Museum of Kodungalloor:

It is Far From 32 km away, was formerly also called Muziris. This was, in ancient times, a famed sea-port on the west coast where St. Thomas is supposed to have landed in 52 AD. It was also the capital of Cheraman Perumal, King of Kerala, Whose famous palace Allal Perumkovilakam was situated near the great pagoda at Thiruvanchikulam.

The area where the palace stood is called the ‘Cheramanparambu’. This, along with the ancient Thivanchikulam Temple, the Bhagwati Temple (Where the Bharani Festival is held) and the Portuguese fort are worth visiting. Also nearby is the Cheraman Mosque, believed to be the first mosque built by Muslims in India in 644 A.D. Adding to this religious amity is the fact that the Jews first settled here before moving south to Mattancherry.

To the South of Cochin is the town of Vaikom famous for its Shiva Temple. This temple was where the historically important Vaikom Satyagraha, which led to the opening of temples to the Harijans, took place under Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership during the independence movement.

On the banks of the Periyar river is Kalady. This small town, 45 km from Cochin, is a pilgrim centre and the birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya, the great 8th century Indian philosopher of Advaita Vedanta. Here are two shrines in his memory, one dedicated to him as Dakshinamurthy and the other, to the goddess Sharada, maintained by the Shringeri Mutt. The spot where Adi Shankara’s mother, Aryamba, was cremated is called Brindavan.

Nearby is an old Shri Krishna Temple, the family temple of Shankaracharya. Another, the Shri Ramkrishna International Temple, was built in 1976, with the hope that it would ultimately become a temple for all religious and an abode of peace.