Ernakulam | |
|---|---|
Downtown (CBD) | |
 Ernakulam marina | |
  Ernakulam Ernakulam (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:9°58′53.8″N76°17′59.6″E / 9.981611°N 76.299889°E /9.981611; 76.299889[1] | |
| Country | India |
| State | Kerala |
| District | Ernakulam |
| Government | |
| • Body | Kochi Municipal Corporation |
| Elevation | 22.36 m (73.4 ft) |
| Language | |
| • Official | Malayalam |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Telephone code | +91484xxxxxxx |
| Vehicle registration | KL-07 |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Ernakulam |
| Website | www |
Ernakulam (Malayalam:[erɐɳɐːkuɭɐm]ⓘ) is the central business district of the city ofKochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake ofErnakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after theVenduruthy Bridge is called as Wernakulam.[1] Many major establishments, including theKerala High Court, the office of theKochi Municipal Corporation and theCochin Shipyard are situated in Ernakulam. It is also the most urbanized area in the city of Kochi. The Southern Naval Command (SNC) is in Kochi, Ernakulam district, Kerala. Established in 1958, it is the largestnaval command of theIndian Navy, focusing on training and maritime security operations in theArabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
The word Ernakulam has a varied derivation, with some references to mythology and others to temples. According toKomattil Achutha Menon, the wordErangiyal got its start from a particular kind of mud. In the past, Lord Shiva was referred to asErayanar inTamil literature with a meaning "The Lord". This was done in Kerala as well, and it became known as Eranakulam after that. There are also other opinions about the origin of the name, saying that Rishinagakulam became Eranakulam after losing it, but that the word Ernakulam came from Eranakulathappan Temple, and that it came from the word Kulam (Pond) for a long time because it was full of water bodies.[2]
The region can claim to have played a significant part in fostering the trade relations betweenKerala and the outside world in the ancient and medieval period.[3] The early political history of Ernakulam is interlinked with that of theChera Dynasty of theSangam age, who ruled over vast portions ofKerala andTamil Nadu. After the Cheras, the place was later ruled by theKingdom of Cochin (Perumpadapu Swaroopam).[4]
Although under British suzerainty (specifically theEast India Company) since theAnglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814,[5]Rama Varma XII of theKingdom of Cochin moved his capital fromMattancherry toTripunithura in about 1840.[6]Fort Cochin Municipality was established in 1866 under the Madras Town Improvement Act of 1865, and municipal elections were first held in 1883.[6] Ernakulam became a municipality in 1910.[6] In the first state census of 1911, the population of Ernakulam was 21,901; 11,197Hindus, 9,357 Christians, 935Muslims, and 412 Jews.[7]
TheErnakulam District is situated in CentralKerala in India. Ernakulam is located at thegeographic coordinates of9°58′53.8″N76°17′59.6″E / 9.981611°N 76.299889°E /9.981611; 76.299889[8] and at an elevation of 22.36 m (73.4 ft) above the mean sea level.
Under theKöppen climate classification, the city of Ernakulam features aTropical monsoon climate. Since the region lies in the south western coastal state ofKerala, 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 theSouth-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 theWestern Ghats.
The city is drenched in the monsoonal season by heavy showers. The average annual rainfall is 3,000 mm (120 in). TheSouth-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 °C (91 °F) while the minimum temperature recorded is 22.5 °C (72.5 °F). The winter season records a maximum average of 29 °C (84 °F) and a minimum average of 20 °C (68 °F).[9]
Below is the climate data for Kochi Naval Base, which is situated nearby to Ernakulam.
