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Aluva (Malayalam pronunciation: [ɐːluʋɐ]) is a municipality^[1] and a northern suburb of the city of Kochi in Kerala. It is located about 15 km (9.3 mi) north of the city centre.

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Quick Facts Alwaye (colonial name), Country ...

Aluva Alwaye (colonial name)
Municipality In Kochi^[1]
Clockwise from top: Mahadeva Temple; New Bridge; Aluva metro station; Marthandavarma Bridge; Municipal Office; Periyar river; Federal Bank Headquarters; Gandhi Statue
Aluva Location in Kerala, India Show map of Kerala Aluva Aluva (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 10.1167°N 76.3500°E / 10.1167; 76.3500
Country	India
State	Kerala
District	Ernakulam
Established	1921
Government
• Chairman	M.O John
• MLA	Anwar Sadath
Area
• Total	7.18 km² (2.77 sq mi)
Elevation	8 m (26 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	22,428
• Density	3,358/km² (8,700/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Malayalam, English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	6831xx
Telephone code	0484
Vehicle registration	KL 41
Sex ratio	1000:1050 ♂/♀
Website	www.aluvamunicipality.in

Aluva is known for the Sivarathri festival, which is celebrated annually on the sandbanks of the Periyar River.^[2] The Advaita Ashram in Aluva, founded in 1913 by Sree Narayana Guru, an Indian social reformer, further enhances the region’s cultural heritage.^[3] Today, despite being part of both the city and the Kochi urban agglomeration, Aluva remains an autonomous municipality with its civic administration conducted by the Aluva Municipal Council, since Kochi Corporation has not expanded its limits for over 53 years.

Aluva also serves as the administrative centre of the Aluva taluk. In 1956, the taluks of villages—including Mukundapuram, Kanayannur, Kunathunad, and North Paravur—were combined to form the Aluva taluk. The headquarters of the District Police Chief of the Ernakulam Rural Police District, the Superintending Engineer of PWD (Roads), and the District Educational Officer are also located there. Additionally, Aluva is the northern starting point of the Kochi Metro rail’s first phase, which began operations in June 2017, and it is integrated into the Kochi city bus network. The Metro station is situated at Bypass, Aluva.

Etymology

The etymology of the town’s name has been the subject of speculation for centuries. One widely accepted version relates to the legend of the Hindu god Shiva drinking the Kalakootam poison to save the world. It is said that, with the poison (alam) held in his mouth (vaa), Shiva was transformed into a deity who later resided in a temple in Aluva.^[4] The Sivarathri festival is celebrated in his honour. The city is also known as the "gateway to the east".^{[citation needed]} Some leaflets and websites still refer to the town by its colonial name, Alwaye.

History

Archaeological evidence indicates that settlements existed in Aluva as early as 250 BC.^[5] Until 1341 CE, Aluva comprised a continuous area of land spanning Kakkanad and Alangad. By that time, the town was densely populated and had become both a holiday resort and a centre of commerce.^[6] Mangalappuzha, a branch of the Periyar that bifurcates at Aluva, was known as a significant centre of trade in South India. Prior to Indian independence, Aluva was part of the Kingdom of Travancore and served as the official summer residence of its royal family. In the twentieth century, when a community of Jews resided in Kochi, some individuals maintained holiday homes in Aluva along the banks of the Periyar River.^[7]

Politics

Aluva is a constituency in the Kerala Legislative Assembly and forms part of the Chalakudy (Lok Sabha constituency); Anwar Sadath serves as the MLA for Aluva.^[8] It is also part of the Chalakudy (Lok Sabha constituency), represented by Benny Behanan, a member.

Administratively, Aluva is governed as a municipality.^[9] The current municipal council is led by the Indian National Congress Party under M. O. John, who was elected in December 2020. Previously, the council was chaired by Lissy Abraham (2015–2020) and M. T. Jacob (2010–2015).

Travel

Summarize

Perspective

Aluva is well connected to other parts of India via air, road, and rail.

Air

Cochin International Airport is located 15 km (9.3 mi) from the town centre and offers both domestic and international connections.^{[citation needed]}

Rail

Train

Aluva Railway Station (IR Code: AWY) is a grade-A station and the third busiest in Kochi after Ernakulam Junction railway station and Ernakulam Town railway station. Every passenger and express train bound for southern Kerala stops here. Travelers from the Idukki district typically use either the Aluva or the Tripunithura railway station, as the topography of Idukki does not allow for a railway station. Notably, no trains originate or terminate at Aluva Railway Station. The station is situated at the junction of Railway Station Road near the KSRTC stand, which provides connections via KSRTC buses and City Low Floor buses (with and without A/C) to serve most locations in Kerala.^{[citation needed]}

Additionally, a smaller station, Chowara, is located approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) from the Aluva railway station.

