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Palakkad

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Palakkad
Palakkad
Location of Palakkad
Government
 • ChairmanPosition Empty
Population
 (2001)
 • Total
130,736

For the district with the same name, see Palakkad District.

Palakkad, also known as Palghat (anglicized), is a town and a municipality in the state of Kerala in southern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District. Palakkad lies near the Palghat Gap, a pass or natural depression through the Western Ghats ranges that run parallel to the west coast of India, and connects Kerala to the plains of the state of Tamil Nadu to the east. The people of Palakkad generally speak Malayalam, though Tamil is also widely spoken/understood as it is close to the Tamil Nadu border.

Transport

The nearest international airport is Coimbatore Airport, which is about 52 km from Palakkad. Coimbatore airport has connecting flights to Singapore, Sharjah, Colombo, apart from major Indian cities.

Palakkad is well connected by roads. The National Highway (NH) 47 from Salem to Kanyakumari and the Palakkad-Kozhikode National Highway 213 pass through the district. Another important road is the Palakkad-Ponnani which connects NH 47 and NH 17.

Palakkad is a railway junction on India's Southern Railway. The cities of Pollachi, Dindigul and Madurai are connected by the meter-gauge line starting from here. Trains on this line bring vegetables, fish and dairy products from other cities. The nearest city is Coimbatore in Tamilnadu which is well connected to Palakkad with broad gauge trains and buses.

Demographics

In the 2001 census[1], Palakkad had a population of 130,736. Males constituted 49% of the population. The average literacy rate of the area is 81%, much higher than the national average of 59.5%.

Places of Interest

View from outside the northern wall of Palakkad Fort.
  • Palakkad Fort - Fort dating from 1766, built by Hyder Ali of Mysore. In 1784, after a siege which lasted eleven days, the British Colonel Fullerton stormed the Fort.[citation needed] Later it fell into the hands of the Zamorin’s troops, but was recaptured by the British in 1790.[citation needed] This well-preserved fort is also known as Tipu's (Tipu Sultan, son of Hyder Ali) Fort. Today there is a functioning jail in the fort grounds.
  • Malampuzha Dam and Malampuzha dam garden. This is a large irrigation dam built on the river Bharathapuzha at the base of the hills of the Western Ghats. The gardens, the amusement park for children, and the boating facilitices on the reservoir make Malampuzha a centre of interest for tourists, easily accessible from Palakkad.
Paddy fields in Palakkad
  • Jain Temple of Jainimedu - Situated on the western border of Palakkad town and not far from the railway station, this is an historic Jain Temple. The area around the temple is known as Jainimedu. This is one of the few places in Kerala where vestiges of Jainism have survived without substantial damage.[citation needed] The granite walls are devoid of decoration. The temple, 32 feet (9.8 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) wide, 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.[citation needed]
  • Parambikulam The Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, covering 285 km², is 135 km from Palakkad and adjacent to the Annamalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. Besides being a home for elephants, wild boar, sambar, bison, guar, crocodiles, and a few tigers and panthers, it has a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Trekking in the forest is allowed with prior permission. Boating facilities are available on the lake. The large Cannimare Teak Tree is here near Thunakadavu.
  • Silent Valley National Park A dense rain forest and the habitat of rare species 80 km from Palakkad. It is popularly known as the evergreen forest and noted for its eerie silence because of the lack of cicadas.[citation needed] It is an important biosphere reserve in the Western Ghats and home of the tribal people. The valley is known for the rare Lion-Tailed Macaque. This National Park is a protected area for tigers also.[citation needed]
File:Nemmara-rice-straw.JPG
Heap of rice straw, usually seen in front of houses in Palakkad district.
  • Nelliyampathi Known as the Ooty of Kerala,[citation needed] 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.
  • Pothundy Dam Around 35 km from Palakkad town, Pothundy Dam is situated on the way to Nelliyampathi hills. The hill area to Nelliyampathy hills starts from Pothundy Dam. People visiting Nelliyampathi use to stop here to enjoy the beauty of the Dam as well to relax during their long journey to Nelliyampathi hills.
  • Anamudi The highest peak in the district. The area has coffee and tea plantations.
File:Nemmara-fence.JPG
A typical fence made of bamboo usually seen in villages of the Palakkad district.
  • Attappady Attappady is an extensive mountain valley above the crest of the Ghat ranges, with several rivulets of the river Bhavani. The area is dominated by tribal people.[citation needed]
  • Punarjani Guha The Punarjani Guha is a natural tunnel 15 meters long in the rocky cliff. It is 2 km from the Thiruvilwamala Temple and the chief presiding deity is Sri Rama. The idol is believed to be ‘swayambhoo’, i.e. born on its own. It is believed that performing ‘noozhal’ -- crawling through the tunnel from one end to the other -- will wash away all of one’s sins and thus bring about rebirth. Only men are allowed to do the ‘noozhal’: women may only visit the cave. This ritual is practised on only one day per year, on Guruvayur Ekadashi.
  • Kanhirapuzha Dam This dam feeds almost half the agricultural land of the district. It supplies water to such places as Mannarkkad, Ottappalam and Shoranur, and is the biggest dam built with soil in Kerala. There is a garden in front of the dam.
  • Kalpathi Most famous of the eighteen agraharams of Palakkad, for its annual Ratholsavam.
  • Shekaripuram A small and welcoming village, Name Comes from Palakkadussery Sekhari Varma Raj. one of the many villages of Palakkad.
  • IRTC(www.irtc.org.in) Integrated Rural Technology Centre (IRTC) is an R&D and Taining Institution situated at Mundur,Palakkad. It develops or adapts technology having rural applications. Training and follow up facilities are extended in various livelihood programmes.

