Neyyattinkara

Neyyattinkara
Town
Neyyattinkara Temple
Coordinates: 8°24′N 77°05′E / 8.4°N 77.08°E / 8.4; 77.08Coordinates: 8°24′N 77°05′E / 8.4°N 77.08°E / 8.4; 77.08
Country	India
State	Kerala
Government
• Body	Neyyattinkara Municipality (Rating: First Grade since 2014) or Neyyattinkara Municipal Council (NMC)
• Chairperson	W R Heeba, (CPI(M) party)
• Vice Chairman	K K Shibu, (CPI(M) party)
• Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)	Sri K Ansalan
• Member of Parliament	Shashi Tharoor, (Indian National Congress party, Re-elected in 2014)
Elevation	26 m (85 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	70,850 (municipality) 880,986 (taluk)
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	695 121
Telephone code	91 (0)471 XXX XXXX
Vehicle registration	KL-20
Coastline	78 kilometres (48 mi)
Sex ratio	1064
Literacy	98.72%
Planning agency	P W D Neyyattinkara
Civic agency	Neyyattinkara Municipality
Climate	Am/Aw (Köppen)
Precipitation	1,700 millimetres (67 in)
Avg. annual temperature	27.2 °C (81.0 °F)
Avg. summer temperature	35 °C (95 °F)
Avg. winter temperature	24.4 °C (75.9 °F)
Website	www.neyyattinkaramunicipality.in

Neyyattinkara in Thiruvananthapuram district is a municipal Town 20 km south of the kerala State capital Trivandrum on the National Highway 66 to Kanyakumari. The town spreads over an area of 16.21 km² on the banks of the Neyyar River and is the headquarters of the Neyyattinkara taluk and the Neyyattinkara Revenue Division. It is a suburb of the extended metropolitan region of Thiruvananthapuram city. The name 'Neyyattinkara' in Malayalam regional language means shore (kara) of Neyyar River. This river flows from Agasthyarkoodam, the highest peak (1868m above MSL) in southern end of the Western Ghats.

Administration

The town comes under the surveillance of Neyyattinkara Municipality and it is the major town on the banks of Neyyar River. The rapidly growing Thiruvananthapuram city has almost reached its outskirts. The town is mostly residential, with lots of service sector establishments. The standard and generally accepted abbreviations of Neyyattinkara are NTA (used by general public) or NYY (used by Indian railway) and NTKA used by Kerala State Electricity Board

Transportation

One of the most outstanding features of Neyyattinkara town is its transport service. There is 24 hours (in frequent intervals and as per the prescribed time schedule) to and fro bus service in NH 47 connecting Nagarcoil » Neyyattinkara » Trivandrum. Further, there is to and fro rail service connecting Nagarcoil » Neyyattinkara » Trivandrum.

History

Unfinished Cave Temple in Vizhinjam [South-West side of NTA Town, constructed by the rulers of the Ay kingdom (857-885 AD)

]Cave pictures, probably by Neolithic people, are found in Pandavanpara, located in the North east side of Neyyattinkara towards Karakonam route. This famous cave will come under Perumkadavila panchayath. The name of this portion of land, before Marthanda Varma became the ruler of Travancore, was 'Thenganad'.

Geography

Neyyattinkara is located at 8°24′N 77°05′E / 8.4°N 77.08°E / 8.4; 77.08.^[2] It has an average elevation of 26 metres (85 feet). The town is situated on the Neyyar River side, one of the principal rivers in Trivandrum district. The river flows to the south part of the town. Water Supply for the town and the adjacent places is obtained from this river. Topography of the town is rather uneven, with higher areas in the downtown. Nearby the town is the hillock Aruvippuram. The Western Ghats form a scenic backdrop to the town. The town is sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. The nearby sea shore is just 10 km. away in west, and seven kilometres to the east can take you to the mammoth hillocks of Western ghats. The geology is said to be typical of the Kerala soil - the Laterite and Red soil. The town can still boast of a good green cover in residential and non-residential areas.

Religious Centres

The Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swamy Temple is situated in the centre of the town and is an important pilgrimage centre. The annual festival is an important attraction for people in the district. Besides the religious significance, the temple holds a special place in Travancore history. Legend has it that the then Crown Prince Marthanda Marthanda Varma was redirected by a small boy to a Jackfruit Tree near the Temple while he was being chased by his enemies. The prince hid within the tree cavity and escaped almost certain death. He was convinced the boy was none other than Lord Sri Krishna Himself. Gratefully, he named the tree as Ammachi Plavu (Mother Tree) and placed it under royal protection.

Aruvippuram (7 km from Neyyattinkara town), the holy land of Sree Narayana Guru is an important pilgrim centre.

