Pandalur
Encyclopedia
Pandalur is a small town in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu
, India
. It is located at 11° 29' 0" North, 76° 20' 0" East, at an altitude of 880 metres. Its standard time zone is UTC/GMT+05:30. Pandalur is the headquarters of the Pandalur Taluk
. It is categorised as a third-grade municipality.
One roadway is the only access to the town. A number of government bus services are available from:
Public and private transportation is available from Pandalur to the nearest villages of the Taluk.
and Pandalur. A London-based mining company created a township in Pandalur that began with a church, post office, shops, and race course. After the gold boom decreased, the mining business was gradually diminished because the percentage of gold ore was below the average. Even so, mining was continued until the beginning of the 20th century.
Once the British companies had determined that gold mining would not succeed in this area, they changed to agricultural industries and created tea plantations on a massive scale. The climate and soil was well suited for tea
, which helped to ensure the success of the new industry. Coffee and tea plantation started at Pandalur area in early eighteenth century during this time many European planters settled in Nilgiris and Wyanad to establish tea and coffee estates. D.H.McLeod and Henry Atzenwiler are few among them.
Kunjalikutty Haji of Pandalur was one of the leading manpower suppliers for British estates.
mage:Kkhaji.jpg|thumb|Kunalikutty Haji - A family photo 1930]
He brought a large number of people from Malabar
to work on the estates, and became very close to the British administration, being recognised as Khan Bahadur Kunajalikutty. During this period in India, the non-cooperation movement against the British was in full swing. The Mappila rebels were agitated over the Khilafat issue, and determined to eliminate the people among the community who supported the British Raj. A group of Khilafat rebels went to Pandalur and completely destroyed the shop owned by Kunalikutty Haji, though his life was saved by his friend Malla Gawdar, chief of the Gowdar community in Pandalur Hatty.
Most of the land in this area was the property of the princely states of Nilambur Kovilagam and Mysoor Maharaj. The Nelliyalam Rani administered the region for Mysoor Maharaj and enjoyed the highest rank in society. The remains of the Nelliayalam Ranis fort can still be viewed in the Nelliayalam village.There is a temple which was built by the Nilambur rani which is very powerful
Pandalur was believed to be a sacred place for the aboriginal communities such as the Paniyas, Kurumbas, and Kattu Nayakkans. It was then dominated by the Gowdar community. The migration of Malabar people had a major impact on the area, including the social, cultural, economical, and environmental systems.
Category:Cities and towns in Nilgiris district
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, 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...
. It is located at 11° 29' 0" North, 76° 20' 0" East, at an altitude of 880 metres. Its standard time zone is UTC/GMT+05:30. Pandalur is the headquarters of the Pandalur Taluk
Pandalur taluk
Pandalur taluk is a taluk of Nilgiris district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The headquarters of the taluk is the town of Pandalur- Population :...
. It is categorised as a third-grade municipality.
One roadway is the only access to the town. A number of government bus services are available from:
- Ooty (sixty-five kilometres)The district headquarters
- Gudalur (twenty-three kilometres) -The nearest township
- The nearest international airport, Calicut (110 kilometres)
- Sulthans Bathery (32 km) - Nearest town in Kerala state. NilamburNilamburNilambur is a municipality and a taluk in the Malappuram district of Kerala, South India. It is famous for its forests, especially its wildlife habitats, rivers, waterfalls and teak plantations. It is situated close to the Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River...
is very near to here.
Public and private transportation is available from Pandalur to the nearest villages of the Taluk.
History
During the mid-19th century, English companies began mining for gold in the area, mostly in DevalaDevala
In Hinduism, Devala was one of the great rishis or sages. He is acknowledged to be a great authority like Narada and Vyasa and is mentioned by Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita....
and Pandalur. A London-based mining company created a township in Pandalur that began with a church, post office, shops, and race course. After the gold boom decreased, the mining business was gradually diminished because the percentage of gold ore was below the average. Even so, mining was continued until the beginning of the 20th century.
Once the British companies had determined that gold mining would not succeed in this area, they changed to agricultural industries and created tea plantations on a massive scale. The climate and soil was well suited for tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
, which helped to ensure the success of the new industry. Coffee and tea plantation started at Pandalur area in early eighteenth century during this time many European planters settled in Nilgiris and Wyanad to establish tea and coffee estates. D.H.McLeod and Henry Atzenwiler are few among them.
Kunjalikutty Haji of Pandalur was one of the leading manpower suppliers for British estates.
mage:Kkhaji.jpg|thumb|Kunalikutty Haji - A family photo 1930]
He brought a large number of people from Malabar
Malabar District
Malabar District was an administrative district of Madras Presidency in British India and independent India's Madras State. The British district included the present-day districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad , and Chavakad Taluk of Thrissur District in the northern part of...
to work on the estates, and became very close to the British administration, being recognised as Khan Bahadur Kunajalikutty. During this period in India, the non-cooperation movement against the British was in full swing. The Mappila rebels were agitated over the Khilafat issue, and determined to eliminate the people among the community who supported the British Raj. A group of Khilafat rebels went to Pandalur and completely destroyed the shop owned by Kunalikutty Haji, though his life was saved by his friend Malla Gawdar, chief of the Gowdar community in Pandalur Hatty.
Most of the land in this area was the property of the princely states of Nilambur Kovilagam and Mysoor Maharaj. The Nelliyalam Rani administered the region for Mysoor Maharaj and enjoyed the highest rank in society. The remains of the Nelliayalam Ranis fort can still be viewed in the Nelliayalam village.There is a temple which was built by the Nilambur rani which is very powerful
Pandalur was believed to be a sacred place for the aboriginal communities such as the Paniyas, Kurumbas, and Kattu Nayakkans. It was then dominated by the Gowdar community. The migration of Malabar people had a major impact on the area, including the social, cultural, economical, and environmental systems.
External links
Category:Cities and towns in Nilgiris district