47, between Palarivattom and Edapally.
Overview
Renai Medicity is m ...
,
Lakeshore Hospital
VPS Lakeshore Hospital, also known as Lakeshore Hospital is a multi super-speciality hospital in Kochi, Kerala, India. It is located along National Highway 66 in Nettoor, and is a 470-bedded facility with over 30 clinical departments. The hospi ...
,
Lisie Hospital,
Aster Medcity
Aster Medcity is a quaternary care healthcare centre in the city of Kochi and one of the largest in South India. It is the flagship hospital of Aster DM Healthcare, a healthcare conglomerate founded by Azad Moopen. This was the third venture ...
,
Rajagiri Institute of Medical Sciences are some of the advanced tertiary/quaternary healthcare facilities in Kochi. Other reputed institutions in the city include Ernakulam Medical Centre,
KIMS Hospital, Gautham Hospital, Lourdes Hospital and
Saraf Hospital. Some of the reputed fertility related treatment centres in India – like Vijaya Hospital, Bourn Hall Clinic and CIMAR – are located in Kochi.
General Hospital, Ernakulam
General Hospital Ernakulam is a state-owned hospital, with excellent super speciality facilities for training and treatment in cardiology, ctvs, nephrology, urology along with internal medicine, general surgery in Kochi, India. It is managed as ...
and
Government Medical College, Ernakulam
Government Medical College, Ernakulam (previously Cochin Medical College) is one of the medical colleges in the state of Kerala situated at Kalamassery, Kochi. It was a government-owned institution established by the Co-operative Academy of Pr ...
are the notable medical institutions in the government sector in Kochi.
In August 2019, a home daycare program in the district, Arike has started for extending the service of the home palliative care. Nurses who have undergone training in palliative care will be reaching out to patients at home every day on two-wheelers. The service will be available to those who have registered with the General Hospital's home palliative care programme.
Education
Secondary education
The pattern of primary education is essentially the same all over the state. There are government owned schools and government aided schools, which are affiliated to the
Kerala State Education Board
Kerala Board of Public Examination is the state level education board of Kerala. It is administered by the Government of Kerala. The board is responsible for conducting various examinations on the basis of a unified law. Its headquarters are lo ...
. A few privately owned schools are also affiliated to the system. Most of the schools owned by private organisations or individuals are affiliated to the
Central Board for Secondary Education
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a national-level board of education in India for public and private schools, controlled and managed by the Government of India. Established in 1929 by a resolution of the government, the Board ...
(CBSE).
Indian Certificate of Secondary Education
The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) is an academic qualification awarded by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, a private, non-governmental board of education in India. The CISCE conducts these examinati ...
(ICSE) have some schools affiliated to them as well. The state education board offers both Malayalam and English medium instruction, while the other boards offer English medium alone. There are a few schools that follow international curricula, such as IB and IGCSE.
There 34 government schools, 67 private aided schools and 31 unaided schools affiliated to the Kerala State Education Board in the city and suburbs.
There are 62 CBSE Schools, 2 IGCSE and 9 ICSE Schools as well.
The notable schools in the government sector are
Sree Rama Varma High School, Edappally High School, Government School-Kochi and Govt Girls Higher Secondary School, Ernakulam. There are
Kendriya Vidyalaya
The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan () is a system of Government of India, central government schools in India. Governed by the Ministry of Education (India), Ministry of Education, Government of India. , it has a total of 1,257 schools in India, ...
,
Chinmaya Mission
The Chinmaya Mission () is a Hindu religious and spiritual organization that disseminates Vedanta, the science of the self as described in the Vedas, particularly the Upanishads, and other Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita. Followers ...
and
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is an Indian educational trust. It was founded on 7 November 1938 by K.M Munshi, with the support of Mahatma Gandhi. The trust programmes through its 119 centres in India, 7 centres abroad and 367 constituent institut ...
run several quasi-private charter schools within the city limits, as well as in the suburbs. There are several private schools (both aided & unaided0 that are owned by secular and religious trusts which are of particular renown, such as:
St. Albert's HSS, Ernakulam
St. Albert's HSS (St. Albert's Higher Secondary School) is a boys school at Banerji Road in Kochi, India. It was popularly known as St. Albert's High School till 1998, when it was upgraded to a higher secondary school. It is the oldest boys sc ...
