Editing Kochi (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of Kochi}}
{{See also|Kingdom of Cochin}}
[[Muziris]], a port somewhere north of Kochi (mostly identified with [[Kodungallur]] in [[Thrissur district]]), was the centre of Indian [[spice trade]] for many centuries, and was known to the [[Arab]]s, [[Yavanas]] ([[Ancient Greece|Greeks]] and [[Ancient Rome|Romans]]) as well as [[Jews]], Syrians, and Chinese since [[Ancient history|ancient times]].<ref name="Ernakulam Portal">{{Cite web |title=History of Ernakulam |url=http://ernakulam.nic.in/history.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071115160050/http://ernakulam.nic.in/history.htm |archive-date=15 November 2007 |access-date=23 May 2006 |website=Ernakulam Portal |publisher=National Informatics Centre}}</ref> Kochi rose to significance as a trading centre after the port [[Muziris]] around [[Kodungallur]] (Cranganore) was destroyed by the massive flooding of [[Periyar River|Periyar]] in 1341.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Kochi Rajas |url=http://www.centreforheritagestudies.com/heritage/html/history.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214143542/http://centreforheritagestudies.com/heritage/html/history.htm |archive-date=14 February 2009 |access-date=12 March 2009 |publisher=Centre For Heritage Studies}}</ref> The earliest documented references to Kochi occur in books written by Chinese voyager [[Ma Huan]] during [[Treasure voyages|his visit to Kochi in the 15th century]] as part of Admiral [[Zheng He]]'s treasure fleet.<ref name="mahuan">{{Cite book |last=[[Ma Huan]]: Ying Yai Sheng Lan |title=The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores |publisher=[[Hakluyt Society]], White Lotus Press |others=translated by J. V. G. Mills |year=1970 |isbn=974-8496-78-3}}</ref> There are also references to Kochi in accounts written by Italian traveller [[Niccolò Da Conti]], who visited Kochi in 1440.<ref name="[[Niccolò di Conti]]">{{Cite web |title=Accounts of Nicolo de' Conti (ca. 1395–1469) |url=http://www.win.tue.nl/~engels/discovery/conti.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221064823/http://www.win.tue.nl/~engels/discovery/conti.html |archive-date=21 February 2013 |access-date=23 May 2006 |website=Niccolò di Conti |publisher=win.tue.nl}}</ref> The ruler of [[Perumpadappu, Malappuram|Perumpadappu]] (near [[Ponnani]]) fled to [[Kodungallur]] in the early medieval period, when the [[Zamorin]] of Calicut annexed [[Ponnani]] region, after [[Tirunavaya]] war.<ref name="askh">A Survey of Kerala History, A. Sreedhara Menon, DC Books, Kottayam (2007)</ref> They later moved to Kochi and established the [[Kingdom of Cochin]].<ref name="askh" /> When [[Vasco Da Gama]] landed at [[Kozhikode]] and the Zamorin of Calicut fought against the Portuguese with [[Kunjali Marakkar]], the ruler of Cochin aligned with the Portuguese.<ref name="askh" />

[[File:Miniature of Pedro Alvares Cabral (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Portuguese explorer [[Pedro Álvares Cabral]] established [[Fort Emmanuel|Portuguese forts]] in the city.  ({{langx|pt|Cochim}}) in 1500, which lasted until 1663.]]

On the [[Malabar region|Malabar]] coast during the early 15th century, [[Kozhikode|Calicut]] and Kochi were in an intense rivalry, so the [[Ming dynasty]] of China decided to intervene by granting special status to Kochi and its ruler known as ''Keyili'' (可亦里) to the Chinese.<ref name=sen16-616-7>{{cite journal |last1=Sen |first1=Tansen |title=The Impact of Zheng He's Expeditions on Indian Ocean Interactions |journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies |year=2016 |volume=79 |issue=3 |doi=10.1017/S0041977X16001038| pages=616–617}}.</ref> Calicut had been the dominant port-city in the region, but Kochi was emerging as its main rival.<ref name=sen16-616-7 /> For the fifth [[Ming treasure voyage]], Admiral [[Zheng He]] 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).<ref name=sen16-616-7 /> Zheng He delivered a stone tablet, inscribed with a proclamation composed by the [[Yongle Emperor]] himself, to Kochi.<ref name=sen16-616-7 /> As long as Kochi remained under the protection of Ming China, the [[Zamorin]] of Calicut was unable to invade Kochi and a military conflict was averted.<ref name=sen16-616-7 /> The cessation of the [[Ming treasure voyages]] consequently had negative results for Kochi, as the Zamorin of Calicut would eventually launch an invasion against Kochi.<ref name=sen16-616-7 /> In the late 15th century, the Zamorin occupied Kochi and installed his representative as the king of the port-city.<ref name=sen16-616-7 />

