Vavakkad is a village situated along the northern border of

Ernakulam District Ernakulam (; ISO: ''Eṟaṇākuḷaṁ'') is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala, and takes its name from the Ernakulam, eponymous city division in Kochi. ...

, Paravur taluk,

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 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 ...

Location

Vavakkad is located 27 km from the city of

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...

and 23 km fro
Cochin International airport
Nedumbassery. National Highway No 66 passes within 1.5 km of the village. Famous

Cherai Beach Cherai Beach is located in Cherai on the northern side of Vypin Island, a suburb of the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. One of the most visited beaches in the state, it is situated around 25 km (15 mi) from downtown Kochi and ...

is just 4 km away.

History

The town's name derives from "Vaval Kadu" (literally, "forest of bats"). It was part of Thiruvithamkoor (

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 ...

) province before the reunion of states. Vavakkad was the first village in Kerala to give a monthly pension to senior citizens above 70 years of age. Once famous for the production of

coir Coir (), also called coconut fibre, is a natural fibre extracted from the outer husk of coconut, and used in products such as floor mats, doormats, brushes, and mattresses. Coir is the fibrous material found between the hard, internal shell ...

, this industry is now in decline.

Library

Gurudeva Memorial library and its surrounding ground is the center of cultural activities in Vavakkad. People meet there regularly to debate public issues. The library was founded in 1954 and named after

Sree Narayana Guru Sree Narayana Guru () (20 August 1856 – 20 September 1928) was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spirit ...

, who is considered to be the father of cultural reform in Kerala.

Public figures

Paravoor Bharathan Vadakkekarayil Koran Bharathan (16 January 1929- 19 August 2015), better known as Paravoor Bharatan was an Indian actor who acted in Malayalam films. He started his career in movies during the 1950s. Bharathan is known as a versatile actor and ...

, a popular comedian in the Malayalam film industry, who expired in 2015 is from here. There are more than 300 films to his credit.

Political representatives

References

{{Ernakulam district Villages in Ernakulam district