- published: 19 Jul 2014
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Kodungallur (Malayalam: കൊടുങ്ങല്ലൂര്, anglicised name: Cranganore) is a municipality located in Thrissur district in the state of Kerala, India on the Malabar Coast. Kodungallur is 29 km northwest of Kochi and 38 km southwest of Thrissur, by National Highway 66.
The location of the ancient seaport Muziris was very close to Kodungallur. Kodungallur was also a part of Mahodayapuram, the capital of the Later Cheras. Being situated in Thrissur district, Corporation of Cochin has drafted a master plan that aims to develop Kodungallur as a satellite township to Kochi city.
The name Kodungallur is derived from Kodi-linga-puram ("the land of 10 million Siva lingas") according to common belief. Kodungallur was perhaps the revenue collection center of Kudakons (the Chera rulers) for the goods coming to the nearby port, hence the name Kudakonallur which later shortened to Kodungallur.
Kodungallur has had many names over the centuries:
During the time of the Chera dynasty, Muziris near present day Kodungallur was an important trade link in Indian maritime history. The region around Kodungallur can claim to have played a significant part in fostering the trade relations between Cheras and the foreign world in the ancient and medieval periods. It also claims to have played an important part in fostering cultural relations and in laying the foundation of a composite culture in this part of the Chera country. Muziris was destroyed by massive flooding of Periyar in 14th century, opening for a new port called Kochi.
Santhosh Pandit (Malayalam: സന്തോഷ് പണ്ഡിറ്റ്) is a Malayalam film actor and director. He is known for his directorial debut film Krishnanum Radhayum in which he appeared in the lead role and handled almost all the major departments of the film. The songs and trailers of the film went viral in YouTube after it was released there before the release of the film.
As per Google Trends, he was the 10th most popular search from India on November 10, 2011. However, his website claims that he was at the 6th on Google Trends, probably due to fluctuations in ranking during the course of the day. India stood only fifth among the countries that had searched for him. NRI Malayalees gave more attention to him, as Qatar stood top of the list, followed by Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
Santosh Pandit's first movie Krishananum Radhayum, which got released on 21 October 2011, became an unexpected crowd puller and saw some success in theaters. Some critics attribute the moderate success of the film to the general curiosity after the unprecedented abuses and negative comments posted on the YouTube clips related to the songs in the film. Santhosh is credited as an actor, director, script-writer, editor, music director, lyric writer, editor and playback singer in the film and he stands a chance for entering record books for the maximum credits for a single person in a released film. Currently he is engaged in the production of his second film, Jithu Bhai Enna Chocolate Bhai, where again he is handling all the major departments in production.But the film name was later changed to "Superstar Santhosh Pandit" because the name 'Jithubhai enna chocolate bai' was already registered by someone else. Amidst criticism, Santosh Pandit received some praise from National Award winner Salim Kumar, complimenting his effort and commented "This is indeed a big achievement considering the fact that even superstar flicks are continuously bombing at the box office these days."