| Climate data for Kochi (Kochi Naval Base) 1981–2010, extremes 1951–2012 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 36.4 (97.5) | 35.7 (96.3) | 36.0 (96.8) | 36.5 (97.7) | 35.2 (95.4) | 34.2 (93.6) | 33.1 (91.6) | 32.5 (90.5) | 34.2 (93.6) | 34.6 (94.3) | 35.0 (95.0) | 35.2 (95.4) | 36.5 (97.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.9 (89.4) | 32.0 (89.6) | 32.6 (90.7) | 33.0 (91.4) | 32.4 (90.3) | 30.3 (86.5) | 29.6 (85.3) | 29.5 (85.1) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.7 (87.3) | 31.3 (88.3) | 31.9 (89.4) | 31.3 (88.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.0 (73.4) | 24.2 (75.6) | 25.5 (77.9) | 25.9 (78.6) | 25.7 (78.3) | 24.2 (75.6) | 23.8 (74.8) | 24.0 (75.2) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.1 (75.4) | 23.2 (73.8) | 24.3 (75.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 16.5 (61.7) | 16.3 (61.3) | 21.6 (70.9) | 21.2 (70.2) | 21.1 (70.0) | 20.4 (68.7) | 17.6 (63.7) | 20.6 (69.1) | 21.1 (70.0) | 19.2 (66.6) | 19.2 (66.6) | 17.7 (63.9) | 16.3 (61.3) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 24.3 (0.96) | 27.1 (1.07) | 45.0 (1.77) | 113.1 (4.45) | 284.5 (11.20) | 700.3 (27.57) | 575.5 (22.66) | 378.8 (14.91) | 310.3 (12.22) | 366.6 (14.43) | 150.4 (5.92) | 39.0 (1.54) | 3,014.8 (118.69) |
| Average rainy days | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 6.9 | 11.0 | 23.0 | 22.8 | 19.0 | 13.4 | 14.2 | 7.2 | 1.8 | 124.1 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 17:30IST) | 61 | 65 | 68 | 70 | 73 | 82 | 83 | 82 | 79 | 77 | 72 | 64 | 73 |
| Source:India Meteorological Department[10][11] | |||||||||||||
As of November 2012, Ernakulam was on target to become the first district in the nation of India to have 100% banking, ensuring that all families, except for voluntary exclusions, hold bank accounts.[12]
Ernakulam, aka the CBD (Central Business District) of Kochi, has seen high urbanisation in the past few decades, thus turning it into an economic hub of the city. The first traces of this transformation were seen after the MG Road connectingRavipuram and Kacherippady was opened in 1972. The development took a new shape after theGreater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) built theMarine Drive to the West ofMG Road, in the late 70s. Marine Drive and MG Road thus became the backbone of Kochi's economic activities, and acted as the base for the city to expand in all directions thereafter. Although the current bypass of Ernakulam is quickly becoming the new
Ernakulam is a city that is connected to theNorth-South Corridor National Highway System via the four-lanedNational Highway 66 as well asNational Highway 544.TheMC Road starting from Thiruvananthapuram ends inAngamaly. The highway traverses through the entire length and breadth of the city from different points and provides access to the nearby cities such asThrissur,Palakkad,Salem andCoimbatore.NH 66 was supposed to be acting as the bypass for Kochi city, but the fast-paced urban expansion of Kochi has meant that the bypass quickly became a city road passing through the middle of it, thereby forcing the NHAI to propose a new bypass for the city.[13]
The state-ownedKerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs inter-state, inter-district and city services, mostly from the Ernakulam KSRTC bus stand which is the busiest bus stand in Kochi after theVytilla Mobility Hub. TheKerala State Road Transport Corporation also operates two other bus stations in Ernakulam region of Kochi city, called as Ernakulam Jetty and Thevara Depot.[14]
TheErnakulam Junction railway station is located close to the city's main shopping area situated on Ernakulam MG Road, and is connected by metro. TheSouthern Railway Zone of theIndian Railways operates the main rail transport system in Ernakulam.[15]