[[File:Periplous of the Erythraean Sea.svg|left|thumbnail|Names, routes and locations of the [[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]] (1st century CE)]]

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]].<ref name="Corporation of Kochi">{{cite web|author=C. M. Dinesh Mani, Mayor(2000–2005)|title=Cochin|url=http://www.corporationofcochin.net/Cochin.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719135707/http://www.corporationofcochin.net/Cochin.pdf|archive-date=19 July 2011|access-date=11 October 2010|work=Cochin (A Monograph)|publisher=Corporation of Kochi}}</ref> The reign of the Kingdom was hereditary, and the family that ruled over the region was known as the ''[[Cochin Royal Family|Perumpadappu Swaroopam]]'' in the local vernacular.

The port at [[Kozhikode]] held superior economic and political position in medieval Kerala coast, while [[Kannur]], [[Kollam]], and Kochi, were commercially important secondary ports, where the traders from various parts of the world would gather.<ref name="Malekandathil">''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)</ref> The Portuguese arrived at [[Kappad]] [[Kozhikode]] in 1498 during the [[Age of Discovery]], thus opening a direct sea route from Europe to India.<ref>DC Books, Kottayam (2007), A. Sreedhara Menon, A Survey of Kerala History</ref> Portuguese navigator, [[Pedro Álvares Cabral]] founded the first European settlement in India at Kochi in 1500.<ref name="First European Settlement">{{cite web|publisher=University of Calgary |title=Early Voyages to the Far East |url=https://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/vasco3.html |access-date=9 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301225709/http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/vasco3.html |archive-date= 1 March 2011 }}</ref> From 1503 to 1663, [[Fort Kochi]] ([[Fort Emmanuel]]) was [[Portuguese Empire|ruled by Portugal]]. This Portuguese period was a harrowing time for the [[Saint Thomas Christians]], [[Muslim]] [[Mappila]]s, and the [[Cochin Jews|Jews]], as the [[Goa Inquisition|Inquisition]] was active in [[Portuguese India]]. The ruler of the [[Kingdom of Tanur]], who was a vassal to the [[Zamorin]] of Calicut, sided with the Portuguese, against his overlord at [[Kozhikode]].<ref name="askh" /> As a result, the [[Kingdom of Tanur]] (''[[Tirur Taluk|Vettathunadu]]'') became one of the earliest Portuguese Colonies in India. The ruler of [[Tanur, Malappuram|Tanur]] also sided with [[Kingdom of Cochin|Cochin]].<ref name="askh" /> Many of the members of the royal family of Cochin in 16th and 17th centuries were selected from [[Vettom Grama Panchayath|Vettom]].<ref name="askh" /> However, the [[Tanur, Malappuram|Tanur]] forces under the king fought for the Zamorin of Calicut in the [[Battle of Cochin (1504)]].<ref name="Logan">{{Cite book|title=Malabar Manual (Volume-I)|last=Logan|first=William|publisher=Asian Educational Services|year=2010|isbn=9788120604476|location=New Delhi|pages=631–666}}</ref> However, the allegiance of the [[Mappila]] merchants in [[Tanur, Malappuram|Tanur]] region still stayed under the Zamorin of Calicut.<ref name="Makhdoom" /> Kochi hosted the grave of [[Vasco da Gama]], the first European explorer to set sail for India, who was buried at [[St. Francis Church, Kochi|St. Francis Church]] until his remains were returned to Portugal in 1539.<ref name="Vasco Da Gama">{{Cite web
 |publisher   = [[Department of Tourism (Kerala)|Department of Tourism, Kerala]]
 |url         = http://www.keralatourism.org/kochi/st-francis-church.php
 |title       = St. Francis Church in Ernakulam
 |access-date  = 19 January 2018
|url-status  = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20180119175542/http://www.keralatourism.org/kochi/st-francis-church.php
 |archive-date = 19 January 2018
}}</ref> 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]], 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 [[Kingdom of Mysore|Mysore]] ruler [[Hyder Ali]] extended his conquest in the [[Malabar region]] to Kochi forcing it to become a tributary of [[Mysore]]. The hereditary Prime Ministership of Kochi held by the [[Paliath Achan]]s ended during this period.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://ernakulam.nic.in/kochi.html| title=Kochi 'Queen of Arabian Sea'| publisher=[[National Informatics Centre]]| access-date=8 January 2018| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607151236/http://ernakulam.nic.in/kochi.html| archive-date=7 June 2017}}</ref>
[[File:Planta de cochim bocarro 1635.jpg|thumb|right|Map of Kochi in the 1635 ''[[:pt:Livro das Plantas de Todas as Fortalezas|Livro das Plantas de Todas as Fortalezas]]'', a catalogue of [[:category:Portuguese forts in India|Portuguese forts in India]]]]
