District: Palakkad, State: Kerala, India Area: 4480 Sq. Km. Languages Spoken: Malayalam, English Long Distance Code: +91-491 Importance: Best Time to Visit: September to February
Description
Palakkad, the land, which is one of the most fertile and thickly forested districts of Kerala is supposed to have derived its name from the 'Pala' tree and 'Kadu' meaning forest. The whole area is said that to have been covered by 'Pala' trees, in the past. <br />The district of Palakkad, which lies at the foot of the colossal Western Ghats, has only midland and highland areas. Much of the area is made up of plains, scattered with a few hillocks. The plains are so fertile and productive that the district is considered the "Granary of Kerala".<br />
Location
Palakkad district is situated in the South West Coast of India. The district is bounded on the North by Malappuram District, in the East by Coimbatore district of Tamilnadu, in the south by Trichur district and in the west by Trichur and Malappuram districts. The district is between 10' 21 and 11' 14 North latitude and 76' 02 and 76' 54 East longitude.
The Palakkad Fort dates back to 1766 A.D., the fort is well preserved. Haider Ali of Mysore built it, supposedly to facilitate communication between Coimbatore and the West Coast. In 1784 after a siege lasting eleven days, the British Colonel, Fullerton stormed the Fort. It later fell into the hands of the Zamora's troops but was recaptured by the British in 1790. The Archaeological Survey of India now preserves it.
The Vishwanatha Swamy shrine, the oldest Shiva temple is situated 3 km from Palakkad. The annual chariot temple is a gala event. The annual 'Ratholsavam' or Chariot Festival at Sree Viswanantha Swamy temple lasts for seven days. On the last three days, beautifully decorated temple chariots are ceremoniously drawn through the streets by thousands of devotees whose soul stirring chants rent the air. Huge crowds of people and millions of hands try to reach out to be one of the privileged to have the honour of pulling the chariots, as they proceed in stately grandeur.
Situated on the western border of Palakkad town and not far from the Railway station, is a historic Jain Temple. The place around the temple is known as Jainimedu. This is one of the few places in Kerala where the vestiges of Jainism have survived without substantial damages.\r\nThe granite walls are devoid of decoration. The 32 feet long 20 feet broad temple consists of four divisions with images of Jain Thirthankaras and Yakshinis in three of them. Kumaran Asan wrote his monumental poem 'Veena Poovu' (the fallen flower) at a Jain house here during his brief stay with his master Sri. Narayana Guru.
Palakkad is also a place of temple festivals. The temples that dot the landscape of Palakkad have carved their own niche' in the arts & culture of this region. The Kalpathy Car Festival is based on Vedic Tamil Brahmin culture which is held annually in the ancient Kalpathy Viswanatha swamy temple of the Malabar region. The Manappullikavu Vela festival is a major annual festival held at the Manappullikkavu Bhagavathy Temple. It is believed that the temple is about 1200 years old. The Namboodiries or the Kerala Brahmins perform the daily rituals according to tantric traditions. Both Saiva and Vaishnava traditions are observed in the pooja. The Nenmara-Vallengi Vela and many other annual fetivals are held in Palakkad.
Sprawled across 285 sq. kms and about 110 kms from Palakkad is the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary; a home to rare wild animals. Boating/cruising facilities are available at the Parambikulam Reservoir. The evergreen beautiful forest, with the wild animals roaming freely Parambikulam is a major attraction with tourists. The oldest teak tree, kannimari is found here.
This place, 75 kms from Palakkad, is noted for its monuments and historic ruins. The Siva Temple and the ruins of a mud fort near Thrithala on the Chalissery road are notable cultural monuments. The Kattilmadam Temple, a small granite Buddhist monument on the Pattambi-Guruvayoor road, is of great archaeological importance. It is believed to date back to the 9th to 10th century AD.
The Palakkad Fort dates back to 1766 A.D., the fort is well preserved. Haider Ali of Mysore built it, supposedly to facilitate communication between Coimbatore and the West Coast. In 1784 after a siege lasting eleven days, the British Colonel, Fullerton stormed the Fort. It later fell into the hands of the Zamora's troops but was recaptured by the British in 1790. The Archaeological Survey of India now preserves it.
The Vishwanatha Swamy shrine, the oldest Shiva temple is situated 3 km from Palakkad. The annual chariot temple is a gala event. The annual 'Ratholsavam' or Chariot Festival at Sree Viswanantha Swamy temple lasts for seven days. On the last three days, beautifully decorated temple chariots are ceremoniously drawn through the streets by thousands of devotees whose soul stirring chants rent the air. Huge crowds of people and millions of hands try to reach out to be one of the privileged to have the honour of pulling the chariots, as they proceed in stately grandeur.
Situated on the western border of Palakkad town and not far from the Railway station, is a historic Jain Temple. The place around the temple is known as Jainimedu. This is one of the few places in Kerala where the vestiges of Jainism have survived without substantial damages.\r\nThe granite walls are devoid of decoration. The 32 feet long 20 feet broad temple consists of four divisions with images of Jain Thirthankaras and Yakshinis in three of them. Kumaran Asan wrote his monumental poem 'Veena Poovu' (the fallen flower) at a Jain house here during his brief stay with his master Sri. Narayana Guru.
Palakkad is also a place of temple festivals. The temples that dot the landscape of Palakkad have carved their own niche' in the arts & culture of this region. The Kalpathy Car Festival is based on Vedic Tamil Brahmin culture which is held annually in the ancient Kalpathy Viswanatha swamy temple of the Malabar region. The Manappullikavu Vela festival is a major annual festival held at the Manappullikkavu Bhagavathy Temple. It is believed that the temple is about 1200 years old. The Namboodiries or the Kerala Brahmins perform the daily rituals according to tantric traditions. Both Saiva and Vaishnava traditions are observed in the pooja. The Nenmara-Vallengi Vela and many other annual fetivals are held in Palakkad.
Sprawled across 285 sq. kms and about 110 kms from Palakkad is the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary; a home to rare wild animals. Boating/cruising facilities are available at the Parambikulam Reservoir. The evergreen beautiful forest, with the wild animals roaming freely Parambikulam is a major attraction with tourists. The oldest teak tree, kannimari is found here.
This place, 75 kms from Palakkad, is noted for its monuments and historic ruins. The Siva Temple and the ruins of a mud fort near Thrithala on the Chalissery road are notable cultural monuments. The Kattilmadam Temple, a small granite Buddhist monument on the Pattambi-Guruvayoor road, is of great archaeological importance. It is believed to date back to the 9th to 10th century AD.
