Kothamangalam
Encyclopedia
Ernakulam
Ernakulam refers to the downtown area or the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala and is a main nerve of business in...
district in the Indian state of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
situated 45 km north east of Kochi
Kochi
-Places:* Kochi, a city in the state of Kerala, India, formerly known as Cochin* Kingdom of Cochin, a former feudal city-state on Malabar Coast, India** Fort Kochi, one of the three main urban components which constitute the present day city of Kochi, Kerala, India...
City. It is located around 14 km north east to the town of Muvattupuzha
Muvattupuzha
Muvattupuzha is a municipality in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a junction of three districts namely Ernakulam, Kottayam and Idukki. The town is bordered by Kottayam district on southern side and Idukki district on eastern side approximately 20 km from the town...
. The town is situated in the foothills of the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
ranges. It is also known as The Gateway to the High Ranges. The highway NH-49
National Highway 49 (India)
National Highway 49 is National Highway in southern India. It traverses coast-to-coast linking Cochin in Kerala with Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu. It crosses the famous Pamban Bridge before crossing into Rameshwaram island...
Ernakulam
Ernakulam
Ernakulam refers to the downtown area or the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala and is a main nerve of business in...
- Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
- Rameswaram passes through this town.
The town serves as the headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
of a taluk and a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of the same name. Kothamangalam is known as a trading center for spices and forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
products. It is also famous for its ancient Christian churches.
History
According to the available historical evidence, Kothamangalam was a place of prominence during the rule of the First Chera DynastyChera dynasty
Chera Dynasty in South India is one of the most ancient ruling dynasties in India. Together with the Cholas and the Pandyas, they formed the three principle warring Iron Age Tamil kingdoms in southern India...
, the dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
that ruled Kothamangalam from around 300 BC to the first millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
. Cheras were also known as Kothai. The capital of Chera Kingdom was Karur
Karur
Karur is a large town and a municipality in Karur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu situated on the banks of Amaravati. Karur district was formed on 30 September 1995 by trifurcating Tiruchirappalli district. It is the administrative headquarters of Karur District. Karur has a very long...
. This has led some historians like Professor Joseph Mundasseri, Kanakasabha etc. to claim that Thrikkariyoor, a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
3 km north of Kothamangalam could have been the ancient Karur, the capital of Cheras. This claim has not found wide support. Several historians believe Karur (or 'Vanchi
Vanchi
Vanji or Vanchi may refer to:* Vanchi Muthur, the ancient capital of the Chera dynasty* Vanji language, an extinct Southeastern Iranian language...
' or 'Muziris
Muziris
Muziris is an ancient sea-port in Southwestern India on the Periyar River 3.2 km from its mouth. The derivation of the name Muziris is said to be from "Mucciripattanam," "mucciri" means "cleft palate" and "pattanam" means "city". Near Muziris, Periyar River was branched into two like a...
') was near the present day Pattanam
Pattanam
Pattanam , presently a land locked rural hamlet located in the Periyar Delta, 2 km north of North Paravur, 9 km south of Kodungallur and 25 km north of Kochi in Ernakulam District in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Pattanam that means coastal town has ancient origins...
(North Paravur).
However, it is evident from the Sangam literature
Sangam literature
Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years c. 600 BCE to 300 CE. This collection contains 2381 poems composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous The period during which these poems were composed is commonly referred to as the Sangam...
of the period and the archeological finds from the area prove that the place had, indeed, been an important town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
during the rule of Chera kingdom. The description of some places mentioned in Silappatikaram fits the description of places adjoining Kothamangalam. The Siva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
at Thrikkariyoor dates back to the early centuries of first millennium. Thrikkariyoor also has one of the earliest Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
settlements in Kerala. Chelamalai, near Bhoothathankettu
Bhoothathankettu
Bhoothathankettu is a dam and tourist spot in Kerala, India. It is situated in the village of Pindimana, about 10 km away from the town of Kothamangalam and 50 km away from the main city of Ernakulam....
in Kothamangalam is regarded by some as the Summer Palace of Cheras. Stone ruins are found there and Nanangadis (Burial urns) have been excavated from the place.
Egyptian coins of 7th and 8th century were recovered from places near Kothamangalam in 1962. The ancient trade route
Trade route
A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a single trade route contains long distance arteries which may further be connected to several smaller networks of commercial...
to Madhurai was also through Kothamangalam. The popularity of Kothamangalam during the past is evident from the old Malayalam saying, 'Ethappaa Kothamangalam?' which means 'Where is Kothamangalam?' used in dialogues to indicate that the person to whom this is said is so ignorant that he do not know where Kothamangalam is.
