Kizhakkekallada, also known as East Kallada, is a large village in the

Kollam district Kollam district (), (formerly Quilon district) is one of 14 List of districts in Kerala, districts of the state of Kerala, India. The district has a cross-section of Kerala's natural attributes; it is endowed with a long coastline, a major La ...

in 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. It is located about northeast of

Kollam Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...

History

Kallada is believed to be the old port

Nelcynda Nelcynda (, also Nelkynda) was an early historic inland port town and settlement located in what is now Kerala, on the Malabar Coast, in southern India. It is mentioned by several classical Greco-Roman authors, including Pliny the Elder and Ptolem ...

which was mentioned in the

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (), also known by its Latin name as the , is a Greco-Roman world, Greco-Roman periplus written in Koine Greek that describes navigation and Roman commerce, trading opportunities from Roman Egyptian ports lik ...

.Lists of the Antiquarian Remains in the Presidency of Madras By Robert Sewell, p. 257 The Periplus states that: :''… Nelcynde is distant from Muziris "Mosiris is the Greco-Roman name of an ancient port city on the coast of Malabar." By river and sea about five hundred stadia, and is of another Kingdom, the Pandian. This place is also situated on a river, about one hundred and twenty stadia from the sea.''

Travancore Kingdom

In 1730, Unni Keralavarma of Desinganadu invaded the village, which was at that time a part of the region of

Venad Venad was a medieval kingdom between the Western Ghat mountains of India with its capital at city of Quilon.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014. 143 ...

. This prompted

Marthanda Varma Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ; 1706 – 7 July 1758) 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") ...

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

to retaliate against Desinganadu, adding Kizhakkekallada to his holdings and continuing to invade many more small countries to the north.

Buddhist culture

It is believed that, centuries ago, Kizhakkekallada was a flourishing center of

Buddhist culture Buddhist culture is exemplified through Buddhist art, Buddhist architecture, Buddhist music and Buddhist cuisine. As Buddhism expanded from the Indian subcontinent it adopted artistic and cultural elements of host countries in other parts of Asia ...

. The customs and architecture of old temples in this area suggest a history of Buddhism viharas when these temples were first built. In addition, eduppukuthira in the area have strong associations with Buddhist customs and practices. The clear presence of an

Ezhava The Ezhavas, () also known as ''Thiyya'' or ''Tiyyar'' () in the Malabar region, and Chovar () in the south, are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the po ...

community in the area is also thought to be strong evidence supporting the existence of Buddhism. In 1978, a Buddha statue made of marble was excavated by accident near Sinkarapalli, a temple dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

. In 1984, the same statue was placed at another temple to Shiva in Koduvila, from which it was later stolen.East Kallada Gramapanchayath Development Report 1997-1998, Page 6&7

Population

According to the 2011 Indian census, Kizhakkekallada had a population of 21,820 consisting of 10,292 men and 11,528 women. The density of the population was 1,653 people per square kilometer. The sex ratio (the number of females per 1000 males) was 1.120. Males constituted 47% of the population and females 53%. Children aged 0-6 made up 9.32% (2033) of the population. The literacy rate in Kizhakkekallada village was 95.44%.

Places of Worship

Chittumala Sree Durga Devi temple is the most important place of worship in this area among

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

s. The temple is situated on the

Chittumala Chittumala is an Urban area, urban settlement in Kollam district that is located on the Kundara - Bharanikkavu stretch of National Highway 183 (India), National Highway 183 besides Kallada River. The name Chittumala came from an old lady name c ...

hilltop and is devoted to Sree Durga Devi. A Hindu festival associated with this temple is known for its huge chariots which are carried by devotees up to the temple. Other temples are Sree Mahadevar Temple Koduvila, Major Marthandapuram Sree Krishna Temple Marthandapuram, Sree Narayanapuram Temple Marthandapuram, Edavana Kalari Sree Durga Devi Temple and Sree Mahavishnu Temple Veranoor. The incomplete inscription in the Veranoor Temple in Tamil and Vatteluttu was identified and mentioned by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

.Indian archaeology, a review by Archaeological Survey of India, p. 69 There are several Christian churches in the village as well. The major church in the area is the

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

St. Francis Xavier Church, which is one of several ancient Latin Catholic churches in the region. Other churches in the village include St. Anthony's, St. Alphonsa, St. Elijah's, St. Mary's, and St. George.

Notable people

* Suresh Babu (1953–2011): Olympic long jumper *

D. Vinayachandran D. Vinayachandran (13 May 1946 – 11 February 2013) was an Indian Malayalam poet. He is one of the proponents of modern style of prose in Malayalam poetry. He was born in West Kallada, Kollam district and has worked as a Malayalam professor in ...

(1946–2013): poet

Notes

References

{{Kollam district Villages in Kollam district