Palakkad district

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Coordinates: 10.85° N 76.5° E

Palakkad

Palakkad
State Kerala
Headquarters Palakkad
Coordinates 10.85° N 76.5° E
Area
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Population
 - Density		 2,617,482
 - 584/km²
Abbreviation (ISO) IN-KL-PKD
Sri Killikkurussi Mahadeva Kshetram ( Shiva temple of Kiillikkurussimangalam).
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Sri Killikkurussi Mahadeva Kshetram ( Shiva temple of Kiillikkurussimangalam).

For the town with the same name, see Palakkad.

Palakkad District (Malayalam :പാലക്കാട് ,Tamil: பாலக்காட்) or Palghat is one of the 14 districts of Kerala state in South India. The city of Palakkad is the district headquarters. Palakkad is bordered on the northwest by the Malappuram District and on the southwest by the Thrissur District. To the east lies the Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu. It is a predominantly rural district. Palakkad is the gateway to Kerala due to the presence of Palakkad Gap, in the Western Ghats. The total area of the district is 4480 km² which is 11.5% of the state_name's area.

In the earlier times Palakkad was also known as Palakkattussery. Some etymologists trace the word "Palakkad" to be from the word Palanilam which means "dry lands". The commonly held belief however is that, it is the fusion of the two Malayalam words, Pala a tree (Alstonia scholaris) which is found abundantly in Palakkad and Kadu which means forest.

The district is 13.62% urbanised. [1]

Contents

[edit] History

Palakkad was a part of Malabar District of Madras Presidency during the British rule. After independence, it came under the Madras state name. It was made a separate district of Kerala when the state was formed in 1956. Palakkad has to its credit the oldest and richest cultural heritage of Kerala. Valluvanad, now comprising of Ottapalam - Shoranur regions is supposed to have the purest form of Malayalam.

[edit] Geography

Nelliampathi mountains as seen from Nemmara village
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Nelliampathi mountains as seen from Nemmara village

Palakkad is the second largest district in Kerala after Idukki . Out of the total area of 4480 km², about 1360 km² of land is covered by forests. Most part of the district fall in the midland region (elevation 75-250m), except the Nelliampathy-Parambikulam area in the Chittur taluk in the south and Attappadi-Malampuzha area in the north, which are hilly and fall in the higland region (elevation >250m). Some of the notable peaks in the district are Anginda (2325 m), Karimala (1998 m), Nellikotta or Padagiri (1585 m) and Karimala Gopuram (1439 m).

The climate is hot and humid for most part of the year. Palakkad is one of the hottest places in Kerala. There is sufficient rainfall. The district is blessed with many small and medium rivers, which are tributaries of the Bharathapuzha River. A number of dams have been built across these rivers, the largest being Malampuzha dam. The largest in volume capacity is the Parambikulam Dam[1] built in Udumalaipettai.

[edit] Economy

Agriculture is the main occupation. The most prominent crop is rice. Palakkad is known as the Rice Bowl of Kerala. But in recent times, rice cultivation has become unremunerative due to high wages and low prices. Hence farmers have turned to other crops and the area under rice cultivation has decreased drastically. In the areas bordering Tamil Nadu, crops like sugar cane, groundnut, tomato, jasmine etc are cultivated. Rubber is the main crop in the hilly regions in the different parts of the district. Vegetables like pumpkin, ash gourd, bitter gourd, brinjal, pea etc. are now cultivated all over the district. Tamarind, Neem, Mango and Palm trees are seen in abundance in the Palakkad, like in Tamil Nadu. The district is a major centre of export for mangoes and tamarind. Jaggery, which is unrefined sugar, is made from sugarcane in Chittur Taluk.

[edit] Industry

Heap of rice straw, usually seen in front of houses in Palakkad district.
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Heap of rice straw, usually seen in front of houses in Palakkad district.

There are various industries in the district. The Public Sector companies [www.itipalakkad.in ITI Limited] and Instrumentation Limited have plants in Kanjikode, 12 km from Palakkad town. Other big companies are BPL group, Coca Cola and Pepsi. There is an Industrial Area in Kanjikode with a number of medium industries.

Established in 1976, the unit of ITI Limited manufactures large digital switches and digital trunk exchanges in collaboration with M/s Alcatel of France. A lean and highly productive plant by virtue of its structure, it has modern facility for PCB manufacture (including multi-layer boards) assembly and automated testing facilities with SMT line and environmental test lab.

[edit] Demographics

A typical fence made of bamboo usually seen in villages of Palakkad district.
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A typical fence made of bamboo usually seen in villages of Palakkad district.

The main religion is Hinduism, with many castes - Menon, Pisharody(Malayali Vaishnavaite ambalavasi), Nair, Ezhava, Ezhuthachan, Namboothiri (Malayali Shaivaite Brahmin), Iyer (Tamil Brahmin), Chettiar(Naidu),trader (Moothan), Gupthans, artisan community like carpenter (Asari), goldsmith (Thattan), blacksmith (Kollan) and potter (Kusavan). There are some tribals also in the forest areas. Nairs are traditionally the warrior caste. They are now in all fields, mainly in government service. Ezhavas and Ezhuthachans are mostly farmers, the educated among them in other areas also. Namboothiris work as temple priests. They were big landlords once and some of the families were of great astrologers, physicians and scholars.

