Kochi ranks first in the total number of international and domestic tourist arrivals in Kerala.
[9][10] Kochi has been ranked the sixth best tourist destination in India according to a survey conducted by the Nielsen Company on behalf of the
Outlook Traveller magazine.
[11] Kochi was one of the 28 Indian cities found to be among the emerging 440 global cities that will contribute 50% of the world GDP by the year 2025, in a study done by McKinsey Global Institute.
[12]
It was earlier thought that the nets might have been introduced by the
Chineseexplorer
Zheng He.
[24] Recent research shows that these were introduced by Portuguese Casado settlers from
Macau[25]
A painting depicting the city of Kochi (c.1682)
Transport
The air gateway to Kochi is the
Cochin International Airport (CIAL) located at
Nedumbassery, which is about 28 km (17 mi) north of Kochi city, and handles both domestic and international flights.
[83] It is the first international airport in India to be built without Central Government funds.
[84]
The Cochin airport provides direct connectivity to popular international destinations in the Middle East, Malaysia and Singapore and to most major Indian cities apart from tourist destinations like
Lakshadweep. Kochi is also the headquarters of the
Air India Express service. With a terminal area of 840,000 sq ft (78,000 m
2), and a passenger capacity of 1800, it is the largest and busiest airport in the state.
[85] It is also the fourth busiest airport in India in terms of international passenger traffic, and seventh busiest overall.
[86][87][88][89]
Kochi is well connected to neighboring cities and states via several highways. It is a node in the
North-South Corridor of the National Highway system.
National Highways[edit]
Kochi is part of the North-South Corridor of India's National System via the NH 47
NH17 (now renumbered as NH 66) connects Kochi with Panvel near Mumbai and passes through major junctions like Edappally and Vytilla in the city.
NH966B is a 6 km (3.7 mi) stretch of highway connecting Kundanoor Junction on the mainland to the Willingdon Island. It is the shortest stretch of highway on the Indian National Highways system.
State Highways[edit]
City Roads[edit]
Public Transport[edit]
A Volvo
KSRTC bus in Kochi
The primary form of public transport within the city is largely dependent on privately owned bus networks. The state-run also operates its services in the city through the Thirukochi service. The major bus terminals in the city are Ernakulam Town, Ernakulam Jetty and the private bus terminal at Kaloor. An integrated transit terminal namely The
Mobility Hub at
Vytilla is under 2nd phase of construction. The terminal acts as a hub for long distance bus services away from the city centre, and also to provide access to the other public transport facilities.
[97]
Kochi is one of the few cities to be granted the new generation air-conditioned low floor and non air-conditioned semi low-floor buses under the
JNNURMcity transport development project. Call taxis and
auto rickshaws (called
autos) are available for hire throughout the day.
Development of road infrastructure not keeping pace with the increase in traffic is a major problem faced by Kochi, like most other parts of Kerala.
[98]
The
South station is one of the busiest railway stations in South India, with more than 128 scheduled train services daily.
[99] The
North station situated on the northern side of the city, caters mostly to long distance services that bypass the
South station, and also is an additional halt station for many trains.
Edapally Railway Station is a smaller halt station for passenger services and few express trains. The major station at
Aluva, the station at
Thripunithuraand the halting stations at
Kalamassery, Nettoor, Kumbalam and Aroor serve the outskirts of the city and the surrounding metropolitan area.
There is a historic station named as
Ernakulam Terminus(station code:ERG) situated behind the
High Court. Great personalities like
Mahatma Gandhiand The
British Viceroy have visited Cochin through this old railway station. Ernakulam Terminus was the first station to serve the city but had to be abandoned in the early 1960s. Now this station operates as a goods depot of Southern Railway.
[104]
Kochi Metro[edit]
Main article:
Kochi Metro
The Route Map of Proposed Phase 1 of Kochi Metro Rail Network.
The
Kochi Metro is an under-construction
metro rapid transit system for the city of Kochi, intended to considerably ease traffic congestion in the city and its surrounding metropolitan area.
[105] It is being set up at an estimated cost of
5146 crore (US$790 million). Expected to be complete by 2016, the metro system will have 22 stations connecting the suburban towns of
Aluva and Pettah while passing through downtown Kochi.
[106]
On 13 September 2012, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the Kochi Metro Rail project.
[107] The
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), with
E Sreedharan as principal advisor, has been entrusted to execute the implementation of the Kochi Metro.
[108][109] The project received the central Public Investment Board's green signal in March 2012. The union cabinet gave its final nod for Kochi Metro on 3 July 2012.
[110] Preparatory works for the system that includes building railway over bridges, repaving roads and land acquisition are in progress.
[111][112] Construction work on the first phase of the metro commenced on 7 June 2013. The first phase covering 25 km is expected to be completed by 2016.
