Chengara is a small village situated in the

Pathanamthitta district Pathanamthitta District (), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. The district headquarters is in the town of Pathanamthitta. There are four municipalities in Pathanamthitta: Adoor, Pandalam, Pathanamthitta and Thiruvalla ...

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 ...

, India. It is known for its natural environment, hills and climate, and was found to have the cleanest air, in terms of concentration of dust particles. Chengara is surrounded on three sides by Harrisons Malayalam Limited, a

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, an ...

plantation company. Chengara is approximately from the district headquarters, from

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

, and just over from

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

, the state capital. The nearest towns to Chengara are Konni and Pathanamthitta, at about . Konni medical college is from the village.

Climate

The village has a

tropical climate Tropical climate is the first of the five major climate groups in the Köppen climate classification identified with the letter A. Tropical climates are defined by a monthly average temperature of 18 °C (64.4 °F) or higher in the cool ...

with three distinct seasons: a humid summer,

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...

, and a moderate

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultur ...

. The warmest month is April. The village often experiences heavy thundershowers in May, during which humidity remains high. The

season is from June to August with most of the heavy rainfall in June and July, June being the wettest month of the year.

Demographics

Chengara has a population of just above 1,500. The

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

of the village is 99%.

Education

G.C.S.L.P. school is the only school in Chengara. The school is owned by the Chengara Service Co-operative Society Ltd. It covers a standard of I-V. The nearest higher secondary school is St. George Vocational Higher Secondary School in Attachackal. Students from Chengara also go to schools in nearby towns, such as Pathanamthitta and

Kozhencherry Kozhencherry ( ml, കോഴഞ്ചേരി) is a census town in Pathanamthitta district of Central Travancore region (South Central Kerala) in Kerala state, India. census, the population was 433,357 people in 92,825 households. History Ko ...

. Those who study technical courses attend the technical institutes around Pathanamthitta.

Economy

The economy of Chengara is primarily based in

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

. Rubber plantations are a major source of income for the local population. Chengara is among the largest

-producing places in Kerala, due to its hilly terrain, high humidity and rainfall. Other major crops are cocoa, coconut,

tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, but whose use is now spread throughout South America ...

and

pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

. Chengara has a large number of non-residents.

Politics

Major political parties in Chengara are

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

(INC) and

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxist–Leninist communist political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in terms of membership and electoral seats and one of the na ...

(CPI . K. U. Jenish Kumar (CPI is the present of Konni which includes Chengara and Anto Antony is the present MP of Pathanamthitta constituency which includes Chengara..Chengara belongs to Konni ''

gram panchayat Gram Panchayat () is a basic village-governing institute in Indian villages. It is a democratic structure at the grass-roots level in India. It is a political institute, acting as cabinet of the village. The Gram Sabha work as the general bo ...

'' (village council). The present ''panchayat'' member of Chengara is N. N. Rajappan of INC. Chengara Surendran MP ( Communist Party of India) is also a native of Chengara. Chengara Surendran (born 31 January 1968) was a member of the

14th Lok Sabha The 14th Lok Sabha (17 May 2004 – 18 May 2009) was convened after the 2004 Indian general election held in four phases during 20 April – 10 May 2004, which led to the formation of first Manmohan Singh ministry (2004–2009). Indian Nation ...

of India. He represented the

Adoor Adoor (sometimes spelled ''Adur'') is a Municipality in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala State, India. It is the headquarters of Adoor Taluk and Adoor Revenue Division. Etymology Adoor (Ad-oor) in Malayalam translates as "Ad" means "separ ...

constituency of Kerala and is a member of the Communist Party of India (CPI). Traditionally Chengara is a stronghold of INC. Kerala congress also has presence in the village. Abraham Vazhayil (District Secretary Kerala Congress (M), Chairman, UDF Konni Constituency) is also a native of Chengara. Though Chengara has a long tradition of politics, there has been no conflict among the different political parties.

Culture

Religion

The people of Chengara belong to various religions, the major ones being Christianity and Hinduism. Churches in the village includes Bethel Marthoma Church, St George Orthodox Church Chengara ( Chengara Pally, 1979), St Patrick's Malankara Catholic Church, and Bethel Brethren Assembly and Pentecost Church (IPC). The Hindu temple in the village is Chengara Siva Parvathi Temple. Bethel Marthoma Church organizes an annual Chengara Convention in January every year. Bethel Marthoma Church,Chengara belongs to the Ranni-Nilackal Diocese of

Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, often shortened to Mar Thoma Church, and known also as the Reformed Syrian ChurchS. N. Sadasivan. A Social History of India'. APH Publishing; 2000. . p. 442. and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar ...

