Vechoor is a village in

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

taluk A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ...

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 ...

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 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 ...

. Vechoor is a short drive away from one of

's tourist destinations, Kumarakom. The Vechur Cow breed of

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

is named after this village.

Geography

Vechoor village covers a total area of 2,913 hectares. Vechoor is bordered by Vembanattu lake on the west and Kaipuzha river on south. Thanneermukkom Bund starts from Vechoor. The eastern part of Vechoor is majorly covered by paddy fields. There are many natural and man made canals in Vechoor which were used for water transport and irrigation.

Transport links

Until 1985, road connectivity to Vechoor was limited and bus services from Vaikom used to stop at Vechoor. A road bridge alongside Thanneermukkom Bund connected Vechoor to Alleppey district in 1985. In 2003, Vechoor got connected directly to Kottayam via Kumarakom. Renovation of Kallara - Vechoor road added further connectivity. Vechoor is about 10 km from both the towns

and

Cherthala Cherthala is a municipality in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, India and acts as a satellite town of Kochi. It is located north of the district headquarters in Alappuzha and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 20 ...

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 ...

and

Alappuzha Alappuzha (, आलप्पुळ) or Alleppey is a municipality and town on the Laccadive Sea in the southern Indian state of Kerala. It is the district headquarters of the district, and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvana ...

are about 20 kilometres away. There are regular bus services to all the towns. Bundroad junction is a major junction in the village where Vaikom - Vechoor road meets road to Cherthala. Kaippuzhamuttu is a bus hub where many bus services terminate. A mega infrastructure road project is being planned through vechoor connecting Cherthala to Manarcaud

Water transport

Swamikkallu boat jetty on western coast of Vechoor used to have regular services connecting

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 ...

, Thanneermukkom, Mannanam and

. Also hand rowed boats were regularly used for transport of goods till end of the 20th century. However the improvement of road transport reduced the importance of inland water transport. The boat jetty is now a hub for tourist houseboats.

Railway station

The nearest railway station is

on the Ernakulam-Kayamkulam coastal line which is 12 kilometers away.

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 ...

is 70 km away.

Education institutions

* Government Devivilasam Higher secondary school * St. Michael's Higher secondary school * Govt. Highschool Vechoor (known as Perumana school) * St. Mary's Lower Primary School * St George Lower Primary School * Hindi Premi Mandal of Dakshin Bharath Hindi Prachar Sabha (closed down) N.S.S High school Vechoor is not located in Vechoor despite the name.

Religious institutions

* Govindhapuram Sreekrishna Swami temple * Sasthakkulam Devi Temple * Poonkavu Devi Temple * St. Mary's Church * Ansarul Islam Juma Masjid Achinakom * Cherakulangara Devi Temple * Idayazham Subramanya Swami Temple * Muchoorkkavu Temple * Vaikundapuram Sreekrishna Temple

Notable personalities

* Harikrishnan, Malayalam film actor * C. K. Asha, Member of Kerala Legislative Assembly * Dalit Bandhu N. K. Jose: Historian known for his studies in

Dalit Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...

and

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

history.

Demographics

As per 2011 census, Vechoor had a population of 17041 with 8,315 males and 8,726 females. In 2001, Vechoor had a population of 16,830 with 8,305 males and 8,525 females. After 2010, several migrant workers arrived in Vechoor particularly from

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

and

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

References

Villages in Kottayam district {{Kottayam-geo-stub