Thakazhy is a village in Alappuzha district in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. It is part of the

Kuttanad Kuttanad ( ml, കുട്ടനാട്‌) is a region covering the Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta Districts, in the state of Kerala, India, well known for its vast paddy fields and geographical peculiarities. The region has the lo ...

region bound by the backwaters and is located on the banks of the

River Pamba The Pamba River (also called Pampa River) is the longest river in the Indian state of Kerala after Periyar and Bharathappuzha, and the longest river in the erstwhile former princely state of Travancore. Sabarimala temple dedicated to Lord Ayyap ...

. It is the birthplace of the famous writer

Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (17 April 1912 – 10 April 1999), popularly known as Thakazhi after his place of birth, was an Indian novelist and short story writer of Malayalam literature. He wrote over 30 novels and novellas and over 7 shor ...

, who was popularly known just by his village name. There is a small temple called Ennavalyachan to the back side of the famous Dharma sastha temple which is the second famous (belief based) ayyappa temple after sabarimala.

History

Thakazhy was a centre of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

during the early days. It was under the Chempakassery Kingdom, which is annexed to

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

Marthanda Varma Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahman ...

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

, Thakazhy had a population of 15951 with 7563 males and 8388 females.

Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai

was a renowned novelist of the Malayalam language (1912-1999). He wrote mostly on themes connected with the labour classes of Kerala. His most famous book is "Coir"(കയർ) published in 1978 . He was awarded Padma Bhushan and Jnanapith awards. His another novel "Chemmeen"(ചെമ്മീൻ) was made into an award-winning film. The life of the novelist itself was made into a renowned film called

Thakazhi (film) ''Thakazhi'' is a 1998 Malayalam documentary film made by M. T. Vasudevan Nair on renowned Malayalam writer, Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1912–1999). The 57-minute film was written, directed and narrated by Nair for Sahitya Akademi. The film' ...

Thakazhy Sree Dharma Sastha Temple

Thakazhy Sree Dharma Sastha Temple Thakazhy Sree Dharma Sastha Temple is six kilometers from Ambalapuzha at Thakazhy in Alappuzha district. The presiding deity is Shasthavu (Lord Ayyappan) who faces east. There are no sub-deities in this temple. Formation The idol in this temple ...

is situated six kilometers away from Ambalapuzha at Thakazhi in Allappuzha district. The presiding deity is Shasthavu who is facing east. 'Valiyenna'(a special type of medicinal oil) is a speciality of this temple. It is believed that this oil has magical powers in taking away all the diseases from manhood. But there are some rules and regulations for feeding the medicine.

Economy

Thakazhy is an agricultural village entirely. It is part of the rice paddy fields of Kuttanad where rice is grown in low-lying fields by pumping water out. Coconut, plantain etc. are also grown in the region. There are no industries, other than the cottage industries making bamboo articles, bricks, etc.

References

Villages in Alappuzha district {{Alappuzha-geo-stub