Meanwhile,{{clarify|date=February 2022}} the Dutch, fearing an outbreak of war on the [[Dutch Republic|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 Island|Bangka]], east of [[Sumatra]]. However, there are evidences of English habitation in the region even before the signing of the treaty.<ref name="charitram">{{Cite book
|author=KP Padmanabha Menon.
|year = 1914
|title =Kochi Rajyacharithram
}}</ref> In 1866, [[Fort Kochi]] municipality was reinstalled. [[Fort Kochi]], which was a part of [[Malabar District]] until 1956, was made a municipality on 1 November 1866, along with [[Kannur]], [[Thalassery]], [[Kozhikode]], and [[Palakkad]], according to the Madras Act 10 of 1865 (Amendment of the Improvements in Towns act 1850)<ref name="Ref1">{{cite web |url=http://www.lawmin.nic.in/chronology.doc |title=Chronological List of Central Acts (Updated through 17-10-2014) |website=Lawmin.nic.in |access-date=7 August 2016 |archive-date=7 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107091128/http://lawmin.nic.in/chronology.doc |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Lewis McIver |first1=G. Stokes |title=Imperial Census of 1881 Operations and Results in the Presidency of Madras |date=1883 |publisher=E.Keys at the Government Press |location=Madras |page=444 |edition=(Vol II) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b_YIAAAAQAAJ |access-date=5 December 2020 |archive-date=27 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327063433/https://books.google.com/books?id=b_YIAAAAQAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="google.co.in">{{cite book |last1=Presidency |first1=Madras (India |title=Madras District Gazetteers, Statistical Appendix For Malabar District. |date=1915 |publisher=The Superintendent, Government Press |location=Madras |page=20 |edition=Vol.2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aUEwnQEACAAJ |access-date=2 December 2020|archive-date=27 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327063433/https://books.google.com/books?id=aUEwnQEACAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Henry |last=Frowde|title=Imperial Gazetteer of India |date=1908–1909 |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford |edition=New |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/ |access-date=2 December 2020 |archive-date=16 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216124143/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/ |url-status=live }}</ref> of the [[British Indian Empire]]. Its first [[Municipal Council]] seating contest was conducted in 1883. In 1896, H.H. [[Rama Varma XV]], The [[Maharaja]] of Cochin, initiated local administration by forming town councils in [[Mattancherry]] and [[Ernakulam]]. In 1907, the Governor of the Madras Presidency, Sir [[Arthur Lawley]] and his brother, [[Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock]], Governor of Madras, 1891 to 1896, left for an official tour of Cochin and [[Travancore]], 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]].<ref name=Cochin1>Sir Arthur Lawley's Photo Album, Empire and Commonwealth Museum</ref><ref name=Cochin0>The Fourth Tour of His Excellency Sir Arthur Lawley to Cochin and Travancore – 25 January to 14 February 1907. Madras Government Press.</ref><ref name=Cochin2>Letter from Lord Wenlock to his wife Constance, 29 January 1907. Hull University. Forbes Adam Archive.</ref><ref name=Cochin3>Sir Arthur Lawley, Eloquent Knight Errant, Chapter 5. Ruler of the Raj. Lady Lawley Cottage (Western Australian Red Cross) 2008 iBooks</ref> By the 1870s, the capital of Kochi Kingdom was relocated again to Kochi Suburb of [[Tripunithura]]. 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.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://highcourtofkerala.nic.in/history.html| title=History| publisher=[[National Informatics Centre]]| access-date=15 January 2018| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801131252/http://highcourtofkerala.nic.in/history.html| archive-date=1 August 2017}}</ref>
[[File:Kochi Jewish Synagogue B.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Paradesi Synagogue]] is the oldest active synagogue in both India and the [[Commonwealth of Nations]].]]
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 (engineer)|Robert Bristow]] was brought to Kochi in 1920 under the direction of [[Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon|Lord Willingdon]], then the Governor of [[Madras Presidency|Madras]]. 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.<ref name="ekm-safe">{{cite web
 |publisher=Government of Kerala
 |work=Official website of Ernakulam District
 |url=http://www.ekm.kerala.gov.in/places.htm
 |title=Cochin Harbour and Willingdon Island
 |access-date=21 August 2006
|url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061107141411/http://www.ekm.kerala.gov.in/places.htm
 |archive-date= 7 November 2006
}}</ref>

