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Virtually an island, surrounded by backwaters and the sea, the small country town of KODUNGALLUR (Cranganore), 35km south of Thrissur, is rich in Keralan history. The typically dusty and nondescript modern town contrasts sharply with tales of its illustrious past. Kodungallur has been identified as the site of the ancient cities of Vanji,one-time capital of the Chera kingdom, and Muziris,described in the first century AD by the Roman traveler, Pliny, as Primum Emporium Indiae,the most important port in India. Other accounts describe the harbor as crowded with great ships, warehouses, palaces, temples and Yavanas (a generic term for foreigners) who brought gold, and left with spices, sandalwood, teak, gems and silks. Its life as a great port was curtailed in 1341 by floods that silted up the harbor, leading to the development of Kochi (Cochin). Kodungallur is also reputed to be the site where the Apostle Thomas - Doubting Thomas - landed in 52 AD, bringing Christianity to the subcontinent. Jews fleeing the fall of Jerusalem arrived in 69 AD and established themselves as the dons of the spice trade. By the seventh century, the region had long enjoyed peaceable relations with the Arab world, thanks to its sea trade, so it was unsurprising when King Cheraman Perumal converted to Islam, abdicated, and immigrated to Mecca. It is said that he founded the Cheraman Juma Masjid here, making it the earliest mosque to be built in India.
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The town is best visited in a day-trip by bus from Thrissur's Shakthan Thampuran stand (90min), or en route between Thrissur and Kochi. If you want to stay at Kodungallur, the Hotel Indraprastham close to the town centre (tel 0488/602678; Rs100-400) has ordinary and competitively priced a/c rooms as well as a run-of-the-mill "meals" restaurant and an a/c "family" restaurant; they also have a bar. |
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