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Erattupetta | |
|---|---|
 Central junction, Erattupetta | |
  Erattupetta Location in Kerala, India Show map of Kerala Erattupetta Erattupetta (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:9°42′N76°47′E / 9.7°N 76.78°E /9.7; 76.78 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Kerala |
| District | Kottayam |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Municipal Chairperson | Suhara Abdul Khader(IUML) |
| • Municipal Vice Chairman | Muhammad Ilyas (INC) |
| Area | |
• Total | 18.29 km2 (7.06 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 24 m (79 ft) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 34,814 |
| • Density | 1,903/km2 (4,930/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam,English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Postal code | 686122 |
| Postal code | 686121 |
| Vehicle registration | KL-35 |
| Literacy | 95% |
| Website | Official website |
Erattupetta (Malayalam pronunciation:[i:ra:tupe:ʈa]) is amunicipality[3] in theKottayam district ofKerala,India. It is located 40 km (24.9 mi) east of the district headquarters inKottayam and about 157 km (97.6 mi) north of the state capitalThiruvananthapuram. As per the2011 Indian census, Erattupetta has a population of 34,814 people, and a population density of 1,906/km2 (4,940/sq mi).
The "Eraaru" part in all the variations of the names arose from the geographical location where the two rivers (aaru) merge as a single one. Erattupetta is situated in the foothills of the High Ranges. 'Peta' means town in Dravidian languages. Earlier, it was known as 'Erapoli' or 'Erapuzha'. It was the commercial capital of the Poonjar principality until 1949.
Tamil Immigrants: The most important of these were the (Rawther) Khan familyMuslims who came fromMadurai inTamil Nadu in the twelfth century, along with thePoonjar royal family and their loyal servants and bodyguards. This group also includes Hindus belonging to the Chetti tribe and the Rowthers who left Tamil areas in the 14th century. They still speak Malayalam mixed with Tamil. Additionally, there are families who are converted to Christianity.
Malayali Immigrants: This group includes Christians who migrated fromKodungallur with the advent of Christianity, and fromNilakkal in the fourteenth century, Muslims who came fromEdappally nearKochi after the advent of Islam, the Mehtar sect, and later Muslims from various families who came from Malappuram and Ernakulam districts. Apart from this, there is another sect with roots in Saudi Arabia, known as theLabbay, descendants of Shaikh Saeed Bawa. While the Muslims, who depended on trade, settled in Eratupetta itself, the Christians moved to the nearby hills in search of fertile farmlands. Other laborers moved to different areas depending on the availability of work. This is the reason why Eratupetta became a Muslim-majority area.
In the past, theMuthuvan people brought hill produce from theCardamom Hills down for trade. Today, Erattupetta serves as a trading center for spices, rubber, areca nut, and other agricultural products. The hill station ofWagamon lies approximately 22 km east of Erattupetta. The town also has a significant expatriate population living in Gulf countries, particularly in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
According to the Population Census 2011, there are a total of 7,686 families residing in Erattupetta. The total population of Erattupetta is 34,814, of which 17,555 are males and 17,259 are females, resulting in an average sex ratio of 983 females per 1,000 males.
The population of children aged 0-6 years in Erattupetta is 4,474, which is 13% of the total population. There are 2,294 male children and 2,180 female children in this age group. As per the Census 2011, the child sex ratio of Erattupetta is 950, which is lower than the average sex ratio of 983.
According to the Census 2011, the literacy rate of Erattupetta is 95.5%, which is lower than the 97.2% literacy rate of Kottayam district. The male literacy rate in Erattupetta is 97.39%, while the female literacy rate is 93.51%.
Erattupetta can be easily accessed from north Kerala via theAngamaly-Muvattupuzha-Thodupuzha-Muttom route. It is also well connected to Tamil Nadu via the Kottayam-Kumali Road(KK Road) toMadurai, through the nearest town,Mundakkayam, viaParathanam, which is 27 kilometers from Erattupetta. The town has an average elevation of 36 meters (118 feet).
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Erattupetta is a municipality. The current municipal chairperson is Suhara Abdul Khader(IUML).Vice chairperson ansar pullolil (INC). Erattupetta falls under the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency and the Poonjar assembly constituency. It is represented in theLok Sabha byAnto Antony (UDF) and in theKerala Legislative Assembly bySebastian Kulathunkal (LDF).
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