district hand book DISTRICT HANDBOOKS OF

QUILON

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC RELATIONS NIEPA DC

D04226

32/3891/B district handboDks of kerala (|uil()u (n^vised edition) dcpai'tiiient of public relations 1986, april printed at government press, trivandrum (not for sale)

I j S S k

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compiled by: district information officer qnilqn PREFAOK

This is the revised edition of the District Handbook on duilon. Also, this ia part of a series of revised editions of District Handbooics of Kerala to be brought out by the Department of Public Relations, An attempt is made here to collect and present as miK:h information as possible, all up­ dated. It has been designed to satisfy the needs of the average reader as well Iho tourist, may look for a liandy volume containing essential information about the district.

W e hope that the book will serve this purpose. Suggestions for improvements are most welcome.

Trivandrum, T ,N. .Jayadet^n, April l*)86. DireSor, l*Uiplic Retalibns Department. CONTKNTS

Pag^ 1 listoiy and lloriiage 1 Topograpjiy and (’Umate 2 Populafi an 3 D«^velopniental activities 4 Transport and Comiuniiications 6 Ediu.ation 7 Mass communication facilities a Pilgrim Centres 8 Places of interest 8 Sonif important festivals 12 I'istrict at a t^lance la LIST OF ILI.USTRATIONS

Page - A newlook 17 Ashtamudikayal 17 Sastamcotta Temple 18 Rost House at Asramom IB Qvitlon Railway Station 19 SiKspeiislon bridge at Puualur 19 Neeudakara In iilge 20 l\iblic Library, Quilou 20 K .S .R .T .C . lius station, Qjiilon 21 Mosque at Jonakapuram 21 “Vilakkeduppu” at Kottcnkiilangara 22 Quilon Boat yard 22 Civil Station, Quilon 23 Kerala Minerals and Metals, 23 Light House at Thangasseri 24 Church 25 “ *’ waterfall 26 District map showing Panchayats Qiiilon is on old Sea port town on the Arabian coast. It stands on the Ashlanmdi lake. Quiloii has maintained a commercial reputation from the days of the Phoenicians and the Ronians. Fed by the Chinese trade, it was regarded by Ibn Batuta in the 14th century as one of the five chief ports which he had seen in the course of his travels during a period of twenty four years.

The rulers c,rQjnilon (Dcsinganadu) and China exchanged embassies. There was a flourishing Chinese settlement at Quilon. Merchant Sulalnian of Siraf in Persia (9thCentnry) found Quilon to be the only port in touched by the hug« Chinese junks on his way from (Janton to Persian Gulf. Marco Polo, the great Vcnocian traveller who was in the Chinese Service under K»)blaikhan in 1275 visitel Qjiilou and other towns .on the west coast in his capacity as Chinese mandarin.

The Portuguese were the first Euroyjeans to est;iblish a trading centre at Quilon in 1502. Then came the Dutch followed by the British in 1795. A British garrison was stationed at Ouilon iu p\irsuance of a treaty between the British and .

Velu Thampi Dalwa of Travancore did much for the development of Quilon Town. He built new bazars and Invited marchants from Madras and to settle here. Quiloii later became the capital of the enlightened and liberal rulers of Desingana l. Quilon was also the nerve centre of the rebellion organisei by Velu Thampi against the British.

Once a city of palaces, Quilon has been known to the outside world, by the time honoured prr>vcrb, “ Once you have seen Kollani you would no more need an illam (home)”. The w'ord Quilon is the anglicised form of the word ‘■‘KoUain”. The district is named after its headquarters town Quilon,

Quilon was a great centre of learning and cu lture as the capital of Venad. It attracted distinguished scholars from all parts of South India. “Teelathilakam” and Unnuneelisandesam”, two outstanding literary works of historical im|)ortance, are contribnti«>ns of 14th century Qjiilon. The dance form of Kathakali in its new verison of “ Ramanattam” was the creation of I'bampiiran, who also improved “ Krishnattam** by substituting Malayalam for Sanskrit. 32/3891/B. 2

Paravoor K. C. Kesava Pillai, a gifted poet, prose writer, dramatist and scholar inaugurated the musical play in Malayalam through his work “Sadarama”, which is also a contribution of Quilon District in recent times. His “Kesaveeyam”, a Mahakavyam is of outstanding literary importance. In the music, he has a prominent place a* a gifted composer of songs. Paravoor Kesavan Asan, the founder editor of “Fujananandini”, another prominent literary figure was a journalist and a prose writer oF eloquence . His “Saratchandrika” is a contribution to the study of the Ayurvcdic system of medicine. E. V. Krishna Pillai another literary celebrity of this district has attained eternal fame in the tield of humour and satire. C. V. Kuiijuraman, editor of Kerala Kaumudi and Malayalarajyam was a poet, literary critic, prose writer and a journalist of outstanding distinction.

