words, Cheru and Aayi, which means "a smaller branch of the Ay kingdom". It included some parts of the modern-day Taluks of Chengannur, Mavelikara, Karthikappally, and Karunagappally. The northernmost region of the district, which curresponds to the present-day Taluk of Cherthala, was ruled by the "Kingdom of Karappuram" prior to the 1762 treaty that was signed between the kingdom of Travancore and the Kingdom of Cochin. Karappuram was a tributary of the Kingdom of Cochin until 1762 when it was handed over to the kingdom of Travancore. The headquarters of the "Madathingal branch" of the Cochin Royal family was situated at Madathinkara in Karappuram. South of Karappuram lied the "Chempakassery kingdom" which was also known by the name the "Kingdom of Purakkad" prior to the Travancorean conquest of 1746. The kingdom of Chempakassery included the modern-day Taluks of Ambalappuzha and Kuttanad. The monarch of Chempakassery was known by the title "Chempakassery Deva Narayanan". Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri and Kunchan Nambiar, who originally hailed from the South Malabar region, were court poets of the Chempakassery kingdom at times. Karthikappally was a small feudal kingdom that lied between the feudal kingdoms of Odanad and Chempakassery until the Travancorean invasion of the mid-18th century CE, which curresponds to the modern-day Taluk of Karthikappally. The southernmost portion of the district had been once part of the erstwhile feudal kingdom of Karunagappally, which had been subordinate to the Chirava Swaroopam (Kayamkulam) at times. Progress and Social Reformation during the Travancore era (1746-1947) In the 17th century the Portuguese power declined on the Malabar Coast and the Dutch Malabar gained a predominant position in the principalities of this district. The church located at Kokkamangalam or Kokkothamangalam is believed to be one of the seven churches founded by St. Thomas the Apostle, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ according to the oral traditions. The picturesque CSI Christ Church in Alappuzha town was built in 1816 by the first CMS (Church Missionary Society) missionary to India, Rev. Thomas Norton. It was the first Anglican Church to be established in the erstwhile state of Travancore. It was during the mid-18th century CE that the Maharaja Marthanda Varma, popularly known as the ‘Architect of the Modern Travancore’, interfered in the political affairs of the smaller feudal principalities who ruled parts of the district. Marthandavarma Maharaja had a remarkable role in the internal progress of the district. The Krishnapuram Palace,