Kochi is a city located in the Ernakulam District in the Indian state of Kerala about 200 km from Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala. For many centuries up to and during the British Raj, the city of Kochi was the seat of the eponymous princely state. Muziris, a centre of global trade somewhere north to Kochi (presently identified with Kodungallur in Thrissur district), traces its history back many centuries, when it was the centre of Indian spice trade for hundreds of years, and was known to the Jews, Arabs, Yavanas (Greeks, Romans), and Chinese since ancient times. Kochi earned a significant position in Malabar Coast after the port at Kodungallur (Cranganore) was destroyed by massive flooding of the river Periyar in 1341.The earliest documented references to Kochi occur in the books written by Chinese voyager Ma Huan, during his visit to Kochi in the 15th century as part of the treasure fleet of Admiral Zheng He. There are also references to Kochi in accounts written by Italian traveller Niccolò Da Conti, who visited Cochin in 1440. Today, Kochi is the commercial hub of Kerala, and one of the fastest growing second-tier metropolises in India. Prehistory Not much is known about the prehistory of Kochi. There has been no clear evidence of Stone Age habitation. Kochi forms the central part of the Megalithic belt of Kerala. The only trace of prehistoric life in the region is the menhir found in Tripunithura. Princely rule The early history of Kochi is not well documented. Kochi's prominence as a trading port grew after the collapse of the port at Kodungallur in 1341 AD. The [[Kingdom of Kochi|Perumpadappu Swaroopam]] came into existence in 1102 AD after the breaking up of the Kulasekhara empire. The ruler of Perumpadappu (near Ponnani) fled to Kodungallur in the early medieval period, when the Zamorin of Calicut annexed Ponnani region, after Tirunavaya war. They later moved to Kochi and established the Kingdom of Cochin. When Vasco Da Gama landed at Kozhikode and the Zamorin of Calicut fought against the Portuguese led by Kunjali Marakkar(The naval chief of the kingdom of Kozhikode), the ruler of Cochin aligned with the Portuguese. The port at Kozhikode held superior economic and political position in medieval Kerala coast, while Kannur, Kollam, and Kochi, were commercially important secondary ports, where the traders from various parts of the world would gather. On the Malabar coast during the