Amaravila CSI church founded in 1810 and known in those days as Emily Chapel, an oldest Church of Anglican Communion, is one of the main attractions of Neyyatiinkara Town.^[3][4] On 14 June 1996 Pope John Paul II by the Bull "Ad Aptius Provehendum" erected the

Amaravila CSI Church illuminated

Diocese of Neyyattinkara

Kamukincode Valiyapalli St. Mary's Church (founded in 1847), Neyyattinkara Town

Latin Catholic Diocese of Neyyattinkara bifurcated from the Diocese of Trivandrum and by the announcement of Archbishop Soosa Pakiam and ordination by Cardinal Joseph Tomko on 1 November 1996, appointed Rt. Rev. Dr. Vincent Samuel as its first Bishop. Bishop Samuel took Ecclesiastical possession of the diocese on 5 November 1996. Diocese of Neyyattinkara consists of two Taluks viz. Neyyattinkara and Nedumangadu. The Bishop's House is located in Aralummoodu, Neyyattinkara. St. Therese’s Convent G.H.S.S. Neyyattinkara is one of the individual management educational institutions that comes under the purview of this diocese. The two Kurisumala (Holy Cross Hills) Pilgrim Centres near Neyyattinkara, viz., Bonacaud Kurishumala (Bonacaud Holy Cross Hills) and Vellarada Kurishumala (Vellarada Holy Cross Hills) also come under the purview of Latin Catholic Diocese of Neyyattinkara.

Demographics

Population of Neyyattinkara Town (Municipal Area) as on 1991-03-01 was 30,419. However, the population rose to 69,467 on 2001-03-01 and rose again to 70,850 on 2011-03-01.,^[5] which grades it under Class-II town. Most of the urban population lies within the municipality area which is densely occupied. There is often an inflow of people into the town and nearby areas, for the ease of access to a plethora of institutions, which provide various services. Convent Road is one of the most densely occupied regions in the town, with a number of educational institutions like St. Thereses' Convent, Sree Vidyaadhiraja HSS, and a lot more. Out pockets of the town include Vazhuthoor, Perumpazhuthoor, Amaravila, Aralummood, etc.

Notable people

Apart from Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai, the legendary journalist of all times, two eminent and famous Karnatic musicians, Neyyattinkara M. K. Mohanachandran and Neyyattinkara Vasudevan were born in this historic town. Famous cricketer Abhishek Nayar's family is from Neyyattinkara. Gandhians and social reformers, G. Ramachandran and P. Gopinathan Nair were also born in Neyyattinkara. Also V Madhusoodanan Nair, the poet who wrote Naranathu Bhranthan hails from Neyyattinkara. Famous personalities who hailed from Neyyattinkara are: .^[6] The civil service exam topper Haritha V Kumar was also born and brought up in Neyyattinkara.

Temples

Aruvippuram Siva Temple

1. Kottiyal Sree Mahadeva Temple, Nearby Ooruttukala
2. Sreekrishna Swami Temple, Nearby Swadeshabhimani Municipal Park
3. Mahadeva Temple, Rameswaram
4. Major Sree Mahadeva Temple, Kootapana
5. Ammankovil Meletheruvu Temple, Nearby KSRTC Stand, NTA
6. Ammankovil Keezhetheruvu Temple, Convent Road, NTA
7. Veerachakra Mahadeva Temple, Chemparathivila
8. Mahalekshmi Temple, Maruthathoor
9. Irumpil Mudippura (in Irumpil)
10. Thozhukkal Mudippura (in Thozhukkal JN)
11. Hanuman Temple, TB Junction
12. Vishnupuram Temple, Vishunupuram (Vishnupuram pooram is very famous)
13. Ooruttukala Mudippura
14. Aruvipuram Siva Temple (first temple for all-irrespective of caste or religion and first SNDP Meeting held here)
15. Ilankam Devi Temple, Vazhuthur
16. Major Arangal Sree Mahadeva Temple, Venpakal (Dhanu Thiruvathira Festival is very Famous)
17. Vellamkulathala Sree Bhagavathi Temple, Venpakal
18. Shree Keezhthalakuzhi kaavil Bhagavathi Temple, Kavalakulam(One of the ancient temples and the annual festival will be held from April 1 to 3 every year)
19. Shree Vanadurga Devi Temple, Perumpazhuthoor Neyyattinkara
20. Pottayil Sree Devi Temple, Venpakal (Badrakali Temple, known as Pottayil Mudippura; Chothi Thookam/ Paranettu Festival is famous)
21. Iruvaikonam Sree Bhagavathy Temple (Iruvaikonam Mudippura)
22. Athazhamangalam Sree Durga Devi Temple
23. Kumili Sree Krishna Swami Temple
24. Keeranthoor Elankam Sree Chamundeswari Devi Temple
25. Thathamala Sree Sankara-Narayana Temple, Perumkadavila (South India's only temple with Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva in a single idol)
26. Kollamvilakathu Sree Bala Bhadrakali Temple, Perumkadavila
27. Kulavunthala Sree Maha Ganapathy Temple, Perumkadavila

Educational institutions

The town has a number of secondary, and higher secondary educational institutions, plus a number of Polytechnics, and Engineering Colleges in the vicinity. The Govt. HSS in the town is one of the oldest schools in the entire state. It was established long before in the 1890s. It has churned out a number of proficient people, who have excelled in every field.

