Ernakulam District

Ernakulam District came into being in 1958 April 1 by incorporating Kanayannoor, Kochi, Kunnathunadu, Aluva and Paroor Taluks. Deliberation for hours held at the Kerala Fine Arts Hall in 1957 and attended by a host of political, social and media activists was instrumental in the formation of the District.

The etymology of the term ‘Ernakulam’ is linked to different sources, either temple-oriented or mythological. KomattilAchutha Menon attributes the origin of the word to a type of mud called ‘Erangiyal’. Lord Siva was addressed in Chennai as ‘Erayanar’in the past. In Kerala too, this was followed and it later came to be known as ‘Ernakulam’. Ebanubathootha who travelled along the Kerala coast between AD 1342 and AD 1347 did not even make a casual reference to Kochi. The name ‘Kochi’ is a combination of two terms, Koch&Azhi (small river-mouth).

In 1405 AD, the provincial king of Perumbadappu switched its capital from Mahodayapuram to Kochi and came to be recognized as the King of Kochi paving the way to the unprecedented glory of the kingdom. The traders from Portugal who had landed in Kochi by then took advantage of the feud between the king of Kochi and the Zamorin of Kozhikode. The king provided the Portuguese traders all the facilities including the permission to open a warehouse. Trade flourished in Kochi. Soon there took place a battle between the Zamorin and the king of Kochi. Although the king of Kochi was defeated initially he regained his kingdom with the timely assistance of the warship from Portugal. Eventually, the relationship between the king of Kochi and the Portuguese traders became strained and with the support of the Dutch, the king succeeded in driving out the Portuguese from Kochi in 1663.

Of all the kings who ruled Kochi, SakthanThampuran (1790-1805) was the mightiest and during his time the kingdom expanded. Paliathachans who belong to the Chennamangalam village were the Chief Ministers of the kings of Kochi for almost one hundred and fifty years. By 1800, the British took over the administration of Kochi and thenceforth the kings paid tributes to the British in recognition of the latter’s supremacy.