The history of Cochin dates back to 1102 A.D. when the Kulasekhara Empire was broken up and Cochin State was formed. Later, in the 15th century, Portuguese navigator Pedro Alvares Cabral established the first European settlement in India, at Cochin. Till 1663, the Portuguese ruled over Cochin until the Dutch overthrew them. In 1773, Mysore King Hyder Ali conquered Cochin only to hand over it to the British, in 1814. It was harbour engineer, Robert Bristow who transformed Cochin into one of the safest harbours in the Indian peninsula, in 1920, under the direction of Lord Willington, the Governor of Madras. Later, when India gained independence in 1947, Cochin was the first princely state to join the Indian Union voluntarily. In 1956, the state of Kerala was formed and in 1967, Cochin Corporation came into existence. As the years passed by, Cochin witnessed massive commercialisation and is one of the most important commercial hubs of Kerala, today. Kochi was the centre of Indian spice trade for many centuries, and was known to the Yavanas (Greeks and Romans) as well as Jews, Syrians, Arabs, and Chinese since ancient times. It rose to significance as a trading centre after the port Muziris around Kodungallur (Cranganore) was destroyed by massive flooding of Periyar in 1341. The earliest documented references to Kochi occur in books written by Chinese voyager Ma Huan during his visit to Kochi in the 15th century as part of Admiral Zheng He's treasure fleet. There are also references to Kochi in accounts written by Italian traveller Niccolo de Conti, who visited Kochi in 1440.

The city's economic growth gathered momentum after economic reforms in India introduced by the central government in the early-1990s. Since 2000, the service sector has energised the city's economy. The establishment of several industrial parks based on IT and other port based infrastructure triggered a construction and realty boom in the city. Over the years, Kochi has witnessed rapid commercialisation, and has today grown into the commercial hub of Kerala. This beautiful city today called as Queen Of Arabian Sea due to the status of port hub, as its serves as a gateway to Kerala by emotive all major cities around India. Other historic fact is, since 14th century this is the most imperative trade centre for spices on western coast of India. By enrich with all these facts, Kochi is considered as heart of Kerala.