Kodungalloor, the Primum Emporium India, and the palace that is also called Vadakkekara

Background

Thrissur district's own account of its past begins with trade. Kodungalloor, which had the unique distinction of being the "Primum Emporium India", also has the honour of having first given shelter to all the three communities which the district administration says contributed to the prosperity of Malabar - the Christians, the Jews and the Muslims. The history of the district from the 9th to the 12th centuries is the history of the Kulasekharas of Mahodayapuram, and from the 12th century it is the history of the rise and growth of Perumpadappu Swarupam, whose Moopil is referred to as the "Kerala Chakravarthi" in the "Sivavilasam" and some other works. One turning point in that history is the founding of an era called the Pudu Vaipu Era, traditionally believed to have commenced from the date on which the island of Vypeen was thrown from the sea. The Shakthan Thampuran Palace in Thrissur city, named as Vadakkekara Palace, was reconstructed in Kerala-Dutch style in 1795 by Ramavarma Thampuran of the erstwhile Princely State of Cochin, is preserved by the Archaeological Department and was converted into a museum in 2005; its main structure is a two-storeyed building with a traditional Kerala style Nālukettu. The district also claims the honour of having been in the forefront of the country-wide movement for temple entry and the abolition of untouchability, of which the Guruvayur Satyagraha is a memorable episode. After independence Cochin was the first princely state to join the Indian Union willingly, and E. Ikkanda Warrier became the first Prime Minister of Cochin. Travancore-Cochin came into being by the merger of Cochin and Travancore with Parur T. K. Narayana Pillai as the first chief minister, and the States Reorganisation Act then inaugurated Kerala, incorporating Travancore-Cochin, Malabar District, and the taluk of Kasargod, South Kanara.