Meenachil is the north-eastern region of

Kottayam district Kottayam () is one of List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Kerala, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettu ...

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 ...

south India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

. The name originates from Meenakshi, the Hindu Goddess.

Pala Pala may refer to: Places Chad *Pala, Chad, the capital of the region of Mayo-Kebbi Ouest Estonia * Pala, Kose Parish, village in Kose Parish, Harju County * Pala, Kuusalu Parish, village in Kuusalu Parish, Harju County * Pala, Järva County, ...

is the main city in Meenachil. The arterial river of the district is also named

Meenachil Meenachil is the north-eastern region of Kottayam district in Kerala, south India. The name originates from Meenakshi, the Hindu Goddess. Pala is the main city in Meenachil. The arterial river of the district is also named Meenachil. Geogra ...

Geography

The Meenachil River, also known as Kavanar, Gauna, Valanjar originates at ''vagamon'' in the Western Ghats of Kerala, flows westward through

Erattupetta Erattupetta () is a municipalityhttps://lsgkerala.gov.in/system/files/2017-10/localbodies.pdf in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is located east of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about north of the state capital Thiruv ...

Palai Pallai (, ), also spelt Palai, is a small town in the Kilinochchi District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The town is located under the division of the Pachilaipally Divisional Secretary and is administered by the Pachilaipally Pradeshiya Sa ...

, Kidangoor,

Ettumanoor Ettumanoor () is a municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is located north of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Ettumanoor has a ...

and

Kottayam Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...

. Its length is about 87 kilometers. Near Kottayam it splits into a number of

distributaries A distributary, or a distributary channel is a stream channel that branches off and flows a main stream channel. It is the opposite of a ''tributary'', a stream that flows another stream or river. Distributaries are a result of river bifurca ...

before emptying into the

Vembanad Lake Vembanad () is the longest lake in India, and the largest in the state of Kerala. The lake has an area of 2,033 square kilometers and a maximum length of 96.5 km. Spanning three districts in the state of Kerala, it is known as Vembanad L ...

Kumarakom Kumarakom is a tourism destination near the city of Kottayam in Kerala, India. It is near the Vembanad Lake, the largest lake in the state of Kerala. In January 2023 ''The New York Times'' mentioned Kumarakom's backwater tourism. Climate Kum ...

, the bird sanctuary and tourist resort is on one such branch.

History

The current Meenachil taluk was a principality under the rulers of the royal family often referred to as the ''

Meenachil Kartha Meenachil Karthas (''also known as Njavakkatt Karthas and medackal karthas'') were members of a royal family, which ruled the kingdom of Meenachil from 357 AD until 1754. Unlike the other aristocratic Nair factions of Travancore who are descend ...

s'' (also known as ''Njavakkat Karthas'') before

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") ...

annexed it to

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 ...

in 1754. The name of the place comes from Goddess

Meenakshi Meenakshi (, ; also spelled as Minakshi; also known as , and ) is a Hindu goddess. She is the tutelary deity of Madurai and is considered a form of the goddess Parvati. She is the divine consort of Sundareśvarar, a form of Shiva and the si ...

, the deity of the ''Karthas''. Veera Kerala Damodara Simhar was a chieftain belonging to this family.Kerala District Gazetteers: Kottayam, Kerala (India) p.34-35 The southern bank of the river was the kingdom of ''Thekkumkoor'', the capital of which was Changanassery, and the northern bank, that of ''Vadakkumkoor'', with its capital at Kaduthuruthy. The

Poonjar Poonjar is a small Indian town located on the eastern side of Kottayam district in Kerala state, India. Before the independence of India, Poonjar had been the part of Travancore princely state. Erattupetta, Teekoy, Bharananganam, and Vagamon are ...

royal family also held sway over significant areas of the district towards the east.

