Changanassery Changanacherry | |
|---|---|
     Clockwise, top to bottom:St. Berchmans College; The Anchuviḷakku; Iḷamkavu Devi Temple; The boat jetty;NSS Hindu College | |
  Changanassery  Changanassery | |
| Coordinates:9°28′00″N76°33′00″E / 9.466667°N 76.55°E /9.466667; 76.55 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Kerala |
| District | Kottayam |
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipality |
| Area | |
| 13.5 km2 (5.2 sq mi) | |
| • Metro | 43.8 km2 (16.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 11 m (36 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| 47,485 | |
| • Density | 3,520/km2 (9,110/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 127,987 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, English[2] |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 686101 |
| Telephone code | 0481 |
| Vehicle registration | KL 33 |
Changanassery, (IPA:[t͡ʃɐŋːɐnaːʃeːɾi])formerlyChanganacherry, is amunicipality[1] in theKottayam district ofKerala, India. It is located 17 km (10.6 mi) south of the district headquarters inKottayam and about 115 km (71.5 mi) north of the state capitalThiruvananthapuram. As per the2011 Indian census, Changanassery has a population of 47,485 people, and a population density of 3,517/km2 (9,110/sq mi).
Changanassery is an important market town, was historically one of the centres of administration and culture in theCentral Travancore region. The Changanassery market, established in AD 1805, served as the main trading point in the transport of rice, pepper, dry ginger, and piece goods between the coastal areas in the west and the mountains of the east. The "Anchu Vilakku" lamps were installed by the locals in 1905 near the boat jetty, and continues to serve as a symbol of the religious and ethnic harmony of the region.[3][4] Changanassery is also famous forSB College, one of the oldest and prestigious institutions established by theCatholic Church in 1922 and for providing higher education to Travancore Region in Kerala in beginning of 20 th Century.The College Tower of SB College, withChrist The King on top of it, continues to stand as symbol for wisdom and education in Kerala.[5][6]
The city is governed by the Changanacherry Municipal Council.Ms Beena Joby is the chairperson of the municipality and the vice chairperson Mr Mathews George.[7]
It heads the taluk Kachery (office). It also heads the Munsiff's court and the judicial first class magistrate's court.[8]Changanacherry assembly constituency was a part ofKottayam (Lok Sabha constituency).[9] However, after the Delimitation Commission's Report in 2005, in order to retainMavelikkara Lok Sabha Constituency, Changanacherry segment in Kottayam and the neighbouring constituencies in Alappuzha and Kollam districts were put together underMavelikkara constituency. Sri. Kodikunnil Suresh represents Mavelikkara constituency in Parliament and Sri. Job Michael represents Changanacherry Constituency in the Kerala Legislative Assembly now.
Changanassery has atropical monsoon climate. There is significant rainfall in most months of the year. The short dry season has little effect on the overall climate. TheKöppen-Geiger climate classification isAm. The temperature here averages 26.3 °C or 79.3 °F. In a year, the average rainfall is about 2,979 millimetres or 117 inches.
| Climate data for Changanassery | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31 (88) | 32.7 (90.9) | 33.4 (92.1) | 32.1 (89.8) | 30.3 (86.5) | 28.4 (83.1) | 28.1 (82.6) | 28.1 (82.6) | 28.6 (83.5) | 28.9 (84.0) | 29 (84) | 29.6 (85.3) | 30.0 (86.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 26.3 (79.3) | 27.5 (81.5) | 28.4 (83.1) | 27.9 (82.2) | 27 (81) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25.8 (78.4) | 26.4 (79.5) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 22 (0.9) | 26 (1.0) | 67 (2.6) | 167 (6.6) | 346 (13.6) | 530 (20.9) | 497 (19.6) | 401 (15.8) | 305 (12.0) | 324 (12.8) | 222 (8.7) | 72 (2.8) | 2,979 (117.3) |
| Source:"Changanassery Climate".Climate Data. | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 14,264 | — |
| 1911 | 17,242 | +20.9% |
| 1921 | 18,955 | +9.9% |
| 1931 | 24,201 | +27.7% |
| 1941 | 28,381 | +17.3% |
| 1951 | 36,289 | +27.9% |
| 1961 | 42,376 | +16.8% |
| 1971 | 48,545 | +14.6% |
| 1981 | 51,955 | +7.0% |
| 1991 | 52,455 | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 51,967 | −0.9% |
| 2011 | 47,685 | −8.2% |
The Indian census collects statistics for both the Changanassery municipality and the Changanassery Urban Agglomeration (including its surrounding panchayat areas). The Changanassery UA includes Changanassery municipality as well as neighbouring panchayats likePaippad,Thrikodithanam andChethipuzha in Vazhapilly panchayat.
As of the2011 Indian census Changanassery municipality has a population of 47,485, an 8.2% decline from the 51,967 registered in 2001. Of this, 48.13% are male and 51.86% are female. The total population of the Changanassery UA is 127,987, of which 48.29% are male and 51.71% are female.[10][11] The percentage of children below the age of 6 was 8.9% in Changanassery and 9.02% in the Changanassery UA. The literacy rate of Changanassery in 2011 was 97.19% (98.01% for males and 96.45% for females), which was higher than the state average of 94% and the national average of 74.04%. The literacy rate of the Changanassery UA in 2011 was 97.56% (98.19% for males and 96.98% for females).
According to the 2011 census,Hindus are the plurality, with 48% of the population adhering to the religion.Christians form a significant minority, constituting 35% of the population.Muslims constitute 17% of the population.[13]
The headquarters of theNair Service Society, an organization created for the social advancement and welfare of the Nair community of Hindus, is located in Perunna. Changanassery is also the center of theArchdiocese of Changanassery, one of the largest dioceses of the Syro-Malabar Catholic church in India. Changanacherry's The Holy Trinity Church is regarded as one of Kerala's first "born-again" churches, having had a major influence on the development of the state's new Christian identity.
There was a Vedic school at Vazhappally Salagramam (Vazhappally Shala) in ancient times during the rule of theThekkumkur. It was run exclusively for Brahmins. It is the oldest educational institution in Changanassery on record. The Vazhappally Sala was destroyed by the army of Ramayyan Dalawa during theBattle of Changanassery between Thekkumkur and Travancore in 1790.[14]
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