Ernakulam

This article is about the town of Ernakulam. For the District, see Ernakulam district.
Ernakulam
എറണാകുളം
Kochi

Location in Kerala, India

Coordinates: 9°59′N 76°17′E / 9.98°N 76.28°E / 9.98; 76.28Coordinates: 9°59′N 76°17′E / 9.98°N 76.28°E / 9.98; 76.28
Country  India
State Kerala
District Ernakulam
Government
 • Body Corporation of Cochin
Area
 • Total 3,032 km2 (1,171 sq mi)
Elevation 4 m (13 ft)
Languages
 • Official Malayalam, English
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Telephone code 0484
Vehicle registration KL-07
Lok Sabha constituency Ernakulam
Civic agency Corporation
Website www.ernakulam.nic.in

Ernakulam ( pronunciation ) refers to the eastern, mainland portion of the city of Kochi in central Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala.[1] The Kerala High Court, the Office of the Corporation of Cochin and the Cochin Stock Exchange are situated here. The Ernakulam part of Kochi city just comprises the postal pin codes 682011,682016,682018,682031 and 682035. The Ernakulam Junction or South station, Ernakulam Town or North Station and Ernakulam Terminus(now defunct) railway stations of the Indian Railways lies in Ernakulam. Initially, Ernakulam was the headquarters of the Ernakulam District but was later shifted to Kakkanad. Ernakulam was once the capital of the Kingdom of Cochin. It is located 220 kilometres (137 mi) towards north-west of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

The city has served as an incubator for many Malayali entrepreneurs and is a major financial and commercial hub of Kerala.


History

Pre-history

Starting from the Stone Age, Ernakulam has been the site of human settlement. Monolithic monuments like Dolmens and rock-cut caves can be seen in many parts of Ernakulam.

Precolonial history

The region can claim to have played a significant part in fostering the trade relations between Kerala and the outside world in the ancient and medieval period. The early political history of Ernakulam is interlinked with that of the Chera Dynasty of the Sangam age, who ruled over vast portions of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. After the Cheras, the place was later ruled by the Kingdom of Cochin (Perumpadapu Swaroopam).

Colonial period

Ernakulam was the capital of the erstwhile Cochin State. In the first state census of 1911, the population of Ernakulam was 21,901; 11,197 Hindus, 9,357 Christians, 935 Muslims, and 412 Jews.[2]

Ernakulam skyline.

Geography

The City of Ernakulam is situated in Ernakulam District of Central Kerala in India. Ernakulam is located at 9°59′N 76°17′E / 9.98°N 76.28°E / 9.98; 76.28.[3] It has an average elevation of 4 m (13 ft).

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification, City of Ernakulam features a Tropical monsoon climate. Since the region lies in the south western coastal state of Kerala, the climate is tropical, with only minor differences in temperatures between day and night, as well as over the year. Summer lasts from March to May, and is followed by the South-west monsoon from June to September. October and November form the post monsoon or retreating monsoon season. Winter from December through February is slightly cooler, and windy, due to winds from the Western Ghats.

The City is drained in the monsoonal season by heavy showers. The average annual rainfall is 3000 mm. The South-west monsoon generally sets in during the last week of May. After July the rainfall decreases. On an average, there are 124 rainy days in a year. The maximum average temperature of the City in the summer season is 33 degree Celsius while the minimum temperature recorded is 22.5 degrees Celsius. The winter season records a maximum average of 29 degree Celsius and a minimum average of 20 degree Celsius.

Economy

Ernakulam is a major financial and commercial hub of Kerala. The Cochin Port, Cochin Shipyard has resulted in the faster growth of the city. The technology park InfoPark, Kochi and SmartCity, Kochi is on the outskirts of the city.Tourism has also contributed heavily to the economy of Ernakulam. The city with its temples, old churches and its culture, is ranked first in the number of domestic tourists visiting Kerala.

Landmarks/tourist spots

A night view of Marine Drive, Kochi
Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary
Durbar Hall Ground

Transport

Vytilla Mobility hub, caters to the transportation needs of the city. Ernakulam is well served by private/government buses, autorickshaws, long and short distance trains and ferries. Ernakulam has a number of jetties where passengers can embark and disembark from ferries. Travelling via ferries is cheaper and faster than travelling by buses and/or autos. The main jetty is called the Ernakulam jetty from where one can board a ferry to Fort Kochi, Mattancherry and Willingdon Island.

Road

Ernakulam is connected to the North-South Corridor National Highway System via the four-laned National Highway 47. The highway traverses through the entire length and breadth of the city from different points and provides access to the nearby cities such of Thrissur, Palakkad and Coimbatore. NH 47 provides two main exit points at Edapally and Vytilla to the Ernakulam city. The city is largely dependent on city buses, Taxis and auto rickshaws (called autos) for public transport. State-owned Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs inter-state, inter-district and city services. The National Highway 17, National Highway 49, Main Central Road, State Highways are the roads which connect city with its suburbs and municipalities. Major Roads — M. G. Road,Sahodharan Ayyappan Road, Broadway and Marine drive walkway, Banerjee Road, Shanmugham Road, Kaloor-Kadavanthara Road. KL 07 Reg..,

Railway

Ernakulam Junction Railway Station is the one of the busiest railway station in Kerala. Ernakulam railway stations is located close to the town's main shopping area situated on MG Road.[4] The Southern Railway Zone of the Indian Railways operates the main rail transport system in Ernakulam. There are two railway stations in Ernakulam City. Ernakulam Town railway station, it is situated in the northern part of the city and the stopping point for trains going towards mainly to Kottayam side in the south. Ernakulam Junction Railway Station, it is a junction and departing station of passengers, express trains, the stopping point for trains going towards south side Alappuzha. The Station also has a Train Care Centre in its premises. 21 trains originates from Ernakulam Junction. There is also a small railway station at Edappally.

