Palakkad district | |
|---|---|
      Clockwise from top: Palakkad Fort,Ottapalam town,Alathur town,Malampuzha Dam Water Canal,Pattambi town,Palakkad city | |
| Nickname: The Granary of Kerala | |
 Location inKerala | |
 Palakkad district | |
| Coordinates:10°46′30″N76°39′04″E / 10.775°N 76.651°E /10.775; 76.651 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Kerala |
| Region | South Malabar |
| Established | 1957 |
| Founded by | - |
| Named after | Pala Tree |
| Headquarters | Palakkad |
| Government | |
| • Type | Three Tier |
| • Body | District Collectrate |
| • Collector | M S Madhavikutty IAS[1] |
| • S.P | R Viswanath , IPS |
| • DFO | Narendranath Veluri, IFS |
| Area | |
• Total | 4,482 km2 (1,731 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 2nd |
| Elevation | 4,000 m (13,000 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 2,383 m (7,818 ft) |
| Population (2018)[2] | |
• Total | 2,952,254 |
| • Rank | 5 |
| • Density | 659/km2 (1,710/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, English[3] |
| Religions | |
| • Religion (2011) | |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-KL-PKD |
| Vehicle registration | KL-09Palakkad, KL-49Alathur, KL-50Mannarkkad, KL-51Ottappalam, KL-52Pattambi, KL-70Chittur-Thathamangalam |
| HDI(2005) |  0.761[5] ( High) |
| Literacy | 89.31%[6] |
| Website | www |
Palakkad district (Malayalam:[pɐːlɐkːɐːɖɨ̆]ⓘ) is one of the14 districts in theIndian state ofKerala. It was carved out of the southeastern region of the formerMalabar District on 1 January 1957. It is located at the central region of Kerala and is the second largest district in the state afterIdukki. The town ofPalakkad is the district headquarters. Palakkad is bordered on the northwest by theMalappuram district, on the southwest by theThrissur district, on the northeast byNilgiris district, and on the east byCoimbatore district ofTamil Nadu. The district is nicknamed "The granary of Kerala". Palakkad is the gateway to Kerala due to the presence of thePalakkad Gap, in theWestern Ghats. The 2,383 m highAnginda peak, which is situated in the border of Palakkad district, Nilgiris district, and Malappuram district, inSilent Valley National Park, is the highest point of elevation in Palakkad district. Palakkad town is about 347 kilometres (216 mi) northeast of the state capital,Thiruvananthapuram.
Thetotal area of the district is 4,480 km2 (1,730 sq mi) which is 11.5% of the state's area which makes it thesecond largest district of Kerala. Out of the total area of 4,480 km2 (1,730 sq mi), about 1,360 km2 (530 sq mi) of land is covered by forests. Most parts of the district fall in the midland region (elevation 75–250 m or 246–820 ft), except theNelliampathy-Parambikulam area in theChittur taluk in the south andAttappadi-Malampuzha area in the north, which are hilly and fall in the highland region (elevation > 250 m or 820 ft).Attappadi valley of Palakkad district, along with theChaliyar valley of the neighbouringNilambur region (EasternEranad region) in Malappuram district, is known for natural Gold fields,[7] which is also seen in other parts ofNilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
The climate is pleasant for most parts of the year, the exception is the summer months. There is sufficient rainfall and it receives more rainfall than the extreme southern districts of Kerala. The district has many small and medium rivers, which are tributaries of theBharathapuzha River. A number of dams have been built across these rivers, the largest being theMalampuzha dam. The largest in volume capacity is theParambikulam Dam[8]Bhavani River, which is a tributary ofKaveri River, also flows through the district.Kadalundi River has its origin inSilent Valley National Park. TheChalakudy River also flows through district.