[113]
Junkar Service Fort Cochin
Kochi ranks among India's major seaports, partly due to being one of the safest harbours in the Indian Ocean.
[114] The port, administered by a statutory autonomous body known as the
Cochin Port Trust, offers facilities for
bunkering, handling cargo and passenger ships and storage accommodation.
The
Kochi Marina is the first, and currently only marina in India
It also operates passenger ships to
Colombo and
Lakshadweep. Boat services are operated by
Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation, the
State Water Transport Department and private firms from various
boat jetties in the city. The
junkar ferry for the transshipment of vehicles and passengers between the islands are operated between Ernakulam and
Vypin, and between Vypin and Fort Kochi. However, with the construction of the
Goshree bridges (which links Kochi's islands), ferry transport has become less essential. The main boat jetties are Ernakulam Main Boat Jetty near Park Avenue, High Court Jetty in Banerjee Road, Embarkation Jetty in Willingdon Island and Fort Kochi Jetty.
Demographics[edit]
| Religions in Kochi |
|---|
| Religion | | | Percentage | |
| Hindu |
| 47% |
| Christian |
| 35% |
| Muslim |
| 17% |
| Others |
| 1% |
With a population of 601,574 As of 2011, the city of Kochi has Kerala's highest population density parameter with 6340 people per km
2. As of 2011, Kochi had a metropolitan area population of 2,117,990.
Scheduled castes and tribes comprise 14% of the city's population.
[citation needed] .The female-to-male ratio is 1,028:1,000, significantly higher than the all-India average of 933:1,000. Kochi's literacy rate is 97.5%. The female literacy rate lags that of males by 1.1%, amongst the lowest such gaps in India.
Kochi's major religions are
Hinduism,
Christianity and
Islam.
Jainism,
Judaism,
Sikhism and
Buddhism, with smaller followings, are also practised in Kochi. Though 47% practise Hinduism, Christianity's large following (35%) makes Kochi a city with one of the largest Christian populations in India.
[115][116] [117] The majority of the city's residents are
Malayalis. However, there are significant ethnic minority communities including
Tamils,
Gujaratis,
Jews,
Anglo-Indians,
Sikhs,
Konkanis and
Tulus.
[118][119] Malayalam is the main language of communication and medium of instruction for primary education, although a number of schools do offer English medium education. The higher education is invariably in English medium, and it is the preferred language in business circles.
Tamil and
Hindi are widely understood—albeit rarely spoken.
Like other fast-growing cities in the developing world, Kochi suffers from major
urbanisation problems, poor
sanitation, vector problem, heavy pollution. The city was ranked 10th among Indian cities in terms of house-cost and availability, urban household crowding and household incomes.
[121]
Shortage of potable water is a major concern in the city.
[122] The situation is aggravated by the threat posed by pollution in industrial areas.
[123] Water pollution in Kochi is very high with about 80% of the open wells are polluted.
[124] Kochi is also one among the 50 most polluted cities in India,
[125] which was ranked 24th by Central Pollution Control Board.
[126][127] The economic boom of the last decade has made Kochi a favourite spot among job seekers. In 2003, the region of the district where the city belongs registered an unemployment rate of 24.5%, roughly 9.7% more than the rate in 1998
[128] which was then the third highest unemployment rate behind state capital
Thiruvananthapuram and
Kannur. However the economic boom of the ensuing decade saw Kochi soaring into one of the employment hubs of the country, as indicated by various studies in last few years.
[129][130][131] This has resulted in the a large number of migrants flowing into the city. Kochi is found to have largest share of migrant workers coming to Kerala in search of employment .
[132] The economic boom and the flow of migrants has also created a problems of a different kind. The migration has contributed to a growing
slum-dwelling population.
[133] [134] The government has plans to make the city slum-free by 2016.
[135] According to the
National Crime Records Bureau, the city holds the fourth position in the number of recorded crimes in India.
[136][137][138] In 2009, the city recorded an average crime rate of 646.3 against the national average of 181.4.
[137]But Kochi City Police Commissioner later clarified that this anomaly was due to higher reporting rates of minor crimes in Kochi than in other Indian cities.
[139] The State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) report gives further credence to this as it finds that Kochi has the least number of crime against women in the state of Kerala.
[140] According to the 2011 CII/Institute of Competitiveness report on Liveability,
[141] Kochi stands first in the state, and 6th in the country. Kochi is ranked seventh in the list of the top ten most affluent cities in India by 2009 study by Nielsen Company.
[142]
Culture[edit]
Pedestrians can stroll along the
Marine Drive, a waterfront promenade of Kochi.
As a result of successive waves of migration over the course of several centuries, the population of the city is a mix of people from all parts of Kerala and most of India. The pan-Indian nature is highlighted by the substantial presence of various ethnic communities from different parts of the country.