Coming to modern times, Elankulam Kunjan Pillai and Sooranadu Kunjan Pillai, noted literarj^ historians and poets like O . N. V, Kurup, Tliirunelloor Karunakaran, Balan, novelist and poetess Lalithambika Antharjanam are some of the literary luminaries hailing from this district.

Quilon also gave Kerala leaders likcT. M. Varughese, G. Kesavan, Kumbalathu Sanku Pillai, N. Sreekantan Nair, R, Shankar, and C.M .Stephan who played prominent roles in shaping the socio-political destiny of the State.

HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT

The history of the district as an administrative unit can be traced back to 1835 when the Travancore State consisted of two revemte divisions with headquarters at Quilon and . At the time of thcf integration of Travancore and Cochin in 1949, Quilon was one of the thrfce revenue divisions in the State. These three revenue divisions wei’e conv6rt<'d ihto districts. Shencottah taluk was merged with Madras State consequent on the implementation of the States reorganisation Act of 1956. When Alleppcy district was formed in 1957, Shertallai, Ambalapuzha, , Karthikappall'^, and taluks of Quilon district were transferred to the new district. For the formation of the new district on 1st July, 1983 the entire Pathanarathitta taluk and nine villages of Kimnathur Taluk were also transferred. Now the District has a single revenue division with headquarters at Quilon. , Kunnathur, Kottarakkara, Kaiunagappally and Oailon are the five taluks in the district. The district is divided into thirteen df^velop- ment blocks. Quilon and Punalur are the two municipal towns in the district. TOPOGRAPHY ANJ) CLIMATE

The District is situated on the south west coast of India. It extends from latitude 9“ 2B' N to 0“ 45' and longitude 76“ 28' to 77“ 17' N. The district is bound on the nortli by tiie Alleppey and north east by the Pathanamthitta districts, on the east by tlii; rhirunelvoli district of Tamil Nadn, on the South by Trivandrum district an 1 on the west by Arabian Sea.

Two rivers, and , flow through this district. The SastUa.ii\coUa iake, the ou\y major fresh water lake in the State, is in Quilou district. Two other major lakes are the Ashtamudi kayal and the Paravoar kayal, and Nailayara kayals lie partly in the district

The district has a tropical humid oliniate, with an oppressive summer and plentiful seaskinal rainfall. The hot season, lasting from March to May, is followed by the southwest monsoon from June to September. The northeast monsoon occurs from Octobcr to November. The ri;st of thu year is generally dry.

POPULATION

Sex ratio (defined as the number of females per 1000 males) shows a lluctuatiug trend fnun decade to decade. Taking the population in the district as a wludc in 1941, 1971 and 19MI, females oHtnumbcM- maleH. Tu all other decades there was a preponderance of males over females. Accoriling to the 1981Gensus there are 1022 females for t;very 1000 males. The Scheduled (Jastes and Scheduled Tribes population of the district come to 2.714 lakhs and 0.031 lakhs respectively.

The d(;nsity of population of the district has increased frinu 522 priions per S(j. k.m. ui 1971 to 871 in 1981. Qiiilon Municipality has the highest density with 7464 persons per sq.k.m . in 1981. Tht^ tol l! popidation of th -district is 21.92 lakhs of which abnost 2.71 lakhs belong to thr Scheduled Castes.

Literacy.—According to the 1981 census this district has a literacy rate of 72.95% against the State average of 70.42%. Among tlie districts Qjiiioii stands fourth in terms of literacy, the lirst being K,ottayara with 81 .60% and the last being Palghat district with 58.00%. The literacy rate of the district has increased from 64.97% in 1971 to 72.95% in 1981.