Economy

Though food crops like

paddy Paddy may refer to: People *Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname *A nickname or slur for an Irish person Birds *Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon *Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird species *Black ...

and

tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the tubers of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North Region, Brazil, North and Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast regions of Brazil, but which has ...

are cultivated, majority of the population depends on cash crops like

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...

and

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...

for income. Turmeric,ginger,cardamom,aracanut, coconut, nutmeg,clove,karuva pattai, jackfruit, tamarind where cultivated here.Recently people had diversified into the cultivation of

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). ''Vanilla'' is not Autogamy, autogamous, so pollination ...

on account of the sudden spurt in prices. However, with rubber prices ruling high and vanilla prices nosediving, the original agricultural pattern is seen reemerging. Though there are families with considerable wealth, a large section of the population are farmers with small and medium agricultural holdings. The Kerala Government has recently (2006) accorded high priority to the implementation of the Meenachil River Valley Project. The project aims at diverting excess water from the

Moovattupuzha Muvattupuzha () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipalityhttps://lsgkerala.gov.in/system/files/2017-10/localbodies.pdf in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is located east of the district headquarters in Thrikkakara and a ...

river into the Meenachil River basin by constructing a tunnel from

Arakkulam Arakkulam is a village in Idukki district in the Indian state of Kerala.It is from Thodupuzha which is the gateway to the high ranges of Kerala. Thodupuzha-Idukki road goes through this village. Arakulam is enriched with the Moovattupuzha ...

Melukavu Melukavu (Melukavumattom) is a village in the eastern part of Meenachil Taluk in Kottayam District of Kerala state, India. Tourism The place is a major tourist attraction for nature lovers with beautiful hills, streams and rubber plantations t ...

. Once implemented the project will help in increasing the availability of water in the area.

Festivals

Some of the important festivals celebrated in the region are:
1. Kumaranalloor Thrikarthika
2. The Katappattor temple festival (April)
3. Meenachil Kavu Festival (December)
4. Pala Jubilee thirunal (8 December)
5. The

Cherpunkal Cherpunkal is a small town in the Kottayam district of Kerala State in India on the Kottayam-Palai Road, seven kilometers from Pala, Kerala, Pala city. Cherpunkal is famous for Mar Sleeva Forane Catholic Church, believed to have been establis ...

Church festival(25 December – 2 January)
6. The festival of St. George's Church, Aruvithura
7. The Paika Church festival (19 December)
8. Pala Rakkuly thirunal - Epiphany (7 Jan)
9. Bharanganam Sr Alphonsa's feast (28 July)
10. Bharanganam Sreekrishna Swami temple festival (January–February)
11. Poovarany Mahadeva temple festival (January–February)
12.

Ramapuram church Saint Augustine's Forane Church is a Syro-Malabar Church, Syro-Malabar church complex located in Ramapuram, Kottayam, Ramapuram of Kottayam district, Kerala, India. It is one of the most prominent churches in the Eparchy of Palai and is a notable s ...

feast
13. Kidangoor Temple Festival
14. Edappady Subrahmanya Swamy Temple festival (January–February)
15. Edappady Vazhanekkavu Devi Temple festival (March)
16. Uzhavoor Church feast
17. Vilakkumadom St. Francis Church feast
18. The Arattu at Lalam Sree Mahadeva Temple. (January)
19. Prathista dinam at Puthuppallil Kottaram Bhagavathy Temple at Edamattom (23rd Thulam)
20. Meenachil Nadeethada Hindu Maha sangamam (Jannuvay 12-18)
21. Payappar sree dharama sastha temple (makaravilaku 14 January)
22. Payappar sree dharama sastha temple (makaravilaku 14 January)
23. Edanattukavu Bhagavathy Temple festival (December and March)

Politics

Traditionally, the region is the hotbed of various factions of the

Kerala Congress Kerala Congress is an Indian political party founded in Kottayam, Kerala on 9 October 1964, by a block of former Indian National Congress leaders led by K. M. George. The party is primarily active in central Kerala. Initially its main suppor ...

. However mainstream parties like the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...

Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...

, NCP (Nationalist Congress Party)

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...

also have significant following. The prices of rubber and other agricultural prices determine the agenda of many elections. It is alleged that the church influences the political agenda significantly.

Notable people

Jose Panachippuram Jose Panachippuram (born 24 August 1951 in Vazhoor, Kottayam District, Kerala, India) is a noted short story writer, novelist and journalist in Malayalam. He is working as the Editorial Director of ''Malayala Manorama'' daily and Editor in- ...

, associate editor, ''Malayala Manorama'' daily.

Transport

Meenachil Taluk does not have rail connectivity. The nearest major railway stations are

, 28 km and

Ernakulam junction Ernakulam Junction railway station (also known as Ernakulam South, station code: ERS) is an NSG–2 category List of railway stations in India, Indian railway station in Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is the m ...

