Kayamkulam is a
town and
municipality in the ''
Onattukara'' region of
Alappuzha district in
Kerala. It is the second biggest town in Alappuzha district. It is located on the western coast of India, and was an ancient maritime trading center. One of the largest thermal power plants in Kerala, the
Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant
The Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant (also known as Rajiv Gandhi CCPP is a combined cycle power plant located at Choolatheruvu,Haripad in Alappuzha district, Kerala, India. The power plant is owned by NTPC Limited. The power plant is fuel ...
run by the
NTPC, is situated at
Haripad
Haripad is a Municipality in ''Onattukara'' region of Alappuzha District, Kerala, India located between Alappuzha and Kollam on the National Highway 66. Haripad is bordered on the east by Pallippad, Veeyapuram and Karuvatta to the north ...
. Kayamkulam is part of the
Karthikappally
Karthikappally is a village in Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala.Haripad is the headquarter of Karthikappally Taluk. Taluk office is located at revenue tower Haripad.
History
Karthikappally was once a Buddhist center. Since ...
tehsil.
Krishnapuram Palace
The Krishnapuram Palace is a palace and museum located in Kayamkulam near Alappuzha in Alappuzha district, Kerala in southwestern India. It was built in the 18th century by Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (1729–1758 CE), the Travancore kin ...
is located nearby.
History
Kayamkulam was a medieval feudal kingdom known as Odanad ruled by the Kayamkulam
''rajas''. Maha Raja
Marthanda Varma (1706–58) conquered Kayamkulam and annexed its territories to
Travancore.
Tourist attractions
The
Krishnapuram Palace
The Krishnapuram Palace is a palace and museum located in Kayamkulam near Alappuzha in Alappuzha district, Kerala in southwestern India. It was built in the 18th century by Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (1729–1758 CE), the Travancore kin ...
, built in the 18th century, now functions as a museum. Constructed in typical Keralan-style architecture, it has the largest mural painting in Kerala. The palace museum houses the Kayamkulam double-edged sword.
The Kayamkulam Boat Race is held on the fourth Saturday of August every year. Chinese fishing nets can be found on the banks of the lagoon.
Veliyaazheekal is a beach at Arattupuzha panchayat in Kayamkulam.The main attraction in this place ''bow string arch Bridge (biggest one of South India)''.
Transport
Roads
NH 66 passes through Kayamkulam, connecting it to the major cities
Alappuzha
Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha district in States and territories of India, state of Kerala, India. The Kerala Backwaters, Backwaters of Alappuzha are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Indi ...
,
Kochi,
Thiruvananthapuram,
Thrissur,
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 ...
,
Palakkad and
Nagercoil. The Kayamkulam–Punalur road is a major road connecting it to major city's in east ''
sengotai,''
Tenkasi'',''
Thirunelveli via ''Pettah'' parts of the ''
Tamil Nadu'' state. The KSRTC bus station is located near the national highway.
Railways
Kayamkulam Junction railway station is a major railway junction located from the town on the Kayamkulam–Punalur road.
Demographics
According to the
2001 Census of India
The 2001 Census of India was the 14th in a series of censuses held in India every decade since 1871.
The population of India was counted as 1,028,737,436 consisting of 532,223,090 males and 496,514,346 females. Total population increased by 18 ...
, Kayamkulam had a population of 65,299. Males constituted 49% of the population and females 51%. Kayamkulam had an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy was 84%, and female literacy is 79%. In Kayamkulam, 11% of the population was under 6 years of age.
Civic administration
Kayamkulam Assembly Constituency is part of
Alappuzha
Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha district in States and territories of India, state of Kerala, India. The Kerala Backwaters, Backwaters of Alappuzha are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Indi ...
.
Educational and research institutes
The Central Coconut Research Station (CCRS) was established in 1948 as a field station of the Agricultural Research Laboratory. Presently, it is a regional station of the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI).
Onattukara Regional Agricultural Research Station, Kayamkulam is located in the Kayamkulam Municipality of Alappuzha District, one kilometer east of Kayamkulam town, on the northern side of Kayamkulam - Punalur road. The station was established in the year 1937 under the erstwhile University of Travancore. It was subsequently transferred to the Department of Agriculture in 1958 and continued to function under it till it became a part of the KAU on 07.02.72. I n April, 2000, this Station was upgraded to the status of RARS (Onattukara Region).
