ERANAKULAM

Ernakulam is the central portion of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district.[1] Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation are situated here. Ernakulam, which is where a huge part of the commercial activity in Kochi city happen, is known as the commercial capital of Kerala. The Ernakulam Junction is a major railway station of the Indian Railways, and the busiest railway station in Kochi city, the 2nd busiest in Thiruvananthapuram railway division and the 5th busiest in Southern Railways. Initially, Ernakulam was the headquarters of the Ernakulam District but was later shifted to Kakkanad, an eastern region in Kochi. Ernakulam was once the capital of the Kingdom of Cochin. It is located 220 kilometres (137 mi) 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. The Kochi Metro's first phase runs through Ernakulam region as well. The second phase aims to connect the CBD with the IT hub of Kakkanad.

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).