. St. George Orthodox Church, Chengara (Chengara Pally or ചെങ്ങറ പള്ളി ) is an ancient church located in Chengara , Pathanamthitta,

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 ...

. The Church Is Also Known as “ Chengara Pally. It is the headquarters of the Thumpamon Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

Feast of St George

The Feast of St. George, whom the church is named after and the patron saint of the church, is celebrated by St George Orthodox Church every year from May 1–5.

Sports

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

is the most popular sport in the village. A cricket tournament is held annually during the mid-summer vacation. Other popular sports are football,

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

and

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

Notable locations

Orakuzhi is a small

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

located at the Kizhakkupuram border of the village. This place is a common hangout for youths. Meemooti Thodu is another waterfall in Chengara, which is dangerous due to its high fall over rock. The possibility of damming the stream was explored but deemed unfeasible. Harrisons Malayalam Rubber Plantation covers a significant part of Chengara, stretching over. It is crossed with many unpaved service roads suitable for bullock or trucks. Chemmani Rubber Plantation covers in Chengara.

Infrastructure

Communication

Mobile services from many providers are available in the village. The major service providers are BSNL,

Airtel Bharti Airtel Limited, commonly known as (d/b/a) Airtel, is an Indian multinational telecommunications services company based in New Delhi. It operates in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa, as well as the Channel Islands. Current ...

Idea In common usage and in philosophy, ideas are the results of thought. Also in philosophy, ideas can also be mental representational images of some object. Many philosophers have considered ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of bei ...

Vodafone Vodafone Group plc () is a British multinational telecommunications company. Its registered office and global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It predominantly operates services in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. , Vod ...

and

Jio Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, doing business as Jio, is an Indian telecommunications company and a subsidiary of Jio Platforms, headquartered in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It operates a national LTE network with coverage across all 2 ...

. The village has a cable network which provides Malayalam channels and major channels in other languages.

Transportation

Both

Kerala State Road Transport Corporation Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is a state-owned road transport corporation in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the country's oldest state-run public bus transport services. The corporation is divided into three zones ( ...

(KSRTC) and private buses connect the Chengara with the nearby towns. The Attachakal–Malayalapuzha road and Attachakal–Kumblampoika road pass through Chengara. From Konni this is the easiest route to places such as Vadaserikara and Ranni. The route can be used as Sabarimala route. Chengara Junction is on the Attachakal–Chengara–Kumblampoika road, which connects the villages of Attachakkal, Chengara, Puthukulam and Kumplampoika. It originates at Attachakal junction and ends at Kumplampoika, and covers a total distance of The nearest

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

is Chengannur, away, and

Thiruvalla Thiruvalla, alternately spelled Tiruvalla, is a town in Kerala and the Headquarters of the Taluk of the same name located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of . It lies on the banks of ...

which is around away. The nearest airport is

International Airport, about from Chengara. The

Cochin International Airport Cochin International Airport is an International airport serving the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. Located at Nedumbassery, about northeast of the city centre, Cochin International Airport is first of its kind which is develo ...

is around from Chengara.

Institutions

Various institutions in Chengara are: *Chengara Service Co-operative Society *Chengara Pravasi Association *Chengara Post Office *Olive Mart supermarket *Ration shop chengara

Tribal agitations

The village is frequently mentioned in the media due to a land struggle, popularly known as "Chengara Samaram", which took place on a rubber plantation outside the village. Led by Laha Gopalan, the Sadu Jana Vimochana Samara Vedi (SJVSV) agitation began with hundreds of Vedi workers encroaching upon the Kumbazha Estate of Harrison Malayalam Limited on 4 August 2007, demanding of land for farming and towards initial farming expenses to each landless family among them. They pitched tents on the occupied land and started tapping the rubber trees at the estate for their livelihood. The Vedi leader claimed that of land at Chengara were under SJVSV occupation. During the agitation, notable persons including Medha Patkar, Arundhati Roy, Govindacharaya, and V. M. Sudheeran visited and extended solidarity with local families. However, the struggle created a negative image of Chengara. The previous LDF government had identified of land in 10 districts for distribution among the 1,495 eligible landless people as part of the Chengara Package. Of the 1,495 families identified, 38 families belong to the Scheduled Tribes category and 1,227 to the

Scheduled Castes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

. However, many people declined to occupy the land allotted to them, finding it unsuitable for habitation and farming. Vedi leader Laha Gopalan had categorically stated that there was no question of vacating the land until all the landless families at Chengara were allotted land suitable for farming and habitation. Some families have constructed permanent dwellings in the encroached land and started cultivation there. The Vedi too have set up a library and school on the occupied land.

References

External links

* http://teamchengara.weebly.com/ * http://chengarapally.com/ {{Pathanamthitta district Villages in Pathanamthitta district