Kottayam is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. An important trading center of commercial crops and a publishing centre in Kerala, Kottayam is also the administrative capital of Kottayam district. The town has been in the forefront of modern education in Kerala from the nineteenth century. In 1989, it achieved the distinction of being the first District in India to achieve 100% literacy.

he name Kottayam is said to have come from 'Kotta Akam' in Malayalam, meaning 'inside the fort'. The Rajas of Thekkumkur, an independent little kingdom to which Kottayam area belonged, ruled their domain from a location in the present day Kottayam called Thazhathangadi. When, in the mid-18th century, Marthanda Varma of Travancore annexed Thekkumcore, Kottayam area, along with the areas of the rest of what is today's Kottayam District, became part of the Kingdom of Travancore (later to be the Princely State of Travancore under the British.) After Indian independence, Kottayam eventually became the headquarters of the present Kottayam District.

The citizens of Kottayam had a role in some of the early social struggles in Kerala. A protest movement that took place in the 1891 called the 'Malayali Memorial agitation', seeking increased representation for Travancoreans in the Travancore civil service, as opposed to outsiders, is said to have started in Kottayam and may have been the beginning of modern political movement in Kerala. Kottayam also had an active role in the 'Nivarthana' struggle in the 1930s, which was a campaign seeking representation for Hindus of the lower castes, Christians and Muslims in the Travancore Legislature.

Kottayam is located at 9.58° N 76.52° E. It has an average elevation of 3 metres (9 feet).

Seematti Junction, KottayamKottayam town is flanked by the Meenachil river and Kodoor river and Vembanad lake. Kottayam is considered to be part of the Midlands of Kerala, and the climate is also pretty moderate. Kottayam is located in the south-central half of Kerala state. Ernakulam lies to the North, Alappuzha lies to the West, Idukki lies in the East, and Pathanamthitta lies to the South of Kottayam. Kottayam was the part of Travancore kingdom, before the formation of Kerala state.

Getting around the city is easy with numerous auto rickshaws available. Buses services are mostly very affordable. Local bus service system is there, and is present to most places in the district. Kerala State Road Corporation buses (KSRTC) ply from Kottayam town to most other places in the district/state. KSRTC Bus-stand is very near to city-centre. Kottayam is well connected through rail as well.

Trains pass through Kottayam to Kochi in the north and to Thiruvananthapuram in the south. Kottayam town is one of the important railway stations in the state, with almost all express and super fast trains having a stop. There are trains passing through Kottayam, from and to most major cities in the country like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, etc. The nearest airport is at Kochi, 76 km away from the city. The other major nearby airport is at Thiruvanthapuram which is approximately 150 kilometers from here.