, St. Teresa's CGHSS, St. Mary's CGHSS Ernakulam, St. Antony's CGHSS,
Model Technical Higher Secondary School, Kaloor
The Model Technical Higher Secondary School (MTHSS) is the pioneer in a group of Model Technical Higher Secondary Schools located in Kerala, India. These schools were established to provide education in the technological and hi-tech sectors.
T ...
The Delta Study, Rajagiri Public School, Campion School,
Assisi Vidyaniketan,
Cochin Refineries School, Gregorian Public School, Greets Public School, Toc-H Public School,
Navy Children School, Global Public School,
Choice School,
Vidyodaya School
Vidyodaya School is a private college-preparatory combined-grades school located in Thevakkal, Kochi, India. It provides comprehensive school education from lower primary to grade 12.
About
Established in 1990-91 the school conducts classes fr ...
, Mar Thoma Public School, Nava Nirman Public School and St. Pauls International School, Kalamassery, The Charter School Kochi.
Higher education
The
Cochin University of Science and Technology
Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) is a state government-owned autonomous university in Kochi, Kerala, India. It was founded in 1971 and has three campuses: two in Kochi (Kalamassery and Ernakulam) and one in Kuttanad, Alapp ...
(CUSAT) is a major university named after the city. Most of the colleges in Kochi offering tertiary education are affiliated either with the
Mahatma Gandhi University or with
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Technological University, Thiruvananthapuram. Kochi has one of the campuses of the
Indian Maritime University
The Indian Maritime University, abbreviated as IMU, is a public central university directly under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, in India. IMU is the national institution for maritime education, commercial shipping, marine engin ...
at
Willingdon Island
Willingdon Island is the largest artificial island in India, which forms part of the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala. Much of the present Willingdon Island was claimed from the Vembanadu Lake, filling in dredged soil around a previous ...
.
Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit
The Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) is a Sanskrit university in India established in 1993 When Indian Union Muslim league leader Sri. ET Muhammed Basheer was the. Education minister of Kerala in Kalady, Kochi, Kerala. The founda ...
in
Kalady
Kalady or Kaladi is a town located between Angamaly and Perumbavoor, east of the Periyar river, near to Malayattoor in Ernakulam district of Kerala, India, not far from Cochin International Airport. It is notable as the birthplace of 9th ce ...
is a research-oriented university located at the outskirts. Other national educational institutes include the
, the
National University of Advanced Legal Studies
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
, the
National Institute of Oceanography and the
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute
The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute was established in the government of India on 3 February 1947 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and later, in 1967, it joined the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (IC ...
.
Kochi has some of the leading B-Schools in the region. The
Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode
Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM Kozhikode or IIMK) is an autonomous public business school located in Kozhikode, Kerala, India. The institute, set up in 1996 by the Government of India in collaboration with the State Government ...
(IIMK) has set up its first satellite campus at Athulya building in
InfoPark, Kochi
Infopark, Kochi is an information technology park situated in the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. Established in 2004 by the Government of Kerala, the park is spread over of campus across two phases, housing 582 companies which employs about 70, ...
. Cochin University's
School of Management Studies (SMS) is the first and oldest managerial education institution in South India.
SCMS Cochin is one of the emerging B-Schools in the country. Another major B-School
XIME is opening a new campus in Kochi. Other leading managerial institutions include
Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies
Rajagiri College of Social Sciences is an autonomous higher education institution located in Kalamassery, Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala. It is managed by the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) congregation and is affiliated with the M ...
, Kochi Business School, Amrita School of Business,
Albertian Institute of Management and Toc-H B school.
The city and outskirts are home to four medical schools—
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre
Amrita Hospital, formerly known as Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) is a multi-speciality tertiary care hospital based in Kochi, India. It is attached to Amrita University school of medicine and is one of the largest medical faciliti ...
at Ponekkara, Cochin Medical College at
Kalamassery
Kalamassery () is a major industrial region in the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. It is located around northeast of the city centre.
Kalamassery is a major hub for industrial and Information Technology, IT activities in Kochi. In ...
, Sree Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences, and M.O.S.C. Medical College,
Kolenchery
Kolenchery is a town in the Poothrikka gram panchayat in Ernakulam district, Kerala. Located on National Highway 85, Kolenchery is situated from Poothrikka and from Kochi. There have been plans to include Kolenchery as part of the Kochi metr ...