In 1947, when India gained independence from the [[British colonial rule]], Cochin was the first [[princely state]] to join India willingly.<ref name="Corporation of Kochi" />
In 1949, [[Travancore–Cochin]] state came into being with the merger of Cochin and [[Travancore]]. The King of Travancore was the [[Rajpramukh]] of the Travancore–Cochin Union from 1949 to 1956. Travancore-Cochin, was in turn merged with the [[Malabar district]] of the [[Madras State]]. Finally, the [[Government of India]]'s [[States Reorganisation Act]] (1956) inaugurated a new state—Kerala—incorporating Travancore-Cochin (excluding the four southern Taluks which were merged with [[Tamil Nadu]]), Malabar District, and the [[tehsil|taluk]] of [[Kasaragod taluk|Kasargod]], [[South Kanara]].<ref name="lonelyplanet">{{Cite book
|author=Plunkett, R., Cannon, T., Davis, P., Greenway, P. & Harding
|year = 2001
|title = Lonely Planet South India
|publisher = Lonely Planet
|isbn=1-86450-161-8}}</ref> On 9 July 1960 the [[Mattancherry]] council passed a resolution—which was forwarded to the government—requesting the formation of a [[municipal corporation]] by combining the existing municipalities of [[Fort Kochi]], [[Mattancherry]], and [[Ernakulam]]. The government appointed a commission to study the feasibility of the suggested merger. Based on its report, the [[Kerala Legislative Assembly]] approved the corporation's formation. On 1 November 1967, exactly eleven years since the establishment of the state of Kerala, the [[Kochi Municipal Corporation]] came into existence. The merger leading to the establishment of the corporation, was between the [[municipalities]] of Ernakulam, Mattancherry and [[Fort Kochi]], along with that of the [[Willingdon Island]], four [[Panchayati raj in India|panchayats]] ([[Palluruthy]], [[Vennala]], [[Vyttila]] and [[Edappally]]), and the small islands of [[Gundu Island|Gundu]] and [[Ramanthuruth]].{{citation needed |date=August 2023}}
The Kochi and [[Ernakulam]] 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.<ref name="Ernakulam Portal"/>

The city's economic growth gathered momentum after [[economic reforms in India]] introduced by the [[Government of India|central government]] in the early 1990s. Since 2000, the [[Tertiary sector of industry|service sector]] has energised the city's economy. The establishment of several industrial parks based on [[Information technology|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.<ref name="Trade & Industry in Kochi">{{cite web
 |publisher=Govt. of Kerala
 |title=Statistical data
 |url=http://www.kerala.gov.in/statistical/panchayat_statistics2001/ekm_shis.htm
 |access-date=22 August 2006
|url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060528151219/http://www.kerala.gov.in/statistical/panchayat_statistics2001/ekm_shis.htm
 |archive-date=28 May 2006
}}</ref>