The Tamil Brahmins of Palakkad require special mention. They migrated from Thanjavur of Tamil Nadu centuries back, on the invitation of the then ruler. They were settled in 96 villages called Agraharams in different parts of the district. They are also basically priests. They brought along their rich cultural heritage, Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam dance among them. Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, Palakkad Mani Iyer, M.D. Ramanathan are some of the prominent names in the field of Carnatic music.

Muslims are in majority in the areas bordering Malappuram district. Here almost every family has male members in the Gulf region. Due to the remittances from these people, the area has substantially improved economically in the recent years.

The earliest Christians in the district were from Thrissur district, who settled at Melarcode (R C Kambolam) around 1550 CE as traders of coconut oil and spices to near by districts. Later on, Christians from Idukki and Kottayam districts migrated to Palakkad and made the hilly terrains of the district their homes.

The language spoken by the majority is Malayalam, with a distinct Tamil flavour. Also, the accent differs according the community of the speaker. Tamil is spoken in the areas bordering Tamil Nadu, by Tamil Brahmins and some Muslims who have roots in Tamil Nadu. There are some Telugu speaking people also, who are believed to have been come to Kerala centuries ago as part of an invading army.

There are no big cities in Palakkad. Even the district head quarter is a medium sized town. There are no big shopping complexes or large hospitals. People usually go to Coimbatore for these needs. But recently, all the major jewellers of Kerala have opened their showrooms in Palakkad town.

[edit] Transport

Way to Nelliampathi mountains and Pothundi dam from Nemmara.
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Way to Nelliampathi mountains and Pothundi dam from Nemmara.

Palakkad Junction is a very important station of Southern Railway. Places like Pollachi, Dindigul and Madurai are connected by the meter gauge track starting from here. The trains on the meter gauge are like lifelines for the people of the district, bringing vegetables, fish and dairy products. The office of the Palakkad Division of Southern Railway is situated near Palghat Junction Railway Station. The trains coming from Tamil Nadu take diversion to north and South Kerala from Shoranur station in Palakkad District.

Palakkad has a fairly good network of roads. The Salem-Kanyakumari National Highway 47 and the Palakkad-Kozhikode National Highway 213 pass through the district. Another important road is the Palakkad - Ponnani road which connects NH 47 and NH 17.

[edit] Festivals

In the months of March and April, after the harvests, festivals called Vela are celebrated in many villages. These festivals consist of parade of caparisoned elephants, traditional orchestra of percussion instruments (called Panchavadyam, Thayambaka, Pandimelam etc) and fireworks. These festivals are very popular; people from neighbouring districts and Tamil Nadu come to witness them. Nemmara Vallangi Vela and Chinakkathur Pooram are the prominent among them. The vela season comes to an end with Mangalam vela, which usually happens in the month of May.

Another important festival is the Kalpathi Ratholsavam. This is festival of the Tamil Brahmins. The deities of the various temples are taken out on a procession in chariots. It is believed that the God goes out to see his people on these days.

The Anjumoorthy temple at Anjumoorthy Managalam, a village in Palakkad, is a unique temple in the district. The temple is considered to be the only temple in India where Sudharshana Chakram, a sharp spinning wheel carried by Lord Vishnu, is the primary deity. The belief is that Sudarshana Chakram self-manifested (Swayambhu) in the area where the temple now stands.

The Navrathri Festival celebrated annually in Kodunthirapully Village is also famous. This village has the unique distinction of being two theoretical parts that celebrate the same festival on Ashtami and Navami, often with a lot of competitive edge. The festival although celebrated for every one of the night days culminates on Ashtami and Navami with caprisoned elephants, panchavadyam, a fireworks finale and musical stage shows.

Pattambi Nercha - Celebrated in Pattambi and nearby areas on the second Sunday of February in remembrance of Aloor valiya pookoya thangal.

Another very famous festival is the "Puthur Vela". It is the annual festival held during the month of April of the puthur "Sree Thirupuraykal Bhagavathy kshethram" where 15 elephants unite for the famous "kudamattom".The "thayambaka" and "panchavadhyam" is a special treat for music lovers.

The annual Ultsavam at the Thiruvegappura Mahakshetram is a large attraction to devotees.

The annual sivarathri festival in East Vennakkara of palakkad municipality has a divine touch.

[edit] Other festivals

[edit] Places of worship

[edit] Educational institutions

There are a number of schools and colleges including engineering colleges. Government Victoria College is a more-than-a-century- old institution which has many eminent persons as its former students. They include E. M. S. Namboodiripad(late communist leader), former Chief Election Commissioner T.N.Seshan, the architect of Konkan Railway and Delhi Metro E. Sreedharan, writers (the late) O.V.Vijayan and M.T.Vasudevan Nair and cartoonist Ravi Shankar.

