The place is a semi-urban residential area located 9 km north west of Kottayam town.

The place was originally called Ammancherry, meaning 'Place of Amman'(a slang referring to the people of Paraya cast).

This place was christened Amalagiri by the 'Sisters of the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament'(SABS) who founded Bishop Kurialacherry College(B.K.

After the establishment of Mahatma Gandhi University at Priyadarsini Hills, about 1.5 km away from Amalagiri, the place got mooted as a prime residential area.

Amalagiri has a midland geography with small hills, plain land and marshy areas.