Ottapalam Explained

Ottapalam
Settlement Type:Town
Pushpin Label Position:right
Pushpin Map:India Kerala
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Kerala, India
Coordinates:10.77°N 76.38°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:India
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Kerala
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Palakkad
Seat Type:Lok Sabha constituency
Seat1 Type:Assembly constituency
Seat1:Ottapalam
Governing Body:Municipality
Leader Party:CPI(M)
Leader Title1:MLA
Leader Name1:Adv. K. Premkumar
Leader Title2:Chairperson
Leader Name2:K Janaki Devi
Area Total Km2:32.7
Elevation M:54
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:53,790
Population As Of:2011
Population Rank:2nd in Palakkad district
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type1:Languages
Demographics1 Title1:Official
Demographics1 Info1:Malayalam
Timezone1:IST
Utc Offset1:+5:30
Postal Code Type:PIN code
Postal Code:679 101-679 104
Area Code Type:Telephone code
Area Code:0466
Registration Plate:KL-51
Blank1 Name Sec1:Sex ratio
Blank1 Info Sec1:1000:1121 /
Blank2 Name Sec2:Literacy Rate
Blank2 Info Sec2:91%

Ottapalam (also spelled Ottappalam) is a town, taluk and municipality in the Palakkad District, Kerala, India.[2] It is the administrative headquarters of the Ottapalam taluk.[3] Ottapalam is located about from district headquarters Palakkad. Ottapalam is located along the banks of Bharathapuzha, second longest river of the state.

It is one of the major commercial centres in the district. It is also one of the major filming locations in Kerala.[4] [5]

History

The area was formerly known as Ayirur Thekkummuri Desam. The present-day Ottapalam, Pattambi and Cherpulassery areas were part of the medieval Nedunganad kingdom.[6] Nedunganathiripad (Nedungadi) was the main ruler of Nedunganad. The headquarters was at Makovilakam near Kodikunnu, Chembulangad. Nedunaganad was ruled by the Nairs of Kavalappara,[7] Thrikkadeeri, Kannambra, Vattakkavil Perumbada under the leadership of Nedunganathiripad. Ottappalam was the administrative area of Thrikkadeeri Nair. Its north side starts at Ayirur-Vadakkummuri near Mannarkkad and ends at Ayirur-Thekkummuri.[8] After passing Ayirur-Thekkummuri, crossing the 'Ottapalam of Kanniyampuram river', then it comes the place to pay a toll for Kavalappara Nair.

Around 1487 AD, the region was annexed to the kingdom of the Zamorin of Calicut. The Zamorin appointed his chieftain at Kavalappara Kovilakam.[6] After the long rule of the Zamorin of Calicut, it became a part of the Kingdom of Mysore around 1766.[9] It came under the rule of East India Company with the Treaty of Seringapatam in 1792. The British formed the Malabar District and built their headquarters at Kozhikode.[10] The headquarters of North Malabar was at Thalassery and that of South Malabar was at Cherpulassery. The headquarters of South Malabar was later changed to Ottapalam.[11] Ottapalam was a part of Walluvanad Taluk of Malappuram Revenue Division in Malabar District with its Taluk headquarters at Perinthalmanna during British Raj. The railway was installed and the town was renamed as Ottappalam. The South Malabar Special Court started functioning at Ottappalam by 1880, and with that Ottappalam became the common name for the town. Gradually, the name Ayirur-Thekkummuri was confined to the land records.

Before Indian Independence, present-day Kerala state was scattered in South Canara and Malabar Districts of British India and two princely states namely Cochin and Travancore. The first All-Kerala conference of Indian National Congress was held in 1921 at Ottapalam, which was the then capital of South Malabar, on the bank of the river Bharathappuzha, which also later demanded a separate state for the Malayalam-speaking regions in future Independent India. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee was formed in that conference. Before that, Malabar District, Cochin, and Travancore had separate Congress committees.

Geography

Ottapalam is located at .[12] It has an average elevation of .

Administration

Ottapalam is sub district of the Palakkad District. Over the last 10 years, the population growth has been 9.2%. The town is listed in the top 18 most populous Urban Agglomeration in Kerala. The First Defence Park in India is established in Ottapalam KINFRA industrial park.[13]

The Ottapalam assembly constituency is part of Palakkad Lok Sabha constituency.[14]

Ottapalam Taluk

Ottapalam is one of the six Taluks of Palakkad district.

Transport

Road

The Palakkad-Shoranur (Kulappully) State Highway passes through the town.[15] Government buses as well as private bus services operate between Ottapalam and other major towns, such as Palakkad,Thrissur,Mannarkkad,Pattambi,Guruvayoor,Perinthalmanna,Thiruvilwamala,Chelakkara (through the Ottapalam-Mayanur Bridge, inaugurated on 22 January 2011.)[16]

Rail

The town is served by the Ottapalam railway station, which lies between Palakkad and Shoranur Junction on the Jolarpettai–Shoranur line. Fifty Indian Railways trains stop at the station.[17]

Notable people

The following people were either born in and/or are residents of Ottapalam:

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kerala (India): Districts, Cities and Towns - Population Statistics, Charts and Map.
  2. Web site: Ottapalam.
  3. Web site: Taluks Palakkad India . 2022-08-29 . en-US.
  4. Web site: Life is the location . Times of India . 4 March 2024.
  5. Web site: SHAJI . K.A. . Ottappalam will soon have its film city . The Hindu . 4 March 2024.
  6. Book: S. Rajendu . The History of Nedunaganad . 2012 . Perinthalmanna.
  7. Book: O. P. Balakrishnan . Kavalappara- History and Heredity . 2014.
  8. Ottapalam . Ottapalam Vayanasala Suvaneer . 2014.
  9. Book: S. Rajendu . 250 years of Mysore conquest . 2016 . Vallathol Vidyapeedam . Sukapuram.
  10. Book: Logan . Malabar (2 vols) . 1887 . Madras.
  11. Malabar District Gazatteer . C.A. Innes . 1908.
  12. Web site: Maps, Weather, Videos, and Airports for Ottappalam, India . Fallingrain.com . 2014-03-05.
  13. News: Ottapalam To Have India's First Defence Park.. The Hindu . 23 July 2016 .
  14. Web site: Assembly Constituencies – Corresponding Districts and Parliamentary Constituencies . 2008-10-19 . Kerala . Election Commission of India . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090304011026/http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/background/S11/KL_Dist_PC_AC.pdf . 4 March 2009 . dmy-all.
  15. Web site: Kerala State Highways. Kerala PWD Department. 13 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20101201055331/http://www.keralapwd.gov.in/getPage.php?page=maps&pageId=248. 1 December 2010. dead.
  16. News: Kerala News : Mayyannur bridge to be opened on Saturday . https://web.archive.org/web/20110124032043/http://www.hindu.com/2011/01/20/stories/2011012059590300.htm . dead . 24 January 2011 . 20 January 2011 . . 13 September 2011.
  17. Web site: Trains to OTP/Ottappalam Station - 50 Arrivals SR/Southern Zone - Railway Enquiry. indiarailinfo.com. 16 July 2023.
  18. Web site: Biography . 2018-06-03 . Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research . 2018-06-03.