Kochi is an ancient city located in the Ernakulam District in the Indian state of Kerala about 200 km from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala.
| Timeline of Kochi | |
| |
| Year | Event |
| 1102 | The kingdom of Kulasekhara breaks up, and the Permbadappu Swaroopam is formed. |
| 1341 | The port at Kodungallur is destroyed in a massive flooding in the Periyar. The prominence of Kochi as a trading post increases. |
| 1410 | Chinese treasure fleet under the command of General Zheng He visits Kochi |
| 1440 | European traveler Niccolò Da Conti visits Kochi |
| 1500 | Portuguese Admiral Pedro Álvares Cabral, lands at Kochi and establishes diplomatic relations |
| 1503 | Port of Kochi is taken over by the Portuguese. |
| 1663 | Port of Kochi taken over by the Dutch. |
| 1664 | Dutch establish municipality of Fort Kochi, the first municipality in Indian subcontinent |
| 1773 | The Kingdom of Mysore conquers Kochi. |
| 1814 | Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 officially passes the city to the Kingdom of Cochin, a British Protectorate |
| 1947 | India gains independence, Kochi joins the Indian Union. |
| 1956 | The State of Kerala is formed. |
| 1967 | Kochi Corporation comes into existence. |
For many centuries up to and during the British Raj, the city of Kochi was the seat of the eponymous princely state. Muziris, a centre of global trade somewhere north to Kochi (presently identified with Kodungallur in Thrissur district), traces its history back many centuries, when it was the centre of Indian spice trade for hundreds of years, and was known to the Jews, Arabs, Yavanas (Greeks, Romans), and Chinese since ancient times.[1] Kochi earned a significant position in Malabar Coast after the port at Kodungallur was destroyed by massive flooding of the river Periyar in 1341.[2]
The earliest documented references to Kochi occur in the books written by Chinese voyager Ma Huan, during his visit to Kochi in the 15th century as part of the treasure fleet of Admiral Zheng He.[3] There are also references to Kochi in accounts written by Italian traveller Niccolò Da Conti, who visited Cochin in 1440.[4]
Today, Kochi is the commercial hub of Kerala,[5] and one of the fastest growing second-tier metropolises in India.[6]
- ^ "History of Ernakulam". Ernakulam Portal. National Informatics Centre. Archived from the original on 15 November 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2006.
- ^ "Emergence of Kochi harbour". History of Kochi. Centre For Heritage Studies, India. Archived from the original on 15 September 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2006.
- ^ Ma Huan: Ying Yai Sheng Lan – translated by J.V.G. Mills (1970). The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores. Hakluyt Society, White Lotus Press. ISBN 974-8496-78-3.
- ^ "Accounts of Nicolo de' Conti (ca.1395–1469)". Niccolo di Conti. win.tue.nl. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2006.
- ^ "The Economy of Kochi — Trade & Industry in Kochi". Kochi Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 May 2006. Retrieved 23 May 2006.
- ^ Rakee Mohan (8 April 2006). "Developing metro and quaint environs". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2006.