Cochim is the largest city in the state of Kerala in India, about 220 km north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram. He was part of Portuguese India between 1503 and 1663. Today belongs to the Ernakulam district. It is also the largest city in India that has no more than half of the inhabitants professing Hinduism.

Known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, Kochi was an important spice trading centre on the west coast of India from the 14th century. Occupied by the Portuguese Empire in 1503, Kochi was the first of the European colonies in colonial India. It remained the main seat of Portuguese India until 1530, when Goa was chosen instead. The city was later occupied by the Dutch and the British, with the Kingdom of Cochin becoming a princely state.