The NSS College of Engineering is an Institution by Nair Service Society and was established in the 60's. It has one of the best facilities for pure Engineering like Mechanical and Civil streams. Situated in the valley of the beautiful mountain ridges, it has produced some of the best engineering minds the state has to offer.

The Chembai Memorial Music College, Government College Chittur, NSS College Nemmara are some of the old colleges of Palakkad.

[edit] Places of interest

View from outside the northern wall of Palakkad fort.
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View from outside the northern wall of Palakkad fort.
  • Palakkad Fort - Palakkad Fort, situated in the very heart of the town, is the most beautiful and the best preserved fort of Kerala. The sober silence of the granite walls reminds us of old tales of valour and courage. Fort which dates back to 1766, built by Hyder Ali of Mysore. In 1784 after a siege which lasted for eleven days, the British Colonel Fullerton stormed the Fort. Later it fell into the hands of the Zamorin’s troops, but was recaptured by the British in 1790. This well-preserved Fort is also known as Tipu's (Tipu Sultan son of Hyder Ali) Fort. The fort is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
  • Malampuzha dam garden. It is a large irrigation dam built on the river, Bharathapuzha at the base of the hills of the Western Ghats. The beautiful gardens, the amusement Park for the children, the boating facility on the reservoir etc. make Malampuzha a paradise for the tourists. This important tourist spot is easily accessible from Palakkad.
  • Parambikulam The Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, sprawling over 285 km²., is 135 km from Palakkad and adjacent to the Annamalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. Besides being an abode of elephants, wild boar, sambar, bison, guar, crocodiles, and a few tigers and panthers, it has rich diversity of flora and fauna. Treking in the forest is allowed with prior permission. Boating can be done at the lake. The Cannimare Teak Tree, which is said to be Asia’s largest, is here near Thunakadavu.
  • Silent Valley National Park Thick Rain Forest, Habitat of rare species. Declared National Park. This National Park is 80 km. from Palakkad. It is popularly known as the evergreen forest and noted for its eerie silence because of the lack of cicadas. It is an important biosphere reserve in the Western Ghats and Home of the tribal people. The Valley known for the rare Lion-Tailed Macaque. This National Park is a protected area for tigers also
A small waterfall in the Nelliyampathi mountains.
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A small waterfall in the Nelliyampathi mountains.
  • Nelliyampathi Known as Ooty of Kerala. Nelliampathy, about 80 km from Palakkad, is a hill station in the Nelliampathy forest ranges. This forest range constitutes a series of ridges cut off from one another by valleys of dark evergreen forests
  • Sholayar Higest peak in the district. coffee, tea, plantations.
  • Attappady Attappady is about 38 km. North east of Mannarkkad. Above everything else, one will be awe-struck by the grandiloquence of the divine architect who created this loveliness of forests, rivers and mountains. It is also a place of great interest to anthropologists as many Irulas and Mudugas inhabit here. These Adivasis worship the mountain peak 'Malleswaran' as a gigantic Siv-Ling. This peak and the River Bhavani exert tremendous influence on the lives of the tribal.
  • (This comes under Trissur district and may be omitted)

Punarjani Guha The Punarjani Guha is a natural tunnel 15 meters long in the rocky cliff. It is situated 2 km from the Thiruvilwamala Temple and the chief presiding deity is Sri Rama. The idol is believed to be ‘swayamboo’ ie. born on its own. It is believed that by performing ‘noozhal’ or crawling through the tunnel from one end to the other will wash away all of one’s sins and thus attain rebirth. Only men are allowed to do the ‘noozhal’ and women can only visit the cave. This ritual is practised only one day in a year on Guruvayur Ekadashi.

  • Dhoni - Dhoni a reserve forest area is about 15 km. from Palakkad. This forest has among other capivating sights a small but splendid waterfall. The site can be reached after a fairly long climb of three hours from the base of the Dhoni hills.
  • Jain Temple of Jainimedu - Situated on the western border of Palakkad town and not far from the Railway station, is a historic Jain Temple. The place around the temple is known as Jainimedu. This is one of the few places in Kerala where the vestiges of Jainism have survived without substantial damages. The granite walls are devoid of decoration. The 32 feet long 20 feet broad temple consists of four divisions with images of Jain Thirthankaras and Yakshinis in three of them. Kumaran Asan wrote his monumental poem 'Veena Poovu' (the fallen flower) at a Jain house here during his brief stay with his master Sri. Narayana Guru.

[edit] Municipalities of Palakkad Dt.

[edit] Kerala Assembly seats of Palakkad District

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Indian Dams. diehardindian.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-02.

[edit] External links


Districts of Kerala, India
Alappuzha • Ernakulam • Idukki • Kannur • Kasargod • Kollam • Kottayam • Kozhikode • Malappuram • Palakkad • Pathanamthitta • Thiruvananthapuram • Thrissur • Wayanad
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