. Some of the prestigious general colleges are
Maharaja's College,
St. Albert's College,
St. Teresa's College,
Sacred Hearts College, Bharata Matha College, Aquina's College,
De Paul Institute of Science & Technology (DIST) and
Cochin College
The Cochin College, located at Kochi, Kerala, India, is an accredited first grade Arts, Science and Commerce College affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India.
The Cochin College is one of the old ...
. The major Engineering and Technology colleges in the city are
School of Engineering CUSAT,
SCMS School of Engineering and Technology at
Kalamassery
Kalamassery () is a major industrial region in the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. It is located around northeast of the city centre.
Kalamassery is a major hub for industrial and Information Technology, IT activities in Kochi. In ...
,
Model Engineering College
Model Engineering College or MEC is a government cost-sharing Institute of technology, technical institute and research centre in Thrikkakara, Kochi, Kerala, India. It was established by the IHRD (Institute of Human Resources Development), Insti ...
,
Rajagiri School of Engineering & Technology and FISAT (Federal Institute of Science & Technology).
Being the seat of the
High Court of Kerala
The High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep. It is located in Kochi. Drawing its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the High Court has the power to issu ...
, several top legal education institutes are here. The
Government Law College-Ernakulam is one of the oldest law schools in Kerala. The ''School of Legal Studies (SLS)'',
CUSAT
Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) is a state government-owned autonomous university in Kochi, Kerala, India. It was founded in 1971 and has three campuses: two in Kochi (Kalamassery and Ernakulam) and one in Kuttanad, Alapp ...
is one of the leading graduate, post-graduate, and research institutes in the country. The
National University of Advanced Legal Studies
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
(NUALS) is located in the city, which is a premier law university in India and the only Law college listed in CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) in Kerala.
Social service organisations
Some of the main orphanages and rehabilitation shelters in Cochin City are
Palluruthy Relief Settlement in Palluruthy Veli, Don Bosco Sneha Bhavan, Don Bosco Big Boys, Crescent Girls Orphanage,
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...
Boys Home, Bal Bhavan, Valsalya Bhavan.
Palluruthy Relief Settlement is under
Kochi Municipal Corporation
The Kochi Municipal Corporation is the municipal corporation that governs the Indian city of Kochi in the state of Kerala. The Corporation manages 94.88 km2 of Kochi city and has a population of 677,381 within that area. It is the most densely ...
and managed in association with Peoples Council for Social Justice. There are about 300 inmates and many of them are mentally ill.
The night shelter for women run by Kochi Municipal Corporation near
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is a state-owned road transport corporation in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the country's oldest state-run public bus transport services. The corporation is divided into three zones ( ...
bus stand provides free and safe accommodation. Peoples Council for Social Justice was found in 1985 under the patronage of Justice
V. R. Krishna Iyer
Justice Vaidyanathapuram Rama Iyer Krishna Iyer (15 November 1914 – 4 December 2014) was an Indian judge who became a pioneer of judicial activism. He pioneered the legal-aid movement in the country. Before that, he was a state minister and ...
with the aim to work for human rights protection, free legal aid and to strive for social justice.
The orphanages for children under
Don Bosco
John Melchior Bosco, SDB (; ; 16 August 181531 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco or Dom Bosco ( IPA: ), was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer. While working in Turin, where the population suffered many of the ill eff ...
Sneha Bhavan Cochi are Sneha Bhavan Annexe, SnehaBhavan, Valsalya Bhavan, Don Bosco and Bosco Nilayam. The
Childline India project in Cochin is taken in collaboration with Don Bosco. Children in distress and in need of help can contact in '1098' (toll free number). Sneha Bhavan Annexe is the first point of contact with children and children can stay as a safe night shelter. Sneha Bhavan is a home for the children from the streets and for those from unhealthy and risky situations. The Valsalya Bhavan centre is solely for the girls who are rescued from the streets. Runaways, street children, children of sex workers, abused children and child labourers all live here. Along with primary and high school education at a local school, the centre provides shelter, food, clothing and educational support.
There are also people doing independent social services within the city. The Italian Sister Fabiola conducts a home at
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi ( , ; Cochin Portuguese: ''Cochim de Baixo'', , Tamil: ''Koçhé Kōtàì''), formerly also known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin or Old Kochi, is a region of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the For ...
known as "Ashwasa Bhavan", for young orphaned children. Br. Judson run his own "Mobile Bath Service" in his vehicle for the abandoned.
