Palakkad
Palakkad, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District. Palakkad is the most densely populated municipality and the fourth-most densely populated city in the state. It was established before Indian independence under British rule and known by the name Palghat. Palakkad is famous for the ancient Palakkad Fort, which is in the heart of the city and was captured and rebuilt by Hyder Ali in 1766 which later fell into the hands of Zamorin in 1784. The city is about northeast of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram.
The 18th-century Palakkad Fort has sturdy battlements, a moat, and a Hanuman temple on its grounds. North on the Kalpathy River, the 15th-century Viswanatha Swamy Temple is the main venue of the Ratholsavam chariot festival. The river Bharathappuzha flows through Palakkad. Palakkad is on the northern bank of Bharathappuzha River.
Palakkad was included in the South Malabar region of Malabar District during the British Raj. The municipality of Palakkad was formed on 1 November 1866 according to the Madras Act 10 of 1865 of the British Indian Empire, along with the municipalities of Kozhikode, Kannur, Thalassery, and Fort Kochi, making them Kerala's oldest modern municipalities.
Indian Institute of Technology, Palakkad is the first and only Indian Institute of Technology in Kerala. It is also home to Government Victoria College, one of the state's oldest institutes of higher education, opened in 1888, and NSS College of Engineering, the fourth engineering college in Kerala, opened in 1960.
Mercy College is a women's college located in the city which was established in 1964. It is the first Women's college in the Palakkad District.
Palakkad Railway Division of Southern Railway Zone, one of India's oldest Railway Divisions, is headquartered here. A residential colony of the railway employees of Palakkad Railway Division known as Hemambika Nagar Railway Colony, one of the residential colonies under Southern Railway, is also near the office. The only school in the state run by Southern Railways is within the colony. Multi-Disciplinary Divisional Training Institute for Group C and D employees of the division is also inside the colony.
Etymology
The commonly held belief is that the name Palakkad is a fusion of two Malayalam words: pāla, which is the local name for blackboard tree, and kāṭŭ, which means forest.History
The region around Coimbatore was ruled by the Cheras during Sangam period between the first and fourth centuries CE and served as the eastern entrance to the Palakkad Gap, the principal trade route between the Malabar Coast and Tamil Nadu. Palakkad city was ruled by the Palakkad Rajas. Palakkad Raja had the right over the Taluks of Palakkad, Alathur, and Chittur. Chittur Taluk was part of Cochin Kingdom. The original headquarters of Palakkad Rajas were at Athavanad, Tirur Taluk, in present-day Malappuram district. It is said that their lands at Athavanad area were given to the Azhvanchery Thamprakkal and the Palakkad-Chittur areas were bought from them instead. The territory of Palakkad Rajas had been under the Zamorin of Calicut for sometime.In 1757, to resist the invasion of the Zamorin of Kozhikode, the Palakkad Raja sought the help of the Hyder Ali of Mysore. In 1766, Hyder Ali defeated the Zamorin of Kozhikode – an East India Company ally at the time – and absorbed Kozhikode into his state. The Hyder Ali rebuilt Palakkad Fort in 1766. The smaller princely states in northern and north-central parts of Kerala including Kolathunadu, Kottayam, Kadathanadu, Kozhikode, Tanur, Valluvanad, and Palakkad were unified under Mysore and were made a part of the larger Kingdom of Mysore. His son and successor, Tipu Sultan, launched campaigns against the expanding British East India Company, resulting in two of the four Anglo-Mysore Wars.
Tipu ultimately ceded the Malabar District and South Kanara to the company in the 1790s as a result of the Third Anglo-Mysore War and the subsequent Treaty of Seringapatam; both were annexed to the Bombay Presidency of British India in the years 1792 and 1799, respectively. Later in 1800, both of the Malabar District and South Canara were separated from Bombay presidency to merge them with the neighbouring Madras Presidency. Palakkad was under British Raj until 1947.
The municipality of Palakkad was formed on 1 November 1866 according to the Madras Act 10 of 1865 of the British Indian Empire, along with the municipalities of Kozhikode, Kannur, Thalassery, and Fort Kochi, making them the first modern municipalities in the modern state of Kerala.
