The port at
Kozhikode held superior economic and political position in medieval Kerala coast, while
Kannur,
Kollam, and Kochi, were commercially important secondary ports, where the traders from various parts of the world would gather. The arrival of the Portuguese at
Kappad,
Kozhikode in 1498, during the
Age of Discovery, opened a direct sea route from
Europe to
India. However with the arrival of Portuguese, the power of
Zamorin began to decline and
Kochi began to emerge as the largest port city on the coast. The
Fort Kochi had its first municipality established under Dutch influence on 18 April 1664 which was limited within Dutch occupied Kochi Stormburg Fort (
Immanuel Fort), which was the oldest municipality in the Indian sub-continent. However, with the handing over of Kochi to the British as part of
Anglo-Dutch treaty, the municipality of Fort Kochi was disbanded and much of the local administration were then carried out by
Pandara officials (Revenue department of
Cochin Kingdom). The
Ernakulam town was under the direct protection of the British Resident of Kochi. A municipality under the chairmanship of British Resident was commissioned in 1823 to administer Ernakulam town. However it didn't have local representation, rather constituted by military officials of the
British East India Company. Fort Kochi, which was a part of
Malabar District until 1956, was made a municipality on 1 November 1866, along with
Kannur,
Thalassery,
Kozhikode, and
Palakkad, according to the Madras Act 10 of 1865 (Amendment of the Improvements in Towns act 1850) of the
British Indian Empire. Its first
Municipal Council seating contest was conducted in 1883. This was first modern municipality in the region and also the first native (not under British India) municipality of the country. Much of Kochi's progress in local administration came under reign of Maharaja Rama Varma along with support of Diwan Sankunni Menon. In the year 1873,
Mattancherry areas were demarcated out of Fort Kochi and a new municipal board was formed. In 1896, the Maharaja announced establishment of a municipal board for Ernakulam town, constituted by 4 members from palace, 2 members from local communities, one Englishman and 2 members from other religious minorities. The mayor was nominated by Maharaja. These were the first steps towards establishing a modern municipalities in the city. After independence, these 3 municipalities remained and was brought under Indian laws. In 1956 the erstwhile Elamkulam Panchayat and a portion of Cheranallur Panchayat (Pachalam - Vaduthala) were amalgamated to the Ernakulam Municipality. In 1962 a portion of Palluruthy Panchayat (Mundamveli area) was amalgamated to the then Mattancherry Municipality. Edappally Panchayat was formed in 1946 and Palluruthy and Vyttila in 1953. The idea behind the formation of Kochi Municipal Corporation was first shaped in the Mattancherry Municipal Council. The Council passed a resolution requesting the Government to form Cochin Municipal Corporation amalgamating the Municipalities of Ernakulam, Mattancherry and Fort Kochi, on 9 July 1960. However, the erstwhile Fort Kochi Municipal Council was strongly opposed to this proposal. Kerala State Assembly approved the proposal of Cochin Municipal Corporation. The
Government of Kerala, as per their order G.O. (MS) 276/67/DD dt. 27/9/67, notified the formation of the Municipal Corporation of Kochi by amalgamating the three historical Municipalities of the state (Ernakulam, Mattancherry and Fort Kochi) with the Willingdon Island, four
Panchayats (Palluruthy, Vennala, Vyttila and Edappally) and the small islands of Gundu Dweepu, Ramanthuruth. The new Corporation came into existence on 1 November 1967, having a total area of 83.524 km2. The name of the Corporations was later changed to Kochi Municipal Corporation, to reflect the local name. == Structure ==