Occupational Pattern.—The total number of workers in the district is 6, 5,000 of which 1,38,000 are cultivators and 1,74,000 are agricultural labourers. DEVf:LOPMENTAL ACTIVITIES Irrigation. -With the How of three rivers the District is endowed with a perennial sui)ply of water. But the water resources have not been adequately exjjloited so far. In order to augment the irrigation potential, several schenries were evolved during 1953 to undertake river basin schemes. Kallada Irrigation Project and Pamba Irrigation project (now in Pathanam- thitta district) were taken up foi execution as a result. The Kallada Irrigation Project, the biggest multipurpose proiect undertaken by the State Government, is intended to utihse the waters of iivaiuly for irrigatioti purposes in Quilon and adjacent Pathananithitta and Alleppc y districts. I ’here is also a proposal to generate 50 M. W. of ele<-tricity from the dam ..t Thenmala. The Kallada Project comprises a masonry dam of 335 i i length with a maximum height of 81 M. at Parappar m Thenmula acro.s the river to form a reservoir, a pick up weir and sluices at Ottakkal. The 69 km. right bink canal and the left bank canal (57-75 kms.) take off from the pick up weir. It is estimated that the two canals together will serve an area of 68,000 hectares of land. As per the revised estimates, an amount of Rs. 164 crores will have to be spent for completing thr project, a portion of which will be funded by the World Bank. Improvements to Perumkulam yelah in Quilon taluk, scheme in Kunnathur Taluk, reclamation of lake in Quilon taluk and Ithikkara yelah scheme are the medium irrigation schemes implernejit- ed in the District. At present the irrigated area under various crops in the district comes to 79U0 hectares. Agrit^uUure.—The Distiict has a prominent place in the field of agriculture. The total extent of laud under cultivation in the district is 94,261 hectares. 'J’he principal crops are }>addy, tapioca, , rubber, pepper, banana, mango and cashew. Sjventy per cent of the work I'orce js engaged in agriculture. Gocomit gardens extend to nearly 81,765 hectare's. TJirec hundred and forty lour million of the value of Rs. 53.32 crores are produced eveiy year. The five major crops (paddy, taj>ioea, coconut, rubber, pepp !:r) are cultivated in an area of 2,34,639 hectarc£s. The total value of the produce from these crops is extimated at Rs. 213,39 crores. There is an oil palm plantation at Bharathcepuram near Auchal in an area of 4000 hectares under the Oil Palm India Ltd., a State Government undertaking. Animal Husbandry. -Quilon ranks first in livestock population among uU he districts in Kerala. There are 0.26 lakhs plough animals, 0.26 lakhs bullalo -s, 2.01 lakhs cows, 2.03 lakiis goats and pigs and 13.60 lakhs poultry l>iids in the diitrict. Dairy farming is fairly well develOjjcd aad a net work of nine veterinary hospitals, 40 veterinary dispensaries and over 250 artificial infleminatiou centres cater to the needs of the district. The number of cows in the district increases annually by five per ccnt. There are about 65 milk oi-operative societies in the district and 3 chilling plants. The chilling plants are locati'd at Qjiiilon, Koitarakkara and . The Kerala Live­ stock and D iiry Development Board has a master plan for increasing dairy activities. 'J’he estimated milk production in the district is 3.34 lakh litres per day. Quilon holds third jjosition among districts in poultry weak a. Fisheries.—Quilon is an irajiortant maritime district of the State with a coastal line of 37.3 kms. Fishing has a unique place in the economy of the district. N(^endakara and are villages thriving in lishei ies industry. An estimated number of 23,000 persons are angaged in fishing and allied works. Chcriazhcirkkal, Alapad, Pandarathuruthu, Puth< ilhura, Neendakara,ThaJigass('ri, Eravipuram and Paravoor are the cit^ht hnportant fishing villages among the twenty three such marine villages. Then; re 24 inland fishing villages also. Considering the unique location and the infrastructure facilities available, (iovernment have initiated action for establishing a fishing harbour at Neendakara which is expected to au^.meat fish production by 15 jier cent. The average; fish landing is estimated to be 85,275 timues per ye.ar. One third of Kerala’s fishery catches ate from Quilon. There are 93 producer co-operatives, two credit co-operatives jmd one marketing co-operative in the fisheries sector. CJommunity Development. The imi)lenientation of Gonnnunity Development schemes in the district has been done in a very rare nature of entlitisiasm. ! Rl)P and TKY81IM progranuues h;ive been extended o all the thirteen blocks of the ilistrict. block is the biggest in eJ:teud. It commands an area of 98,535 h ctares of which 43,G68 hectares come under forest area. Ithikkara, Mukhathila, Anchalummoodu, Ghavara, Karuuagaj)pally, Sasthanu.otta, ()achira, , Kottarakkara, , Pathanapuram, Anchal and are th" other blocks in the district. Fundiotial Literacy Programme has been ext;mied to Anchal and blocks of this district. liidiisiiries.—There are sixteen large and mediiun industries in the district of which two are Central Govcrntnent undertakings i.e. Indian Rare Earths and , Quihm. Kerala Ceramics Ltd., , Travaacore Plywood Industries, Pvmalur, Kerala Elcctricai and Allied Engineering Company, K indara, Kerala Premo Pipe Factory, Ghavara, Kerala Minerals and Limited, Qiiilon, United Electrical Industries, Quilon., The Kerala Agro- Fruit Products, Punalur are Kerala Governmeiit owned companies The other major industries in the private and co-operative sectors ate Punaiur P.iper Mills, Punalur, Aluminium Industries, Kundara, Laxmi Starch Fiictory, Kundara, Harisons and (^rossfield (India) Ltd., Qiiilon, Thomas Steaphen and Co., Q,ailon, Kerala Bakers’ Ltd., Floorco Unit, Paravoor and (Jo-opcrativc Spinning Mills, , About 2813 small scale industrial uaits have been' registered In the district. i Cashew.—Cashew processing is a major industrial activity in the district, (lashew factories provide employment to about 1.5 lakh workers. The in lustry is female labour-oriented. Out of 157 cashew processing units, 27 factoties are under the control of the Cashew Development Corporati'^^ n which is a Government undertaking. The available raw nuts in the Stace can feed the factories to only a third of their capacity. Apart from the hand loom industry, coir, clay and wood-based indus­ tries also contribute to the industrial advancement of the district. Miaeral Resources.—TJie district is immeisely rich in mineral resources. The beach sands of the district have co icentrations of heavy minerals like Ilmcnite, Rutile, Monosite and Zircon which offer scope for exploitation for industrial purposes. The bulk of the mineral production i. e. nearly one lakh tonnes of ilmenitt;, is exported. Forest.—The area under forest in Q,uilon district is llO Osq.k.m s. and they i'j.U in and Punalur divisions. Thenmala Range, Ariankavu R.angv;, Achancoil Range arc in the Thcnrnala Division and Punalur Division includes Anchal and Pathanapuram Raagos. Teak and soft wood form the major forest plantations in the district. TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS Quilc-ji lias a total length of 9127 k. ms, of roads. Tixe National Highway I’^o. 47 covers a distance of 57.4 k.m. in the district. The State HigJnvays viz. Main Ceti.ral R )a 1, (^liloa-Slicncott ih Road and PunaluL— I'alai—-Muvattupiazha Rjad (Main Eiast^ rn Highway) with a total lengta of 266.52 k.m . also serve lUe district. The Kerala State Road Transport Cjrpjraiion has twj district Oilicess one at Quilon and tlie otJier at Kotlarakkara in the district There is an Assistant Transport Office at Punalur. Water Transport.—The Water Transport Department operates boat iervtces to Muthiraparambu (W. Kallada), Guhanandapuram, Ayiranthengu aad Alleppey. Ths Alleppey servica opens a vast vista of touri.-^t aitraction. The west coait canal system which starts from Trivandrum in the South and ends at Hosdurg in the north passes through the QjLiiloa and Karunagappally taluks. The Trivandrum Shornur canal, which fonus part of the above system, runs for a distance of about 62 k. ms. The othir oanals are Paravoor can^l, Q,uilon canal and Chavara canal. The water transport system is graiuilly losing i's imoortance, as it is slow compared to its counterparc on the road. Port." Neendakara and Quilon are the two ports in the district, the fonaer an intermediary and the latter a minor port. Port operations are now carried out only through Neendakara. 7

