Ernakulam

Ernakulam refers to the eastern, mainland portion of the city of Kochi in central Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala. The Kerala High Court, the Office of the Corporation of Kochi and the Cochin Stock Exchange are situated here. The Ernakulam Junction or South station, Ernakulam Town or North Station and Ernakulam Terminus(now defunct) railway stations of the Indian Railways lies in Ernakulam. Initially, Ernakulam was the headquarters of the Ernakulam District but was later shifted to Kakkanad. Ernakulam was once the capital of the Kingdom of Cochin. It is located 220km towards 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 state government and the GCDA have plans to include Angamaly, Perumbavoor, Piravom and Kolenchery in Ernakulam district; Mala and Kodungallur in Thrissur district; Thalayolaparambu and Vaikom in Kottayam ; and Cherthala in Alappuzha district within the Kochi metropolitan limits. The newly formed metropolis would be put under the charge of a new authority called Kochi Metropolitan Regional Development Authority