Karunagappally | |
|---|---|
  Karunagappally Location in Kerala, India Show map of Kerala Karunagappally Karunagappally (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:9°3′16″N76°32′7″E / 9.05444°N 76.53528°E /9.05444; 76.53528 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Kerala |
| District | Kollam |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Chairman | Kottayil Raju |
| • Vice Chairman | Sakeena Salam |
| Area | |
• Total | 18.65 km2 (7.20 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 14 m (46 ft) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 49,604 |
| • Density | 2,700/km2 (6,900/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Karunagapallikkaran |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 690518 |
| Telephone code | +91 (0)4762 |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-KL |
| Vehicle registration | KL-23 |
| Nearest city | Kollam (24 km) |
| Sex ratio | 999♂/♀ |
| Literacy | 94.26% |
| Civic agency | Karunagappally Municipality |
| Climate | Am/Aw(Köppen) |
| Avg. annual temperature | 27.2 °C (81.0 °F) |
| Avg. summer temperature | 35 °C (95 °F) |
| Avg. winter temperature | 24.4 °C (75.9 °F) |
Karunagappally is amunicipality in theKollam district ofKerala,India. It is 24 km north ofKollam and 60 km (37 mi) south ofAlappuzha. Karunagappally taluk consists ofAlappad,Ochira,Adinad,Karunagappally,Thazhava,Pavumba,Thodiyoor,Kallalibhagom,Thevalakkara,Chavara,Neendakara,Clappana,Kulasekharapuram,Thekkumbhagam,Ayanivelikulangara,Panmana, Ponmana andVadakumthala.[2] The taluk is bound on the north byKayamkulam, on the east byKunnathur taluk, on the south byKollam and on the west by theArabian Sea. It is one of the fastest developing towns in Kerala and is part of Kollam metropolitan area.
Karunagappally is the location of a government engineering college named theCollege of Engineering Karunagappally, also known as[3] CEK, and a Government Arts & Science College under the University of Kerala. Europeans called Karunagappally Martha. It is also home to renownedAmrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University's campus.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This section is empty. You can help byadding to it.(August 2023) |
The main tourist attraction is the house boat facility inAlumkadavu which is close (only 3 km) to Karunagappally town. Karunagappally Tourism at a glance. Sree Narayana Trophy boat race, an annual boat race is organised in the Kannety (Pallickal) River, Karunagappally, during the season ofOnam Festival. Nowadays houseboat, safari boat and speed-boat services are operated from Kannetty boat club which 1 km apart from Karunagappally ksrtc bus stand to various places like Amrithapuri, Azheekkal beach, harbour, Ashtamudi lake through Vattakkayal, Kattilmekkathil temple ,Ochira Parabrahma Temple and Chavara canal. And also to Champakkadavu where we can enjoy the beauty of villages, rare species of birds and diversity. The famousChinese fishing nets can be found on the banks of the lagoon. TheAmritapuri ashram is also situated in Parayakadavu, which is 8 km from Karunagappally. Other tourist attractions are Alumkadavu Backwater, Oachira temple, Pandarathuruth Church, Sheik Masjid Mosque, Padanayarkulangara Mahadeva Temple, Thazhava, Kovilthottam Light House, Sasthamkotta Lake, etc.Alumkadavu is the place where first houseboat made in India.
Recently,Azheekal beach is gaining popularity as a local tourist attraction.
Karunagappally was an ancient Buddhist site. There was a Buddha bhikshu named Karinagan who lived in Karunagappally. He later became known as Pallikkal Puthran (as Karunagappally is situated on the banks of Pallikkal river) hence the name Karunagappally. Many traces of ancient Buddhist culture were excavated from various places in and around Karunagappally. A statue of Karinagan was placed in front of Mahadevar temple at the heart of the city. Now it has been moved toKrishnapuram Palace, Kayamkulam.
As of 2011 India census, Karunagappalli Municipality had a population of 25,336 where 12,219 are males and 13,117 are females.[4] 75% of the population is Hindu; Muslims, the second-largest community having 19%. Christians are scattered and spread over Panchayths and Municipality limits, and account for 6% of the population. In the coastal panchaythat Azheekal, almost 100% of the population is Hindu. The high literacy of Kerala is reflected in Karunagappalli as well with 94.23% of the population classified as literate as against the national average of 74.04%.
Karungappalli used to be an agrarian economy until the late 19th century withcoconut,banana,tapioca andpaddy as the main crops grown. With rapid urbanization and the consequent pressure on land, the reliance on agriculture has dwindled. Several cottage and small industries have now come up in the area including brick making, engineering and electronics. Proximity toKollam (27 km) and the excellent road and rail infrastructure have helped in this transition.
Fishing forms the major source of livelihood for the coast dwellers. The area also receives substantial foreign remittances from the large number of people from here working in the Gulf countries. Now Kerala's many prominent business centres had their branches here.
