Alappad is a coastal village in the

Kollam district Kollam district (), (formerly Quilon district) is one of 14 districts of the state of Kerala, India. The district has a cross-section of Kerala's natural attributes; it is endowed with a long coastline, a major Laccadive Sea seaport and an in ...

of the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n state

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. It is situated on a narrow strip of land sandwiched between the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

and the TS Canal – the village is approximately 16 km long and its narrowest point is as thin as 33 meters. Connect to the mainland is by bridge as well as by country boat ferries, operated by the

Panchayat The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical ment ...

and private parties. Until recently there was only one bridge at the southern point of the land strip, but after the 2004 tsunami, two other bridges have been constructed. The protests are taking place in the village against Unscientific

sand mining Sand mining is the extraction of sand, mainly through an open pit (or sand pit) but sometimes mined from beaches and inland dunes or dredged from ocean and river beds. Sand is often used in manufacturing, for example as an abrasive or in conc ...

by IREL.

Administration

Alappad village is a ward of the panchayat of the same name. Often, the whole panchayat is referred as Alappad; however, the panchayat actually consists of various wards/places such as Srayikkadu, Azheekal,

Kuzhithura Kuzhithura is a village in the Kollam district of the Indian state of Kerala. Kuzhithura is part of Alappad panchayat, which is part of the Karunagappally Taluk, situated on a narrow strip of land sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the Thi ...

, Parayakadavu,

Cheriazheekkal Cheriazheekkal or Cheriazheeckal is a village in the Alappad panchayat in the town of Karunagapalli in Kerala, India. It is located between the Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁAr ...

, Pandarathuruthu.Vellanathuruth

2004 tsunami

Portions of the village were damaged during the 2004 tsunami. Alappad was the worst-affected village in Kerala – several people lost their lives. After the tragedy, the state government realised need for more bridges, and constructed one bridge at northern Azheekal, and another one at Cheriyazhekkal

Mineral sand mining

The

public sector undertaking A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the government ...

Kollam Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...

, Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML) and

Indian Rare Earths IREL (India) Limited (Formally Indian Rare Earths Limited) is a government-owned corporation Mini-Ratna Category A, Schedule B Company, in India based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was incorporated as a public limited company in 1950, jointly own ...

(IRE) started mineral sand mining in the Alappad. The local residents of Alappad started the strike against black sand mining by raising the slogan 'Save Alappad, Stop Mining'.

Demographics – 2011 census data

The residents of Alappad are mostly

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

s. The village is home to many temples. Temples act as places of worship, and temple committees play a crucial role in temple administration and festivals which play important role in social life.

Celebrities

Mata Amritanandamayi Mātā Amritānandamayī Devī (born Sudhamani Idamannel; 27 September 1953), often known as Amma ("Mother"), is an Indian Hindu spiritual leader, guru and humanitarian, who is revered as 'the hugging saint' by her followers. In 2018, she w ...

, renowned Hindu Sanyasin, spiritual leader and philanthropist was born in Parayakadavu.

Mata Amritanandamayi Math The Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM) is an international charitable organization aimed at the spiritual and material upliftment of humankind. It was founded by Indian spiritual leader and humanitarian Mata Amritanandamayi in 1981, with its head ...

is located in Parayakadavu.

References

External links

Kollam District official websiteQuilon.comAlappadpanchayat
{{Kollam district Villages in Kollam district Black sand beaches