Thripunithura is a historical town near the city of Kochi, which used to be the capital of the erstwhile kingdom of Kochi. The town is abode to several historical monuments related to the reign started from the late eighteenth century after a prolonged phase of transition that the ancestral family of the royalty underwent since the medieval period. It is believed that the kingdom came to existence in twelfth century AD, towards the end of the Chera kingdom and the family that was bestowed with the ruling power of certain parts of present day Malappuram came to be known as Perumpadappu Swaroopam. The long and complex history of this lineage runs parallel to the colonial history of Malabar and Kochi regions under the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British rulers. The history of the kingdom of Kochi through the centuries up to the moment of Indian independence, the architectural and spatial peculiarities of the town of Thripunithura planned around the Poornathrayeesa temple in the nineteenth century and the major festivals celebrated in the temple are discussed in detail. The image gallery further shares the history, culture and the present condition of the royal family, the town and the temple.