Media

Major Malayalam newspapers published in Kochi include ''
Malayala Manorama
'' Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew, it was first published as a weekly on 14 March 1888, and currently has a rea ...
'', ''
Mathrubhumi
''Mathrubhumi'' is a Malayalam newspaper that is published from Kerala, India. It was founded by K. P. Kesava Menon, an active volunteer in the Indian freedom struggle against the British. The word "Mathrubhumi" translates to 'mother land'. ...
'', ''
Siraj Daily
''Siraj'' (Malayalam: സിറാജ് ദിനപത്രം, Arabic: جريدة السراج اليومية), is a daily newspaper in Malayalam language. RNI , Reg. No.KERMAL/2013/53722 , Name: SIRAJ , Publication City:KOCHI , Link: h ...
'', ''
Madhyamam
''Madhyamam'' (meaning ''Medium'') is a Malayalam-language newspaper published in Kerala, India, since 1987.[Deshabhimani
''Deshabhimani'' is a Malayalam newspaper and the organ of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M). It started as a weekly in Kozhikode on 6 September 1942 and converted to a daily in 1946. The paper now has ten different printing centres: Ko ...](_blank)
'', ''
Deepika'', ''
Kerala Kaumudi
''Kerala Kaumudi'' is a Malayalam language daily newspaper published from Kerala, India, headquartered in the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram. It was founded in 1911 by C. V. Kunhiraman as a periodical. His son K. Sukumaran later served as ...
'', ''
Janmabhumi
''Janmabhumi'' is an Indian Malayalam-language daily newspaper, owned by Mathruka Pracharanalayam Ltd. and headquartered in Kochi, Kerala. It was launched as an evening paper from Kozhikode on 28 April 1977. From 14 November 1977 onwards it wa ...
'', etc. Popular English newspapers include ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'', ''
The New Indian Express
''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu ...
'', ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'', ''
The Pioneer'' and ''
The Deccan Chronicle
''Deccan Chronicle'' is an English-language daily newspaper based in Hyderabad, India. Founded in 1938, it was initially launched as a weekly and later converted into a daily. The newspaper's name reflects its origins in the Deccan region of ...
''. A number of evening papers are also published from the city.
Newspapers in other regional languages like Hindi,
Kannada
Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
, Tamil and
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India
** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language.
* Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...
are also available.
A number of financial publications are also published in the city. These include ''
The Economic Times
''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. Owned by The Times Group, ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961 and it is sold in all major cities in India. As of 2012, it is the world's secon ...
'', ''
Business Line
''Business Line'', known as ''The Hindu Business Line'', is an Indian business newspaper published by Kasturi & Sons, the publishers of the newspaper ''The Hindu'' headquartered in Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed ...
'', ''
The Business Standard
''The Business Standard'' is a Bangladeshi daily newspaper published in English and Bengali. The newspaper was founded by The Horizon Media and Publication Ltd and is based in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. The newspaper provides detailed an ...
'' and ''
The Financial Express''.
Prominent magazines and religious publications like the ''
Sathyadeepam'', ''
The Week
''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's edi ...
'' and ''
Vanitha
''Vanitha'' () is an Indian magazine published fortnightly by the ''Malayala Manorama'' group. It is the largest magazine in India by circulation according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, with an average of 687,915 copies sold (as of Decem ...
'' are also published from the city.
Kochi houses several leading Malayalam television channels like ''
Asianet Plus'', ''
Flowers
Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
'', ''
Jeevan TV
Jeevan TV is an Indian Malayalam language
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
'', ''
Mazhavil Manorama
Mazhavil Manorama is an Indian Malayalam language general entertainment Free-to-air television channel owned by Malayala Manorama. The channel’s headquarters is at Aroor, Alappuzha in Kerala, India.
History
The channel has been on air sin ...
'', ''
Kairali We'', ''
Manorama News
Manorama News is an Indian Malayalam language Free-to-air
Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the sign ...
'' and ''
Reporter TV
Reporter TV is an Indian Malayalam-language free-to-air news channel currently operated by Reporter News Network owned by Reporter Broadcasting Company, based at Kochi. The channel was launched on 13 May 2011 with M. V. Nikesh Kumar, a popular ...