Palakkad district have total number of seven municipalities.The largest city in the district is the Palakkad municipality.[9] The municipalities in the district are Palakkad city,Ottapalam,Shornur,Chittur-Tattamangalam,Pattambi,Cherpulassery andMannarkkad.Other major towns of the district are Alathur,Kollengode, Vadakkanchery,Nenmara,Koduvayur and Kozhinjamapara[10] Out of the totalPalakkad District population for2011 Census of India, 24.09 percent lives in urban regions of district. In total 676,810 people lives in urban areas of which males are 328,012 and females are 348,798. Sex Ratio in urban region of Palakkad District is 1063 as per 2011 Census of India data. Similarly child sex ratio in Palakkad District was 959 in 2011 census. Child population (0–6) in urban region was 70,405 of which males and females were 35,933 and 34,472. This child population figure of Palakkad district is 10.95% of total urban population.
In earlier times, Palakkad was also known asPalakkattussery.[11] Many concluded thatPalakkad is derived from 'Pala', an indigenous tree which once densely occupied the land; and hence Palakkad or "the forest of Pala trees".Some believe, connecting the ancient Jain Temple in the town, that the sacred languagePali gave the name.[12] In 1757, to check the invasion of theZamorin of Calicut, the Palakkad Raja sought the help of Hyder Ali of Mysore. Later his sonTipu sultan became the ruler.
Before the Indian Independence, present-day Kerala state was scattered inSouth Canara,Malabar District ofBritish India, and two princely states namelyCochin andTravancore. The first All-Kerala conference ofIndian National Congress was held in 1921 at Ottapalam on the banks of the riverBharathappuzha, which also later demanded a separate state for theMalayalam-speaking regions in future Independent India.Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee was formed in that conference. Before that, Malabar District, Cochin, and Travancore had separate Congress committees. Ottapalam is located right in the middle ofKerala state.
The region aroundCoimbatore was ruled by theCheras duringSangam period between c. first and the fourth centuries CE and it served as the eastern entrance to thePalakkad Gap, the principal trade route between theMalabar Coast andTamil Nadu.[13] Palakkad city, which lies on the northern bank of the RiverBharathappuzha, was ruled by the Palakkad Rajas (Tarur Swaroopam).[14]Palakkad Raja had the right over theTaluks of Palakkad,Alathur, andChittur.[14] The original headquarters ofPalakkad Rajas were atAthavanad,Tirur Taluk, in present-dayMalappuram district.[14] It is said that their lands atAthavanad area were given to theAzhvanchery Thamprakkal and the Palakkad-Chittur areas were bought from them instead.[14]
Pattambi-Ottapalam Taluk were ruled by theZamorin of Calicut, andMannarkkad Taluk was a part of theKingdom of Valluvanad, which was also later annexed by the Zamorin.[14]Pattambi –Ottapalam areas were originally a part ofNedunganad (ruled byNedungadis, which was later annexed by theKingdom of Valluvanad, which was again followed by the conquest of theZamorin of Calicut around 15th century C. E.[14] Nedunganad was ruled by aSamanthan Nair clan known asNedungadis, similar to theEradis ofEranad andVellodis ofValluvanad. Other kingdoms in Palakkad district during medieval period includedKollengode andKavalappara.[14] Both of them became a part of the kingdom ofZamorin of Calicut around 15th century CE.[14] Parts of Palakkad had also become under the Zamorin for sometime.[14]
In 1757, to resist the invasion of theZamorin of Kozhikode, the Palakkad Raja sought the help of theHyder Ali ofMysore.[15] In 1766, Hyder Ali defeated the Zamorin of Kozhikode – anEast India Company ally at the time – and absorbed Kozhikode into his state.[15] The Hyder Ali rebuiltPalakkad Fort in 1766.[16] The smaller princely states in northern and north-central parts of Kerala (comprisingMalabar District) includingKolathunadu,Kottayam,Kadathanadu,Kozhikode,Tanur,Valluvanad, and Palakkad were unified under the rulers of Mysore and were made a part of the largerKingdom of Mysore.[17] His son and successor,Tipu Sultan,launched campaigns against the expandingBritish East India Company, resulting in two of the fourAnglo-Mysore Wars.[18][19]
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Tipu ultimately ceded theMalabar District andSouth Kanara to the company in the 1790s as a result of theThird Anglo-Mysore War and the subsequentTreaty of Seringapatam; both were annexed to theBombay Presidency (which had also included other regions in the western coast of India) ofBritish India in the years 1792 and 1799 respectively.[20][21][22] Later in 1800, both of theMalabar District andSouth Canara were separated from Bombay presidency to merge them with the neighbouringMadras Presidency.[23] Palakkad was underBritish Raj until 1947.
