Kochi, which is in the Ernakulam District, is an important city of Kerala. Kochi city was the seat of the princely state till the British period. Prehistoric evidence of the existence of Kochi has been traced in Tripunithura. Cochin State was formed in 1102 A.D. by the splitting up of Kulasekhara. In 1503, Kochi was taken over by the Portuguese and in 1663 the Dutch came to the city by overtaking the Portuguese. From 1814 the city came under the British till India's independence.
Kochi in Kerala is located at the southern most part of the country. In the earlier days, Kochi was known as Perumpadappu Nad. The name was derived from a village known as Ponnai Taluk of Malabar. There have been controversies about the name “Cochin”. The city is having a very long and brilliant history. According to some historians, the name of the city is the altered form of “Cochazhi” meaning small sea in Malayalam language. Some other historians are of the opinion that the name of the city was given by Chinese traders. Again according to few other historians, the word Kochi has been derived from “Kaci”, which means harbor.
The city was transformed into an important commercial hub by the British, Arabs, Chinese, Portuguese and Italians. Many scholars and travelers like Vasco da Gama, Fa Hien, and Sir Robert Bristow had visited Kochi and had major contributions in the growth and prosperity of the city.
Prehistory of Kochi or Cochin
Neolithic evidences have been found in a place called Vennala. Information about the city before the arrival of the Portuguese remains very obscure. It is supposed that Cochin harbor was formed only in the year 1341. The city became popular after the port at Kodugallur was destroyed due to heavy floods of the Periyar River in 1340. Due to this, a natural harbor was formed at Kochi and the city started to become popular among the traders. The Kochi harbor became the hub for dealing of cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, cloves.
Portuguese Period in Kochi
The original rulers of the city were captured by many foreign rulers. The city mainly prospered under the Portuguese. Pedro Alveraz
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Cabral, who was a Portuguese Admiral, came to the city on 24th December, 1500 during the reign of Unni Godavarma. The envoys were received by warmth by the king and a treaty of friendship was signed. The king even granted them the permission to build a factory. After this, Vasco da Gama came to Kochi. The Portuguese were also given permission to build a fort at the city.
The reign of the Portuguese in Kochi continued from 1503 to 1663. The Santa Cruz Cathedral Bascillica in Kochi was originally built by the Portuguese. After Albuquerque, the decline of Portuguese rule started in the city. Various reasons like forcible conversions, intermarriage, religious persecutions were responsible for the decline.
Kochi under Dutch Rule
Dutch invasion in Kochi started from 1653 and by the year 1663, the city was under their control. Fort Williams was built by them at Kochi. Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali defeated the Dutch.
English Period in Kochi
Kochi city came under United Kingdom after the Anglo-Dutch Treaty in the year 1814. The forts that were built in the city were destroyed by the British. Kochi was developed into a major harbor under the supervision of Sir Robert Bistrow. The harbor turned out to be the safest Indian harbor. Willingdon Island was created at the same time, which now houses Naval Airport, Cochin Port and Southern Naval Command headquarters. In the year 1866, Fort Kochi was transformed into a municipality.
Kochi after Independence of India
After the independence of India in 1947, in the year 1956, Kerala state was formed by the unification of three provinces of Travancore, Malabar and Kochi. In the year 1967, Corporation of Kochi was formed and in this process three towns of Fort Kochi, Mattanchery and Ernakulam and some villages in close proximity were merged. Kochi was the first princely state, which joined the Indian Union. Eventually, Kochi has become one of the important cities of the country and most important city of Kerala.
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