Palakkad district
| Palakkad District | |
|---|---|
| District | |
|
Malampuzha Garden Entrance | |
 Location in Kerala | |
| Coordinates: 10°46′30″N 76°39′04″E / 10.775°N 76.651°ECoordinates: 10°46′30″N 76°39′04″E / 10.775°N 76.651°E | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | Kerala |
| Headquarters | Palakkad |
| Government | |
| • Member of Parliament |
M. B. Rajesh (CPIM)  Palakkad |
| • Member of Parliament |
P. K. Biju (CPIM) Alathur |
| • Collector | Mary Kutty IAS |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 2,810,892[1] |
| • Rank | 7 |
| • Density | 627/km2 (1,620/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-KL-PKD |
| Vehicle registration | Palakkad KL-09, Alathur KL-49, Mannarkkad KL-50, Ottappalam KL-51, Pattambi KL-52, Chittur KL-70 |
| Literacy | 94.48%[1] |
| Website |
www |
Palakkad District is one of the 14 districts of the Indian state of Kerala. Also, it is the largest district in kerala from 2006.The city of Palakkad is the district headquarters. Palakkad is bordered on the northwest by the Malappuram District, on the southwest by the Thrissur District, on the northeast by The Nilgiris District and on the east by Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. The district is 24.4% urbanised according to the census of 2011. The district is nicknamed "the granary of Kerala" and "Rice bowl of Kerala".[2]
Name
In earlier times, Palakkad was also known as Palakkattussery.[3]
Palakkad is the gateway to Kerala due to the presence of the Palakkad Gap, in the Western Ghats. The total area of the district is 4,480 km2 (1,730 sq mi) which is 11.5% of the state's area which makes it the largest district of Kerala. Out of the total area of 4,480 km2 (1,730 sq mi), about 1,360 km2 (530 sq mi) of land is covered by forests. Most parts of the district fall in the midland region (elevation 75–250 m or 246–820 ft), 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 highland region (elevation > 250 m or 820 ft).
The climate is pleasant for most part of the year, exception is on the summer months. There is sufficient rainfall and it receives more rainfall than the extreme southern districts of kerala. 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[4]
Administration
- Taluks; Alathur, Chittur, Mannarkkad, Ottappalam, Palakkad and Pattambi.
- Members of Parliament;
- Under the amended Indian Constitution, decentralised planning has been implemented in the state. The headquarters of the District Panchayat is at Palakkad Municipal town. The District Panchayat office building is near the Civil Station.
Economy
IIT Palakkad for Kerala started operations in its temporary campus at Kanjikode, Palakkad from 3 August 2015. Many industries are located in the Kanjikode Industrial Area, which is termed as the second biggest industrial area in Kerala, many central government institutions are located in this area Palakkad is the first paperless revenue district by computerizing the collectorate, five taluks and 156 village offices. It became the first computerized collectorate in the country implemented under the ‘DC Suit’ system and the first district where all the five taluk offices are computerized under the ‘Taluk Suit’ and connected with the Collectorate.[5][6] There are various industries in the district. The Public Sector companies[7] and Instrumentation Limited have plants in Kanjikode, 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from Palakkad town. Other large companies are the BPL group, Coca-Cola and Pepsi. There is an Industrial Area in Kanjikode with a number of medium industries. Palakkad is the one of the most agrarian districts in Kerala. Palakkad is particularly known for paddy cultivation. Paddy is cultivated in around 83,998 Hectares in the district and occupies the first position in the production of rice in the state. Palakkad also occupies the first position in the state for the production of groundnut, tamarind, turmeric, tuber, vegetables, pulses, mango, banana, plantain and cotton. Rubber, coconut, areca nut, black pepper, etc. are also cultivated extensively like other parts of Kerala.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census Palakkad district has a population of 2,810,892,[1] roughly equal to the nation of Jamaica[8] or the US state of Utah.[9] This gives it a ranking of 138th in India (out of a total of 640).[1] The district has a population density of 627 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,620/sq mi).[1] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 7.39%.[1] Palakkad has a sex ratio of 1067 females for every 1000 males,[1] and a literacy rate of 89.32%. Palakkad city has a literacy rate of 94.20%[1]
Languages
The official language Malayalam is predominantly and widely spoken in the district, while Tamil forms the main language of over 6% of the district's population.
Noted personalities
- Kunjan Nambiar
- Vallathol Narayana Menon (Ponnani, Old Palakkad District)
- M T Vasudevan Nair
- O V Vijayan
- Malayattoor Ramakrishnan
- K P Kesava Menon (Idealist, Founder of Mathrubhoomi)
- T. N. Seshan (Former Chief Election Commissioner)
- E Sreedharan (Eminent Engineer, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation)
- M.G. Ramachandran (Tamil Nadu Chief minister )
Transport
Palakkad town consists of two railway stations namely Palakkad Town railway station and Palakkad Junction Railway station. Palakkad Junction is an important station on the Southern Railway.The office of the Palakkad Division of the Southern Railway is situated near Palakkad Junction Railway Station. The trains coming from Other parts of India are diverted to north and south Kerala from Shoranur Junction in Palakkad District. From here there is train service to Calicut, Ernakulam, Trivandrum, Shoranur and Nilambur. Shoranur Junction also has rail connections to Mangalore and the Konkan Railway, enabling travel towards Goa and Bombay.