'' as well as major news bureaus of ''
Asianet Asianet may refer to:
JioStar channels
* JioStar, is an Indian media conglomerate wholly owned by Disney India.
** Asianet, a Malayalam language general entertainment channel
** Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertainment channel
** As ...
'', ''
Kairali TV
Kairali TV is an Indian Malayalam-language general entertainment free-to-air television channel owned by PTC Network via holding company G-Next Media Pvt Ltd . It is headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram. It was launched on 17 August 2000.
Hist ...
'', ''
Amrita TV
Amrita TV is an Indian Malayalam-language free-to-air
Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal an ...
'' and ''
Doordarshan
Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...
''.
Prasar Bharati
Prasar Bharati (abbreviated as PB) () is India's state-owned public broadcaster, headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is a statutory autonomous body set up by an Act of Parliament. It comprises Doordarshan, the television broadcaster, and Al ...
maintains its earth station and broadcasting centre in Kakkanad, Kochi. Satellite television services are available through
DD Direct+,
Dish TV
DishTV India Ltd. (stylised as dishtv) is an Indian subscription based satellite television provider based in Noida. DishTV was launched by the Zee Group on 2 October 2003. It ranked #437 and #5 on the list of media companies in Fortune Indi ...
,
Airtel digital TV
Airtel Digital TV is an Indian subscription based satellite television provider owned by Bharti Telemedia Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bharti Airtel. It launched DTH satellite television service in India on 9 October 2008.
Airtel D ...
,
Reliance DTH,
Sun Direct DTH and
Tata Sky
Tata Play is an Indian subscription-based satellite television (DTH) service provider owned by Tata Group. it was using MPEG-4 digital compression technology, transmitting using INSAT-4A GSAT-10 and GSAT-24 satellites. Incorporated in 2005, ...
. FM radio channels broadcast from Kochi are
Rainbow FM (AIR) 101.9 MHz,
AIR Kochi 102.3 MHz,
Club FM 94.3 MHz,
Radio Mango 91.9 MHz,
Red FM 93.5
Red FM (Often stylized as ''Superhits 93.5 RED FM'') is an Indian FM radio network headquartered in Chennai and owned by Chennai-based Sun Group. The network broadcasts content in various Indian languages including Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Te ...
MHz,
Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi ("''Mirchi"'' in Hindi meaning red chilli), also known as 98.3 Mirchi, is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the ENIL, EntertainmentNetwork India Ltd (ENIL), which is one of the subsidiarie ...
104.0 MHz.
Kochi is considered to be the hub of the vibrant
Malayalam movie
Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...
industry,
especially contemporary Malayalam movies. The rise of Kochi to the centre stage of the entertainment industry occurred coinciding with the economic boom of the last couple of decades. Many movies are shot in Kochi every year.
Kochi also has a host of state-of-the-art production and post-production facilities.
Due to these reasons, major section of film personalities including of actors, technical experts and other related workers reside in Kochi.
There are over 50
cinema halls that screen movies in Malayalam, Tamil, English and Hindi. The city hosts Kerala's first cine multiplex, at the
Oberon Mall
Oberon Mall is a shopping mall located in the Indian city of Kochi. The mall was opened formally on 2 March 2009, though it was launched in 2008. The cost of construction of the mall is about 1 billion. It is built on an area of across five flo ...
with four screens. Gold Souk Grande also has a cine multiplex operated by Q cinemas with four screens.
PVR with 9 screens is another national multiplex brand that has presence in Kochi and is based out of
LuLu International Shopping Mall.
Cinepolis at Centre Square Mall with 11 screens is the first international megaplex brand in the state. 16 more multiplex screens are expected in the city in the near future.
The district has the largest number of telephone connections in Kerala.
Telephony
Telephony ( ) is the field of technology involving the development, application, and deployment of telecommunications services for the purpose of electronic transmission of voice, fax, or data, between distant parties. The history of telephony is ...
services are provided by various private sector players like
Aircel,
Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited is an Indian multinational telecommunications company based in New Delhi. It operates in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa, as well as the Channel Islands. Currently, Airtel provides 5G, 4G and LTE Advanced ...
,
Idea Cellular
Idea Cellular was an Indian telecommunications company based at Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was an integrated GSM operator and had 220.00 million subscribers as of June 2018.