Air

Ernakulam city is served by Cochin International Airport (Nedumbassery), which is about 27 kilometers away. Direct domestic flights are available to major Indian cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. International flights to Middle East cities like Bahrain, Muscat, Sharjah, Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Doha and to Southeast Asian cities Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are available here. It has a dedicated Heli-taxi service and Chartered flights.In 2015, it became the world's first airport to be completed powered by solar energy.

Metro

Kochi Metro is an under-construction metro system for the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. The first phase is being set up at an estimated cost of ₹5181 crore (US$780 million),[5] and is expected to be completed by 7 June 2016.

Water

Ernakulam also has Ferry Services connecting Ernakulam with Willington Island, Mattancherry, Fort Kochi & Mulavukadu at each intervals of 20 minutes.

Entertainment

There are over twenty cinema halls that screen movies in Malayalam, Tamil, English and Hindi. A film festival, known as the Cochin International Film Festival (CIFF), is celebrated every year. Movie Theatre complex — Shenoys and Little Shenoys Movie Theatre, Kavitha, Saritha-Savitha-Sangeetha Multiplex, Padma, Sreedhar, Kanoos, Cinemax multiplex at Oberon, Q Cinemas at Gold Souk Grande, 9 screen PVR Cinemas at Lulu Mall, Cinepolis 11 screen multiplex in Centre Square on MG Road.

Film, TV and Studio Complexes — Lal Media, Cochin Kalabhavan (Kalabhavan Road), Navodaya Studio complex

The Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) is a non-profit charitable trust engaged in promoting art & culture and educational activities in India; primary amongst them the hosting of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. KBF works around the year to strengthen contemporary art infrastructure and to broaden public access to art across India held at Ernnakulam every Year.The Kochi Biennale Foundation is also engaged in the conservation of heritage properties and monuments and the upliftment of traditional forms of art and culture.

Media

Print

Major Malayalam newspapers published in Ernakulam include Malayala Manorama, Mathrubhumi, Janmabhoomi, Madhyamam, Deshabhimani, Deepika, Kerala Kaumudi, Thejus, Metro Vartha, Siraj, Varthamanam, Janayugam and Veekshanam.

Popular English newspapers include Deccan Chronicle, The Times Of India, The Hindu, The New Indian Express and The Pioneer. A number of evening papers are also published from the city.[5]

Newspapers in other regional languages like Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu are also sold in large numbers.

Being the seat of the Cochin Stock Exchange, a number of financial publications are also published in the city. These include The Economic Times, Business Line, The Business Standard and The Financial Express.

Prominent magazines and religious publications like the Sathyadeepam, The Week and Vanitha are also published from the city.

Television

Television stations in Ernakulam include Indiavision, Jeevan TV, WE TV, Manorama News, Asianet News . Satellite television services are available through Doordarshan Direct Plus, Dish TV Sun Direct and Tata Sky. The Multisystem operators in Ernakulam are Asianet, Siti Cable, Kerala Vision, DEN networks. The local channels are Asianet Cable Vision, Ernakulam Cable TV, SITI channel, Cochin Channel.

Radio

All India Radio has two FM stations in the city, operating at 102.3  MHz and 107.5 MHz. Private FM radio stations are Club FM 94.3, Radio Mango 91.9 which plays music 24 hours a day, and 93.5 RED FM.

Telephone

Telephony services are provided by various players like Airtel, Idea cellular, Vodafone, Reliance Infocomm, Tata Docomo, MTS and the government owned BSNL.

Religious

Temples

Churches

Ernamkulam is the Indian headquarters of the Holy Jacobite Syrian Church.

Education

Emergency

Hospitals

Politics

High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam

Ernakulam assembly constituency is part of Ernakulam (Lok Sabha constituency).[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Manorama Online | Kochi Beaches". Week.manoramaonline.com. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  2. ↑ Imperial Gazetteer of India, Provincial Series, Madras II: The Southern and West Coast Districts, Native States, and French Possessions. 1908. p. 454.
  3. ↑ "Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Ernakulam". Fallingrain.com. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  4. ↑ "Kochi Travel Guide".
  5. ↑ "Keeping Kochi updated". The Hindu. 2003-09-15. Retrieved 2006-06-02.
  6. ↑ Mathrubhumi newspaper article
  7. ↑ "Assembly Constituencies - Corresponding Districts and Parliamentary Constituencies" (PDF). Kerala. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 2008-10-19.

External links

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