Palakkad City Map

Palakkad, also known as the 'Gateway of Kerala', is a municipality in Kerala that is situated near the Palghat Gap. The Palghat Gap is located in the Western Ghats and runs parallel to the west coast of India. The word Palakkad is derived from a Malayalam word Pala, which means 'a beautiful scented flower bearing tree', and a Tamil word Kaadu, which means 'forest'.

Palakkad houses many places of interests, including some religious places to draw tourists travelling in the state. Palakkad is a centre of Jainism with a section of population that practices the religion. The 15th-century Jain temple, Jainimedu Jain Temple, still holds traces of the Jain traditions. It is dedicated to Chandraprabha who was a Tirthankar of Jains. Built by Hyder Ali of Mysore, Palakkad Fort located at the heart of the town dates back to 1766 AD. The fort is also known as Tipu's fort and has a Hanuman temple and a jail that is still operational. Kalpathy, which is one of the agraharam (an early Tamil Brahmin settlement), located in the Palakkad district has a history that dates back to the 15th century. Manappullikavu Bhagvathy Temple, Vadakkanthara Temple and Viswanatha Swamy Temple are some of the Hindu temples in the town.

Palakkad is known as a place of temple festivals due to the grand celebrations of several festivals at different temples. For instance, the most famous among them is the Kalpathy Car Festival celebrated in the Kalpathy Sree Viswanathaswamy Temple and is based on the Vedic Tamil Brahmin culture. In Manapullikavu Temple, a major festival known as Manappullikavu Vela is celebrated every year. The pujas (prayer ceremonies) in the temple are held in both Vaishnava and Saiva traditions. Some other festivals are also held in different temples like Jain Temple Festival, Chittur Konganpada, Ottappalam Nercha Festival and Chinakkathoor Pooram Festival to name a few.

The Palakkad district is a birthplace of many renowned personalities who have contributed to different fields. Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, a senior performer of Kathakali, belongs to Palakkad. Bollywood actress Vidya Balan was born in a small town in Palakkad and music composer and playback singer Shankar Mahadevan belongs to a family with roots to Palakkad. A renowned Malayalam poet, performer and satirist, Kunchan Nambiar, is also associated with Palakkad. An eminent engineer, Elattuvalapil Sreedharan (E. Sreedharan), popularly known as 'Metro Man', was also born in Palakkad.

The flora and fauna, dams, wild life sanctuaries, historical monuments and ayurvedic treatment centres give this place an exquisite touch. It is primarily an agrarian society and is known for paddy cultivation. Besides paddy, it is also famous for production and cultivation of cotton, tamarind, pulses, mango, coconut, rubber and black pepper.

How to Reach?

The nearest airport to Palakkad is Coimbatore Airport, which is at a distance of about 55 km. Other airports that are nearby the town are Cochin International Airport and Kozhikode Airport. There are two railway stations in Palakkad - Palakkad and Olavakkode that connect it to other cities like Erode, Coimbatore, Ernakulam, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram to name a few. National Highway 47 and National Highway 213 pass through the town connecting it to other neighbouring cities. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and other private owners run local and inter-city buses in the town.

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Last Updated on : July 10, 2015