Karunagappalli is known for highbackground radiation fromthorium-containingmonazite sand. In some coastal panchayats, median outdoor radiation levels are more than 4mGy/yr and, in certain locations on the coast, it is as high as 70 mGy/yr.[5]
Karunagappally is on the Kanyakumari-Kochi-PanvelNational Highway 66 route. In taluk, Oachira to Neendakara is accessible through this same highway.
Main road transport is provided by State ownedKerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and private transport bus operators. KSRTC Bus Station is situated in the heart of the town, on the National Highway 66. Buses are available from Karunagappally to Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kottayam, Kayamkulam, Shasthamkotta, Harippad, Kottarakkara, Kodungallur, Guruvayur, etc. Local services are also available to destinations throughout the district. The station operates Super Fast, Fast Passenger, Non AC low-floor, Venad and Ordinary buses.
Road transport is also supported by private taxis and autorickshaws, also called as autos.
Karunagappalli railway station, (KPY) is a NSG 4 category railway station situated in Edakkulangara. It lies on the Kollam-Kayamkulam rail route of the Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam railway line and is only 1.5 km far from the KSRTC bus station. Auto rickshaws are available from and to the railway station. Buses are available to railway station bus stop every 15 minutes (150 meters from station). Also buses are available from town to Alumoodu Jn. bus stop every 5 minutes, which is only 700 meters away from KPY railway station. There are 32 express and 18 passenger trains are available from here.
Mumbai (Lokamanyathilak)-Thiruvananthapuram-LokamanyathilakNetravati Express, Kanyakumari-Bangalore-KanyakumariIsland Express, TVC-Hydrabad-TVCSabari Express, Kanyakumari-Mumbai-KanyakumariJayanthy Janatha Express, Nagarcoil-mangalur-NagarcoilErnad Express, TVC-Mangalur-TVCMaveli Express, TVC-Ernakulam-TVCVanchinad Express, Nagarcoil-mangalur-NagarcoilParasuram Express, TVC-Shornur-TVCVenad Express, TVC-Mangalur-TVCMalabar Express, TVC-palakkad-TVCAmritha Express,Rajya Rani Express, Thiruvananthapuram-Guruvayoor-TVC Intercity Express,Kollam - Visakhapatnam Express, Trivandrum-Mangalapuram-Trivandrum Express and Punalur PalakkadPalaruvi Express are the main train connections. Around 50 trains have stop here in both directions.Station Code: KPY.
Trivandrum International Airport is the nearest airport and is easily accessible via the National Highway 66.
Karunagapalli assembly constituency is part ofAlappuzhaLok Sabhaconstituency and the major political parties in Karunagappally municipality and nearby panchayaths were CPI[M],CPI, Congress, BJP.[clarification needed][6]
Including Neendakara, Thevalakkara, Chavara and Panmana Panchayaths,Chavara assembly constituency is part ofQuilon Lok Sabha constituency. CPI(M), RSP, CPI, BSP, BJP,[clarification needed] are major political parties there.
The major industries in the public sector areIndian Rare Earths Limited (IRE) andKerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML) in Shankaramangalam.KERAFED in Puthiyakavu, house-boat manufacturing in Alumkadavu, the state owned Kerala Feeds Ltd in Kallelibhagom are also major industries. The KMML is the first of its kind.
Cashew nut industry plays a vital role. Western India cashews in Puthiyakavu and Latha cashews processing, imports and exports in Charamurimuk are the major cashew processing units in town limits. Coconut, paddy, tapioca, banana, etc. are the other main agricultural crops. Prominent small scale and cottage industries are based on bricks, well rings making, engineering, electronics items and handicrafts.
There are many religious centers in and aroundKarunagappally. The Municipality is known for its religious harmony. Major religious centers include Kattilmekkathil Devi Temple, Ochira Parabrahma Temple, Sree Subhramanyaswami Temple Panama, Changankulangara Sree Mahadevar Temple, Thevalakkara Major Devi Temple, Pulithitta Chathushashti Yogini Sametha Mahakali Dharmadaiva Temples (Pulithitta Sree Bhadrabhagavathy Dharmadaiva Temple), India Pentecostal Church of God, Karunagappally, Assemblies of God Church, Karunagappally, The Pentecostal Mission, Karunagappally, Karunagappally Sheikh Masjid, Karunagappally Jama'at Mosque, Padanayarkulangara Mahadeva Temple, Sree Mookumpuzha Devi Temple, Maruthoorkulangara Mahadeva Temple, Mararithottam Mahadeva Temple, Puthiyakavu Devi Temple, Edakkulangara Sree Devi Temple, Vallikkavu Temple, and Puliyankulangara Temple, Shree kasiviswanatha temple and Vadakke nada bhagavathi temple Cheriazheekal.
Places adjacent to Karunagappalli | |
|---|---|
| City corporations |  | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipalities | |||||||||||||
| Revenue divisional office | |||||||||||||
| Talukas and villages |
| ||||||||||||