At the time of 1951 Census of India, Palakkad was the second-largest city in the erstwhile Malabar District after Kozhikode. At that time only two towns in Malabar was treated as cities: Kozhikode and Palakkad. Following the formation of the state of Kerala in 1956, the erstwhile Taluk of Palakkad in Malabar District was divided into three: Palakkad, Alathur, and Chittur. Chittur and few areas of Alathur was part of Cochin Kingdom. and Palakkad district was formed by taking parts of Malabar District and Cochin Kingdom.
Geography
Palakkad is the gateway to Kerala due to the presence of the Palakkad Gap in the Western Ghats. The city is in central Kerala. Malayalam is the official language in Palakkad. Two main tributaries of Bharathapuzha, Kalpathi River and Kannadi River flows through the city. Of the numerous dams in Palakkad district, the largest Malampuzha dam is from Palakkad city.Palakkad is about northeast of Trivandrum, of Kochi, southwest of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, northeast of Thrissur, and southeast of Kozhikode, which are mainly connected by National Highways, namely Salem-Kochi National Highway NH 544, and Kozhikode-Palakkad National Highway NH 966
Climate
Palakkad has a tropical wet and dry climate. Temperatures remain moderate throughout the year, with the exception being March and April, the hottest months. A very high amount of precipitation is received in Palakkad, mainly due to the South-West monsoon. July is the wettest month, and the total annual rainfall is around 100 cm.Transport
Air
The nearest international airport is Coimbatore International Airport, which is about from Palakkad.Cochin International Airport and Calicut International Airport serve the city as well.There has been a proposal for a mini domestic airport at East Yakkara with respect to setting up domestic airports for enhanced air connectivity by the civil aviation ministry of India. 60 acres has been identified for the project at East Yakkara Palakkad.
Railways
The Palakkad railway division is one of the six administrative divisions of the Southern Railway zone of Indian Railways, is headquartered in the city. Railways played an important role in framing of the city. It was established on August 4, 1956, making one of oldest railway division in India. It manages 588 route kilometers of track in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Mahé.The city is served by two railway stations – Palakkad Junction is a broad gauge railway junction and Palakkad Town railway station in the heart of Palakkad city. Recently, pitline installation has been started at Town Railway Station and is expected to be completed by March 2025. By the completion of this project, it could make not only the city a major railway in the state.
Road
Palakkad has roads connecting it to many major cities. The NH 544 from Salem to Ernakulam passes through the city. NH 966 starts from Ramanattukara in Kozhikode and joins NH 544 at Chandranagar, one of the suburbs of the city. Other major roads are the Palakkad – Ponnani road which connects to NH 66. SH 52 begins near Chandranagar, which connects to Pollachi, and SH 27 begins at the Civil Station and connects to Meenakshipuram.Palakkad City has four Bus Stations includes Palakkad KSRTC bus terminal and three Private Bus stands named Stadium Bus Stand, Municipal Bus stand, and Town Bus Stand.
Demographics
As per 2011 census, population of Palakkad is 130,955; of which male and female are 63,833 and 67,122 respectively.Total literates in Palakkad city are 112,479, of which 56,065 are males while 56,414 are females. The average literacy rate of Palakkad city is 94.20 percent of which male and female literacy was 96.83 and 91.73 percent. The literacy rate of the Palakkad Metropolitan Area is 92.14%, much higher than the national average of 59.5%.
Hindus form 68% of the population with 89098 members. Muslims constitute 27.9% of the population with 36620 members. Christians constitute 3.8% of the population with 5006 members.
Governance
Legislature
Palakkad city is represented in the Kerala State Assembly by two elected members, one from Palakkad Assembly constituency and another from Malampuzha Assembly constituency. Palakkad Municipality forms part of Palakkad Assembly Constituency. As of 2024, Rahul Mamkootathil is the representative of Palakkad Assembly Constituency and A. Prabhakaran is the representative of Malampuzha Assembly Constituency.The city is also a part of the Palakkad Lok Sabha constituency and elects a member to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, every five years. The current MP is V. K. Sreekandan of the Indian National Congress.