The municipality ofPalakkad was formed on 1 November 1866 according to the Madras Act 10 of 1865 (Amendment of the Improvements in Towns act 1850)[24][25][26][27] of theBritish Indian Empire, along with the municipalities ofKozhikode,Kannur,Thalassery, andFort Kochi, making them the first modern municipalities in the modern state of Kerala.
Present-day Palakkad district was a part ofMalabar District before the formation of Palakkad district.[28][16]ThrithalaRevenue block of present-dayPattambiTaluk was a part of thePonnani taluk.[29] Rest ofPattambi Taluk,Ottapalam, andMannarkkad Taluks were included in theValluvanad Taluk of Malappuram Revenue Division in Malabar District.[16][30] The remaining three Taluks of current Palakkad district (Palakkad, Alathur, and Chittur) together formed the Palghat Taluk of Malabar District during British Raj.[16][30]
At the time of1951 Census of India,Palakkad was the second-largest city in the erstwhileMalabar District afterKozhikode.[31] At that time only two towns in Malabar was treated as cities:Kozhikode andPalakkad.[31] Following the formation of the state of Kerala in 1956, the erstwhileTaluk of Palakkad inMalabar District was divided into three:Palakkad,Alathur.[23] Palakkad district was formed by taking parts of the erstwhileMalabar District.[30] On 16 June 1969,Perinthalmanna taluk andPonnani taluk were separated to formMalappuram district.[29] On same day,Parudur village ofTirur Taluk was transferred to Palakkad district.[29][32] Later some years, theSilent Valley National Park ofKaruvarakundu village inEranad Taluk (now Karuvarakundu is a part ofNilambur Taluk) ofMalappuram district was transferredMannarkkad Taluk in Palakkad district.[32]
There are 12 legislative assembly seats in Palakkad.
| Sl no. | Constituency | Member | Party | Alliance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thrithala | M. B. Rajesh | CPI(M) | LDF |
| 2 | Pattambi | Muhammed Muhsin | CPI | LDF |
| 3 | Shornur | P. K. Sasi | CPI(M) | LDF |
| 4 | Ottapalam | P. Unni | CPI(M) | LDF |
| 5 | Kongad | K. Shanthakumari | CPI(M) | LDF |
| 6 | Mannarkkad | N. Samsudheen | IUML | UDF |
| 7 | Malampuzha | Prabhakaran | CPI(M) | LDF |
| 8 | Palakkad | Rahul Mamkootathil | INC | UDF |
| 9 | Tarur | A. K. Balan | CPI(M) | LDF |
| 10 | Chittur | K. Krishnankutty | JD(S) | LDF |
| 11 | Nenmara | K. Babu | CPI(M) | LDF |
| 12 | Alathur | K. D. Prasenan | CPI(M) | LDF |
There are two Lok Sabha seats in Palakkad district.