R ailw ays.' The District is served by 135 k. m. of ralKvavs of which 40 k. iJis. arc broad gviage and 87 k. m. metre gtiage. There are 24 railway stations of which nine are on broad guage line and 15>n the metre guagc line. Qpilon is an important railway junction. The 'rrivandruna-» Ernakiilara line, the Trivandrum-Madras line and Qjuilon-Shencotta- Madiiari line pass through Q/iilon. EDUCATION AND HEALTFI Educational Institutions.—The district offers well-dfveloped educational facilities. The rate of literacy in the district is 72.95 as against the state average of 70,42 per cent. The total number of educatioTxal institutions in the district is 990 of which 490 lower primary schools, 208 upper primary schools, 272 high schools, 13 Arts and Science Colleges, two training Colleges, one professional college, one jjolytechnid and one Tndnstrial Training Institute. All the colleges, except a Junior college at Chavara arc under thf private st ctor. Amr ng the < durational iiistilutiotis, thert! is a junior technical school also.

Arts and Science College 8 N. College, Quilon, S.N . College for Worn-n, Quilon, F .M .N ,

cotta, St. John’s College, Anchal, S.N . College, Chathannur, Government College, Chavara, M .M.N.S.S. College, Kottiyani. Professional College T.K.M. Enginctringr C( Dcge, Qiiilon, Karmala Rani Training College, Quilon, Mount Tab( r Training Colh;ge, Pathanapurani. Medical Facilities.—There are 118 Govenimeiit medical institutions with a bed strength of 2069 in the District. Further more, there area iiuDjberol allopatliic, ayurvcdic and homoeopathic hospitals arid pentaries run in the private and co-operativc sectors. MASS COMMUNICATION FACILITIES I'here are a number of daily newsp. pers published from this district, four of which are evening dailies. Janayiigom is the only dai!y ne v; rapv^r and Korala Rajyam, Vartha-Rahasyam, S iyanua Sabdam and Kei a' Malar arc the evening dailies. 1 here are eight cultural weeklies, th n t f< rtnightly publications and three monthly pub iciations originating from this district. , Kerala Sabdam, Kalalayam, Kunkumarn, Nana, Kumari, Madhuram, Muthuchippi, are the cultural and fibn weeklits. Muthassi, ^fukuram, Chilaaika are fortnightly publications and Mf hilar«tnara, Kasthuri Chithra Katha (Malayalam and Tamil) ^nd Pakkajtar are I monthly publications. 8