Palakkad has a medium grade network of roads. The Salem-Kanyakumari National Highway 47 and the Palakkad-Kozhikode National Highway 213 run through the district. Another important road is the Palakkad – Ponnani road which connects NH 47 and NH 17.
The nearest Airport is at Coimbatore (Coimbatore International Airport) which is 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the City.The Calicut International Airport is 103 kilometres (64 miles) from Palakkad City, and Cochin International Airport is 111 kilometres (69 miles) from the city, it offers connections to all parts of India and a few international destinations. Air India, SpiceJet, JetLite (now Jet Konnect), Kingfisher Airlines (suspended as of Oct 2012), Goair, Paramount airways, Air Arabia and Air India are the major operators.
Education In Palakkad
- SIVA'S IAS ACADEMY Palakkad, Mercy College Jn
- Indian Institute of Technology Palakkad
- Govt. Victoria College, Palghat
- Sree Neelakanda Govt. Sanskrit College, Pattambi
- Nss College, ottapalam
- Chembai Memorial Govt. Music College, Palakkad
- Govt. College, Chittur
- Govt. Arts and Science College, Kozhinjampara
- NSS College, Nemmara
- NSS Engineering College, Palakkad
- Govt. Engineering College, Sreekrishnapuram, Palakkad
- Santhigiri Ayurved Medical College, Palakkad
- Vishnu Ayurved College, Shoranur
- Royal Dental College, Palakkad
- Ahalia School of Engineering & Technology, Palakkad
- Al-Ameen Engineering College, Shornur Palakkad
- Govt. Medical College, Palakkad
- Karuna Medical College, Villoyodi Palakkad
- V.R. Krishnan Ezhuthachan Law College
- Mercy College, Palakkad[10]
- Sree Narayana College, Alathur
- Crecent school of Nursing, Alathur
Tourist attractions
- Nenmara Vallanghy Vela
- Kalpathi Ratholsavam
- Palakkad Fort – Situated in the heart of town, this is the most beautiful and best preserved fort in Kerala, recalling many old tales of valour and courage. The Fort, which dates back to 1766, was built by Hyder Ali of Mysore. In 1784, after a siege which lasted for eleven days, British Col. William Fullarton (1754–1808) 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 Fort, after Tipu Sultan the son of Hyder Ali. It is under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India.
- Malampuzha dam garden – A large irrigation dam on the Bharatapuzha river, on the valley of Western Ghats. There is a beautiful gardens, an amusement park for children and a boating facility on the reservoir.
- Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, sprawling over 285 square kilometres (110 square miles), is 135 kilometres (84 miles) from Palakkad and adjacent to the Indira Gandhi National Park and 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 a rich assortment of semi-tropical plants and trees. Trekking 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 – A thick rain forest, with many rare species, it has been declared a National Park. It is 80 kilometres (50 miles). from Palakkad. It is popularly known as the "Evergreen Forest" and noted for its eerie silence because of the lack of cicadas, which are common elsewhere. It is an important biosphere reserve in the Western Ghats and the home of tribal people. The valley is a habitat for the rare lion-tailed macaque. The park is also a protected area for tigers.
- Nelliyampathi – Known as the Ooty of Kerala, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Palakkad and 29 kilometres (18 miles) from Nemmara Town. It is a hill station in the forest between a series of ridges cut off from one another by valleys of dark evergreen forests
- Dhoni – A reserve forest area about 15 kilometres (9.3 miles). from Palakkad. This forest has many interesting sights including 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.
- Kanjirapuzha Dam and garden.about 37.4 kilometres (23.2 miles) from Palakkad town. Kanjirapuzha Dam was built for large area irrigation purposes.
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
- ↑ "‘Rice bowl’ will loose 30,000 hectares if conversion legalised". The Hindu. 2012-07-20. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
- ↑ "Ittipangi Achan passes away". The New Indian Express. 2011-07-31. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
- ↑ Fact sheet on Indian dams at Diehardindian.com
- ↑ http://www.keralait.org/blog/2011/02/04/palakkad-to-become-e-revenue-district/
- ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/palakkad-to-become-first-erevenue-district/article1242658.ece
- ↑ ITI Limited
- ↑ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Retrieved 2011-10-01.
Jamaica 2,868,380 July 2011 est
- ↑ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
Utah 2,763,885
- ↑ Mercy College, Palakkad
Satellite Images
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Palakkad (district). |
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Palakkad District. |
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