A place noted for being the former trade centre, Mattancherry is a well known tourist destination near Kochi, Kerala. It is located at about 9 kilometers from Ernakulam town. Mattancherry is surrounded by backwaters of the Arabian Sea. Previously it was known for being the spice hub in Kochi due to the trade of tea and spices like pepper and turmeric. Mattancherry is known for being a place of multi culture with various communities like Jews, Konkanis, Gujaratis, Jains and Marathis living there. Here churches, agraharams, mosques and synagogues coexist with each other.

There are two popular versions on how the place got its name. According to the first, this place was a cheri (street) full of mutton butchers and hence it gradually became muttoncheri/ Mattancherry. The other version of this says that the Ancherry Mattom, a Namboodiri Illam which was pronounced as Matt-Ancherry by the foreign traders which later became Mattancherry.