Pilgrim Centres.—Quilon district has a number of centrcs of pilprimape for Hindus, Christians and Muslims. The Sastba Temple at Achericoil, Ariemkavu andKulathupuzha are visited by a large number of pilprrims. The temple dedicated to Parabrahmam also attracts a number of pilgrims particularly during the festival called Oachirakali In June—Jidy. The Ashtami Rohini 1‘estival at Vadavattukotta Srcekrishna Temple also attracts huge crowds from neighbouring places. Tn addition to these everv temple, churrh or mosque has its own festival which attracts hugf crowds irrespective of their religious affcction.

Festivities.—Tn addition to the traditional pasttimes like Kathakali, Koothu, Ottamthullnl, Patakam, Harikatha Kaikottikali, Thirtivalhirakkali, Kolattam etc. there are certain amusements and festivities, which are unirpie to Qn’lon district, are held in connection with festivals in temples. The nmck sword fight (Oachirakkali) is one of the most important of such festivals. In Kottamkulargara Temple in Chavara village there ia a p#’cul^ r nistoni of men dressing up as women carrving lamps (Thalappoli). The “ Uriadi” is a lypical festival associated with the Krislina Temples. The annual “Uriadi” frstival held at the V;idavattukotta temple in connection with Ashtami Rohini deserves mention. The “Kettukazhcha** festival In Id at Mahadevar Temple, Thrikkadavof>r in February—March every year, is one of the colourful festivals of the district. There are similar festival® in the temples of Sasthamcotta, VcHmalhir, Chathammrj r!hira- kkara etc.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Achencoil.— Achencoil, situated about 80 kms. away from Punaliir, !■ an important pilgrim centre. The sastha tem))le here is situated anuMst dense forests. The idol of Sastha here is supposed to have been installed several rentr^ies before the Christi^in Fra. The tv o important festivals of this temD^e arp *‘Marda1arooia” (Peccmber—Tannary) ard the festival held on “Prvnthi*’ astor'on ri-'innrry—Febri'arv) The tv o roteble features of this festival are the “ Theroltam” (Chariot Festival) ard Pusl~pabis^eV3m” (offering oFflov crs), Tn ro other temple of South India are flowers offered to the deity so lavishly as at Achencoil.

Ancbal.—Anchal is located at the 7 kms. on the road from Avoor to Knl.'ithupuzla and is 13 k.m . south of Punalur. It is known for its cattle marVrt Veld twice a month. The “ Mudi” ffstival of the BVagavathy temple here, which is conducted once in every twelve years, attracts a huge gathering.

