Ernakulam district General information
Ernakulam the commercial capital of Kerala, served by an international airport, fine communication facilities, excellent accommodation, modern amenities and a lot of attractive tourist places gives a breathtaking experience for its visitors and settlers.
History
The district took its form on 1st April 1958, by carving out the areas of erstwhile Travancore, Kochi & Malabar kingdoms. The word Ernakulam was derived from a Tamil word 'Erayanarkulam' which means 'Lord Shiva's abode'.
Geography
The District which has an area of 895 km² can be divided geographically into highland, midland and coastal area. The altitude of the highland is about 300 m. The borders of the district are the Arabian Sea in the west, Thrissur District in the north, Idukki District in the east, and Alappuzha and Kottayam districts in the south. The Periyar River, Kerala's second longest, flows through all the taluks except Muvattupuzha. The Muvattupuzha River and a branch of Chalakkudy River also flow through the district. The district has a moderate climate, and mostly falls within the Malabar Coast moist forests ecoregion, while the highlands are part of the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests ecoregion. Many types of sands, soil and also rocks which are geological importance is abundant here.
Ernakulam district comprising of mainland Ernakulam, Old Cochin, including Mattancherry, Fort Kochi, Palluruthy, and Thoppumpady, Willingdon Island, the suburbs of Edappally and the exurbia of Kalamassery,Thrikkakara and Kakkanad to the northeast, and Tripunithura to the southeast.
Topography
The district is divided into three well-defined parts - lowland, midland and the highland consisting of seaboard, plains and the hills and forests respectively. 20 percent of the total area is low land region. The midland consists mainly of plain land having natural facilities of drainage via backwaters and canals. The hilly or eastern portion is formed by a section of Western Ghats. Muvattupuzha, Kothamangalm and Aluva can be called the highlands.
Muvattupuzha and Periyar are the main rivers of which the latter flows through Thodupuzha, Muvattupuzha, Aluva, Kunnathunadu and Parur taluks. During rainy season these rivers are full and heavy floods affect the low-lying areas on the banks, but in the summer season they generally go dry and narrow. The Periyar is stretched over a length of 229 km.
People
The most important religious communities of the district are Hindus, Christians and Muslims. In addition to the major communities the Buddhists, the Jains, the Sikhs, and the Jews also form part of the cosmopolitan population. The ancestors of the Jews migrated fromJerusalem in 72 A.D. Now there are very few Jewish families in Cochin.
Festival
The famous Sivarathri at the Siva Temple of Aluva attracts people from different parts of the country. There are lots of old Siva Temples in Ernakulam. More than last 5000 years people are used to pray lord Siva. In Sanskrit "Siva" means Kalyan (Good Wishs, Doing good with taking care of all). So As part of this universal brotherhood though People are used to celebrate MahaSivaratri, it comes in Month of Maha before two days of Black moon. For this day people are doing lots of preparation. On that day people are used to keep full days fasting and Doing puja for Universal Peace and Asking enery for destroys evils things. The famous Christian pilgrim Center at Malayattoor is in this district. The festival here lasts for 10 days in April. St. George Church at Kadamattam is very old and was founded by Mar Abo Metropolitan in 5th Century A.D. He brought a cross from Persia, which is still preserved in the church. The festival at the church of Vallarpadam on September 24 attracts people belonging to all religions. The icon of Virgin Mary in this church is credited with many miracles. St. George Forane Church at Edappally, which was founded in 593 A.D., is considered to be the oldest church in Kerala after the 7 churches founded by St. Thomas. St. Antony’s church at Kannamaly is famous for the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19 where a large number of people are fed. One of the ancient mosques in Kerala is at Kanjiramattam. A Long island is located in near Ernakulam known as Vypeen island about 25 km long. Cherai Pooram is famous festival in island. Celebrating this full moon day having two purpose. Fields are ready for cropping, Start cropping with prayers and some auspicious puja. Next reason is People are ready to go in to sea. So on this day women of India generally having fasting of full day and pray for her brothers, father, husband and Nation 's victory.
Economy
Agriculture constitutes the most important segment of the district’s economy and it is the biggest source of employment. Of the geographical 235319 hectares, crops are grown in 210438 hectares. Coconut is the principal crop followed by rubber, paddy, and tapioca. A paddy cultivation system called pokkali is peculiar to the district.
Ernakulam district is bestowed with all the geographical factors, which help the development of industry, and it is in the vanguard of all other districts in Kerala in the field of industry. The availability of all types of transport facilities viz., road, rail, canal, sea, air is a factor which is unique to this district. Ernakulam is perhaps the biggest commercial center in the state of Kerala. Its M.G. Road is the location of some of the biggest businesses in Kerala.
Education
Ernakulam occupies an important place among the districts of Kerala in the field of literacy and educational standards. Ernakulam District is the first district in the whole country to have 100 percent literacy by 1990.
Pothanicad, first panchayath in India that achieved 100% literacy according to state literacy programme is in this district.
Flora and Fauna
The flora of this district is tropical. The heavy rainfall combined with moderate temperature and fertile soil support abundant vegetation. Many of the common plants are found in the coastal area, which forms the low land region. Coconut is extensively cultivated here. The midland region is mainly occupied by coconut palms. Paddy, tapioca, pepper and pulses are also cultivated here. The lower slopes of the highland region are under teak, and rubber cultivation. The eastern part of the district has dense forests with their characterized fauna.
