Karavaloor Kerala Karavalur | |
|---|---|
village | |
  Karavaloor Location in Kerala, India | |
| Coordinates:8°59′0″N76°55′30″E / 8.98333°N 76.92500°E /8.98333; 76.92500 | |
| Founded by | Venad |
| Named after | Venad |
| Government | |
| • Type | Panchayat |
| • Body | Gram panchayat |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 23,947 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam,English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 691333 |
| Telephone code | 0475 |
| Vehicle registration | KL-25 |
| Nearest city | Punalur |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Kollam |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Punalur |
Karavaloor is a village inKollam district in the Indian state ofKerala. It is mainly known for the famous Peedika Bhagavathi Temple and its Meena-Thiruvathira Festival, as it is one of the well-known festivals in Kollam District. Thousands of people gather here every year for this very reason regardless of their caste or faith.
It sits approximately 65 km from the state capital,Thiruvananthapuram[1] and approximately 5 km fromPunalur on the Punalur-Thiruvananthapuram road.
Nearby villages include Poikayil, Ayanikode, Neelammal, Venchempu, andMathra, where the Panchayath administrative office is located.
Native plants includenatural rubber,banana,jackfruit,black pepper,guava, andSyzygium samarangense, with an abundance ofPaddy fields and natural streams.
Karavaloor can also be written asKaravalur. The name is derived from the legend of Shri Peedika Bhagavathy, the Goddess of Karavaloor, who appeared to the village with aKaraval (കരവാള്,Sword inDravidian Etymology) after she was called for their protection. The suffixUru isProto-Dravidian for "village".
It was once part of theVenad Kingdoms which laid the foundation for the laterChera kingdom. It developed trade links withKollam Port and traded in spices and herbs as was common in the period.[2]
Proto-Australoid tribes like theKuravar,Pulayar andParaiyar make up the native ancestral population. Minority groups include theNair, theVellala Pillai,Ezhava,Saint Thomas Christians, and theMuslim Mappila.
The population of the village is 23,947, 11,288 of them are males and 12,659 of them are females according to 2011 Indian Census.[3]
The literacy rate of the village is higher compared to Kerala. In 2011, the village's literacy rate of was 95.37 % compared to Kerala's 94.00 %. Male literacy was
NativeAnimism,Hinduism,Christianity,Islam and Tribal Religions are practiced.
Karavaloor features the Karavaloor Peedika Bhagavathy Goddess Temple, whereBhadrakali is the presiding deity. The annual festival of this temple is known for its processions.
Active temples include Padinjattinkara Shiva Temple, Paanayam Shiva Temple, Mathra Shiva Temple, and Murikolilkavu Parvathy Temple. They are worship sites, along with almost a dozen sacred groves that denote nature.
Churches are present, such as Karavaloor Bethel Marthoma Church (attracting more than 500 families), Kereeth Marthoma Church, St. Benedict Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, St. George Orthodox Church and Nithya Sahaya Matha Church.
Pentecostal churches includeAssemblies of God churches,Church of God and many IndependentPentecostal churches.
Key aspects of the local economy are rubber harvesting, banking, and remittances from migrant workers.
The village has two secondary schools, Karavaloor (AMMHS, established under the patronage of theMar Thoma Syrian Church) which was first established by the Koipuram Family and Venchempu higher secondary school (NGPMHS). Neelammal is a government-run school for lower primary students. Private schools include the Oxford Central school and Carmel Central School.
Karavaloor is part of the Punalur constituency and is home to many state ministers and leaders.
P.C Baby was the first panchayath president. The village is governed by a UDF majority committee. R.Lathikamma is the panchayath president.
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