Ariankavn.—Ariankavu situated 73 k. m*;. ea'^t of Quilon is one of the important pilgrim centres of the district. From very early days, it was an important trade route for merchants from either sides of the Western Chats, The chief attraction of Ariankavu is the shrine dedicated to Lord Sastha. Thousands of pilgrims Hock to this temple during the “ Mandalapooja” and rhTikalyanan’ fpstivals in Decrmber. About k. ms. away from Ariankavu there is a heavy water fall known as “ Palanivi” at an altitude of 300 ft. Qhavara.—IJhavara is situated 14 k. ms. north of QuHon on the Allcppcy-Quilon road. Thousands of tonnes of mineral s’ands are exported from Chavara to foreign countrit s. The Koilthottam Port is situated within Ghavara Panchayat limits. The Premo-Pipe factory is situated near (jhavara. There arc five temples, a church and a mosque in Ghavara. In the Koitamkulangara temple, there is a festival which takes place in March— April. An interesting feature of th^s fcstivai is that men dress themselves as woninji and can y lamps This is a time-honoured custom which has persisted through the decsdj s. Karunagappally.—The headquarters of Karunagappally Taluk and Kaiunagapptniy Block, Karnnagappally is 27 k. ms, north of Qjuilon, and linked with the lattrr by rail and road. There is a mini Civil Station at Karuanagappaliy--Pad^nayarkulangara which fornii part of the town was onoc the military stadan of the Rajas. An idol of the Buddha 'which was recovei’e I from a local tink is now preser\'ed in fropt of the taluk office. Fhe town has a tumnle drdicate4 to Lord Siva and two old mosques and a Mar Thoma Ghurch. K oU arakkara. -Headquarters of Kotlai akkara taluk and NES IHock, Kottarakkara is link ;d with Qjuilon both by road and rail, the distance between thepi being27 k. ms. It was once Iho capital of Elayadathu Swampam, a principality ruled by a branch of He Travancorc Royal Family The mternHtionally famous dance drama “ Kaihakali’* had its sni vU beginnings in this town and it flourished under the [latronage of a Kaja of Kottarakkara who lived in the first hall ol the 19th ceuury. Kottarakkara has an old temple delicated to Lord Ganapathi and a church belonging to Mar Thomas. This church is more than 700 years ol 1. Gishew processing and rattan work form the main industries in the town. .—Kulathupuzha is situated at the 64 kms. along 'lrivandrum*Shencottah r.vad and is 10 k, ms south of Theumala Kailway Htatiou Kudathupuzha is an im^wrtanf forest range, well known for it^ elephants. Reed, an esseaiial raw material for th ^ manuficture of paper at Punalur is partly supplied from Kulathupuzha valley. One of the renowned sliriiies dedicated to Lord Sastha is found here and large crowds of pilgrims com-e for worship during festival seasons. The Vishu Mahotsava in April - May is the most important festival here. Besides this shrine, there aro three mosiques also. Kuttdara.—-Kimdara is linked withQiiilon by rail and road the distance l>r:tween ttie two places being 14 kms. Laige deposits of china clay discovered here have helped the esta&ljshment of the Government Ceramics concerns, 32/3891/B. 10

The Aluminium Industries (ALIND) is one of the leading Indian firms manufacturing aluminium cables. Kundara is famous in history as the venue from where Velu Thampi Dalawa issued th e . farnous “ Kundara Vilarabaram” in 1809. iCium lcode.—The main attraction of situaictl 10 kins, west of Punala is “Pachilakunim” a small hillock where a Muslim Saint is said to have breathed his last. . - Mayyaiiad, 10 kius. south of Qiiilon, is noted for its shrines and tem])les. Of the nine temples the most important is the one at Umaya mallcor dedicated to Lord Subramoniya. The shrine is said to have been consecrated by Shri. Sankaracharya of Kaladi. Besides the temple there are three churches and a mosque. Cotton weaving and oil pressing are the main occupations in the village. Mayyanad is the birth place of G. V. Kunjuraman ont^ of the leading literary, socical and political figures of moderm Kerala. Neendakara.—Situated about 8 kms. north of Q.uilon, Neendakara is the headquarters of the Indo-Noiwegion Fisheries Community Project which was established in 1953. The iii.porant institutions under this project are the hoat building yard at Sakthikulangara, the Fishermen’s Training Institute, the ice Factory and the refrigeration plant. Improvements have been made to Neendakara Pori which lias been thrown open to traffic.

Oachira. —Situated 34 kms. north of Quilon on the Quiion-Alleppey National Highway and on the boundary of Quilon District, Oachira is an important pilgrim centre. The peculiarity of this temple is that there is no temple building as such nor is there any idol. All classes of people worship the presiding deity, the “ Parabhrahmam” Oachira draws thousands of Pilgrims for “ Oachira Kali'* a festival held aimually in the middle of June. Another festival held here is “Panthrandu Vilakku” in November-Decernber which lasts for twelve days. The festival is also followed by a fair which attracts thousands of pilgrims from all walks of life. Oachira is also an important liandicraft centre where fancy articles of screwpine mats are manufactured,

P aravoor.—Paravoar an important fishing centre is situated 13 kins. South of Quilon. It is the birth place of K. C. Kesava Pillai (1865-1913) and Kesavan Asan. ((1869-1917) two leading literary men of eminence.

Pathanapuram. An important trading centre on the banks of the Kallada river, Pathanapuram is 13 kms. away from Pimalur. The “Ghandanakkudam” mahotsava of the mosque here celebrated every year in Fetruary-March attracts thousands of devotees. Pattazhi.—Patiazhi is the seat of an ancient temple dedicated to tli lihagavathy. The Mudi is the major festival of this temple. 11

