Kodungallur is located at 10.22° N 76.22° E[1]. It has an average elevation of 9 metres (29 feet). Kodungallur is situated 35 km north of Kochi, 38 km south-west of Thrissur and 45 km south of Guruvayur near the Arabian Sea Shore.
The coastal highway NH17 connecting Ernakulam and Mumbai passes through this town. Kodungallur is situated 38 km south of Thrissur and 35 km north of Ernakulam. Irinjalakuda is situated 16 km north, North Paravur is 12 km south, Chalakudy is 25 km east and the temple town of Guruvayoor is 48 km north of the town. The nearest railway station is Irinjalakuda and the airport is Kochi The Kollam - Kottapuram National Waterway III ends at Kodungallur. A terminus is located close to the Kottapuram bridge. It is expected that the waterway will bring down the cost of transportation of goods in Kerala. A new bridge called Krishnankotta bridge has been opened here. It has reduced the distance between the towns of Kodungallur, Mala and Chalakudy. A new bridge at Thuruthipuram is under construction, which will open a new route to Angamaly. This road is expected to reduce the distance between Malabar and the Kochi international airport.
The Bhagawati temple at Kodungallur is of great renown throughout the state of Kerala.The Kodungallur temple is one of the four Devi temples which Bhargava Raman is said to have installed at the four boundaries of Kerala. The popular belief is that in order to save the devotees from the epidemic of chicken pox the Lokambika was installed in the Kodungallur temple by Bhargava Raman. This is one of those rare temples where the Brahmins are not performing the pooja. The Bharani festival at the Kodungallur Bhagawati temple is one of the grandest in Kerala. It is a month of festivities from the Bharani asterism in the month of Aquarius to 7 days after the Bharani asterism in the month of Pisces. Traditionally, the temple (especially during the Bharani festival) has been associated with animal sacrifices. These customs have been done away with in the 20th century. The blood of the sacrificed used to be spilled over two stones in the prakaram, and as mentioned above, this practice is now stopped. William Logan, a social historian of Kerala, noted in 1887 that, "after Onam, the national festival, Kodungallur Bharani was the most important celebration in Kerala.
St. Mar Thomas Church - Christ's apostle, St Thomas landed in Kodungallur in 52 AD. The St.Thomas Church established by him houses ancient relics and is believed to the first Christian church in India. It is a famous church and very important among the Christians.
Cheraman Jama Masjid - built around 629 AD by Malik Ibn Dinar in the typical local style of architecture and the bodies of some of the original followers are said to have been buried here. This is said to be the first mosque constructed in India .
Cranganore Fort- otherwise known as Kodungallur Fort, was built by the Portuguese in 1503, and was destroyed by Zamorin and Tipu sultan. Now remains only as relics.
The ancient Greek explorer, Hippalus landed at this port after discovering the patterns of the Indian monsoon trade winds on his way from the East coast of Africa. The evidence of the Peutinger Table suggests that there was a temple to the Roman emperor Augustus. The Greeks, the Romans (known locally as the Yavanas), and the Jews all have come to this place at different times in its ancient history. The flood of the river Periyar in 1341 AD resulted in the splitting of the left branch of the river into two just before Aluva. The flood silted the right branch (known as River Changala) and the natural harbour at the mouth of the river, and resulted in the creation of a new harbour at Kochi. An island was formed with the name Vypinkara between Vypin to Munambam during the flood. In 1523 Portuguese built their first fort there, and in 1565 enlarged it. In 1661 the Dutch took the fort, the possession of which for the next forty years was contested between this nation, the zamorin, and the raja of Kodungalur. In 1776, Tipu Sultan seized the stronghold. The Dutch recaptured it two years later, and, having ceded it to Tipu Sultan in 1784, sold it to the Travancore raja, and again in 1789 to Tippoo, who destroyed it in the following year. After Tipu's death, The Kodungallur Kovilakam controlled the lands of Kodungallur. Kodungallur then formed an autonomous principality subordinate to the Raja of Cochin and remained thus until Indian Independence in 1947. The Kodungallur Kovilakam was renowned as a centre of learning during this period. Scholars from all over Kerala came to live in the palaces and study Sanskrit and Vedic science.
Friday, September 5, 2008
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