| Sl. No | Constituency | MP | Party | Alliance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palakkad | V.K Sreekandan | INC | UDF |
| 2 | Alathur | K. Radhakrishnan | CPI(M) | LDF |
| 3 | Ponnani (Thrithala only) | E. T. Mohammed Basheer | IUML | UDF |
| Subdistrict | Area (in km2) | Population (2011) | Villages | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pattambi | 369 | 467,722 | 18 | |
| Ottapalam | 477 | 462,970 | 24 | |
| Mannarkkad | 1,209 | 384,393 | 25 | |
| Palakkad | 713 | 612,116 | 30 | |
| Chittur | 1,136 | 437,738 | 30 | |
| Alathur | 571 | 444,995 | 30 | |
| Sources:2011 Census of India,[33] Official website of Palakkad district[34] | ||||
The presence ofPalakkad Gap and proximity toCoimbatore make Palakkad economically important. Palakkad city is one of the largest industrial hubs in Kerala.Kanjikode area of Palakkad city is the second industrial hub of Kerala afterKochi. Kanjikode is one of the largest industrial areas in Kerala and companies likeIndian Telephone Industries Limited (ITI), Instrumentation Limited, Fluid Control Research Institute,Saint-Gobain India Private Limited(formerly SEPR Refractories India Private Limited), Patspin India Ltd, Pepsi, PPS steel (Kerela) Pvt Ltd, United breweries, Empee Distilleries, Marico,Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Rubfila International Ltd, Arya Vaidya Pharmacy have production facilities. The commercialization of Palakkad City is Picking up and growing at steady pace in recent years, Nowadays Palakkad City and the suburbs are witnessing rapid amount of commercial and public development activities. The developments are mainly concentrated on the bypass roads, Both Stadium and Calicut bypass roads passing through city are getting major commercial projects. Major national and international branded Retail chains, food Chains, Restaurants, Hotels, Shopping complexes, Textiles, branded jewellers, Vehicle Showrooms, are functioning in and around city. There are many housing colonies consist of Villas and apartments are also present in Palakkad City and suburbs.
The nearest international airport isCoimbatore International Airport, which is about 62 kilometres (39 mi) from Palakkad. However,Cochin International Airport andCalicut International Airport serve the city as well.
There has been a proposal for a mini domestic airport at East Yakkara with respect to setting up domestic airports for enhanced air connectivity by the civil aviation ministry of India. 60 acres has been identified for the project at East Yakkara Palakkad.[35]
ThePalakkad railway division is one of the six administrative divisions of theSouthern Railway zone ofIndian Railways, headquartered at Palakkad. It is the smallest railway division in Southern Railway. It was formed by dissolving thePodanur division. Managing 588 route kilometers of track in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka andMahé (in the Union Territory of Puducherry), it is one of the oldest railway divisions in India. The major stations under this railway division arePalakkad Junction,Shoranur Junction,Tirur,Kozhikode,Thalassery,Kannur,Kasaragod,Mangalore Central,Mangalore Junction andPollachi Junction. It is the only division in India with no terminal facilities in its headquarters.The terminal facility of Palakkad division is situated in Shoranur Junction & Mangalore Central of Karnataka state.
The city is served by two railway stations –Palakkad Junction is abroad gauge railway junction (located atOlavakkode, about 4 km from Municipal bus stand) andPalakkad Town railway station located in the heart of the Palakkad city. The cities ofCoimbatore,Tiruchirappalli,Erode,Salem,Thiruvananthapuram,Kollam,Mangalore,Kozhikode andErnakulam are connected by thebroad gauge line. Train services toPollachi,Dindigul andMadurai are through thebroad gauge line through Palakkad Town station.[36] The Shornur Junction also has rail connections toMangalore and theKonkan Railway, enabling travel towardsGoa andBombay. The trains coming from other parts of India are diverted to the north and south Kerala fromShoranur Junction in Palakkad District. From here, there is train service toCalicut,Ernakulam,Trivandrum,Shoranur andNilambur.
Shoranur Junction railway station is the largest railway station in Kerala which plays a major role in connecting the southwestern coast of India (Mangalore) with the southeastern coast (Chennai) throughPalghat Gap. It is also the meeting point of three important Railway lines:Mangalore-Chennai line,Nilambur–Shoranur line, andKanyakumari-Shoranur line, due to the presence ofPalakkad Gap.
Palakkad has a medium-grade network of roads. TheNational Highway 544 fromSalem toKochi passes through the outskirts of the city.National Highway 966 starts from Palakkad and joins NH 66 near Kozhikode.[37] Another important road is the Palakkad –Ponnani road which connects NH 544 andMumbai-Kanyakumari coastalNH 66.
