Kannamaly () is a coastal suburb of Kochi situated in Chellanam Panchayat in the Ernakulam district of Keralam, India. It comes under the Kochi taluk. The territorial unit is bisected axially along a north-south vector by the Vypin–Palluruthy–Fort Kochi–Alappuzha coastal highway, which serves as the primary transport artery. Spatial accessibility is maintained via high-frequency transit loops serviced by both private operators and the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), which functionally integrate Kannamaly into secondary and primary urban centers like Thoppumpady, Mattancherry, and Ernakulam South. Driven by a high secondary and higher-secondary educational attainment index—with a documented literacy rate exceeding 94%—the emerging labor cohort exhibits high outward mobility. This demographic shift manifests as daily cyclical labor migrations to established commercial and maritime hubs, specifically downtown Kochi, Willingdon Island, and the Cochin Port. Furthermore, the regional economy is highly subsidized by unrequited secondary income flows, as foreign remittances from non-resident Keralites (NRKs) stationed in the Middle East constitute a major share of aggregate household disposable income. The place is well-known all over Kerala state for the St Joseph's pilgrim Centre and the feast along with 'nercha sadhya' (votive meal) on 19 March that attract massive crowds every year.
Geography Kannamaly is situated in the coast of Arabian Sea. The village shares its border with Arabian sea in west, Kannamali kayal in east, Kandakadavu in south and Cheriyakadavu in north.
History This place was a seaport in ancient times. There were telescopes in the highest points of the seaport for detecting the ships arriving to the port.
Feast of St Joseph
Kannamaly celebrates St Joseph's Feast on 19 March every year with a massive communal meal. On that day many hundreds of thousands gather at Kannamaly to pay respects to St Joseph and to take part in the 'nercha sadhya' (solemn meal). The shrine of St Joseph is attached to St Antony's Parish Church. The custom dates back to the early 1900s when an outbreak of Cholera epidemic in the area killed a large number of people. It is believed that the custom of a communal meal got started in 1905, when the epidemic came to an end with a similar meal on 19 March.
Etymology The word Kannamaly is a combination of two words Kannu and Maly. The word Kannu means eye and maly means seaport.
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