Palakkad district

Coordinates: 10°46′30″N 76°39′04″E / 10.775°N 76.651°E / 10.775; 76.651
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This article is about the district in Kerala. For other uses, see Palakkad (disambiguation).

Palakkad District
Palghat District
Gateway of Kerala
District
Malampuzha Garden Entrance
Malampuzha Garden Entrance
Location in Kerala
Location in Kerala
Coordinates: 10°46′30″N 76°39′04″E / 10.775°N 76.651°E / 10.775; 76.651
Country India
StateKerala
HeadquartersPalakkad
Government
 • CollectorD.Balamurali.IAS
 • S.PDebesh Kumar Behera, IPS
 • DFONarendranath Veluri, IFS
Area
 • Total4,478 km2 (1,729 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total2,810,892[1]
 • Rank7
 • Density627/km2 (1,620/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialMalayalam
 • SpokenMalayalam and Tamil
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-KL-PKD
Vehicle registrationPalakkad KL-09, Alathur KL-49, Mannarkkad KL-50, Ottappalam KL-51, Pattambi KL-52, Chittur KL-70
Literacy94.48%[1]
Websitewww.palakkad.nic.in
View from outside the northern wall of Palakkad fort.

Palakkad District is one of the 14 districts of the Indian state of Kerala. Also, it is the largest district in Kerala from 2006. The city of Palakkad is the district headquarters. Palakkad is bordered on the northwest by the Malappuram District, on the southwest by the Thrissur District, on the northeast by The Nilgiris District and on the east by Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. The district is 24.4% urbanized according to the census of 2011. The district is nicknamed "the granary of Kerala" and "Rice bowl of Kerala".[2]

Palaklad Govt. Victoria College Entrance

Name

In earlier times, Palakkad was also known as Palakkattussery.[3] Some believe, connecting the ancient Jain Temple in the town, that the sacred language Pali gave the name. But many concluded that Palakkad is derived from 'Pala', an indigenous tree which once densely occupied the land; and hence Palakkad or "the forest of Pala trees". In 1757, to check the invasion of the Zamorin of Calicut, the Palakkad Raja sought the help of Hyder Ali of Mysore. Later his son Tipu sultan became the ruler.

Palakkad is the gateway to Kerala due to the presence of the Palakkad Gap, in the Western Ghats. The total area of the district is 4,480 km2 (1,730 sq mi) which is 11.5% of the state's area which makes it the 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 the Nelliampathy-Parambikulam area in the Chittur taluk in the south and Attappadi-Malampuzha area in the north, which are hilly and fall in the highland region (elevation > 250 m or 820 ft).

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 is blessed with many small and medium rivers, which are tributaries of the Bharathapuzha River. A number of dams have been built across these rivers, the largest being the Malampuzha dam. The largest in volume capacity is the Parambikulam Dam[4]

Administration

Main article: Political Divisions of Palakkad District

Economy

Indian Institute of Technology Palakkad started operations in its temporary campus at Kanjikode, Palakkad on August 3, 2015. Many industries are located in the Kanjikode Industrial Area, which is termed as the second largest industrial area in Kerala. Many central government institutions are located in this area.

Palakkad became the first paperless revenue district by computerizing the collectorate, five taluks and 156 village offices. It became the first computerized collectorate in the country implemented under the ‘DC Suit’ system and the first district where all the five taluk offices were computerized under the ‘Taluk Suit’ and connected with the Collectorate.[5][6] There are various industries in the district. The Public Sector companies[7] and Instrumentation Limited have plants in Kanjikode, 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from Palakkad. Other large companies are the BPL group, Coca-Cola and Pepsi. There is an Industrial Area in Kanjikode with a number of medium industries. Palakkad is the one of the most agrarian districts in Kerala. Palakkad is particularly known for paddy cultivation. Paddy is cultivated in around 83,998 hectares in the district and occupies the first position in the production of rice in the state. Palakkad also occupies the first position in the state for the production of groundnut, tamarind, turmeric, tuber, vegetables, pulses, mango, banana, plantain and cotton. Rubber, coconut, areca nut, and black pepper are also cultivated extensively like other parts of Kerala.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Palakkad district has a population of 2,810,892,[1] roughly equal to the nation of Jamaica[8] or the state Utah in the U.S.[9] This gives it a ranking of 138th in India (out of a total of 640).[1] The district has a population density of 627 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,620/sq mi).[1] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 7.39%.[1] Palakkad has a sex ratio of 1067 females for every 1000 males,[1] and a literacy rate of 89.32%. Palakkad city has a literacy rate of 94.20%[1]

Languages

The official language is Malayalam and is widely spoken in the district, while Tamil forms the main language of over 16% of the district's population.

