Gothuruth

Geography

It is an island situated in the Periyar river. Gothuruth is connected to the national highway NH-17, which is very close to it. The island is connected to the mainland by two main bridges, the Gothuruth-Moothakunnam bridge and the Gothuruth-Vadakkumpuram bridge.

Religions

Christianity is the main religion, accounting for 98% of the population, and the rest are Hindus. The village has got two churches - St. Sebastian's Church and Holy Cross Church under Latin Catholic Diocese of Kottapuram; and two convents, St. Joseph's Convent and Vimalalayam Convent.

History

Scientific studies state that this island was created due to a flood in the early 14th century. It is located where the ancient Roman port city Muziris was once situated. The name of the island came from the Portuguese name of the island San Diego.

Culture

This is the birthplace of the traditional art form Chavittu Nadakam . Each year a lot of celebrations and cultural programmes took place and so the island is now known as the 'Island of Festivals'. Majority of the population are highly literate and strictly religious; and hence the a very large number of priests from this village. This place was ruled by one and the only Christian royal family in India,called Villarvattom, which means the rulers of the land protected by a bow(villu) shaped river(aaru).Villarvattam was a vassal kingdom under Kochi,at the time of Raja Thoma Villarvattam.This area was ceded to the Kingdom of Kochi,as the Villarvattam family did not have male children,and the female who inherited the throne was married to Paliam royal family.13 Nasrani families under the leadership of Outha Kalathil paid a huge amount of money to Kochi rulers and retained their rights on the land.The original Christian families in the island include ancient families of Kalathil, Konath,Pullayil, Parakkal, Thattakath, Arakkal, Kallungal,Manakkil,Valiyamarathingal, Pulikkathara,Puthezhath etc.Still the Christians in Gothuruth like to be called and known by their family names,and are very protective of their own unique culture and heritage. visit http://www.keralatourism.org/gothuruth-boat-race.php http://gothuruthboatrace.com/

Main attractions

It hosts two boat races every year and the winners are awarded trophies. The Gothuruth Fest has been taking place since 2009. It is the celebration on January 1 with Gothuruth Carnival, Food Fest, emga event, exhibitions, cultural events, etc. This fest is organized by the Gothuruth Muziris Heritage Development & Charitable Society(ER-620/11). Gothuruth is a very quiet and scenic place with very friendly people. The river bank is dotted with numerous traditional Chinese fishing nets

Health & Education

There are two main schools, St.Sebastian's Higher secondary School, which is close to St.Sebastian's Church and the Holy Cross Lower Primary School, which is close to the Holy Cross Church. Both schools are aided and run by the local parish. There is a Primary Health Center near the St.Sebastian's Church.