List of colleges

1. NIMS Dental College,^[7] Aralumoodu, Neyyattinkara
2. Technology Management Corridor (TMC), Near Sub-jail, Chemparathivila, NTA [Institute of Human Resource Development (IHRD), Government of Kerala]
3. College of Applied Science, Dhanuvachapuram (5 km from Town) (Institute of Human Resource Development (IHRD), Government of Kerala)
4. Ezhuthachan College of Pharmaceutical Sciences,^[8] Marayamuttom
5. VTM NSS college, Dhanuvachapuram^[9] (5 km from Town)
6. K N M Government Arts & Science College, Kanjiramkulam^[10] (9 km from Town)
7. Government Arts & Science College, Kulathoor
8. University Institute of Technology, Neyyattinkara Centre^[11] (2 km from Town)
9. Government Polytechnic College, Perumpazhuthoor^[12] (3 km from Town)
10. Regional Institute of Aviation, Pravachambalam^[13] (6 km from Town)
11. CSI College of Education, Parasala
12. PRS College of Engineering and Technology, Paliyode^[14]
13. Christian College, Kattakada^[15] (7 km from Neyyattinkara town border, however, this college comes under newly formed Kattakada Taluk)
14. Sree Krishna College of Pharmacy & Research Centre, Parassala

Politics

Neyyattinkara taluk is part of Trivandrum (Lok Sabha constituency) except kattakada assembly constituency which is part of Attingal (Lok Sabha constituency).^[16]

Neyyattinkara taluk includes 4 assembly constituencies (Kattakkada, Neyyattinkara, Parassala, Kovalam) in the Kerala Legislative Assembly. In early 2012, Neyyattinkara constituency attracted statewide attention, as it witnessed a much fiercely contested by-elections that Kerala Politics have ever seen caused by the resignation of the incumbent MLA R. Selvaraj of the CPI(M) party. The tri-cornered contest was between O. Rajagopal of BJP, F. Lawrence of CPI(M) and Selvaraj (Now, of INC), with Selvaraj emerging as the winner finally. He was defeated in 2016, losing to the CPI(M) candidate by more than 9000 votes!

Current MP: Dr. Shashi Tharoor (Indian National Congress party, re-elected as MP on 20 April 2014)

Neyyattinkara MLA: K. Ansalan, (CPI(M) party) won the 2016 Election by a margin of 9543 votes.

Kattakkada MLA: I.B. Satheesh, (CPI(M) party) won the 2016 Election by a margin of 849 votes.

Parassala MLA: C.K. Harindran, (CPI(M) party) won the 2016 election by a margin of 18566 votes.

Kovalam MLA: M Vincent, (Indian National Congress party) won the 2016 Election by a margin of 2615 votes.

Neyyattinkara Municipality led by LDF, WR Heeba CPI(M) elected as chairperson and KK Shibu CPI(M) Vice chairman.^[17]

Industry

The major factory in the town is the Kerala Automobiles Limited (KAL) at Aralummoodu. It builds three wheelers, especially suited for cargo transport. It is a much sought after brand in the developing ASEAN nations for good quality three-wheelers.^[18]

Neyyattinkara and the neighbouring areas has many cottage industries and handloom. The Balaramapuram Handloom Industry is known worldwide for its fine hosiery. There is a major handloom cloth manufacturing unit at Manchavilakam near Neyyattinkara.

Transport

Bus Stand (KSRTC), Neyyattinkara

The town of Neyyattinkara is well connected to the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, 20 km away, through regular bus services operated by Kerala State Road Transport Corporation. Neyyattinkara KSRTC Bus Depot is the largest in the taluk and operates a wide array of services. These also include long-distance services to Guruvayoor, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Chakkulath Kaavu, Kollam, Ernakulam, Kanniyakumari, etc. A/C Low Floor buses frequently ply along the Neyyattinkara-East Fort-Medical College-Kazhakkuttam route. There are 24 hour bus service between Trivandrum to Nagarcoil via Neyyattinkara town and Nagarcoil to Trivandrum via Neyyattinkara town. Neyyattinkara Railway Station is located on the Mangalore- Trivandrum - Kanyakumari Railway line. Neyyattinkara railway station code is 'NYY'. Except weekly trains (trains run once in a week), all other daily express trains and passenger trains through this route stop at the station. Thus the town is connected by major cities in India, including Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Mangalore, Pune, etc.

The Trivandrum Central railway station is about (20 km) from the town. Express trains will take 13 minutes to reach Trivandrum city from Neyyattinkara town, however, passenger / Shuttle trains will take 30 minutes (since these trains have stops at Balaramapuram and Nemom in between Neyyattinkara Town and Trivandrum City).

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies it climate as tropical wet and dry (Aw).

Neyyattinkara has heavy rains during June–August due to the southwest monsoon. Winter starts from December and continues till February. In summer, the temperature rises to a maximum of 32 °C (90 °F) and 31 °C (88 °F) in the winters. Record high temperature in neighbouring Thiruvananthapuram is 39 °C (102 °F). Annual average rainfall is 3,100 mm (120 in).^[19]

See also

• Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swami Temple
• Upper cloth revolt
• Neyyattinkara Railway Station
• Thiruvananthapuram
• Amaravila
• Kanjiramkulam
• Municipalities of Kerala

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Neyyattinkara.