Athavanad is a village in the

Tirur Taluk Tirur Taluk comes under Tirur revenue division in Malappuram district of Kerala, India. Its headquarters is the town of Tirur. Tirur Taluk contains four municipalities - Tanur, Tirur, Kottakkal, and Valanchery. Most of the administrative offi ...

, in the

Malappuram District Malappuram (), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, with a coastline of . It is the most populous district of Kerala, which is home to around 13% of the total population of the state. The district was formed on 16 June 196 ...

of the 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 C ...

, India. The town lies on the National Highway 17, between

Kuttippuram Kuttippuram is a town and a block headquarters, which is situated in the Tirur Taluk, Malappuram district of Kerala state, India. The town is located 34 kilometres south-west of Malappuram. The Bharathappuzha river flows through Kuttippuram. A ...

and

Valanchery Valanchery is a major town and one of the 12 municipalities in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is one of the four municipalities in Tirur Taluk, besides Tirur, Kottakkal, and Tanur. It is situated about southeast to Karipur Internati ...

. Puthanathani is the main town of the Athavanad village and the village office is located in Athavanad Para & Kurumbathoor. Nearby towns include

, Kalpakanchery, Tavanur,

Tirunavaya Tirunavaya, also spelled as Thirunavaya, is a town in Malappuram Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of including the surrounding suburban areas. The first municipality in the district ...

, Irimbiliyam, and Edayur. Athavanad is also famous for historical Azhvanchery Mana which built abount 400 years ago.

Etymology

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

, "Athavanad" is an abbreviation of "Azhvanchery Thambrakkal Vazhunna Nadu". The region was under the rule of the Azhvanchery Thamprakkal feudal lords in ancient times. ''Azhvanchery Thamprakkal'' were usually present at the ''Ariyittu Vazhcha''of a new

Zamorin The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited ...

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...

. The original headquarters of ''

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...

Raja''s were also at Athavanad. Ayyappanov waterfalls 2021

Industries

Athavanad has some industries. Athavanad is home to several public enterprises in the textile industry. * The MALCOTEX (Malabar Co-operative Textiles Limited) is headquartered at Athavanad. * KELTEX (Kerala Hi-Tech Textile Cooperative Limited) is also located here.

Demographics

As of the 2011 Census of India, Athavanad had a population of 20,480. 9,612 (47%) are men, and around 11,000 (53%) are women. The population density is approximately 1,524 people per square kilometer. Children under the age of six make up 14% of Athavanad's population.

is the most spoken language.

Culture

Religion

Athavanad is predominantly Hindu and Muslim; thus, these two religions have a strong influence on local cultural traditions. Teeyate, Thiruvathira,

Duff Muttu Duffmuttu (also: Dubhmuttu) is an art form prevalent in the Malabar region of the states of Kerala and Karnataka in south India. It derives its name from the duff, a percussion instrument made of wood and ox skin. The word duff is of Arabic or ...

Kolkali Kolkali is a folk art performed in Malabar region of Kerala, India. The dance performers move in a circle, striking small sticks and keeping rhythm with special steps. The circle expands and contracts as the dance progress. The accompanying musi ...

, and

Aravana Aravana muttu or arabana muttu is an art form prevalent among Muslims in Kerala state of south India, named after the aravana, a hand-held, one-sided flat tambourine or drumlike musical instrument, derived from Arabia. It is made of wood and ani ...

muttu are popular traditions.

Temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

and

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a Place of worship, place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers (sujud) ...

s are common gathering places for both social and religious reasons.

Temples

* Pacheeri Sri Krishna Temple * Pottekalathil Bhagwathi Kshetram * Mahadeva Temple, Painkanur * Kottayil Mahadeva Kshethram * Swamy Ayyappa Temple * Sri Parakkunnathu Bhagavathy Kshethram

Mosques

* Athavanad Old Juma Masjid * Najath Masjid Ponnandikulambu * Nannekara Juma Masjid * Mattummal Town Masjid * Athavanad Parithi Juma masjid * Athavanad Para Town Masjid * Thekkekulambu Masjid * DIM Masjid Ponnandikulamb * Vadekkekulambu Juma Masjid * Markaz Campus Masjid * Badariyya Masjid Plathani * Palathani Masjid * PMSA Campus Masjid * Kattilangadi Town Masjid

Sports

Athavanad has a long history of playing football.

Events

The Kerala Cattle Race (known as Kalappoottu and Maramadi) is a traditional event. It was banned in 2014 by a court ruling, as it was deemed to violate a 1960 law pertaining to preventing animal cruelty.

Attractions

* Ayyapanov Waterfall, the most famous waterfall in Malappuram, and situated in Athavanad Kattilangadi. * Chingili Mada, a natural cave 3 km from Athavanad.

Education

Athavanad is a major educational hub. It has several educational institutions ranging from primary to post-secondary. It also has several libraries and a literacy rate of over 90%. The majority of books are written Malayalam,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

, and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...

. Some are written in Arabi-Malayalam, a version of the Malayalam language written in the Arabic script.

Educational institutions

* Athavanad Parithi High school * Athavanad Mattummal Higher Secondary School * Markazu Tharbiyathul Islam Higher Secondary School * Markaz Residential School * Markazu Tharbiyathul Teachers Training Center * Markazu Tharbiyathul Islam * Markazu Tharbiyathul Islam B-Ed * Badariyya Arabic College, Palathani * PMSA Orphanage Hospital, Athavanad Kattilangadi * Markaz Arts and Science College * KMCT Polytechnic College * KMCT Law College * Z.M.H.S Poolamangalam * Majmau Orphanage * Mohammed Ali Shihab Thangal Memorial Arts And Science College * Majmau Higher Secondary School * Majmau Thazkiyath Islamiya

Transportation

Road

* Athavanad is connected to other parts of India through

Kottakkal Kottakkal (literally-''Land of the Fort'') is a municipal town in Malappuram district in Kerala, southern India having 32 wards. it is a part of Malappuram metropolitan area and a growing city in Kerala. The town is best known for the Arya Vaidy ...

. * National highway No.66 passes through Tanur and the northern stretch connects to

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to th ...

and

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

. The southern stretch connects to

Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part ...

and

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

. * State Highway No.28 starts from Nilambur and connects to

Ooty Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is located ...

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

and

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

through Highways.12,29 and 181. * National Highway No.966 connects to

and Coimbatore.

Air

* The nearest airport is at Karipur International Airport.

Rail

* Kuttippuram station * Thirunavaya station * Perashshannur station * Tirur station * Trichur is major railway station 49 km from Athavanad

Bus

* Bus lines from Kuttippuram * Bus lines from Puthanathani * Bus lines from Vettichira

Notable people

* Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri * Mohsin Peramban

References

{{Malappuram district Cities and towns in Malappuram district Populated waterside places in India Kottakkal area Tourism in Malappuram district