Palakkad

For the district with the same name, see Palakkad District.

Palakkad, also known as Palghat (anglicized), is a small town and a municipality in the state of Kerala in southern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District. Palakkad lies near the Palghat Gap, a pass or natural depression through the Western Ghats ranges that run parallel to the west coast of India, and connects Kerala to the plains of the state of Tamil Nadu to the east. The people in Palakkad generally speak Malayalam , though Tamil is also widely understood as it is close to the Tamil Nadu border.

Transport

Palakkad is well connected by roads. The National Highway 47 between Salem-Kanyakumari and the Palakkad-Kozhikode National Highway 213 pass through the district. Another important road is the Palakkad-Ponnani which connects NH 47 and NH 17.

Palakkad is a railway junction on India's Southern Railway. Coimbatore is the nearest major station. The cities of Pollachi, Dindigul and Madurai are connected by the meter gauge track starting from here. The trains on the meter gauge are also used to bring vegetables, fish and dairy products from other cities.

The nearest Airport is located at Coimbatore, 52 km from Palghat.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census Template:GR, Palakkad had a population of 130,736. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Palakkad has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 78%. In Palakkad, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Places of Interest

Palakkad Fort - Fort which dates back to 1766, built by Hyder Ali of Mysore. In 1784 after a siege which lasted for eleven days, the British Colonel Fullerton stormed the Fort. Later it fell into the hands of the Zamorin’s troops, but was recaptured by the British in 1790. This well-preserved Fort is also known as Tipu's(Tipu Sultan son of Hyder Ali) Fort. Today there is a functioning jail in the fort grounds.

Malampuzha dam garden. It is a large irrigation dam built on the river, Bharathapuzha at the base of the hills of the Western Ghats. The beautiful gardens, the amusement Park for the children, the boating facility on the reservoir etc. make Malampuzha a paradise for the tourists. This important tourist spot is easily accessible from Palakkad.

Jain Temple of Jainimedu - Situated on the western border of Palakkad town and not far from the Railway station, is a historic Jain Temple. The place around the temple is known as Jainimedu. This is one of the few places in Kerala where the vestiges of Jainism have survived without substantial damages. The granite walls are devoid of decoration. The 32 feet long 20 feet broad temple consists of four divisions with images of Jain Thirthankaras and Yakshinis in three of them. Kumaran Asan wrote his monumental poem 'Veena Poovu' (the fallen flower) at a Jain house here during his brief stay with his master Sri. Narayana Guru.

Parambikulam The Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, sprawling over 285 km²., is 135 km from Palakkad and adjacent to the Annamalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. Besides being an abode of elephants, wild boar, sambar, bison, guar, crocodiles, and a few tigers and panthers, it has rich diversity of flora and fauna. Treking in the forest is allowed with prior permission. Boating can be done at the lake. The Cannimare Teak Tree, which is said to be Asia’s largest, is here near Thunakadavu.

Silent Valley National Park Thick Rain Forest, Habitat of rare species. Declared National Park.This National Park is 80 km. from Palakkad. It is popularly known as the evergreen forest and noted for its eerie silence because of the lack of cicadas. It is an important biosphere reserve in the Western Ghats and Home of the tribal people. The Valley known for the rare Lion-Tailed Macaque. This National Park is a protected area for tigers also

Nelliyampathi Known as Ooty of Kerala. Nelliampathy, about 80 km from Palakkad, is a hill station in the Nelliampathy forest ranges. This forest range constitutes a series of ridges cut off from one another by valleys of dark evergreen forests

Sholayar Higest peak in the district. coffee, tea, plantations.

File:Nemmara-fence.JPG

A typical fence made of bamboo usually seen in villages of Palakkad district.

Attappady Attappady is an extensive mountain valley above the crest of the Ghat ranges with several rivulets of the river Bhavani. The area is dominated by the tribal people.

Punarjani Guha The Punarjani Guha is a natural tunnel 15 meters long in the rocky cliff. It is situated 2 km from the Thiruvilwamala Temple and the chief presiding deity is Sri Rama. The idol is believed to be ‘swayambhoo’ ie. born on its own. It is believed that by performing ‘noozhal’ or crawling through the tunnel from one end to the other will wash away all of one’s sins and thus attain rebirth. Only men are allowed to do the ‘noozhal’ and women can only visit the cave. This ritual is practised only one day in a year on Guruvayur Ekadashi.

Killikkurussimangalam This small village is the birth place of famous Malayalam satire poet and founder of Ottamthullal art form Kunchan Nambiar. Greatest Koodiyattam maestro and authority of abhinaya Natyacharya Vidushakaratnam Padma Shri Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar's home is also at this place.

Kanhirapuzha Dam From this dam only the water is provided for half of the district place for agriculture. This water supply includes the areas Mannrkkad, Ottappalam and Shoranur areas. This dam is the biggest dam built with soil in Kerala. There is a beautiful garden in front of the dam.