Ambalamedu

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Ambalamedu is a small township located in Kerala, India. Ambalamedu is located near the border of the erstwhile states of Travancore and Cochin prior to the formation of the Kerala state in independent India,

[edit] History

Ambalamedu is now associated with the Cochin Division of the Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd. (FACT), a public enterprise. FACT, then under its illustrious chairman and managing director, M.K.K. Nair, acquired about 1500 acres (6 km²) of land in the mid-1960s for the construction of an ammonia and urea manufacturing plants. Construction of the factory and the township commenced in 1966 under the able supervision of Chief Engineer Ranganathan. The native population that held agricultural land in the area were rehabilitated outside the township.

To meet the high demand of water in manufacturing fertilizer, over 250 acres (1 km²) of paddy fields were converted into a lake by constructing an earthen dam and water brought in through a canal from Bhoothathankettu dam, near Kothamangalam. At the center of the lake is an island on which the Ambalamedu House is situated. An exquisite building complex that blends modern architecture with the traditional Kerala style, it served as the division's main guest house. Along the shores of the lake are houses built incorporating many elements of Kerala's unique architecture. Most of the houses overlook the lake with no buildings to obstruct the view. The township is thus a very rare example of a planned industrial township that is designed in the most aesthetic manner accentuating the beauty and ambience of nature surrounding it.

Ambalamedu flourished from the 1960s through the 1990s. It was truly a tranquil paradise that so marvelously masked the grime and smoke of the industrial complex surrounding it. Unfortunately, with the public sector company in financial trouble due to liberalization of the markets and consequent loss of government subsidies for fertilizer manufacture while under a regulated price regime, Ambalamedu township fell into bad times. Wanton pollution from the nearby factories such as Carbon Black near Karimugal turned it into an undesirable place to live. FACT employees slowly abandoned the township and today many of the houses remain empty and in a very poor state of repair.

[edit] Landmarks

  • FACT Cochin Division
  • Ambalamedu High School
  • Harimattom Temple
  • FACT Dam

[edit] Location

Ambalamedu is around 8 kilometers from Tripunithura on the way from Thripunithura to Aluva via Karimugal. The distance from Aluva to Ambalamedu is 20 kilometers.