Punalur.—Tlie headquarters of the Fatliaiiapui am taluk, Piuialur is one of the important industrial centres of Kerala. It is 45 kms.from Qiiilon on the (^lilon-Shencotta railway line. The main factories are the Punahir Paper Mills started as early as 1885 arid the Ply^^oods Industries. Tiie suspension bridge spanning the Kallada river erected in 1877 in the only one of its kind in South India and is 400 ft. long. With a new eoncrete bridge constructed near by the suspension bridge is now ofarch.ieo logical interest only. The temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappi at Sastha- konam attracts huge gatherings during festival occasio is. In addition, th ^re are the ancient temples dedicated to Lord Krishna, Lord Siva and goddess Bhagavatliy. There are two Roman Catholic churches. The Mcteriolog'cal Observatory h<.^re is the only institution of its kind iu this district. Tlie chief commodities of export here are th* hill produces, pine-apple, paper products, plywood and timber. Qtiilon Town. -Q,uilon town, the headquarters of Qiailoa district aud (^tiiloii taluk, has a hoary past. It was oncc an inter national emp3uriutn of trade and tven now a prosperous commerical centre. About 71 kms, north of Trivandrum with which it is linked by road, rail and backwater, the fown stands on th • . Several foreign travi llers visited Qiiilon in the early medieval periods. Qiiilon was one jf the earlyj^ceutres ofChristi in activity in Kerala. It is said that the present town of Quilon was built by the Syrian Merchant Siipir Iso in the 9th century. Quilon has been known to the outside world by the tinie horoured proverb “Once youhaveseen Qjiilon you would no more need a home” Qiiilon is an important commercial industrial and trading centre. It is also the headquarters of the K. rala State C

Thazhava. is an importaiii ccntrc ot the sciew-piae mat industry. An image of the Budha discovered from a tank ku >wn as Pallikulara near Maruthoorkulangara is one of the interesting archieological relies associatrd wiih Quilon District. Thenm ala Thenniala, the meoting point ol Q^uilon-Shencottah road and I ’rivandrum-Shencottah road is situated 66 kms. east of Quilon. There are a large numbei- of rubber and tea plantations all round. Timber of all varieties arc exported from here to all parts of the couiitry.

SOME IMPORTANT FESTIVALS 1 . Oachirakkali Oachira Temple Mithunam (June) 2. Karthikavilakku or do. Viischikom Panihrcnduvilakku (Novemlicr-Dcceniber) 3. Therot»ara Sastha Temple Dhanu Ach'^ncoll (1 )fcember-January) 4. Pushpabhishck.i do. Makarain (January-February) 5. The Mudi Festival lihagavathy Temple Conducted once in Anchel every 12 years G. Mandala Pooja S I'tha TempH, December Arienkavu 7. Vish unahots ivatn Sastlia Temple, Medom Kulathupuzha (April) 8. Ghandanakudam Pathanapuram Kumbhom mosqtie (February-March) 9. Uriy.idi Vadayattukotta, Srcekrishna Temple 10. Kcttukazhcha Mahadeva Temple, February-March Where to Stay Rest House, Quilon Phone 5418 Tourist Bunglow Phone 6455-6567-6567 13

QUILON AT A GLANQE

Area of the District .. 2518 Sq. k. m. Population Total .. 21.92 Lakhs Males .. 10.84 Lakhs f^emalcs .. 11.08 Lakhs Density of Population per k.m . .. 871 No. of females per 1000 males .. 1022 Literacy Rate 72.95 Males „ 78.10 Females ,, 70.21 Percentage uf Scheduled Caste to ) total pijpiihuion ^ 12.36%

Percentage of Scheduled lVib<58 i population to total population V 0.33% Maks ., 3758 Females 31^14 No. of Residential houses 502, 635 No. of Taluks 5 No. of J^locks J3 No. of Firkas ., 14 No. of Villages 101 No. of Panchiyats ., 75 Municipalities

Name of Place Population M aks FmaUs

1,37,927 68,567 69,360 Punalur 43,040 21*404 21,W 14

Blocks

SI. No. Mame o f Bloik Panchayais included in ihs Block

1. Ithikkara 1. Poothakulam 2. Parav(x>r 3. 4. Ghathannur 5. Adhichanalloar 6. Nedixmpana

2. Mukhathala 1 . Mayyanad 2. Eravlpuram 4. Thrikkovi 1 vattom 5. Kottanikara

3. Anchalummood 1. Kilikolloor 2. Tlirikkadavoor 3. 4. Sakthikulangara

4. Ghittumala 1. 2. Kundara 3. East Kallada 4. Perayam 5.

5. Ghavara 1. Thekkumbhagom 2. Ghavara. 3. 4. Paumana 5. Neendakara 15

1. 2. 3. Karuiiagappally 4. Thofliyoor 3. Thazhava

7. Oachira 1. Oachira 2. 3. 4. Krisnapuram 5. Devikulangara U. Hasthamcotta 1. Sastliaracotta ^. 3. Weit KaUada 4. Kunjiathui 5. South 6. Sooranad North 7. Palliokal 1. Vilakudy

2. 3. 4. Vadakkckara 5. Pattazhy 6. Pathanapurani 10. Anchal 1. Kulathupuzha 2. Yeroor 3. Alayamom 4. Anchal U)

5. £(laniulakkal 6. 7. Thenmala H. Arieucavu

I. Chithra 2. 3. Ghadayaniangalam 4. 5. Velimalloor G. 7.

12« Vettikkavala 1. Uramanoor 2. Vettikkavala 3. Melila 4. 5. 6.

