Kottarakkara | |
|---|---|
Municipal Town | |
 Kottarakkara Sree Mahaganapathi Temple | |
  Kottarakkara Location in Kerala, India Show map of Kerala Kottarakkara Kottarakkara (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:08°59′00″N76°46′00″E / 8.98333°N 76.76667°E /8.98333; 76.76667 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Kerala |
| District | Kollam |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council |
| • Body | Kottarakkara Municipality |
| • MP | Kodikunnil Suresh |
| • MLA | K.N.Balagopal |
| Area | |
• Total | 17.39 km2 (6.71 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 29,788 |
| • Density | 1,713/km2 (4,436/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PINCODE | 691506 |
| Vehicle registration | KL-24 |
| Nearest city | Kollam |
| Civic Agency | Kottarakara Municipality |
Kottarakkara (IAST: Koṭṭārakkara), also transliterated asKottarakara, is atown andmunicipality in theKollam district ofKerala, India.[2] Kottarakkara lies 27 kilometres (17 mi) to the east ofKollam city centre.[3]
Kottarakkara is regarded as the birthplace of Kathakali, the classical dance-drama of Kerala. The art form is believed to have originated in the 17th century when Prince Kottarakkara Thampuran composed several plays and developed it as an alternative to Krishnattam of Guruvayur. Kathakali later evolved into one of the major cultural symbols of Kerala.[6]
Kottarakkara, also known in the ancient days of the kings as theElayadathu Swarupam, was a principality ruled by a branch of theTravancore Royal Family, later the kingdom collapsed and some elite Nair royals settled in the Thrikkannamangal region of Kottarakkara. It is the home ofKathakali, a well known dance drama which originated initially asRamanattam created in the 17th century by Prince Kottarakkara Thampuran and later patronized by the Raja of Kottarakkara in the early 19th century absorbing other dance forms ofKrishnanattam with further innovations.
Kottarakkara, is a compound word made up of the wordsKottaram, meaning "palace", andkara meaning "land", literally means "land of palaces". The area which had several palaces was thus named "Kottarakkara."[7]
Kottarakkara is a small municipality and taluk headquarters, close to Kollam. The taluk has sixpanchayats and other small towns. It is surrounded by several other towns.
According to the Kollam district website, there are 27 villages in Kottarakara Taluk.[8] These are:-
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| Climate data for Kottarakkara, Kerala | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.4 (86.7) | 31.2 (88.2) | 32.3 (90.1) | 32.4 (90.3) | 32.0 (89.6) | 29.9 (85.8) | 29.3 (84.7) | 29.5 (85.1) | 29.9 (85.8) | 29.8 (85.6) | 29.5 (85.1) | 29.8 (85.6) | 30.5 (86.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.4 (72.3) | 23.1 (73.6) | 24.5 (76.1) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.4 (77.7) | 24.1 (75.4) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.4 (74.1) | 22.6 (72.7) | 23.8 (74.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 17 (0.7) | 34 (1.3) | 67 (2.6) | 166 (6.5) | 261 (10.3) | 477 (18.8) | 411 (16.2) | 277 (10.9) | 228 (9.0) | 311 (12.2) | 214 (8.4) | 54 (2.1) | 2,517 (99) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[9] | |||||||||||||
Kottarakara Assembly Constituency is one among the 11 assembly constituencies inKollam district.K. N. Balagopal is the present MLA from Kottarakkara constituency. Kottarakkara comes underMavelikkara (Lok Sabha constituency)(previously it was inAdoor Loksabha constituency) that represents a large area including Kottarakkara, Mavelikkara, Changanasseri, spread in Kollam, Alappuzha and Kottayam districts.[10]
E Chandrasekaran Nair (CPI), D.Damodaran Potti (PSP), R.Balakrishna Pillai (Kerala Congress), E.Chandrasekaran Nair (CPI), C.Achutha Menon (CPI), Kottara Gopalakrishnan (INC) and R.Balakrishna Pillai (Kerala Congress - B),P. Aisha Potty (CPM) are the former elected members representedKottarakara Assembly Constituency in the past.[11][12]
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