, 64 km from palai. The nearest airport is the

Cochin International Airport Cochin International Airport , popularly known as Kochi International Airport or Nedumbassery Airport, is an international airport serving the city of Kochi, Kerala, in southwestern India. It is located at Nedumbassery, about northeast of th ...

Nedumbassery Nedumbassery () is a census town within the Nedumbassery gram panchayat in the Aluva taluk of Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. Situated between Angamaly and Aluva, it is home to Cochin International Airport. Location As per the 2011 cens ...

, 85 km from Palai. The

State Highway (SH 32) traverses across the Taluk in the easterly direction connecting Kidangoor,

Bharananganam Bharananganam, is a Christian pilgrimage centre in South India on the banks of the Meenachil River, away from Pala and from Plassanal, in Kottayam district in the Indian state of Kerala. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people, ...

, Kondoor,

Panackapalam Panackapalam is a small town of meenachil taluk located in the Kottayam district of Kerala state, India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seve ...

and

. In the north- south direction, the

Main Eastern Highway The Main Eastern Highway is the lifeline of the high range townships of the midlands and highlands of eastern kerala Kerala state, India. It is also known as Punalur-Muvattupuzha Highway. Main Eastern Highway is categorized as State High ...

(

Muvattupuzha Muvattupuzha () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipalityhttps://lsgkerala.gov.in/system/files/2017-10/localbodies.pdf in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is located east of the district headquarters in Thrikkakara and a ...

Punalur Punalur is a municipality in the Kollam district of Kerala, India. It is the headquarters of the Punalur Taluk and Punalur Revenue Division. It is in the eastern part of the Kollam district of Kerala, on the banks of the Kallada River and footh ...

- SH 8)passes through Kollappally, Palai and

Paika Paika is a small town from Palai on the Pala-Ponkunnam road of Muvattupuzha - Punalur SH:08, in Kottayam district, Kerala, India. It is part of Meenachil Taluka, known as one of the most fertile agricultural regions of Travancore. This region ...

. The

Peerumedu Peermade, also spelt Peerumedu is a village, Grama Panchayat and hill station in the state of Kerala, in southwestern India. It lies above sea level in the Western Ghats (Sahyadri) about east of Kottayam on the way to Kumily. Etymology The n ...

State Highway (SH 14) passes through

Teekoy Teekoy is a southern Indian village in the eastern part of Kottayam district in Kerala state. On 1 January 1962, it was established as a third grade gram panchayat. Teekoy is located 18 Kilometre, km east of the town Pala, Kerala, Pala, and is ...

and

Wagamon Vagamon () is an Indian hill station and a revenue village located in Peerumedu Taluk of Idukki district, and also Meenachil taluk and Kanjirappally taluk of Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. Located in the Western Ghats e ...

. The Sabarimala - Kodaikanal Highway passes through Erattupetta. The

Main Central Road Kerala's State Highway 1 or KL SH 1, also known as Main Central Road or MC Road, is the arterial state highway starting from Kesavadasapuram in Thiruvananthapuram and ends at Angamaly, a suburb of Greater Cochin in Ernakulam district, in the s ...

(SH 1) from

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 ...

Angamaly Angamaly () is a municipality in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. Angamaly is part of the Kochi metropolitan area and is located northeast of the Kochi city centre. As of the 2011 Indian census, the municipality has a population of 33 ...

passes through the western boundary of the Taluk.

Major Colleges

Alphonsa College, Palai Alphonsa College, Pala, is a women's degree college located in Pala, Kottayam district, 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 ...

(for girls) * St. George College, Aruvithura * College of Engineering, Kidangoor (CEKGR) *

College of Engineering, Poonjar College of Engineering Poonjar (CEP) (established in 2000), is an engineering institute in the state of Kerala, India. Till completion of 2014 Admissions, the college was affiliated to Cochin University of Science and Technology and currently ...

* Devamatha College, Kuravilangad * St Joseph College of Engineering and Technology, Palai (SJCET Palai) * St. Stephen's College, Uzhavoor * St. Thomas College, Palai * BVM Holy Cross College, Cherpunkal *

Government Polytechnic College, Pala A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a mea ...

* Henry Baker College, Melukau * Mar Augusthinose College, Ramapuram (MAC) * Mar Sleeva College of Nursing, Palai * MES College Erattupetta, Thidanadu

References

{{Kottayam district Villages in Kottayam district