Kottapadi is a gateway of Guruvayur

Guruvayur

Guruvayur is a municipal town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It houses the famous Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, the fourth biggest temple in India in terms of the number of devotees per day.-History:Guruvayur, according to the legends may be 5,000 years old as the Guruvayur...

 town in the district of Thrissur

Thrissur district

Thrissur is a revenue district of Kerala situated in the central part of that state. Spanning an area of about 3,032 km2, Thrissur district is home to over 10% of Kerala’s population. Thrissur district was formed on July 1, 1949, with the headquarters at Thrissur City. Thrissur is known as...

, 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....

, South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

. Kottapadi literally translates as Gates to Fort. The fort here refers to the Punnathur Kotta

Punnathur kotta

Punnathurkotta is a fort and former palace located in Kottapadi, about 2 km from the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple, in Thrissur District of Kerala State in South India.-Description:...

. Kottapadi has now gained prominence for this fort, which has been converted to an elephant pound (Anakkotta in Malayalam, literally translated as "Elephant Fort") where the elephants belonging to the Guruvayoor temple are kept. Elephants are trained here for purposes related to temple rituals.

History

Kottapadi being a coastal village (2 km from sea) like many other parts of Kerala has white sand and earlier growing coconuts was a major industry, Now due to rapid urbanisation, most of this village has become a small town. Kottapadi is located only 2 kilometers away from Guruvayur temple. Many tourists come here for visiting the Punnathur Kotta

Punnathur kotta

Punnathurkotta is a fort and former palace located in Kottapadi, about 2 km from the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple, in Thrissur District of Kerala State in South India.-Description:...

. There are more than 60 elephants here. These elephants belong to the Guruvayur Temple

Guruvayur Temple

Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Krishna, located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala, India. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus and is often referred to as "Bhooloka Vaikuntam" which translates to the holy abode of Vishnu on Earth...

, where prominent devotees offer it to Lord Guruvayurappan. Earlier this place was the palace (Punnathur Kotta

Punnathur kotta

Punnathurkotta is a fort and former palace located in Kottapadi, about 2 km from the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple, in Thrissur District of Kerala State in South India.-Description:...

or Punathur Fort) of a local ruler. Prominent Shiva temple at Mammiyur is located close by.

Nearest Airport: Kochi

Cochin International Airport

Cochin International Airport is an international airport located in Nedumbassery, a suburb on the outskirts of the city of Kochi about northeast of downtown Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. It is the busiest and largest airport in the state of Kerala...

Nearest Railway Station: Guruvayur

Guruvayur

Guruvayur is a municipal town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It houses the famous Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, the fourth biggest temple in India in terms of the number of devotees per day.-History:Guruvayur, according to the legends may be 5,000 years old as the Guruvayur...

, Trichur

Nearest Major Towns: Guruvayur

Guruvayur

Guruvayur is a municipal town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It houses the famous Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, the fourth biggest temple in India in terms of the number of devotees per day.-History:Guruvayur, according to the legends may be 5,000 years old as the Guruvayur...

, Chavakkad

Chavakkad

Chavakkad is a municipality in Thrissur District of Kerala state in India. Chavakkad is noted for its beach and fishing. It lies on National Highway 17 is located about north of the city of Kochi, the commercial capital of Kerala and west of Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala.-History:The...

, Kunnamkulam

Kunnamkulam

Kunnamkulam is a municipal town situated in the Thrissur District of Kerala in India, spread over an area of 6.96 km2. It is an old commercial town, with a history of more than 300 years, famous for its printing and book binding industry...