| Pala | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality[1] |
| Pushpin Map: | India Kerala#India |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Coordinates: | 9.7128°N 76.6835°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kerala |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kottayam |
| Government Type: | Municipality |
| Governing Body: | Pala Municipality |
| Leader Title: | Municipal Chairperson |
| Leader Name: | Mr. Shaju V Thuruthen |
| Leader Title1: | Member of the Legislative Assembly of Kerala (MLA) |
| Leader Name1: | Mani C. Kappan |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 16.06 |
| Elevation M: | 31 |
| Population Total: | 22,056 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Malayalam, English |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Postal Code Type: | PIN |
| Postal Code: | 686573, 686574, 686575 |
| Area Code Type: | Telephone code |
| Area Code: | +9148 22 |
| Registration Plate: | KL 35, KL 67 |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Nearest city |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Kottayam |
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | Vidhan Sabha constituency |
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | Pala |
| Blank3 Name Sec1: | Lok Sabha constituency |
| Blank3 Info Sec1: | Kottayam |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Official website |
Pala (Malayalam: പാലാ; in Malayalam pronounced as /paːlaː/) is a municipality[3] in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is located 21km (13miles) north of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about 138km (86miles) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Pala has a population of 22,056 people, and a population density of 1373/sqkm.
Pala is situated on the banks of the Meenachil river, and is a major hub of Syrian Christian culture in Kerala.[4]
Indian census,[5] Pala had a population of 22,640. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Pala has an average literacy rate of 98%, higher than the national average of 73%: male literacy is 98.5%, and female literacy is 97.8%, still much higher than the state average. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. Christians make up 65.09% of the population, Hindus 34.19%, Muslims 0.1%, Jain 0.00%, other religions 0.05% and 0.15% not stated.
Appams, kallappams, or vellayappams are rice flour pancakes that have soft, thick white spongy centres and crisp, lace-like edges.[6]
Beef ularthiyathu is a beef dish cooked with a variety of Indian spices. Other dishes include Peralan (chicken stir-fries), Meat Thoran (dry curry with shredded coconut), sardine and duck curries, and meen molee (spicy stewed fish).[6]
The Municipal Stadium is the centre of sports in Pala.[7] The multipurpose stadium can be used for conducting athletic events and football. The stadium also has a synthetic track and a football turf. There is also an indoor swimming pool in the sports complex.The Palan citizen named jerrin joshy is often credited with creation of Pala's hunting society. He is also the creator of the regulation of hunting for sportThe 61st Kerala State Schools Athletics Championships was held at the stadium in 2017.[8] At least 2500 students from 100 schools attended the sports meet.[9] The 63rd Kerala State Athletics Championship was also held at the stadium in the month of October, 2019.[10]