Cherai ( ml, ചെറായി) smallest town located in north side of Vypin island. This town connects to kochin, North pravur and Kodungallur. It is a region in Kochi Taluk, a suburb of the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. It is at a distance of about from the ''High Court Junction'',

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Ke ...

. Cherai has the longest beach in

- the

Cherai beach Cherai Beach is a beach located in Cherai in the northern side of Vypin Island, a suburb of the city Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. One of the most visited beaches in the state, it is situated at around 25 km (15 mi) from downtown Koc ...

. The beach is located towards the centre-north of the Vypin island. The ''Cherai Beach'' is long. Dolphins are occasionally seen here. Cherai has played an important role in the history of modern Kerala by becoming the birthplace of two prominent political personsages of modern Kerala -

Mathai Manjooran Mathai Manjooran (13 October 1912 – 14 January 1970) was an Indian independence activist from Kerala, socialist revolutionary, founder of the Kerala Socialist Party, Member of Parliament, Minister of Labour (economics) in the second E.M. ...

and

Sahodaran Ayyappan Kumbalathuparambu Ayyappan (August 21, 1889 – March 6, 1968), better identified as Sahodaran Ayyappan , was a social reformer, thinker, rationalist, journalist, and politician from Kerala, India. A vocal follower of Sree Narayana Guru, he was ...

. ''

Cherai Gowreeshwara Temple The Cherai Gowreeshwara Temple is one of the main Hindu temples in Kerala State of South India. This temple is situated in the village of Cherai in the picturesque Vypeen island, sandwiched between the Arabian sea and the beautiful backwaters of C ...

'' is one of the main Hindu temples. The temple is maintained by ''Vijnana Vardhini Sabha'' (V. V Sabha). It also known as Kerala palani. The festival in the temple is the biggest festival in Eranakulam district. The festival happens every year towards the last 2 weeks of January or first 2 weeks of February. The main attractions are Elephant march (around 20-30 elephants). There is one more famous temple in Cherai, which is ''Azheekkal Sree Varaha Temple'' famous for its beautiful

chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nb ...

.It is one of the oldest temple owned by Gowda Saraswatha Community.

Nearby attractions

Kottakkavu Mar Thoma Syro-Malabar Pilgrim Church, North Paravur Kottakkavu Mar Thoma Syro-Malabar Pilgrim Church is a Syro-Malabar church located in North Paravur. According to Saint Thomas Christian tradition, the church was established in 52 AD by St. Thomas (Mar Thoma shleeha), one of the twelve apo ...

: First church in India and one of the seven churches founded by St. Thomas the Apostle in the first century. * Portuguese Fort : Built in 1503 by the Portuguese also known as Pallipuram Fort (''Aya Kotta''). It is the oldest European monument in India. It was an out post to safeguard the famous

Muziris Muziris ( grc, Μουζιρίς, Old Malayalam: ''Muciri'' or ''Muciripattanam'' possibly identical with the medieval ''Muyirikode'') was an ancient harbour and an urban centre on the Malabar Coast. Muziris found mention in the ''Periplus of ...

Port. In 1661 the Dutch captured the fort and in 1789 the fort was handed over to the King of Travancore. * Pallipuram Syro-Malabar Church : The church is built by the Portuguese in 1577. The exquisite picture of Ave Mary on the top of "Altar" is brought from Portugal.The yearly celebrations of Lady of snow happening in August every year.The Water parade of boats is one of the notable function .

Notable people

Mary Verghese Mary Puthisseril Verghese (1925–1986) was a physician in India who was among the earliest pioneers of Physical medicine and rehabilitation in the country. Mary Verghese was instilled in a home where love and respect were two main factors in t ...

TVR Shenoy T. V. R. Shenoy (10 June 1941 – 17 April 2018) was a journalist and columnist of India. Shenoy had served as the Editor of the weekly news magazine ''The Week'' and ''Sunday Mail'' and held various posts in ''Indian Express'' and ''Malayala M ...

* S. Sharma * M. K. Prasad

Gallery

Image:Cherai Beach2.jpg,

Image:Chinese_Fishing_Nets_Cherai.JPG, Chinese fishing nets Image:Walk_Way_Cherai.JPG , Walkway on the sides of the road to Cherai from

North Paravur North Paravur. formerly known as Paravur or Parur, is a municipality and suburb in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a northern suburb of the city of Kochi and is situated around 20 km from the city centre. It is ...

External links

Satellite image of the town
{{Suburbs of Kochi Geography of Ernakulam district Tourist attractions in Kochi Beaches of Kerala