In 2018 Idea Cellular merged with Vodafone India into Vodafone ...
,
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Public Limited Company () is a British Multinational company, multinational telecommunications company. Its registered office and global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It predominantly operates Service (economic ...
,
Reliance Infocomm,
Tata Docomo
Tata Docomo was an Indian mobile network operator, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Teleservices deriving its name from NTT Docomo who invested in the company in 2008. In October 2017, Bharti Airtel announced a merger deal with Tata Telese ...
,
Jio
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (d/b/a Jio) is an Indian telecommunications company and a subsidiary of Jio Platforms, headquartered in Navi Mumbai. It operates a national LTE (telecommunication), LTE network with coverage across all 22 telecom ...
,
Tata Indicom and the state owned
BSNL
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (commonly known as BSNL) () is an Indian central public sector undertaking, under the ownership of Department of Telecommunications, which is part of the Ministry of Communications, Government of India with its he ...
. All the private sector telecom companies have their headquarters for Kerala circle located in Kochi.
Sports
Like elsewhere in Kerala,
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
is arguably the most passionate sport among the locals. In the
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...
(ISL),
Kerala Blasters
Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League (ISL), the top tier of football in India. The club was esta ...
represents the city as well as the state of Kerala. The Blasters are one of the most widely supported clubs in the country as well as the fifth most followed football club from
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
in the social media. Kochi was also home to the now defunct football clubs
FC Kochin
FC Kochin (often spelt FC Cochin) was an Indian professional association football, football club based in Kochi (India), Kochi, Kerala. In the late 1990s, it was the only football club from Kerala to participate in National Football League (Ind ...
and
Chirag United Kerala. FC Kochin is considered as the first fully professional football club from India. Kochi was one of the six cities to host the
2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup
The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the 17th FIFA U-17 World Cup, a biennial international association football, football tournament contested by men's under-17 national teams. Organised by FIFA, the tournament took place in India from 6 to 28 Octo ...
held in India.
India's fourth largest stadium and third largest cricket stadium, the
Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium located in Kaloor, is a major facility for football and cricket. Kochi was home to the now defunct
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in India, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Founded in 2007, it features ten city-based Professional sports league organization, fr ...
cricket team,
Kochi Tuskers Kerala
Kochi Tuskers Kerala is a now defunct franchise cricket team that played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) representing the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. The team was one of two new franchises added to the IPL for the 2011 season, alongside ...
which won franchise rights to play in the 2011 edition of IPL.
The Maharaja's Stadium located on MG Road in the heart of the city, is the major athletic facility in the state with synthetic tracks and turf grass as per international standards. The Ambedkar stadium, maintained by
GCDA, was developed exclusively for football with funds from
Government of Kerala
The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who ...
and
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
.
Spanish club
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
has proposed to set up a football school in Kochi.
The
Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex at
Kadavanthra
Kadavanthra is a ward in downtown Kochi, Kerala. It is bounded by the S.A Road to the east ( MG Road-side) and the Giri Nagar canal in the west. Kadavanthra is a major commercial centre of Kochi, and a prime residential area. In recent years, t ...
is a major indoor stadium, mainly used for conducting badminton, tennis and basketball tournaments. The 25 m X 10 m swimming pool
at the centre is one of the larger water sports facility in the state, where regular swimming competitions and coaching are conducted.
The FACT Grounds at Udyogamandal, Sacred Heart's College Grounds, HMT Grounds at
Kalamassery
Kalamassery () is a major industrial region in the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. It is located around northeast of the city centre.
Kalamassery is a major hub for industrial and Information Technology, IT activities in Kochi. In ...
and St. Albert's College Grounds are the other major training facilities for various games like volleyball, badminton, cricket etc.
Kochi has two
golf courses
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...
in the city and one in the suburbs. The oldest golf club is located at Bolgatty Palace, constructed in 1903, which is a nine-hole facility run by Cochin Golf Club society.
The Cochin Golf and Country Club, located near Cochin Airport, operated by CIAL, is Kerala's first 18-hole golf course, with a playing area of over 7,200
yards
The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly ...
. The first phase of the all-weather golf course, comprising nine holes, was opened in May 2010 for members and public. The expansion to an 18-hole course is progressing, which is scheduled to be open in September 2012.