13. Kottarakkara 1. 2. 3. Karecpra 4. 5. Neduvathur 6. Kottarakkara Revenue set up Revenue division 1 Firkas 14 Villages 101 PoUdoal Mt up Lok Sabha seats 2 Legislative Assembly scats 12 17

( hinnakkada A new look

A shtam ndi Kawl 32 3801/B 18

Sasthanicottah Kayal

Rest Home—Asramafn 19

Quilon Railway Station

Suapensimi bridge at Punalur 32/3891/B. 20

Neendak ara bridge

Public Library—Quilon 21

K.S.H.T.C, Hus Station Quilo)i

iViosque at Jonakapuram 22

‘Vilakkeduppu” at Kottenkulangara

Quilon Boat yard 23

Civil Statimi—Quilon

/' I . ' .>' ' ' ^ r I - -Im ■■ .i--.-' " ^ . &'V-iii*

Kerala Minemis and Metals—Chavara 24

Light House al Thangasseri 25

m w f f f j ... -'4^^ -i ^ fc^i^-;5f|

, i,,".'» ■ ^-.' - I I ^ ‘ ‘* ', 4 : ^ » '^''- * '* -^% V^ '5~*- “ -}* ;1-** ' w«; l « ' ^ f.' VM *f ^.^i.w*’'!'® ,'

Neetidakara Church 26

TalaruvV’ Water fall QUILON DISTRICT SHOWmG PANCHAYAT8

^Not Pfnel Subject to Alteration^

PATHANAMTHrrTA ALLEPPEY

■\ TIRUNELVEU ■^ro'wwnTOTOT'

TRIVANDRUM

LIST OF PANCHAYATS BEFERENCE PATHANAPURAM TALUK Slate Boutiduy ...... KARUNAGAPALLY TALUK QUILON TALUK KOTTARAKARA TALUK 1. PATTAZHI VADAKKEKARA PJstrict Boupdarv __ ^ ^ 1. SAKTHLK.ULANGARA I. PAVITHRESWARAM -a*-^‘AflFHANAPURAM------2. OACHIRA "gT T HMKlCTafAVOUR “~Z. "KyJLAKKTCUA------— Taluk Boundary -______3. KULASEKHARAPURAM 3. THRIKKARUVA 3. MYLOM 3. PATTAZHI THEKKEKARA 4. THALAVOOR Puichayat Boundary ------4. THAZHAVA 4. PERIKAD 4. MELILA 3, VILAKUDY Municipal & Corporaiion Area —i — i—.►-j^ 3. 5. MUNDRO ISLAND 5. vettikkavala 6. PIRAVANTHOOR 6, KARUNAGAPa LLY 6. PERAYAM 6. KOTTARAKARA National Highway 7. ALAPPAD 7. BAST KALLADA 7. 7. ARIYANKAVU Sidte Highway , ------, , , _ 8 , 8. KUNDARA 8. EiHUKONE 8. THENMALA 9. 9. EROOR OtHer Roads - 9. MYN AO APPALL Y 9. 10. THEVALAKARA 10. NEDUM PANA 10. VELIYAM 10, KARAVALOOR Railway Lioc Broadgauge 11, 11. CHAVARA 11. thrikkovilvattam II. OMMANNOOR 12, A N C H A L Railway Line Mctregaugo 12. 12. KlLrKOLLOOR 12. ELAM A DU 13. NEENDAKARA 13. VADAKKEVILA 13. POOYAPPALLY J3. Lake & Rivers 14. K i/tA T H U V U Z H A 14. 14..VELINALLUR District HcadQuaners KUMNATHUR TALUK 15. M AYYANAD 15. CHADAYAMANGALAM

Taluk HeadQuarten 1. s o o r a n a d s o u t h 16. 16. NILAMEL 2. SOORANAD NORTH 17. C H A T H a NNOOR 17. KADACKAL 3. PALUKKAL (Portion) J8. PARAVOOR 18. ITTIVA 4. PORUVAZHY 19, 19. NIEPA DC 5. KUNNATHUR 20. KALLU VA TH U KK A L 6. SASTHAM COTTA 7. WEST KALLADA D04225 Natio*'?! S> Nsfaon«^ in^ ct **"PiatsfijT p *rci^ A m w i s t r ^ ^ 17-^;S£iAQir«» -rrDe£b^4 'i€ 3 2 3 E 3 C .