Metro

Kochi Metro Phase 1 starts at the Aluva Bypass and operates until it reaches Pettah. The construction of the project was started in mid-2013; Phase 1 commenced its operations on 19 June 2017.^[10] Kochi Metro Rail Limited is a project of the Kerala Government undertaken by DMRC aside from Aluva Flyover. Aluva metro station is the northern terminus of Phase 1.^[10] Kochi Metro is expected to overcome the traffic problems in the Aluva-Edappally-Ernakulam road corridor, which is the second busiest road corridor in Kochi after the Kundannoor-Edappally section of NH 66. It is also expected to increase the amount of civil infrastructure in the city. Development of Kochi metro has raised the commercial value of the land, and has played a role in Aluva's assimilation into Kochi city.

The metro system's third phase is supposed to extend the line further north from Aluva to the northern suburb Angamaly in order to connect to the Cochin International Airport.

Bus

Rajiv Gandhi Central Bus Station is one of the largest private bus terminals in Kochi and Kerala. Aluva KSRTC bus station is also a bus station in central Kerala.^[11] The daily passenger buses of Karnataka RTC and Tamil Nadu's SETC have routes to places such as Mysore, Mangalore, Bangalore, Trichy, Coimbatore, Salem, Palani, and Kodaikanal.

Privately operated inter-state buses^[12] to Bangalore, Chennai, Mysore, Mumbai, and other cities have stops in points of Aluva.

Rajiv Gandhi Central acts as a node for Kochi city buses, with intra-city services to city regions such as Fort Kochi, Tripunithura, Kakkanad, etc. It is also a hub for private bus companies in the city, such as Kochi Wheels.

Kochi Metro Rail Limited also runs a bus service from Aluva metro station to Cochin International Airport named Pavan Doot. It uses an electric bus.

Ferry

Aluva is a stop for National Waterway 3; the waterway connects to Thiruvananthapuram in the south and to Kottapuram (Thrissur) in the north.^{[citation needed]}

Landmarks

Culture

Summarize

Perspective

This section does not cite any sources. (November 2023)

Aluva's culture has been influenced by the people native to it and by those attracted to it due to factors such as its proximity to the Periyar River.

Several Malayalam movie songs are dedicated to the river Periyar. Poets such as Changapuzha Krishna Pillai, G. Sankara Kurup and Balachandran Chullikkadu, and critic Kuttipuzha Krishnapilla, and novelist Subash Chandran are from Aluva and lived there. Though not from the Aluva area, Vayalar Ramavarma and O.N.V Kurup wrote about Periyar; Aluva influenced their writing.

The mimicry comedy that dominated the cultural landscape of Kerala beginning in the 1980s was originated in Aluva by stand-up comedians from that area, though they got larger audiences and fans in Kochi and Malayalam movies later, which would make them fixations of Kerala's popular culture. The actor known as Dileep is from the latter part of the time in which parody was considered to be popular. With Kochi becoming the base for Mollywood, several parts of the city, including Aluva, have featured in films such as Premam (portraying the erstwhile Aluva town in the 90s and early 2000s) and Nizhal.

Several newspapers and magazines were published in Aluva during the print era. Continuing with the tradition of published writing, the first online magazine and blogging platform was started in Aluva by puzha.com, which still exists on the Internet.^[when?]

Tourists can find the Manappuram as a long stretch of sand bank followed by a plain. Sivagiri Ashram has a small temple that worships Sree Narayana Guru. Tourist spots include Mahadeva Temple and Aluva Palace.

Business

This section does not cite any sources. (November 2023)

Aluva is the home of multiple business headquarters. Aluva is known for its "Aluva Pukayillatha Aduppu" (smokeless stove), which was invented by the Alwaye Settlement Church. One private sector bank in India, The Federal Bank, has its headquarters in Aluva.

Aluva serves as a prominent centre for aspiring chartered accountants (CAs) and Company Secretaries (CS).^{[citation needed]} Noteworthy chartered accountancy firms in the area encompass Balan & Co and Yesjay Associates, among others. Additionally, the Kerala State Civil Service Academy has established a branch in Aluva.

Education

Colleges

Union Christian College
St.Xaviers College for Women
Bharata Matha College of Commerce and Arts

Schools and other educational institutions

Vidyadhiraja Vidyabhavan Higher Secondary School
Jyothi Nivas Senior Secondary School, Aluva-2^[13]
Jeevass CMI Central School^[14]

Aluva Mahadeva Temple

This section does not cite any sources. (November 2023)

The Mahadeva Temple is 1 km away from the Marthanda Varma bridge in NH-47. Periyar river splits into two rivers near the Aluva railway bridge. After the splitting, one part of the river is known as Mangalappuzha. Aluva Mahadeva Temple is located on the sand bank between the Mangalppuzha and Periyar river.

The temple's Shiva linga is not enshrined in a sreekovil; it rises out of the sand banks of the Periyar river. The land on which the sand banks are located is called the Aluva Manal Puram (land with sand).