Being surrounded by water bodies, the city is ideal for
Yachting
Yachting is recreational boating activities using medium/large-sized boats or small ships collectively called yachts. Yachting is distinguished from other forms of boating mainly by the priority focus on comfort and luxury, the dependence on ma ...
. The Kerala Yachting Association and
the Cochin Yacht Club
are located in the city. Both organisations conduct regular yachting tournaments. Kochi was the only Indian city chosen for stopover during the
2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race.
Navy
The Southern Naval Command, one of the three main formations of the
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...
, has its headquarters in Kochi at
INS ''Venduruthy''. It is commanded by the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief. The Southern Naval Command consists of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST), a training squadron, training establishments and bases, and land forces and survey ships. It has a naval air station and a ship repair yard.
Indian Navy Day is also celebrated here. It is a week-long public event showcasing warships, planes, helicopters, and other naval equipment.
The
Cochin Shipyard
Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) is the largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility in India. Cochin Shipyard is part of a line of maritime-related facilities in the port-city of Kochi, in the States and union territories of India, state of Kerala, ...
Limited is the largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility in India.
In 2020, it finished building the first indigenous
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
for the Indian Navy.
Sister cities
Kochi is
twinned with:
*
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
, United States
*
Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park ( ) is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, California, Eas ...
, United States
*
Pyatigorsk
Pyatigorsk (; Circassian languages, Circassian: Псыхуабэ, ''Psıxwabæ'') is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Stavropol Krai, Russia, located on the Podkumok River, about from the town of Mineralnye Vody, which has an i ...
, Russia
Notable people
*
Elijah ha-Adeni Elijah ha-Adeni () was a rabbi and '' payyetan'' of Kochi, India, originally from Aden. He wrote ''Azharot'' (Amsterdam, 1688), a liturgical poem on the 613 commandments, which is traditionally recited by Kochi Jews on Shemini Atzeret
Shemini ...
*
Soubin Shahir
Soubin Shahir (born 12 October 1983) is an Indian actor, director and producer who primarily works in Malayalam films. He made his acting debut with '' Annayum Rasoolum'' (2013). Following his breakthrough with '' Premam'' (2015), he played th ...
*
Radha Vinod Raju
See also
*
Neighbourhoods of Kochi
*
List of tallest buildings in Kochi
This list of tallest buildings in Kerala ranks high-rises in Kerala, India according to their height. Kerala is one of the southern states of India. This state is witnessing a huge high-rise boom, especially in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Ko ...
*
Portuguese Cochin
The kingdom of Cochin or the Cochin State, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It originated in the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until i ...
*
Cochin Jews
Cochin Jews (also known as Malabar Jews or Kochinim from ) are one of the oldest groups of History of the Jews in India, Jews in India, with roots that are claimed to date back to the time of King Solomon. The Cochin Jews settled in the King ...
*
Largest Indian cities by GDP
References
Further reading
*
Ma Huan
Ma Huan (, Xiao'erjing: ) ( 1380–1460), courtesy name Zongdao (), pen name Mountain-woodcutter (會稽山樵), was a Chinese explorer, translator, and travel writer who accompanied Admiral Zheng He on three of his seven expeditions to the We ...
: Ying Yai Sheng Lan, ''The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores'', translated by J.V.G. Mills, 1970 Hakluyt Society, reprint 1997, White Lotus Press, .
* Plunkett, R, Cannon, T, Davis, P, Greenway, P & Harding, P (2001), Lonely Planet South India, Lonely Planet, .
* Manorama Yearbook 2003 (English Edition), .
* Robert Charles Bristow. ''Cochin Saga'', Paico Pub. House; 2d ed. edition (1967), .
* ''Unemployment in Kerala at the turn of the 20th century Insights from the CDS gulf migration studies'' by K. C. Zachariah, S. Irudaya Rajan.
* ''Kochi Rajyacharithram'' by KP Padmanabha Menon. P (1914)
* "Akhilavijnanakosam". ''Malayalam Encyclopedia''. D C Books Multimedia Series.
External links
GeoHack – Kochi
* (Government of Kerala)
* (Government of India)
The Story of India: South India Cochin, BBC
{{Authority control
Metropolitan cities in India
Cities and towns in Ernakulam district
Former capital cities in India
Former Portuguese colonies
Historic Jewish communities
Populated coastal places in India
Port cities in India
Smart cities in India