Local festivals

Akathethara-Vadakkethara Vela - Apr 24
Padur vela - feb 24
pudussery vedi - Feb 28
Kalpathi Ratholsavam
Chittur Konganpada
Nemmara-Vallanghi Vela- Nemmara Vela Photographs
Manappullikavu Vela
Vayilliamkunnu Pooram
Mangottu Kavu Temple Vela - Second sunday after Vishu(every year)
Vadakkanthara Vela (only once every 3 years)
Ashtami Rohini (Sreekrishna Jayanthi) (Kunnathurmedu Sreekrishna Temple )
Kizhkencherry Ratholsavam - Dec 25
Thiruvara Niramaala - Dec 28
Karumanassery Ratholsavam - Dec 29
Tattamangalam Angadi Vela Angadi Vela Photographs - celebrated every 2 years
Puthur-Vela - April 7
Pariyanampatta Pooram - Kumbham -7
Peruvemba Vela [1]
Kannambra Vela - May 24
Nurani Sasthapreethi (Every year end of Dec - beginning of Jan)
Puthucode Navaratri Festival for 9 days September - October.
Kallepully Kummati Kummati Festival during February - March every year
Kongad Pooram Festival at the Kongad Shri Thirumandankunnu Bhagavati Temple during March- April every year Mangod pooram festival at mangottukav bhagavathy temple, it is situated near the heritage village vellinezhi PariyanamPatta Pooram Pooram at the Pariyanampatta temple, MangalamKunnu, Palakkad. Its the famous festival of Valluvanadu. The pooram day is (Malayalam)Kumbam 7.

  • Manapullikavu Vella

Chruppil Kavu : It is situated 2 Km from Palakkad railway station. Goddess is "Cheruppil amma". One of the famous festival is "PANA" . Which happens once in every 5 years. It is a 41 day festival. Various famous art forms are performed on these days.

  • Thiruvaraikkal Temple Pooram Festival
  • Thiruvaraikkal Temple Pooram, Thiruvazhiyode.(Thiruvaraikkal Temple pooram festival is celebrating on April 20(Medam 7) .The temple is situated 37 kilometers from palakkad town ( Palakkad - Cherpulassery root )).
  • Mathur Kooth Festival (Kalikavil Bhagawathy Temple, Mathur Padinjharethara, Mathur, Palakkad ) Celebrates Kooth Festival in April - May , in every year.
  • Sree Pariyanampatta temple: One of famous temple in valluvanadu. Main Celebration pooram Kumbam -7 every malayalm calander year.
  • Pappady Sreekrishna Temple- Ashtami Rohini and Kumbabhishekam in every year.

Educational Institutions In Palakkad

Islamic Central School, Ottapalam(www.markazotp.org)


See also

Satellite image of the town

Punchapadam

References

  1. ^ Template:GR

Vadakkanthara

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