Palakkad City has four Bus Stations includesKSRTCTerminal Palakkad and three Private Bus stands namedStadium Stand, Municipal Bus stand, and Town Bus Stand. PalakkadKSRTC depot is the only depot in Palakkad district. Sub depot is present at Chittur servingChittur-Thathamangalam. Operating centres are present atVadakkenchery andMannarkkad serving the respective towns.KSRTC Station Master office is present atPattambi.[38]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 763,917 | — |
| 1911 | 819,726 | +0.71% |
| 1921 | 853,988 | +0.41% |
| 1931 | 941,286 | +0.98% |
| 1941 | 1,025,058 | +0.86% |
| 1951 | 1,214,208 | +1.71% |
| 1961 | 1,369,508 | +1.21% |
| 1971 | 1,685,347 | +2.10% |
| 1981 | 2,044,399 | +1.95% |
| 1991 | 2,382,235 | +1.54% |
| 2001 | 2,617,482 | +0.95% |
| 2011 | 2,809,934 | +0.71% |
| 2018 | 2,952,254 | +0.71% |
| source:[39] | ||
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 66.76% | |||
| Islam | 28.93% | |||
| Christianity | 4.07% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.24% | |||
According to the2018 Statistics Report, Palakkad district has apopulation of 2,952,254,[2] roughly equal to the nation ofArmenia[40] or the stateUtah in theU.S.[41] so it a ranking of 138th in India (out of a total of640).[6] The district has a population density of 659 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,710/sq mi).[6] Itspopulation growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 7.39%.[6] Palakkad has asex ratio of 1067females for every 1000 males.[6] Theliteracy rate of Palakkad district is 89.49%, which is the lowest in Kerala.[42] Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 14.37% and 1.74% of the population respectively.[6] The district is home to the largest ratio ofScheduled Castes (SC) population in Kerala, which accounts for around 15% of total population of the district.[43]
The totalPalakkad District population living in rural areas is 2,133,124 of which males and females are 1,031,466 and 1,101,658 respectively. In rural areas ofPalakkad District, sex ratio is 1068 females per 1000 males. If child sex ratio data of Palakkad district is considered, figure is 969 girls per 1000 boys. Child population in the age 0–6 is 231,892 in rural areas of which males were 117,763 and females were 114,129. The child population comprises 11.42% of total rural population ofPalakkad district. Literacy rate in rural areas ofPalakkad District is 88.31% as per census data 2011. Gender wise, male and female literacy stood at 92.36 and 84.56 percent respectively. In total, 1,678,895 people were literate of which males and females were 843,855 and 835,040 respectively.
In 2011,Palakkad had population of 2,809,934 of which male and female were 1,359,478 and 1,450,456 respectively. In 2001 census, Palakkad had a population of 2,617,482 of which males were 1,266,985 and remaining 1,350,497 were females.Palakkad District population constituted 8.41 percent of totalKerala population in the census of 2011. In 2001 census, this figure forPalakkad District was at 8.22 percent ofKerala population.[6]
In the2011 Census of India there was change of 7.35 percent in the population compared to population as per 2001. In the previous census of India 2001,Palakkad District recorded increase of 9.88 percent to its population compared to 1991. The initial provisional data released by census India 2011, shows that density of Palakkad district for 2011 is 627 people per km2. In 2001,Palakkad District density was at 584 people per km2.Palakkad District administers 4,482 square kilometers of areas. Averageliteracy rate of Palakkad in 2011 were 89.31 compared to 84.35 of 2001. If things are looked out at gender wise, male and female literacy were 93.10 and 85.79 respectively. For 2001 census, same figures stood at 89.52 and 79.56 inPalakkad District. Total literate inPalakkad District were 2,239,492 of which male and female were 1,122,600 and 1,116,892 respectively. In 2001,Palakkad District had 1,938,818 in its district, With regards to Sex Ratio in Palakkad, it stood at 1067 per 1000 male compared to 2001 census figure of 1066. The average national sex ratio in India is 940 as per latest reports of Census 2011 Directorate. In2011 Census of India, child sex ratio is 967 girls per 1000 boys compared to figure of 963 girls per 1000 boys of 2001 census data.[6]
