Kudavattor
Encyclopedia
Kudavattor is a small village of the Kottarakara Taluk in the Kollam district
of the India
n state of Kerala
, well-known for its agriculutral atmosphere and natural beauty of the landscape. In the local Malayalam language, kuda means "umbrella" and vattor "round", thus it is common to see a special kind of traditional style umbrella in the area. A predominantly rural village, Kudavattor comes under the administration of the Veliyam Grama Panchayat made up of Marroor, Chirakarakonnam and Kudavattoor chandhamukku. The village is situated on the Kottarakara—Odanavattam
—Kollam route, which provides access to Kollam via Kundara
or Nedumankavu as well as to Kottarakara. The district headquarters of Kollam is 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) distant.
prior to independence this area was part of the Travancore
kingdom.
, vegetables, ginger
, tapioca
, coconut, pepper
, honey, chena(elephant foot yam), kachil, peas and rubber. Rubber is common in Kudavatoor, while the natives of the village depend heavily on rice as a staple.
and Christian
villagers.
and the Chirakarakonnam Parbrhamam Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu
. Other temples found in the village include the Palakootu Devi and Nedumankavu temples.
Kottarakkara Sree Mahaganapathy Shethram is a well-known ancient pilgrimage centre in South India. Centuries old, the site is the location of the most important Maha Ganapathi Temple in the state of Kerala. Allows admittance to non-Hindus, this temple is dedicated to the family of Lord Shiva and is located in Kottarakkara, 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) from Kollam. Its deities comprise Parama Shiva, Parvati Devi, Sree Maha Ganapati, Sree Murukan, Sree Ayyappan, and Nagaraja. Even though the main deity is Parama Shiva, the greatest priority is given to Sree Maha Ganapati. The main offerings of the temple are Unni Appam Udayasthamanapooja, Mahaganapathi homam and Pushpanjali.
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classical dance form developed by Kottarakkara Thampuran (the King of Kottarakkara), in competition with Krishnanattam
, which had its origin in Kottayam.
Prominent families in Kottarakara include Shankarapuri Thekkedathu and Aaviyottu.
Kollam district
-Climate:Kollam's temperature is almost steady throughout the year. The average temperature ranges from 25 to 32 degrees Celsius. Summer usually runs from March until May; the monsoon begins by June and ends by September. Kollam receives an annual average rainfall of around...
of the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n 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....
, well-known for its agriculutral atmosphere and natural beauty of the landscape. In the local Malayalam language, kuda means "umbrella" and vattor "round", thus it is common to see a special kind of traditional style umbrella in the area. A predominantly rural village, Kudavattor comes under the administration of the Veliyam Grama Panchayat made up of Marroor, Chirakarakonnam and Kudavattoor chandhamukku. The village is situated on the Kottarakara—Odanavattam
Odanavattam
Odanavattam is a village in Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India. The village is situated 22 km west from Kollam town and is under the administration of Veliyam panchayath.-Education:There is a Government Senior Secondary school in the town...
—Kollam route, which provides access to Kollam via Kundara
Kundara
Kundara a fast re-emerging industrial town is set to become a satellite town of Kollam city Kollam district of Kerala, India. A former industrial center of Kollam district it had major industries as - KEL, Kerala Ceramics, Aluminium Industries Ltd...
or Nedumankavu as well as to Kottarakara. The district headquarters of Kollam is 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) distant.
History
Kudavattor village was an important trade centre in the past. Originally surrounded by paddy fields,prior to independence this area was part of the 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...
kingdom.
Economy
The major occupation in Kudavattor is agriculture with the village producing paddyRice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, vegetables, ginger
Ginger
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
, 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,...
, coconut, 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...
, honey, chena(elephant foot yam), kachil, peas and rubber. Rubber is common in Kudavatoor, while the natives of the village depend heavily on rice as a staple.
Demographics
The population is mostly Hindus, from castes such as Nair, Ezhava, Parrayar, Vedan, Polyan and Nadaan with Ezhava the most common. This caste are followers of SNDP. There are also some MuslimMuslim
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...
and Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
villagers.
Temples
The two main places of Hindu worship in Kudavattor are the Sivastha Temple dedicated to Lord ShivaShiva
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...
and the Chirakarakonnam Parbrhamam Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
. Other temples found in the village include the Palakootu Devi and Nedumankavu temples.
Kottarakkara Sree Mahaganapathy Shethram is a well-known ancient pilgrimage centre in South India. Centuries old, the site is the location of the most important Maha Ganapathi Temple in the state of Kerala. Allows admittance to non-Hindus, this temple is dedicated to the family of Lord Shiva and is located in Kottarakkara, 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) from Kollam. Its deities comprise Parama Shiva, Parvati Devi, Sree Maha Ganapati, Sree Murukan, Sree Ayyappan, and Nagaraja. Even though the main deity is Parama Shiva, the greatest priority is given to Sree Maha Ganapati. The main offerings of the temple are Unni Appam Udayasthamanapooja, Mahaganapathi homam and Pushpanjali.
Culture
Kottarakara was the birthplace of the KathakaliKathakali
Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...
classical dance form developed by Kottarakkara Thampuran (the King of Kottarakkara), in competition with Krishnanattam
Krishnanattam
Krishnanattam or Krishnattam is a temple art in Kerala, India. It is a dance drama and presents the story of Krishna in a series of eight plays and was created by Manaveda , the then Zamorin Raja of Calicut in northern Kerala .The eight plays are : Avataram, Kaliyamardanam, Rasakrida, Kamsavadham,...