St. Thomas
Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...
, the apostle of Jesus Christ, who introduced Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
to India, is believed to have visited Kothamangalam and converted several families to the Christian faith. St Marys Church (popularly called 'Valiyapally') belonging to the Jacobite
West Syrian Rite
The West Syrian Rite, also known as the Syrian Rite or the Syro-Antiochene Rite, is a Christian liturgical rite chiefly practiced in the Syriac Orthodox Church and churches related to or descended from it. It is part of the liturgical family known as the Antiochene Rite, which originated in the...
Syrian Church
Syrian Church
Syrian Church may refer to:*Syriac Orthodox Church*Syriac Catholic Church...
is believed to have been established during 4th century AD by a few Syrian families in the area. As per the available records the valiyapally is constructed under the leadership of Kattachirayil Kurian Koruthu with three other families Nellimattom,Nedumchalil and Pothanikad(Unnoopattu).A division happened among the members of the church regarding the marriage of the daughter of Kattachirayil Avira Kuruvila.Eighteen members in the church opposed four families(Kattachirayil,Pothanickad, Nellimattom and Nedumchalil)and this divided group established one cross near the church.Later,these eighteen families construct a church like the parent church in the name of St.Thomas.The Marthoman CheriyaPally was built during AD 1455 by some members(initiated by a priest from Chelattu family) of the St Mary's Church. This church is the resting place of Catholicos
Catholicos
Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases is borne by the designated head of an autonomous church, in which case the holder might have other titles such as Patriarch...
Baselios Eldho, a saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
of the Jacobite church. The church is a very popular Christian pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
centre in Kerala.
Later, the importance of Kothamangalam dwindled. Kothamangalam was under the rule of some Karthavu families later Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
kings until India became independent. Then it became a part of the Travancore-Cochin
Travancore-Cochin
Travancore-Cochin or Thiru-Kochi is a former state of India . It was created on 1 July 1949 by the merger of two former princely states, the kingdoms of Travancore and Cochin....
state and later, Kerala when the state was formed in 1957. Kothamangalam taluk was created on January 26, 1972; it included parts of the Muvattupuzha taluk. It was composed of Kothamangalam, Keerampara, Kottapady, Pindimana, Nellikuzhi
Nellikuzhi
Nellikuzhi is a Grama panchayat in Kothamangalam Taluk, Ernakulam District of Kerala. Nellikuzhi is also the hometown of Sri T.M.Meethian, Ex.MLA of Kothamangalam who was well known mediator for settling disputes outside court in Kothamangalam Taluk. Nellikuzhy is suburban area of Kothamangalam...
, Pothanicad, Varappetty
Varappetty
Varappetty is a village in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala.-Demographics: India census, Varappetty had a population of 16886 with 8318 males and 8568 females....
, Kadavoor
Kadavoor
Kadavoor is a small village at the eastern border of Ernakulam district in Kerala, India. It is located about twenty kilometres away from the nearby towns Muvattupuzha, Kothamangalam and Thodupuzha...
and Pallarimanagalam villages. Later Neriamangalam
Neriamangalam
Neriamangalam is a village in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala.. The nearest town is Kothamangalam-Demographics: India census, Neriamangalam had a population of 16134 with 8145 males and 7989 females....
and Thrikkariyoor were added to the taluk in 1981 and kuttampuzha in 1997 also. Kothamangalam became a municipality in 1978. Later, T.M Jacob of Kerala Congress(Jacob) and T.U Kuruvilla of Kerala Congress(Joseph) who were the Members of Legislative Assembly representing Kothamangalam had become ministers in the state government.
Geography
Kothamangalam is situated in the eastern part of the Ernakulam district.Kothamangalam is known as the Gateway of Highrange. According to the division of the geographical regions of Kerala to High-lands, Mid-lands and Low-lands, Kothamangalam is located in a Mid-land region. The general topography is hilly. The MunnarMunnar
Munnar is one of the most popular hill station in Kerala and in southern India. Munnar is located on the Western Ghats, situated in the Idukki district....
hill station is located around 85 kilometres from Kothamangalam.
The river Periyar
Periyar River
Periyar is the longest river in the state of Kerala, India, with a length of 244 km. The Periyar is known as the lifeline of Kerala; it is one of the few perennial rivers in the region and provides drinking water for several major towns...
, the largest river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in Kerala, flows through the taluk. The dams
DAMS
Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
built across Periyar at Edamalayar, Lower Periyar (near Neriamangalam) and Bhoothathankettu for hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
generation and irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
purposes are located in the Kothamangalam taluk. Kothamangalamar, a small river which flows through the town goes to join Kaliyar and Thodupuzhayar to form the river Muvattupuzha which is the second largest river in Ernakulam district.