There were total 302,297 children under age of 0–6 against 318,884 of 2001 census. Of total 302,297 male and female were 153,696 and 148,601 respectively. Child Sex Ratio as per2011 Census of India was 967 compared to 963 of census 2001. In 2011, Children under 0–6 formed 10.76 percent ofPalakkad District compared to 12.18 percent of 2001. There was net change of −1.42 percent in this compared to previous census of India.[6]
At the time of the 2011 census, 93.71% of the population spokeMalayalam and 4.82%Tamil as their first language.[44]
The administrative language and widely spoken language isMalayalam. MinorityDravidian languages likeIrula (3560 speakers) andKurumba (1028 speakers) are also spoken here. According to the 2011 census report, the percents of mother tongue of the total population is as follows:
It is located in the rich biodiversity ofNilgiri Biosphere Reserve.Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary,New Amarambalam Reserved Forest, andNedumkayam Rainforest inNilambur Taluk ofMalappuram district,Attappadi Reserved Forest inMannarkkad Taluk of Palakkad district, andMukurthi National Park ofNilgiris district, are located around Silent Valley National Park.Mukurthi peak, the fifth-highest peak in South India, andAnginda peak are also located in its vicinity.Bhavani River, a tributary ofKaveri River, andKunthipuzha River, a tributary ofBharathappuzha river, originate in the vicinity of Silent Valley. TheKadalundi River has also its origin in Silent Valley.
Palakkad District is one of the main centre of education inKerala state India.Palakkad District has Prominent Educational Institutions provide platform for various level of education . The district is home to the onlyIndian Institute of Technology in Kerala state.Palakkad District has three educational districts namelyPalakkad,Ottappalam andMannarkkad.[47] There are several educational institutions working across the district.Government Victoria College, Palakkad,Government Engineering College, Sreekrishnapuram,NSS College of Engineering,Government Medical College, Palakkad,Chembai Memorial Government Music College, and many more higher level of educational institutions are located inPalakkad District.
Government Victoria College, Palakkad, established in 1866, is one of the oldest colleges in the state.[48] TheGovernment Medical College, Palakkad[49] is started in 2014 is the first Government medical college in the district. TheNSS College of Engineering[50] atAkathethara, is the Fourth Engineering Institution established inKerala, India. TheChembai Memorial Government Music College[51] is one of the main centres of excellence in teaching carnatic music in the state. TheMercy College, Palakkad[52] a women's college established in 1964 is one of the familiar institution inPalakkad city.
Mannampatta
Major Malayalam Newspapers includeMalayala Manorama,Mathrubhumi,Deshabhimani,Suprabhaatham Daily have printing centers inPalakkad city and there are also few evening newspapers published from the city. Local news channels like (ACV) are also functioning in city . Palakkad Press Club is located on Robinson road, Sultanpet. A private FM Station operating inPalakkad at Ahalia Campus. There is a long term demand for setting up a government FM Station inPalakkad. At the present total number of 8cinema halls are operational inPalakkad City which screensMalayalam, English,Tamil,Hindi movies, there are few othermultiplex screens are under construction and expect to open near future in and around city.
Palakkad has produced some world class athletes. Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium in the center of city was once used for Major sports meets and football matches in the state, but the stadium is not currently in condition for conducting games due to the lack of maintenance. There is a proposal for the renovation of the stadium with international facilities by the Municipality.[53] The city hasFort Maidan[54] also known asKota Maidanam, a multi-use stadium in the center of the Palakkad. It is currently used mostly forcricket matches. Fort Maidan holds a maximum capacity of 10,000 people. Until 2002, the ground was considered for local cricket only.[55] In 2003, theRanji Trophy was introduced in Fort Maidan. The city has an Indoor Stadium[56] located nearGovernment Victoria College, Palakkad with a total area of 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) with commercial establishments still unfinished and incomplete. There is a Synthetic Track with eight lines operational in the ground of the newly constructedGovernment Medical College, Palakkad.[57]
Jamaica 2,868,380 July 2011 est
Utah 2,763,885
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