Palakkad District

Palakkad is rightfully known as the Gateway of Kerala, giving the rest of India access to the State. For quite sometime the district was also called by its anglicized name Palghat. It’s known to be rich in flora and fauna.Palakkad is bordered on the northwest by the Malappuram District, on the southwest by the Thrissur District and on the east by Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. Palakkad is also called as Rice Bowl of Kerala . The only big city in the district is the district head quarters, Palakkad. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people here. Rubber is the main crop in the hilly regions The district is a major centre of export for mangoes and tamarind. Jaggery, which is unrefined sugar, is made from sugarcane in Chittur Taluk.

Palakkad District Map

Palakkad District Facts

Brief History of Palakkad

In earlier days, Palakkad along with most parts of Kerala were under the rule of the Chera kings.With the decline of Chera dynasty, parts of this district were ruled by Palakkad Rajas who were believed to be a branch of Zamorins (Samudiri Rajavamsam) of Calicut who later declared independence.Palakkad was a part of the Malabar District of Madras Presidency (during the British Raj, until 1947), then came under the princely state of Cochin and Madras state (from 1947 to 1956). It was made a separate district of Kerala when the state was formed in 1956.

Palakkad Geography and Climate

Palakkad is a rural district of Kerala State of India. Coimbatore city of Tamil Naidu lies in the east of the District. Most parts of the district fall in the midland region.Out of the total area of 4480km², about 1360km² of land is covered by forests.

The climate is hot and humid for most part of the year. Palakkad is one of the hottest places in Kerala. There is sufficient rainfall.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 Malampuzha dam.

Festivals and fairs

Palakkad district has a glorious cultural tradition. It is said that Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature spent his last days in Chittoor Thunchathu Acharya madhom. various fairs and festivals are celebrated here like Chittoor Konganpada, Jain festival, Nellikulangara Vela, Ottappalam Nercha festival, Sivarathri festival at Kallekulangara Bhagavathy temple, Kalpathy Radholsavam, Manappullikavu Vela, Arat festival in Kachamkurichy Temple.

List of Places to visit in Palakkad

Palakkad lies at the foot of the Western Ghats and offers land of misty mountains with its ever green tropical forests, dams, wild life sanctuaries, rivers, rare birds and animals, historical monuments, places of worship and traditional Ayurvedic treatment centres to the tourist and is fastly emerging destination for tourism in the Kerala State. Some of the famous tourist destination of the district are –

• Nelliampathy
• Malampuzha
• Pothundy
• Ottappalam
• Silent Valley
• Mangalam
• Siruvani Project
• Meenkara
• Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary
• Mayiladumpara peacock sanctuary
• Palakkad Fort
• Kottayi
• Meenvallom
• Attappadi
• Peruvmpu
• Kanjirappuzha
• Thunchan Gurumadhom
• Kunchan Smarakam
• Kakkayur Kottamala Ayyappa temple
• Kakkayur siva temple
• Nellikulangara Temple
• Ayalur Temple
• Manapullikaavu Bhagavathi Temple
• Kanhirapuzha Dam

Transportation in Palakkad

Road– Palakkad is well connected to other citites of Kerala and Districts wtih road. Various Nationak and State hjighways passes through the district. The Salem-Kanyakumari National Highway 47 and the Palakkad-Kozhikode National Highway 213 pass through the district. Another important road is the Palakkad – Ponnani road which connects NH 47 and NH 17.

Railways– Palakkad Junction is an important station on the Southern Railway. Places like Pollachi, Dindigul and Madurai are connected by the meter gauge track beginning here. The trains on the meter gauge are the lifeline for the people of the district, bringing vegetables, fish and dairy products

Airways-Coimbatore International Airport is located about 60 km from the Palakkad City. Flights from all the major cities of India flights from this airport.