Athavanad is a village and Gram Panchayath in the

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

, in the

Malappuram District Malappuram (), is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala, with a coastline of . The most populous district of Kerala, Malappuram is home to around 13% of the tot ...

of the state of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

, India. The town lies on the

National Highway 66 The following highways are numbered 66: International * European route E66 Australia * Barkly Highway (Northern Territory) * Riddoch Highway Canada * Alberta Highway 66 * Highway 66 (Ontario) Cuba * Autopista Sancti Spiritus (4-6 ...

, between

Puthanathani Puthanathani is a census town in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India. and forms a part of Malappuram metropolitan area. It is also one of the major commercial towns under the Malappuram urban agglomeration. The town lies on the Nati ...

and

Valanchery Valanchery is a major municipal town in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is situated about southeast to Calicut International Airport, Karipur International Airport and southwards to the district headquarters, and forms a part of Malappu ...

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

Tavanur Thavanur (Tavanur, Thavanoor, or Tavanoor) is a village on the southern bank of the Bharathapuzha, the longest river in Kerala, in the Malappuram District of Kerala State, India. It is located at the border of Tirur and Ponnani Taluks. The Bh ...

Tirunavaya Tirunavaya, also spelled as Thirunavaya, is a town in Tirur Malappuram, Kerala. Situated on the northern bank of Bharatappuzha (River Ponnani/Nila or Perar), it is one of the major Hindu pilgrimage centres in Kerala. Tirunavaya, home to Tirunav ...

, and

Kuttippuram Kuttippuram is a town and a block headquarters, which is situated in the Tirur Taluk, Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala. The town is located 32 kilometres south of Malappuram And 8 kilometers from Valanchery. The Bharathappuzha ...

Etymology

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

, "Athavanad" is an abbreviation of "Azhvanchery Thambrakkal Vazhunna Nadu". The region was under the rule of the

Azhvanchery Thamprakkal Azhvanchery Thamprakkal or Azhvanchery Samrāṭ () is the title of the senior-most male member of the Nambudiri Brahmin feudal lords of Azhvanchery Mana in Athavanad, Kerala, South India. They had the right over Guruvayur, and were the titula ...

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 Edi ...

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

. The original headquarters of ''

Palakkad Palakkad (), Renaming of cities in India, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of P ...

Raja''s were also at Athavanad.

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 18,283. 8,612 (47%) are men, and around 9671(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;

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 o ...

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 mu ...

, 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 The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisti ...

muttu are local traditions.

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 Athavanad is a village and Gram Panchayath in the Tirur Taluk, in the Malappuram district, Malappuram District of the state of Kerala, India. The town lies on the National Highway 17 (India), National Highway 66, between Puthanathani and Valan ...

is situated in Athavanad Kattilangadi. Ayyappanov waterfalls 2021

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, and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

. Some are written in

Arabi-Malayalam Arabi Malayalam (also called Mappila Malayalam and Moplah Malayalam) is the traditional Dravidian language of the Mappila Muslim community. It is spoken by several thousand people, predominantly in the Malabar Coast of Kerala state, southe ...

, a version of the Malayalam language written in the

Arabic script The Arabic script is the writing system used for Arabic (Arabic alphabet) and several other languages of Asia and Africa. It is the second-most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world (after the Latin script), the second-most widel ...

Educational institutions

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

Transportation

Road

* Athavanad is connected to other parts of India through

valanchery Valanchery is a major municipal town in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is situated about southeast to Calicut International Airport, Karipur International Airport and southwards to the district headquarters, and forms a part of Malappu ...

. * National highway No.66 passes through valanchery, Malappuram 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 bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

and

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. The southern stretch connects to

Cochin Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...

and

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...

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

Ooty Ooty (; officially Udagamandalam (), Anglicisation, anglicized: Ootacamund , abbreviated as Udagai, ) is a town and municipality in the Nilgiris district of the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north ...

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

and

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

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

and

Coimbatore Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...

Air

* The nearest airport is at Karipur International Airport.

Rail

* Kuttippuram railway station is major railway station 10 km from Athavanad *

Tirunnavaya railway station Tirunnavaya railway station (station code: TUA) is an NSG–6 category List of railway stations in India, Indian railway station in Palakkad railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is the railway station located at Edakkulam-Tirunavaya,Ti ...

* Perashshannur railway station *

Tirur railway station Tirur railway station (station code: TIR) is an NSG–3 category Indian railway station in Palakkad railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is the oldest railway station in Kerala. It is a major railway station serving the town of Tirur i ...

Bus

* Puthanathani Bus Station * Valanchery Bus Station

Notable people

Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri (Mēlpattūr Nārāyaṇa Bhaṭṭatiri; 1560–1646/1666), third student of Achyuta Pisharati, was a member of Madhava of Sangamagrama's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. He was a mathematical linguist ...

* Mohsin Peramban

References

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