, which had its origin in Kottayam.
Notable people
- Malayalam actor Bharath Murali.
- Rakesh Krishnan, electronic engineer and CEO of Peppermint Technologies.
- Lalithambika Antharjanam, Malayalam novelist.
- Kakkanadan, Malayalam novelist.
- The late Kottarakara Sreedharan Nair, Indian movie actor who gave memorable portrayals of historical heroes such as Pazhassi Raja, Velu Thampi Dalawa and Kunhali Marakkar. He is also remembered for his roles in Chemmeen and Ara Nazhika Neram. His son Saikumar and daughter Sobha are Malayalam film actors.
- Bharat Murali, veteran actor and now Chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Akademi.
- Ganesh Kumar, MLA and former Minister, son of R. Balakrishna Pillai. He is also a renowned actor.
- The late K. P. Kottarakkara (died 2006), leading Malayalam film producer of the 1970s.
Prominent families in Kottarakara include Shankarapuri Thekkedathu and Aaviyottu.
Nearby villages
The main villages that surround Kudavattoor are:- Ashanmukku
- Ambalathukala
- Paramukku
- Veliyam
- Odnavattom
- Chapathymukku
Education
Kudavattor LP School (classes one to four) is located near the Shivashatha Temple and commonly known as LPS Kudavattoor. Kudatvattor UP School (classes five to seven) is commonly known as UPS Kudavattoor. Both schools are aided by the government. Other nearby schools include: KRGPMS Odanavattom, MGM Kottarakara and Mylom.Nearby towns
Nearby towns and their distances from Kudavattor:- Trivandrum - 85 kilometres (52.8 mi)
- KollamKollamKollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...
- 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) - Kottarakara - 15 kilometres (9.3 mi)
- AdoorAdoorAdoor is a town and a municipality near Pandalam in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala state, India, spread over an area of 20.42 km2. The town is located midway between Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam. It is among one of the three municipalities in Pathanamthitta district.-Etymology:It is...
- 36 kilometres (22.4 mi) - PandalamPandalamPandalam is one among the fastest growing towns in Kerala, India. Known far and wide for its legendary connection with Lord Ayyappa and Sabarimala, Pandalam is considered to be a holy town...
- 46 kilometres (28.6 mi) - PunalurPunalurPunalur is a city situvated near the Tamil Nadu Kerala Border in Kollam district in the southern state of Kerala, India. It is the pioneer in starting industrial revolution in Kerala by establishing Punalur Paper Mills, the first industry in kerala. It is situated in the banks of the river Kallada...
- 33 kilometres (20.5 mi) - PathanapuramPathanapuramPathanapuram is an administrative division situated in the Western Ghats in the Kollam District of Kerala state of India. It is about 13 km from industrial town Punalur...
- 31 kilometres (19.3 mi) - KarunagappalliKarunagappalliKarunagappally is a gramapanchayath and Taluk in Kollam district, Kerala, India. Karunagappally is situated 27 km north to Kollam....
- 48 kilometres (29.8 mi) - ParippallyParippallyParippally is a village town in Kollam district, Kerala, India. It is 27 km away from Kollam city along the NH47. It is the boundary of Kollam district and Trivandrum District. There are 4 major roads which connects Madathara, Paravoor, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram. Only 10 kilometers from here to...
- 41 kilometres (25.5 mi) - MannadiMannadi-Location:Mannadi is 45 km from Kollam and 13 km from Adoor.Nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.-History:Velu Thampi Dalawa, the former Diwan of the Travancore Province, had committed suicide at Mannadi Temple, to avoid capture by the British....
- 26 kilometres (16.2 mi) - VendarVendarVendar is a village in Kottarakara taluk, Kollam district, Kerala, India. It has many educational institutions and many temples, including Major Sree Subrahmanya swamy Temple and Katiravan Kunnu Sree Balasubrahmanya Swamy Temple....
- 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) - Odanavattom - 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi)
See also
- KollamKollamKollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...
- KottarakkaraKottarakkaraKottarakkara , also transliterated as Kottarakara, is a town and taluk in Kollam District , in Kerala state, India. The town is close to the Kollam port which has a rich history linked to the early medieval period as well as a reputation for being an important commercial, industrial and trading...
- Kottarakkara Sree Maha Ganapathi Kshethram
- Karunagappally
- PathanamthittaPathanamthittaPathanamthitta is a large town and a municipality situated in the central Travancore region in the state of Kerala, south India, spread over an area of 23.50 km2. It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The city has a population of 38,000...
- College of Engineering AdoorCollege of Engineering AdoorThe College of Engineering, Adoor ' is a college in Adoor, Kerala, India, located 3 km from the town centre at Manakkala. It is affiliated to the Cochin University of Science and Technology and is run under the aegis of the Institute of Human Resources Development, an institute of the government...
- veliyamVeliyamVeliyam is a village in Kerala, India. It is situated near Kottarakara in the Kollam district of Kerala. A. Sreedhara Menon briefly narrates the historical importance of this place in his book Kerala History.-Agriculture:...