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Ernakulam

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Ernakulam Ernakulam, the commercial capital of Kerala, served by an international airport, fine communication facilities, excellent accommodation, modern amenities and a lot of attractive tourist places gives a breathtaking experience for its visitors and settlers. The district took its form on 1st April 1958, by carving out the areas of erstwhile Travancore, Kochi & Malabar kingdoms. The word Ernakulam was derived from a Tamil word 'Erayanarkulam' which means 'Lord Shiva's abode'.
Marine Drive Also called as Shanmugham Road, Marine Drive is a long gracefully curving road along the buttressed seacoast of Kochi City. The view of the backwaters and the harbour from here is really breathtaking.  The Walkway here, along the edge of the backwaters starting from behind the Children's Park to the end of the Shanmugham Road, has become  popular with both locals and tourists. The 140-metre walkway is paved with black-dotted, red-carpet ultra tiles. Cast-ironed, wooden benches, weather-proof seating on ash grey tiles and the breeze blowing in, provide recreational relaxation. Film music filters through the speakers fixed at the Renewable Energy Park, in the walkway area behind the Park.  Now there are two beautiful bridges along the walkway. At the other end of the walkway, a number of  country boats and motor boats are parked which are available for rides in the backwaters. At night, twinkling lights of ships anchored at the harbour is beautiful. There are a number of  buildings along the Marine Drive which are good examples of modern architecture like Asoka Apartments, Taj Residency, etc. The famous shopping centres GCDA complex and the Pioneer Towers at the Marine Drive houses many showrooms and restaurants. The surrounding area of the marine drive has become a favourite location for shooting sequences for movies.
Parishath Thamburan Museum  It is situated at Durbar Hall Road, Ernakulam. This museum has some typical Kerala art. It holds artifacts from the royal family including oil paintings, old coins, sculptures etc belonging to the 19th century. The adjoining gallery holds contemporary works by local Indian artists. Visit -  From Tuesday to Sunday, Time - 9.30am - 12.30 pm and 3 pm - 5 pm. Closed on Mondays and National Holidays.
Aluva 21 Kms from Ernakulam, Aluva (Alwaye) is located on the banks of the Periyar river. The Shivarathri festival celebrated here during March/April every year, is a colourful and crowded affair with vendors selling their wares and devotees staying awake the whole night in prayer to pay homage to their ancestors. One of the main attractions in Alwaye is the Alwaye Palace which is situated on the banks of the Periyar river. The old palace building, with beautiful circular verandas overlooking the river is now used as a Guest House.
Veega Land Amusement Park Located 12 Kms away from Vyttila by-pass junction, Ernakulam, Veegaland is an amusement park situated on top of a hill with enchanting scenic beauty.  Entrance time during week days is between 11.00am to 6.30pm and on Saturdays, Sundays and other holidays between 11.00am to 7.30pm. Entrance fee is lesser on week days than on holidays and week ends.  Every Wednesday is a holiday. The musical fountain,  shown in the theater is remarkable. Various water games keep adults and children fully engaged. Best place to spent a holiday or a weekend. Ph: 0484-2684001.
Malayattur 47 Kms from Kochi, the place is famous for the catholic church of St. Thomas, on top of the 600 feet high Malayattur hill. Thousands of devotees visit the church between March - April when the annual Malayattur festival is conducted.
Adi Shankara or Sringeri Math shrine is located at Kaladi, 45 Kms away from Kochi. It is open to all pilgrims irrespective of religion or caste. The shrine run by the Sringeri Math is a large, partly open structure situated right on the banks of the river Periyar. Of the two shrines here, one is dedicated to Sri Sankaracharya and the other to Goddess Saradamba, guardian deity of Sringeri. The Samadhi (tomb) of Shri Sankara's mother Aryamba and the Crocodile ghat where AdiSankara took his vows of renunciation is also seen here. The evening prayers are conducted with chanting accompanied with the rhythmic ringing of cymbals at the small temple of Vinayaka situated nearby.   Sri Sankaracharya was born at Kaladi, as the only son of Sivaguru and Aryamba, a Kerala Brahmin couple. His early life was marked by several miraculous exploits that single him out for a divine role. Among the miraculous happenings associated with his life is one, when he is believed to have diverted the course of the river Poorna, then flowing one and a half kms away from the house, for his aged mother so that she could have her daily bath in the river without walking a long way. Even today one can see the river has taken an uncharacteristic turn towards the Sringeri Math shrine, believed to be the site of Sankara's house. The extra ordinary intelligent boy mastered the Vedas and completed his studies when he was merely 16 years of age.  He then spent many years of his life preaching the Vedic Dharma as well as its universality and superiority.  He established four 'Maths' at Sringeri, Dwaraka, Joshimath and Puri. At the age of 32, he attained 'mahasamadhi'.  There is an 8 storey-high brilliantly painted memorial, the Sri Adi Sankara Keerthi Sthambam here. The entrance to the memorial, is guarded by two elephant statues. Several large statues of Ganapati, Adi Sankara and others are also housed in this memorial.
Bastion Bunglow Located at the end of the Church Road, Fort Kochi, the Baston Bunglow is built in 1667 in the Indo European style. It gets its name from its location on the site of the Stromberg Bastion of the Dutch Fort. This building blends beautifully into the circular structure of the bastion, has a tiled room and a typical first floor verandah in wood along its front portion. It is believed that  a network of secret tunnels run beneath the bungalow, but none have been found. At present this building is the official residence of the Sub collector.
The Bishops House Built by the Portuguese in A.D.1506 as residence of the Portuguese governor, Bishop house is the oldest Catholic Dioceses in India located near the Parade ground, Fort Kochi. A prominent heritage of Fort Kochi, it is characterised by large arches in Gothic Style and has circular garden path winding up to the main entrance. The building was acquired by Dome Jos Gomes Ferreira, the 27th Bishop of the Diocese of Cochin whose jurisdiction extended over Burma, Malaya and Ceylon in addition to  India. Inside the Bishop's house there is a parlour room with large walls. These walls are painted in bright colours-telling the arrival of Portuguese, the origin of Christianity in Kerala and the establishment of the Diocese. The Indo Portuguese Museum within the palace compound has some historically significant invaluable collections. There is also the dinning area, known as Dr. Mario Sorais Hall, senate hall, teak staircase, large attics, collection of Portuguese maps, small collection of antiques and the other historic materials preserved here.
Santa Cruz Basilica, a Roman Catholic Cathedral located at K.B Jacob road in Fort Kochi, is one of the finest and impressive churches in Kerala. It is a place of devotion as well as a center of historic significance, endowed  with architectural and artistic grandeur and colours of the gothic style. Located close to St. Francis Church it is the 'capital church' of the diocese of Cochin.  The history of Santa Cruz Basilica begins with the arrival of Portuguese missionaries along with the second Portuguese fleet under Pedro Alavarez Cabral on December 24, 1500. The Kochi king Godha Varma I received them very warmly. This caused the Zamorin of Calicut to declare war against Kochi. But the Portuguese army under Commander Francesco de Albuquerque who reached Kochi in 1503 defeated the enemies of the King of Kochi and in return he gave them permission to built a fort in Kochi.