[143]
Kochi has a diverse, multicultural, and secular community consisting of Malayalis, Konkanis,
[144][145] Gujaratis,
[118][119] Bengalis,
Marathis,
[147]Punjabis, Tamilians, Biharis and a few families of Jews among other denominations, all living in peaceful co-existence. The city once had a large Jewish community, known as the
Malabar Yehuden—and now increasingly as
Cochin Jews—that figured prominently in Kochi's business and economic strata.
[149] The
Syro-Malabar Church, one of the 22
sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches, has its seat at Ernakulam. The headquarters of the
Archdiocese of Verapoly and the
Diocese of Cochin are also situated in the city. Prominent places of Christian worship include the
St. Mary's Cathedral, the
St. Antony's Shrine at
Kaloor and
St Mary's Bascilica,Vallarpadam. Appropriate to its multi-ethnic composition, Kochi celebrates traditional Kerala festivals like
Onam and
Vishu along with
North Indian Hindu festivals like
Holi with great fervour. Christian and Islamic festivals like Christmas, Easter,
Eid ul-Fitr and
Milad-e-sherif are also celebrated. A merry making fest called the
Cochin Carnival is celebrated at Fort Kochi during the last ten days of December.
The residents of Kochi are known as Kochiites; they are an important part of the
South Indian culture. However, the city's culture is rapidly evolving with Kochiites generally becoming more cosmopolitan in their outlook.
[58] The people are also increasingly fashion-conscious, often deviating from the
traditional Kerala wear to western clothing.
Kochiites generally partake of
Keralite cuisine, which is generally characterised by an abundance of
coconut and
spices. Other
South Indian cuisines, as well as
Chinese and
North Indian cuisines are popular.
Fast food culture is also very prominent.
[150] Being a tourist hotspot, Fort Kochi have a number of restaurants that offer international cuisine, like Italian, French, Mexican etc. Being close to the ocean and the backwaters, Kochi has an abundance of seafood, which reflects in the cuisine. A service known as
You Buy, We Cook is available at the waterfront of Fort Kochi, where the fresh seafood purchased from the nets is cooked as per the customers needs.
[151] Arabian food joints that serve
Shawarma and roasted chicken are a new addition to the fast food scene in the city.
The Maharajas of Kochi (then Cochin) were scholars who knew the epics and encouraged the arts. The paintings at the
Hill Palace and the
Dutch Palace are testimony to their love for arts.
Healthcare[edit]
Ernakulam ESI hospital new building
With a large number of advanced tertiary/quaternary care facilities, Kochi has one of the best healthcare facilities in India. It is the prime destination for people seeking advanced healthcare facilities from across Kerala.
[155] [156] In recent times, it has attracted a large number of patients from all over India, Middle East, African nations as well as from Europe and United States looking for relatively inexpensive advanced medical care. Kochi is the only city from
Kerala that have carried out successful heart transplantations.
[157] Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre,
Sunrise Hospital Kakkanad,
Specialists Hospital Ernakulam,
Medical Trust Hospital,
PVS Memorial Hospital Kaloor,
Lakeshore Hospital,
Lisie Hospital are some of the advanced tertiary/quaternary healthcare facilities in Kochi. There are a large number of tertiary/quaternary medicare institutions that are newly coming up in Kochi including
Aster Medicity,
Rajagiri Institute of Medical Sciences and
Medical Trust Institute of Medical Sciences.
[citation needed] Other reputed institutions in the city include
Ernakulam Medical Centre,
KIMS Hospital,
Renai Medicity,
Lourde's Hospital,
Kochi Medical College, and
Saraf Hospital. Some of the reputed fertility related treatment centres in India – like
Vijaya Hospital,
Bourn Hall Clinic and
CIMAR – are located in Kochi.
General Hospital, Ernakulam is the only notable medical institution in the government sector in Kochi.
Education[edit]
Primary Education[edit]
The pattern of primary education is essentially the same all over the state. There are government owned schools and government aided schools, which are affiliated to the
Kerala State Education Board. A few privately owned schools are also affiliated to the system. Most of the schools owned by private organizations or individuals are affiliated to the
Central Board for Secondary Education(CBSE).
Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) have some schools affiliated to them as well. The state education board offers both Malayalam and English medium instruction, while the other boards offer English medium alone. There are a few schools that follow international curricula, such as IB and IGCSE.
There 34 government schools, 67 private aided schools and 31 unaided schools affiliated to the Kerala State Education Board in the city and suburbs.
[158] There are 62 CBSE Schools, 2 IGCSE and 9 ICSE Schools as well.
[159][160]
The general pattern of education is ten years of common schooling to reach the secondary level. Kindegartens are widely available, but considered separate from formal schooling, and generally unregulated. After the secondary level, three streams, namely
Arts,
Commerce or Science are offered for higher secondary education. After finishing the school, students can opt for higher education related to the streams they had undergone for higher secondary schooling.
