Muvattupuzha () is a town in the midlands directly to the east of Kochi in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. It is located about from downtown Kochi, and is a growing urban centre in central Kerala. The town is also the starting point of the Muvattupuzhayar (Muvattupuzha river), which is a confluence formed by three rivers: the Thodupuzhayar, Kaliyar, and Kothayar. Muvattupuzha is bordered by the Kottayam district on the southern side and the Idukki district on the eastern side. Muvattupuzha lies on the intersection between MC Road and National Highway 49, about from the district capital Ernakulam. Muvattupuzha is located from Thodupuzha, from Koothattukulam, and away from Arakuzha. It is the second biggest commercial center of the district and one of the biggest in the central part of the state. There are two major malls: Canton Mall & Grand Central Mall. Etymology The town is named after the Muvattupuzha river that flows through it. The name is made up of three Malayalam words: Moonnu (), aaru (); and puzha (). Aaru is usually used for rivers in the southern half of Kerala, while puzha is used in the northern parts. The three rivers are Kothayaar, Kaliyar, and Thodupuzhayar, which merge to form Muvattupuzhayar. The meeting point is called Thriveni Sangamam in Malayalam, which means "the point of confluence of three rivers". In English both spellings (Muvattupuzha and Moovattupuzha) are used interchangeably. History Muvattupuzha was part of the Vadakkumkoor Kingdom until it was seized by the Travancore. Old documents show that parts of the lands of Muvattupuzha belonged to Edappally Swaroopam, but were later transferred to Manas' (Brahmin families). After Indian independence, from 1949 to 1956, Muvattupuzha was a part of the Kottayam district in Travancore-Cochin state. In 1956, when Kerala state was formed, Muvattupuzha remained as a part of Kottayam district until 1958, when Ernakulam district was formed on 1 April 1958. Muvattupuzha, as a village union, came under the control of a council of three members nominated by the Government. V. P. Govindan Nair was the first president of the village union. By 1953, Muvattupuzha was declared a panchayat. Kunnappillil Varkey Vaidyan was the first president of the elected panchayat committee. Muvattupuzha was raised to the status of a municipality in the year 1958. N. Parameshwaran Nair became the first municipal chairman. Muvattupuzha is the first municipality where the Communist Party came into power in a general election. N.