Palluruthy, Kochi: A Neighbourhood Guide to West Kochi's Temple Town
Palluruthy joined the Corporation of Cochin on 1 November 1967. Its temples, the Pulavanibham fair, how to get there, and who it suits.
Palluruthy is a neighbourhood in West Kochi, south of Thoppumpady, and it has been part of the city since 1 November 1967, when the Palluruthy panchayat was folded into the new Corporation of Cochin. Its best-known landmarks are two temples, the Sree Bhavaneeswara Temple consecrated by Sree Narayana Guru and the Azhakiyakavu Bhagavathy Temple, and it is known for Pulavanibham, a trade fair held every year since the late 1700s. In our view, it is a good fit if you work in West Kochi or on Willingdon Island, and a poor one if your office is in Kakkanad.
- Where is Palluruthy, and is it part of Kochi Corporation?
- Which temples is Palluruthy known for?
- What is Pulavanibham?
- How do you get to Palluruthy?
- Who should live in Palluruthy?
Where is Palluruthy, and is it part of Kochi Corporation?
Yes. Palluruthy sits in the water-edged western half of the city, south of Thoppumpady, with Edakochi and Perumbadappu to the south and Kumbalangi to the southwest; its PIN code is 682006. It began as a panchayat in 1953. In 1962 part of it, the Mundamveli area, went to the then Mattancherry municipality, and on 1 November 1967 the rest joined the Corporation of Cochin alongside the Vennala, Vyttila and Edappally panchayats, the Fort Kochi, Mattancherry and Ernakulam municipalities, and Willingdon Island.
On the Corporation's current ward list, the area around Palluruthy includes these wards, spelled as the Corporation spells them:
- 56 Palluruthy East, 57 Thazhuppu, 58 Eadakochi North and 59 Edakochi South
- 60 Perumbadappu, 62 Palluruthy-Kacheripadi, 63 Nambyapuram and 64 Palluruthy
- 61 Konam, 65 Pullardesam and 66 Tharebhagam
- 67 Thoppumpady, 68 Mundamvely East and 69 Mundamvely
Which temples is Palluruthy known for?
At the Sree Bhavaneeswara Temple, the Shiva linga was consecrated by Sree Narayana Guru, who also installed shrines to Bhagavathi, Muruga and Ganapathy there, and its main festival, the Pooyam Mahotsavam, falls in the Malayalam month of Kumbham, around February or March.
The Azhakiyakavu Bhagavathy Temple is dedicated to Bhadrakali. Its Pattu Thalappoli festival starts on the first day of Makaram, in mid-January, and runs for about 25 days, and the temple also holds a Pongala on Kumbha Bharani.
What is Pulavanibham?
Pulavanibham is a trade fair held at the Azhakiyakavu temple on the last Thursday of the Malayalam month of Dhanu, which falls in early to mid-January, and it has run every year since the late 1700s. Its origin story is worth knowing. According to legend, during a smallpox outbreak, Pulaya villagers who had been refused entry to the temple because of caste were allowed in through its northern side on that day by the Maharaja of Cochin, and Pulaya traders from across Kerala sold handmade goods there. The fair commemorates that concession. In our view it is one of the more honest pieces of Kochi history you can walk into: a reminder of who was once kept out.
How do you get to Palluruthy?
By road, and mostly through Thoppumpady. Two bridges connect Thoppumpady to Willingdon Island: the old Harbour Bridge, built under Sir Robert Bristow and commissioned in 1943, is now restricted to light vehicles, while the BOT bridge, opened in 1998 as Kerala's first Build-Operate-Transfer bridge, takes most of the traffic. Our history of Willingdon Island explains why so much of West Kochi funnels through here. From Edakochi, the Kannangattu bridge, opened in September 2017, gives a second route onto the island.
| Mode | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Kochi Metro | No station in West Kochi |
| Water Metro | No Palluruthy terminal; Fort Kochi, Mattancherry and Willingdon Island have operational terminals, and one is planned at neighbouring Edakochi |
| Car or scooter | Via the Thoppumpady bridges or the Kannangattu bridge from Edakochi |
Who should live in Palluruthy?
People with work in West Kochi, on Willingdon Island or in Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, and families who want a settled residential area with its own temple calendar. It is a harder sell for anyone commuting daily to Infopark: with no metro and most trips east crossing Willingdon Island, via Thoppumpady or the Kannangattu bridge, Kakkanad is a long way off. The upside of that relative isolation is proximity to the water, and Kumbalangi, with its Chinese nets and backwater tourism, is close by. More area guides are in Guides.
Written By
Haila Kochi Editorial Team
Part of the Haila Kochi editorial team, covering the food, business, lifestyle, and people that make Kochi what it is.