The Ernakulam Junction Railway Station is a junction and departing station of passengers and express trains, and is the stopping point for trains going towards the south sideAlappuzha. Both the North and South railway stations have been selected by the Ministry of Railways to be upgraded to airport-like ones. The redevelopment of the Ernakulam Junction railway station has recently gotten underway.[16]
TheCochin International Airport is situated about 27 kilometers away from Ernakulam. The old civilian airport of Kochi was situated much closer to Ernakulam, atWillingdon Island. It is now formally known asINS Garuda, and is a part of theSouthern Naval Command headquarters.[17]
Ernakulam region is connected with the other parts of Kochi city with theKochi Metro, which was opened in July 2017. The first phase is being set up at an estimated cost of₹51.81 billion (US$610 million),[18] and has a length of over 28 kilometres stretching fromAluva in the north toTripunithura railway station in the southeast, passing through Ernakulam.Currently 25.6 km of phase 1 from Aluva toPettah is open to public while the remaining 2.7 km from Pettah toTripunithura is under construction.[19]
Ernakulam has a number of jetties where passengers can embark and disembark from ferries. Ferry services connect with Willingdon Island,Mattancherry, Fort Kochi and Mulavukadu, at intervals of 20 minutes.[20][21]Kochi Water Metro is an integrated water metro system serving theGreater Kochi region.[22]
SWTD (Govt. of Kerala Department) offers cheap ferry service on the following routes:
| Ferry services in the vicinity of Ernakulam | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Source | Destination | Route via | Comments |
| Ernakulam | Fort Kochi | ||
| Fort Kochi | Embarkation (Willingdon Island) | ||
| Fort Kochi (Kamalakadavu Jetty) | Embarkation (Willingdon Island) | SuperFast with AC & non-AC seating | |
| Mattancherry | Fort Kochi, Terminals (Willingdon Island) | Services temporarily suspended between Terminals and Mattancherry | |
| Mattancherry | Embarkation (Willingdon Island), Fort Kochi, Terminals (Willingdon Island) | Services temporarily suspended between Terminals and Mattancherry | |
| Vypeen | Embarkation (Willingdon Island) | ||
| Vypeen | Embarkation (Willingdon Island), Fort Kochi | ||
| Varapuzha | |||
| High Court | Mulavukadu Panchayat | ||
| Vytilla | Kakkanad (near Rajagiri Campus) | ||
| Chittoor | Kadamakkudy | ||
Major Malayalam newspapers published in Ernakulam includeMalayala Manorama,Mathrubhumi,Janmabhoomi,Madhyamam,Deshabhimani,Deepika,Kerala Kaumudi,Metro Vartha,Siraj Daily,Varthamanam,Janayugom, Kochi Vartha andVeekshanam.
Popular English newspapers includeDeccan Chronicle,The Times of India,The Hindu, andThe New Indian Express. A number of evening papers are also published from the city.[23]
Newspapers in other regional languages likeHindi,Kannada,Tamil andTelugu are also sold in large numbers.
Being the seat of theCochin Stock Exchange, a number of financial publications are also published in the city. These includeThe Economic Times,Business Line,Business Standard andThe Financial Express.
Prominent magazines and religious publications like theSathyadeepam andThe Week are also published.
Television stations in Ernakulam includeAsianet,Asianet Plus,Asianet News,Zee Keralam,Surya TV,Surya Movies,Surya Music,Surya Comedy Channel,Amrita TV,Media One, Twentyfour News,Jeevan TV,Manorama News,Mathrubhumi News,Janam TV,WE TV,Flowers TV andReporter TV. DTH services are available throughDD Free Dish,Airtel digital TV,Dish TV,Sun Direct, andTata Sky. The cable operators in Ernakulam areAsianet Digital TV,Siti Cable, Kerala Vision,DEN Networks. The local channels areAsianet Cable Vision, Ernakulam cable TV and Den mtn.
All India Radio has twoFM stations in the city, operating at 102.3 MHz AIR Kochi FM and 107.5 MHz. AIR Rainbow FM Private FM radio stations areRadio Mango 91.9,Red FM 93.5,94.3 Club FM and104.0 Radio Mirchi. These operate 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Ernakulam assembly constituency is part ofErnakulam (Lok Sabha constituency).[25]
Population in Ernakulam – 24.4 million
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