How Kalamassery Became an Industrial Town

Key facts

Kalamassery became a municipality in 1990, according to Wikipedia’s entry on the town.
The name Kalamassery is said to come from “Kalabhasery”, a spot near HMT where elephants of the Thrikkakara temple were rested after festivals.
HMT’s Kalamassery machine-tool complex dates from 1964.
Kochi Metro’s first section, Aluva to Palarivattom with stations at Kalamassery and Cochin University, opened on 17 June 2017.
In September 2025 Kerala’s Cabinet gave in-principle approval for a Judicial City on 27 acres of HMT land at Kalamassery.

Kalamassery metro station above NH 544. Photo: Gnoeee / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Before the factories

Local tradition, recorded on Wikipedia, says the name comes from Kalabhasery, a place near today’s HMT where the elephants of the Thrikkakara temple rested after festivals. The older locality name in the area was Njalakam; when the panchayat was formed, “Kalamassery” was chosen because the growth around HMT had made it the better-known name. The Thrikkakara Vamana temple link is a nice reminder that this was temple country before it was factory country.

A timeline

Year	What happened	Why it mattered
1938	INDAL commissions the Alupuram aluminium works	First big plant on this side of the Periyar
1943–47	FACT incorporated; production starts at Udyogamandal	Created the Eloor–Udyogamandal industrial township next door
1951–54	Travancore-Cochin Chemicals set up; caustic soda from 1954	Chemical cluster grows
1962	Premier Tyres plant opens at Kalamassery	Gives Premier Junction its name
1964	HMT Kalamassery complex begins	Housing colony, ancillary units and a large landholding
1971	University of Cochin founded (now CUSAT)	Start of the education economy
1990	Kalamassery becomes a municipality	Town status after decades of industrial growth
1999 / 2004	Co-operative medical college founded; moves to HMT Estate campus in 2004	Health and education on former HMT land
2005	NUALS set up by a Kerala Act	National law university in HMT Colony
2013	Medical college taken over by the state government	Today’s Government Medical College, Ernakulam
2017	Kochi Metro opens Aluva–Palarivattom	Kalamassery and Cochin University stations
2025	Adani Logistics Park work begins; Judicial City approved in principle	Logistics and courts on HMT land

Dates are from company, university and government sources and Wikipedia; a few (such as the exact founding steps of each college) are simplified here. Check the linked guides for details.

Why the industries came here

Three advantages explain the location. The Periyar gave process water and a waterway to the Kochi harbour. The railway between Ernakulam and Aluva ran right through, with a station at Kalamassery. And the old Aluva road – later NH 47, now NH 544 – carried lorries north and south. Land was relatively cheap and flat compared with the crowded old town of Ernakulam, so heavy units could take large plots.

Travancore’s government wanted industry before independence, and the Union government’s public-sector programme after it. That mix of princely-state and national planning is why the belt has both state companies (such as TCC) and central ones (FACT, HMT, HIL).

The HMT effect

No single employer shaped the town like HMT. Besides the factory, it brought staff quarters, schools, shops and roads – HMT Road, HMT Junction, HMT Colony. When manufacturing slowed, its land became the town’s reserve: the medical college campus, NUALS and the KINFRA Hi-Tech Park grew around it, and parts were sold or transferred – to a private developer in 2004–05 (now the Adani Logistics Park), and to the state for the Seaport–Airport Road and the planned Judicial City.

From smokestacks to campuses and code

Since the 1980s Kalamassery’s position on the Aluva highway (today NH 544) and closeness to Kakkanad have drawn lighter industry and services. The Kalamassery industrial development area, the KINFRA Hi-Tech Park and Kerala Startup Mission’s facilities sit next to older plants. Students now outnumber factory hands on many streets – see our map of colleges near Kalamassery.

The older industrial tale is told in more detail in mills and factories around Kalamassery.

What you can still see

Factory gates and long compound walls along HMT Road and the Eloor road.
Staff-quarter rows in HMT Colony, many still occupied.
Place names that outlived their companies – Premier Junction, Alupuram, Udyogamandal. Our place-names glossary explains them.

Living inside the history today

Ashraf Gents Hostel is on NAD Road – a road named after another piece of this story, the Naval Armament Depot opened in 1958. It is a men-only hostel and PG for students, staff and working men, at Ashraf house, NAD Road, at the signal. Its public profile lists the Medical College, NUALS, the Science Park and the Adani port/logistics area within about 3 km.

Rooms in the photos are twin-sharing with cots and mattresses, and the indicative rate is about ₹2,000–3,000 per head per month, negotiable, with one month’s advance – to be confirmed on the call (+91 90746 23855). See the photos and video tour.

Frequently asked questions

When did Kalamassery become a municipality?

In 1990, according to Wikipedia’s entry on Kalamassery. It was a panchayat before that.

What does the name Kalamassery mean?

It is said to derive from Kalabhasery, a place near HMT where Thrikkakara temple elephants were rested after festivals.

Which industry shaped Kalamassery most?

HMT’s machine-tool complex, opened in 1964, created HMT Colony and much of the road network, and its land later hosted the medical college and other projects.

When did the metro reach Kalamassery?

Kochi Metro’s Aluva–Palarivattom section, including Kalamassery and Cochin University stations, opened on 17 June 2017.

Sources

Facts about Ashraf Gents Hostel come from the hostel’s own profile and photos; rates are indicative and confirmed on the call. Last reviewed 7 October 2026. How we write these guides: editorial notes. Map embeds © Google.