The taluk is rich in flora and fauna. Tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen and Moist deciduous forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....
are found in the region. Thattekad Bird Sanctuary located 13 km from the Kothamangalam town is the only bird sanctuary in Kerala. Several rare birds like Ceylon Frogmouth, Bourdillon’s Long eared Indian Nightjar, Peninsular Bay owl, Crimson throated barbet, Malabar hornbill are found here. The common animals found here include leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
s, sloth bear
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
, elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, porcupine
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
etc.
Laterite soil
Laterite
Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...
is the major soil type found in the taluk. Rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
and teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
are extensively cultivated in plantations. The other crops include spices like pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
, coconut palms, tapioca
Tapioca
Tapioca is a starch extracted Manihot esculenta. This species, native to the Amazon, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and most of the West Indies, is now cultivated worldwide and has many names, including cassava, manioc, aipim,...
, paddy, plantain
Plantain
Plantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
and pulses. Allied agricultural activities like fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, diary
Diary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...
and poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
are also popular.
Climate
The climateClimate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
of the region is tropical humid, with temperatures ranging from 20°C - 32°C. The hottest months are April–May and the coldest December–January. The region receives heavy annual rainfall of around 2500 – 3600 mm. The rainfall is mainly concentrated during the months from June to October. The best time to visit Kothamangalam is between October and March. The South-west monsoon and the Northeast monsoon bring rains to the region. Neriamangalam the border of Ernakulam and one of the most place got more rain during a year located 15 km away from Kothamangalam.
Demographics
Kothamangalam has a total population of 37,173 according to the 2001 census., 18,938 males and 18,775 females. There are 8,136 householdHousehold
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
s in the Kothamangalam municipality. 31,223 people are literate.
The town's population predominantly consists of Syrian Christian Achayans, along with sizable Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s. The language Malayalam is used widely as in the rest of Kerala.
Administration
The Kothamangalam Municipality was formed in the year 1978 and is the headquarters of the Kothamangalam Taluk. The Municipality has an area of 37.45 km² and is divided into 31 electoral wards. Elections to the local self bodies are held once every 5 years. From the elected Municipal Councilors, a Chairman and Vice-Chairman is elected. The present Chairman of the Municipality is Mr. K.P. Babu and the Vice-Chairperson is Ms. Usha Davoo.Kothamangalam is part of the Muvattupuzha
Muvattupuzha
Muvattupuzha is a municipality in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a junction of three districts namely Ernakulam, Kottayam and Idukki. The town is bordered by Kottayam district on southern side and Idukki district on eastern side approximately 20 km from the town...
Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
constituency. Earlier, before the re-alignment of constituencies, it was part of Muvattupuzha
Muvattupuzha
Muvattupuzha is a municipality in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a junction of three districts namely Ernakulam, Kottayam and Idukki. The town is bordered by Kottayam district on southern side and Idukki district on eastern side approximately 20 km from the town...
constituency. Kothamangalam is also represented in the Kerala Legislative Assembly
Kerala Legislative Assembly
The Kerala Legislative Assembly more popularly known as Niyamasabha , is the law making body of Kerala, one of the 28 States in India. The Assembly is formed by 140 elected representatives and one nominated member from the Anglo-Indian community...
as a constituency.
The Grama Panchayats in Kothamangalam Taluk are
Nellikuzhi
Nellikuzhi
Nellikuzhi is a Grama panchayat in Kothamangalam Taluk, Ernakulam District of Kerala. Nellikuzhi is also the hometown of Sri T.M.Meethian, Ex.MLA of Kothamangalam who was well known mediator for settling disputes outside court in Kothamangalam Taluk. Nellikuzhy is suburban area of Kothamangalam...
,
Kottapady,
Pindimana
Pindimana
Pindimana is a village in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala.-Demographics: India census, Pindimana had a population of 12194 with 6107 males and 6087 females.-References:...
,
Varapetty,
Pallarimangalam,
Kavalangad,
Keerampara
Keerampara
Keerampara is an Indian village in the state of Kerala, India. This place is once blessed with the footprints of all the holy personnel who passed through the Royal route .- History :...
,
Kuttampuzha
Kuttampuzha
Kuttampuzha is a village in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. A place which is blessed with its natural beauty. -Demographics: India census, Kuttampuzha had a population of 25436 with 12879 males and 12557 females....
The block panchayat is also Kothamangalam.