Gujarati community in Kochi include followers of both Hindu and Jain religion, who migrated from Kutch and other areas in Gujarat. According to a directory dated 2009 published by the Kochi Gujarati Mahajan, there were 650 Gujarati families in Mattancherry alone. It is difficult to ascertain the actual period in which their migration might have happened. However, according to the oral accounts, the earliest migration took place when Mehmood of Gazni invaded Gujarat in the 12th century. Some are of the opinion that it was a prolonged drought that had force them to migrate. As a plethora of droughts have wrecked havoc on Gujarat during the course of history it is difficult to identify the actual period. According to the directory of Gujarati Mahajan it was in 1815 that the actual influx of Gujaratis started. As the British East India company lost the monopoly of trade in the Indian subcontinent in the early part of the 19th century more and more British businessmen came to India and to Kochi. The Gujarati community also reached Kochi along with them as business partners and middlemen. Since then the Gujaratis made Kochi their home. The Gujarati street in Kochi, with all its sweet shops and Mandirs is a cross section of Gujarat. Over the years the community has made commendable contributions to Kochi. Be it educational institutions, theatres, pepper stock exchange, the earliest printing press in the area, the pioneering spirit of the Gujaratis is still very much evident in Kochi.