Noted personalities

Main article: List of people from Palakkad district
  • Anoob

Anita Nair

Transport

Palakkad - Malappuram Road

Palakkad town consists of two railway stations, namely Palakkad Town railway station and Palakkad Junction Railway station. Palakkad Junction is an important station on the Southern Railway.The office of the Palakkad Division of the Southern Railway is situated near Palakkad Junction Railway Station. The trains coming from other parts of India are diverted to north and south Kerala from Shoranur Junction in Palakkad District. From here, there is train service to Calicut, Ernakulam, Trivandrum, Shoranur and Nilambur. Shoranur Junction also has rail connections to Mangalore and the Konkan Railway, enabling travel towards Goa and Bombay.

Palakkad has a medium grade network of roads. The Salem-Kanyakumari National Highway 47 and the Palakkad-Kozhikode National Highway 213 run through the district. Another important road is the Palakkad – Ponnani road which connects NH 47 and NH 17.

The nearest airport is at Coimbatore (Coimbatore International Airport) which is 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the city. The Calicut International Airport is 103 kilometres (64 miles) from Palakkad City, and Cochin International Airport is 111 kilometres (69 miles) from the city; it offers connections to all parts of India and a few international destinations. A domestic airport is announced for the future in Palakkad city. Air India, SpiceJet, JetLite (now Jet Konnect), Kingfisher Airlines (suspended as of Oct 2012), Goair, Paramount airways, Air Arabia and Air India are the major operators.

Education in Palakkad

Main article: Education in Palakkad district

Tourist attractions

Main article: Tourist attractions in Palakkad district
  • Nenmara Vallanghy Vela
  • Kalpathi Ratholsavam
  • Chinakathur pooram
  • Mannur Kayamakunnathu Kaavu Vela
  • Mudappallur Vela
  • Palakkad Fort – Situated in the heart of town, this is the most beautiful and best preserved fort in Kerala, recalling many old tales of valor and courage. The fort, which dates back to 1766, was built by Hyder Ali of Mysore. In 1784, after a siege which lasted for eleven days, British Colonel, William Fullarton (1754–1808), 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 Fort", after Tipu Sultan the son of Hyder Ali. It is under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India.
  • Malampuzha Dam - A large irrigation dam on the Bharatapuzha river, on the valley of Western Ghats. There are beautiful gardens, an amusement park for children and a boating facility on the reservoir.
  • Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary - Sprawling over 285 square kilometres (110 square miles), it is 135 kilometres (84 miles) from Palakkad and adjacent to the Indira Gandhi National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. Besides being an abode to elephants, wild boar, sambar, bison, guar, crocodiles, and a few tigers and panthers, it has a rich assortment of semi-tropical plants and trees. Trekking 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 – A thick rain forest, with many rare species, it has been declared a National Park. It is 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Palakkad. It is popularly known as the "Evergreen Forest" and noted for its eerie silence because of the lack of cicadas, which are common elsewhere. It is an important biosphere reserve in the Western Ghats and the home of tribal people. The valley is a habitat for the rare lion-tailed macaque. The park is also a protected area for tigers.
  • Nelliyampathi – Known as the "Ooty of Kerala", about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Palakkad and 29 kilometres (18 miles) from Nemmara Town. It is a hill station in the forest between a series of ridges cut off from one another by valleys of dark evergreen forests
  • Dhoni – A reserve forest area about 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) from Palakkad. This forest has many interesting sights including a small but splendid waterfall. The site can be reached after a fairly long climb of three hours from the base of the Dhoni hills.
  • Kanjirapuzha Dam
  • Kanjhirapuzha Botanical Garden
  • Kanjhirapuzha ayurveda plantion and garden - 37.4 kilometres (23.2 miles) from Palakkad town, it was built for large area irrigation purposes.
  • Kottayi - A village in Palakkad district which is 16 kilometers from Palakkad town. It is the birthplace of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar.

Places of worship

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  2. ^ "'Rice bowl' will loose 30,000 hectares if conversion legalised". The Hindu. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Ittipangi Achan passes away". The New Indian Express. 31 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  4. ^ Fact sheet on Indian dams at Diehardindian.com Archived 13 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ http://www.keralait.org/blog/2011/02/04/palakkad-to-become-e-revenue-district/
  6. ^ http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/palakkad-to-become-first-erevenue-district/article1242658.ece
  7. ^ ITI Limited
  8. ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Retrieved 1 October 2011. Jamaica 2,868,380 July 2011 est
  9. ^ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 30 September 2011. Utah 2,763,885

Satellite Images

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Palakkad (district).
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Palakkad District.
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