The notable schools in the government sector are
Sree Rama Varma High School, Edappally High School, Government School-Kochi and Govt Girls High School. There are
Kendriya Vidyalaya,
Chinmaya Mission and
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan run several quasi-private charter schools within the city limits, as well as in the suburbs. There are several fully private schools that are owned by secular and religious trusts which are of particular renown, such as
The Delta Study, Rajagiri Public School, Campion School,
Cochin Refineries School,Gregorian Public School, Toc-H Public School, Global Public School,
Choice School,
Vidyodaya School,
Mar Thoma Public School and Nava Nirman Public School.
Higher Education[edit]
The city and outskirts are home to four medical schools —
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre at
Elamakkara,
Cochin Medical College at
Kalamassery,
Sree Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences,
M.O.S.C. Medical College, Kolenchery. Some of the prestigious general colleges are
Maharaja's College,
St. Albert's College,
St. Teresa's College,
Sacred Hearts College,
Bharata Matha College,
Aquina's College and
Cochin College. The major Engineering and Technology colleges in the city are
CUSAT Engineering Schools,
Model Engineering Collegeand
Rajagiri School of Engineering & Technology.
Social service organisations[edit]
Some of the main orphanages and rehabilitation shelters in Cochin City are
Palluruthy Relief Settlement in Palluruthy Veli, Don Bosco Sneha Bhavan, Don Bosco Big Boys, Crescent Girls Orphanage,
YMCA Boys Home,
[165] Bal Bhavan, Valsalya Bhavan.
[166]
The orphanages for children under
Don Bosco Sneha Bhavan Cochi are Sneha Bhavan Annexe, SnehaBhavan, Valsalya Bhavan, Don Bosco and Bosco Nilayam. The
Childline India project in Cochin is taken in collaboration with Don Bosco. Children in distress and in need of help can contact in '1098' (toll free number).
[172] Sneha Bhavan Annexe is the first point of contact with children and children can stay as a safe night shelter.
[173] Sneha Bhavan is a home for the children from the streets and for those from unhealthy and risky situations. The Valsalya Bhavan centre is solely for the girls who are rescued from the streets. Runaways, street children, children of sex workers, abused children and child labourers all live here. Along with primary and high school education at a local school, the centre provides shelter, food, clothing and educational support.
[174]
There are many good people doing independent social service. The Italian Sister Sabiola conducts a home at
Fort Cochin known as "Ashwasa Bhavan", for young orphaned children.
[175] Br. Judson run his own mobile bath in his vehicle for the abandoned: His "Mobile Bath Service" moves around Kochi mornings and in evenings to clean and clothe people living on the streets. Judson washes and cleanses their wounds, provides them new clothes and food, and takes them to shelters in the city.
[176][177]
Like elsewhere in Kerala, football is the most passionate sport among locals. Kochi is home to two of India's major professional football teams,
FC Kochin and
Chirag United Kerala and also teams like Josco FC since 2008.
[197][198]
The Maharaja's Stadium located on MG Road in the heart of the city, is the major athletic facility in the state with synthetic tracks and turf grass as per international standards.
[201] The Ambedkar stadium, maintained by
GCDA, will be developed exclusively for Football with funds from
Government of Kerala and
FIFA.
[202] Spanish club
Real Madrid has proposed to set up a football school in Kochi.
The
Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex at Kadavanthara is a major indoor stadium, mainly used for conducting badminton, tennis and basketball tournaments. The 25m X 10m swimming pool
[204] at the centre is one of the larger water sports facility in the state, where regular swimming competitions and coaching are conducted.
The FACT Grounds at Udyogamandal, Sacred Heart's College Grounds and St.Albert's College Grounds are the other major training facilities for various games like volleyball, badminton, cricket etc.
Kochi has two
golf courses in the city, and one in the suburbs. The oldest golf club is located at Bolgatty Palace constructed in 1903, which is a nine hole facility run by Cochin Golf Club society.
[205] The Cochin Golf and Country Club located near to Cochin Airport, operated by CIAL, is Kerala's first 18 hole golf course with a playing area of over 7,200
yards. The first phase of the all-weather golf course comprising nine holes was opened in May 2010 for members and public. The expansion to a 18 hole course is progressing, which is scheduled to be open in September 2012.
[206] The nine hole golf course at the Naval Base is restricted only for military personnel.
[207]
Being surrounded by water bodies, the city is ideal for
Yachting. The Kerala Yachting Association and
[208] the Cochin Yacht Club
[209] are located in the city. Both organizations conduct regular yachting tournaments. Kochi was the only Indian city chosen for stopover during the
Volvo Ocean Race 2008.
[210]