Tourist Place
MATTANCHERRY PALACE: It is also known as Dutch Palace, built by the Portuguese and presented to the Raja of Kochi in 1555 A.D. It acquired the present name after 1663 when the Dutch carried out extensions and repairs in the palace. It is interesting to note that at no time did the Portuguese or Dutch actually stay here. Its interiors are decorated with murals from the Ramayana and there are some lively displays of royal costumes and palanquins. Timings: 1000 hrs to 1700 hrs. Closed on Fridays and national holidays.
JEWISH SYNAGOGUE: Situated In MATTANCHERRY the Synagogue was built in 1568 AD. The Great Scrolls of the Old Testament, the copper plates in which the grants of privilege made by the Kochi rulers were recorded and the exquisite Chinese hand-painted tiles are of interest. Timing: 1000 hrs to 1200 hrs and 1500 hrs to 1700 hrs. Closed on Saturdays and Jewish Holidays.
ST. FRANCIS CHURCH: Located at Fort Kochi this Protestant church was originally built by the Portuguese in 1510 AD and is believed to be the oldest church built by the Europeans in India. lt is here the remains of the inveterate traveler, Vasco da Gama were initially buried and 14 years later, his mortal remains were taken to Portugal .
SANTA CRUZ BASILICA CHURCH: Fort Kochi The Roman Catholic Church situated close to St. Francis Church and is worth visiting. Some beautiful paintings can be seen here.
ST. FRANCIS ASSISI CHURCH: St.Francis Assissi church popularly knows as Naduvileppalli,the most beautiful and old church in Ernakulam city,the blend of Portuguese and Kerala style of architecture.The unique feature churche's roof is that the entire hyper bolic para bloid shell roof rests only on the centre pillars on the either sides.It has completed 179th year existence....Hundreds of people come here at odd times to sit in the quiteness of the church to commune with god.
CHINESE FISHING NETS: Fort Kochi- The Chinese Fishing nets that line the sea-front and exhibit a mechanical method of catching fish by local fishermen in Fort Kochi. Said to have been brought from China by traders of Kubala Khan's Court, they are used at high tide.
BOLGHATTY PALACE: Bolghatty Palace is situated in Bolghatty Island a narrow palm-fringed Island easily accessible from the mainland. The Palace was built by the Dutch in 1744. Later, it became the seat of the British Resident and today this has been converted into a hotel run by the KTDC.
VALLARPADAM CHURCH: The Basilica of Our Lady of Vallarpadam adds another landmark to its growing reputation with the completion of 20 stations that will depict the 20 mysteries of the rosary. The 20 stations will features the mysteries that are celebrated by Catholics all over the world. These include the Joyous Glorious, Sorrowful Mysteries and the Mysteries of Light that were added to the original by Pope John Paul II. The Vallarpadam Church, which was already a national pilgrim centre, was raised to the status of a Basilica on the basis of a request submitted by Archbishop Daniel Acharuparampil of Varappuzha in December 2003.The Vallarpadam church was bestowed a special status by Pope Leo XIII in 1888. In 1951, it was declared a pilgrim centre.
HILL PALACE MUSEUM: Hill Palace Museum is situated 12 km away from Eranakulam on the Eranakulam Chottanikkara route.Different types of sculptures, collection of rare coins,old weapons, manuscripts in ancient scripts and collection from Kochi Royal Family are exhibited here. Tourist may also visit the Deer Park situated there. Horse riding facility is also available. The Parishith Thampuran Musueum situated at the Durbar Hall Ground together with its collection were transferred to Hill Palace Museum in 1997. Timings: 9:00 hrs to 12:30 hrs and 14:00 hrs to 16:30 hrs. Closed on Mondays & National holidays.
WILLINGDON ISLAND: A man-made island created from the material dredged while deeping Kochi Port. Situated between the main land Emakulam and the old town Mattancherry and separated by the backwaters. Willingdon Island is an important part of Kochi. The Govt. of India Tourist Office, the Southern Naval Command Headquarters, the Seaport, Naval Airport, Railway terminus, Customs House, Kochi Port Office etc are all located in this island.
MUSEUM OF KERALA HISTORY: Situated at Edappally 10 km on the National Highway from Eranakulam on the Alwaye route. Presents one hour light and sound spectacles of life-size sculptures in concrete, of the makers of Kerala history, together with the background music and commentary with glimpses of the vastness and diversity of Kerala's history over the centuries. Timings: 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30 12:00, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00 15:30, 16:00. Closed on Mondays and Public holidays.
M. N. F. GALLERY OF PAINTINGS & SCULPTURES: The centre for Visual Arts and Gallery Paintings & Sculptures is situated at Edappally about l0km from Emakulam and located next to Museum of Kerala History. It houses about two hundred original paintings of recognized Indian masters, both contemporary and of the past. There is also a large collection of modern sculptures in marble, bronze, granite etc. Timings: 10:00 hrs to 17:00 hrs.
Mangalavanam-" The green lung of Kochi city": The ecologically sensitive Magalavanam is safely tucked away behind the Ernakulam High Court. This evergreen forest land in the heart of Kochi is a green oasis for many migratory birds as a nesting ground. Visitors to Mangalavanam are captivated by the sheer variety of migratory birds that have nested atop the huge trees.
CHITRAM ART GALLERY: Opposite Air India, M. G. Road, Eranakulam Exhibit regularly collection of paintings.