Pazhanji is a village with near

Kunnamkulam Kunnamkulam is a municipal town located in the Thrissur District of Kerala, India, with historical origins tracing back to the Paleolithic age. Renowned for its deep-rooted cultural heritage, vibrant printing industry, and religious diversity, ...

Thrissur district Thrissur (), anglicised as Trichur, is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is situated in the central region of the state. Spanning an area of about , th ...

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. The name "Pazhanji" is derived from the Malayalam word for "old".

Demographics

India

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, Pazhanji had a population of 13,339 with 6,352 males and 6,987 females. Pazhanji is in the Kattakambal panchayat.

Economy

Pazhanji is well known for its

areca nut The areca nut ( or ) or betel nut () is the fruit of the areca palm (''Areca catechu''). The palm is originally native to the Philippines, but was carried widely through the tropics by the Austronesian migrations and trade since at least 15 ...

market and Pazhanji Palli / Pazhanji Church. The market is a hub for areca nut merchants from Monday through Saturday. This is where local areca nut (അടയ്ക്ക) sellers sell their product to authorised areca nut merchants. Buyers and sellers execute trade transactions by auction. Daily operations commence at 8 am and continue until 10:30 am. The place is located in the Kattakambal Gram Panchayath.

Transportation

Pazhanji is located approximately 32 kilometres from Trichur city. Trichur or Guruvayur Railway Station or Nedumbasseri International Airport is connected to reach Pazhanji pproximately 80 km from Cochin From the railway station/airport a road connects

and then reaches Pazhanji.

Pazhanji Church

Pazhanji Church officially known as St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, Pazhanji or Pazhanji Cathedral is a

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) also known as the Indian Orthodox Church (IOC) or simply as the Malankara Church, is an Autocephaly, autocephalous Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox church headquartered in #Catholicate ...

situated at Pazhanji near

Thrissur District Thrissur (), anglicised as Trichur, is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is situated in the central region of the state. Spanning an area of about , th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The Church is locally called " Pazhanji Palli " (In Malayalam : പഴഞ്ഞി പള്ളി ) "Palli" imilar to the Malayalam word for "Church" It is a part of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. The church is said to have been constructed by believers who fled from Arthat and later settled and constructed the church. It is how the name ''Pazhanji'' (Malayalam meaning ''Old'') came into being for the place. According to the church's website, the ancestors of today's members of the Pazhanji Church earlier belonged to the Kunnamkulam Arthat Church. The first chapel founded in Pazhanji was situated in the northern side of the present church, whereas the chapel founded in the southern side. Both chapels are dedicated to St. Mary. There is a cemetery near the church. On 13 September 2015, the Pazhanji Cathedral was declared as the second cathedral of the Kunnamkulam diocese, the first being St. Mary's Cathedral, Arthat.

Education

* Mar Dionysius College, Pazhanji * Government HSS, pengamuck

References