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 34 km (21 mi) from district headquarters Palakkad. Ottapalam is located along the banks of Bharathapuzha, second longest river of the state.
Ottapalam | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Ottapalam bus stand | |
  Ottapalam Location in Kerala, India | |
| Coordinates: 10°46′N 76°23′E / 10.77°N 76.38°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Kerala |
| District | Palakkad |
| Assembly constituency | Ottapalam |
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipality |
| • MLA | Adv. K. Premkumar |
| • Chairperson | K Janaki Devi |
| Area | |
| • Total | 32.7 km2 (12.6 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 54 m (177 ft) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
| • Total | 53,790 |
| • Rank | 2nd in Palakkad district |
| • Density | 1,600/km2 (4,300/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam |
| Time zone | UTC 5:30 (IST) |
| PIN code | 679 101-679 104 |
| Telephone code | 0466 |
| Vehicle registration | KL-51 |
| Sex ratio | 1000:1121 ♂/♀ |
| Literacy Rate | 91% |
| Website | www |
It is one of the major commercial centres in the district. It is also one of the major filming locations in Kerala.[4][5]
Etymology
editThis section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (August 2023) |
History
editThe 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
editOttapalam is located at 10°46′N 76°23′E / 10.77°N 76.38°E.[12] It has an average elevation of 54 m (177 ft).
Climate
edit| Climate data for Ottapalam, Kerala | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.8 (91.0) |
34.5 (94.1) |
35.8 (96.4) |
35.1 (95.2) |
33.2 (91.8) |
29.5 (85.1) |
28.6 (83.5) |
29.1 (84.4) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.8 (87.4) |
31.6 (88.9) |
32.0 (89.6) |
31.9 (89.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.3 (72.1) |
23.2 (73.8) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.7 (78.3) |
25.2 (77.4) |
23.6 (74.5) |
22.9 (73.2) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.4 (74.1) |
22.4 (72.3) |
23.7 (74.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 2 (0.1) |
12 (0.5) |
27 (1.1) |
103 (4.1) |
211 (8.3) |
566 (22.3) |
687 (27.0) |
349 (13.7) |
203 (8.0) |
264 (10.4) |
136 (5.4) |
23 (0.9) |
2,583 (101.8) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[13] | |||||||||||||
Administration
edit
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.[14]
The Ottapalam assembly constituency is part of Palakkad Lok Sabha constituency.[15]
Ottapalam Taluk
editOttapalam is one of the six Taluks of Palakkad district.
Transport
editRoad
editThe Palakkad-Shoranur (Kulappully) State Highway passes through the town.[16] Government buses as well as private bus services operate between Ottapalam and other major towns, such as Palakkad, Thrissur, Mannarkkad, Pattambi, Guruvayoor, Perinthalmanna, Thiruvilwamala and Chelakkara (through the Ottapalam-Mayanur Bridge, inaugurated on 22 January 2011).[17]
Rail
editThe 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.[18]
Notable people
editThe following people were either born in and/or are residents of Ottapalam:
- Ottapalam Pappan, Malayalam Drama and Film Actor
- Gautham Vasudev Menon, Tamil Film director
- Stephen Devassy, pianist
- Lal Jose, Malayalam film director
- Anil Radhakrishnan Menon, Malayalam film director
- Unni Mukundan, Malayalam film actor
- Bhaskar Menon, first Indian to head a multinational corporation, chairman of Lever Brothers (now Unilever)
- K. P. S. Menon, first Foreign Secretary of India. He also served pre-independence India as an Agent-General to China
- M. G. K. Menon, former Union Minister and Scientific Adviser in the Rajiv Gandhi administration
- KP Candeth, was a prominent Lieutenant General in the Indian army
- Shivshankar Menon, 4th National Security Advisor and 26th foreign secretary
- V. P. Menon, seniormost Indian officer in pre-independence British India administration
- M. K. Narayanan, the former chief of the Intelligence Bureau and former National Security Adviser
- K. Sankaran Nair, former director of Research and Analysis Wing and former High Commissioner of India to Singapore
- C. Venkataraman Sundaram, former director of Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research and Padma Bhushan recipient[19]
- Dhruvan, Malayalam Film Actor
- Srinish Aravind, Television Actor
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Kerala (India): Districts, Cities and Towns - Population Statistics, Charts and Map".
- ^ "Ottapalam".
- ^ "Taluks | Palakkad | India". Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "Life is the location". Times of India. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ SHAJI, K.A. "Ottappalam will soon have its film city". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ a b S. Rajendu (2012). The History of Nedunaganad. Perinthalmanna.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ O. P. Balakrishnan (2014). Kavalappara- History and Heredity.
- ^ Ottapalam (2014). "Ottapalam Vayanasala Suvaneer".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ S. Rajendu (2016). 250 years of Mysore conquest. Sukapuram: Vallathol Vidyapeedam.
- ^ Logan (1887). Malabar (2 vols). Madras.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Malabar District Gazatteer (1908). "C.A. Innes".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Maps, Weather, Videos, and Airports for Ottappalam, India". Fallingrain.com. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- ^ "CLIMATE: OTTAPPALAM", Climate-Data.org. Web: [1].
- ^ The Hindu. "Ottapalam To Have India's First Defence Park". Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "Assembly Constituencies – Corresponding Districts and Parliamentary Constituencies" (PDF). Kerala. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
- ^ "Kerala State Highways". Kerala PWD Department. Archived from the original on 1 December 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
- ^ "Kerala News : Mayyannur bridge to be opened on Saturday". The Hindu. 20 January 2011. Archived from the original on 24 January 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
- ^ "Trains to OTP/Ottappalam Station - 50 Arrivals SR/Southern Zone - Railway Enquiry". indiarailinfo.com. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ "Biography" (PDF). Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research. 3 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
External links
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