| Neeloor | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | India Kerala#India |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kerala |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kottayam |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Malayalam, English |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Postal Code Type: | PIN |
| Postal Code: | 686651 |
| Area Code Type: | Telephone Code |
| Area Code: | 04822 |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Nearest town |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Palai |
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | Lok Sabha Constituency |
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | Kottayam |
Neeloor is an agriculture-oriented rural village in the Taluk of Meenachil, Kottayam district, Kerala. The village is situated on the hill sides of Noorumala, Ellumpuram and Perumkunnu which are hills on the borders of Kottayam district and the neighboring Idukki district. Earlier the place was known as "Kallidapootha".[1]
Being a rural village, the entire region is covered by different sorts of farming. The historical backdrop of Neeloor is blurred in the pages of history. At the same time 'Sree Dharma Shasta Temple', Ambalabhagam, 2 km away from Neeloor suggests that the place has hundreds of years old legacy.
The new history begins with the beginning of the 20th century, when people from other areas came to Neeloor and settled here. In 1924 a chapel was established in the name of Saint Joseph and soon a primary school was started here.[2] Later a parish was established here in the name of St. Francis Xavier in 1925. The parish now comes under the catholic diocese of Palai, Kerala. This parish now constitutes over 550 families and 3015 parishners.[3]
In 1959 the primary school was upgraded to Upper Primary School and in 1961 a high school was started. The high school was among the first recognised un-aided schools in Kerala and today it is well known as St. Joseph's English Medium High School and has a long history of 100% pass in SSLC Examinations. Currently a CBSE school is also functioning along with it.[4]
Neeloor's economy is mainly dependent on agriculture. The major cultivation is natural rubber. Different crops like coconut, pepper, coco, tapioca, banana, ginger, turmeric, etc. are also cultivated here. Cattle, goat and chicken are commonly domesticated here. A unit of Milma milk producers' society is working here to support the milk production in the region.
Neeloor is part of the Kottayam Lok Sabha constituency and Pala Assembly Constituency (Neeloor was part of Poonjar Assembly Constituency till 2011).[5] Main political parties in Neeloor include Indian National Congress, Kerala Congress, CPIM and BJP.
People of this area mostly depend on public transportation through road. The nearest railway station is Kottayam (43 km). Palai and Thodupuzha are the nearest towns and one can reach Neeloor easily by bus from these towns. The nearest airport is at Kochi (67 km) (Cochin International Airport).