KPAC drama troupe
Kerala People's Arts Club
Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC) is a theatrical movement in Kayamkulam, Kerala, India. It was formed in the 1950s by a group of individuals having close ties with Communist Party of India in Kerala. KPAC was very influential in popularising ...
(KPAC) is a theatrical movement in Kayamkulam, Kerala. It was formed in the 1950s by a group of individuals that had close ties with the
leftist
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
parties of Kerala.
In 1951 KPAC staged its first drama, ''Ente Makananu Sari'' (), whose songs were written by
Punaloor Balan
Punalur Balan (1927–1987) was an Indian writer and a poet in Malayalam. He was born on 3 January 1927 in Punalur, Kollam district, Kerala. From his student days he was associated with the Communist movement and shot to fame during the ' Pink ...
. Its second drama ''
Ningalenne Communistakki
''Ningalenne Communistakki'' ( ml, നിങ്ങളെന്നെ കമ്മ്യൂണിസ്റ്റാക്കി, meaning: ''you made me a communist'') is a Malayalam socio-political play by Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC). This was ...
'' () was first performed in 1952. The success of Ningalenne Communistakki brought KPAC to the forefront of a powerful people's theatre movement in Kerala.
KPAC played a significant role in popularising the
Communist Party in Kerala through its dramas, road shows and ''kathaprasangams'' (story telling).
Power plant
The Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant is a
combined cycle power plant located in Cheppad, Haripad, Alappuzha district, Kerala.
Notable people
*
Thopil Bhasi – Malayalam playwright, screenwriter, and film director
*
K. M. Cherian – heart surgeon; founder of Frontier Lifeline Hospital and the Dr. K M Cherian Heart Foundation
*
Kambisseri Karunakaran
Sri. P. N. Karunakaran (Puthenveettil Narayanan Karunakaran), popularly known as Kambisseri Karunakaran (3 March 1922 – 27 July 1977) was an Indian journalist who wrote in Malayalam language. He was the chief editor of '' Janayugam Daily'', ...
– journalist, politician, actor, satirist and rationalist
*
P. Kesavadev
P. Kesava Pillai (20 July 1904 – 1 July 1983), better known by his pen-name P. Kesavadev, was a novelist and social reformer of Kerala, India. He is remembered for his speeches, autobiographies, novels, dramas, short stories, and films. ''Oday ...
– novelist, writer, and social reformer
*
Kayamkulam Kochunni
Kayamkulam Kochunni (born 1818) was a heroic outlaw from Kayamkulam, who lived during the late 19th century. He was active in the Travancore area in the present-day Kerala, India. He is said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. Le ...
– highwayman based in Kayamkulam, active in Central
Travancore in the early 19th century
*
K. P. A. C. Lalitha
Maheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K. P. A. C. Lalitha, was an Indian film and stage actress who worked primarily in Malyalam. She started her acting career with K. P. A. C., a theatre collective in Kayamkulam, Kerala. In a caree ...
– National Award-winning Indian film and stage actress
*
S. Guptan Nair – Malayalam writer, critic, scholar and educationist
*
K. Shankar Pillai – cartoonist, founder of ''
Shankar's Weekly
''Shankar's Weekly'' was an Indian satirical magazine published between 1948 and 1975. It was founded and run by Keshav Shankar Pillai, a pioneering political cartoonist. The magazine has been compared to the UK's ''Punch''.
The weekly printed i ...
''
*
Resul Pookutty – Oscar-winning Indian film sound designer, sound editor and mixer
*
Thachadi Prabhakaran
Thachadi Prabhakaran (16 November 1936 14 February 2000) was an Indian politician and former Minister of Kerala State.
Biography
Prabhakaran was a member of Indian National Congress from his younger days and had also served as the D.C.C. Pr ...
– former Minister of Kerala
*
Kayamkulam Philipose Ramban – Christian priest
*
T. P. Sreenivasan
Thettalil Parameswaran Pillai Sreenivasan (born 17 June 1944) in Kayamkulam, Travancore) is a former Indian diplomat and is the head of the Council for Higher Education of the State of Kerala.
Career and life
Sreenivasan was born in Kayamkul ...
- diplomat; former High Commissioner to Fiji and Kenya and Ambassador to Austria
See also
*
Pathiyoor
Pathiyoor is a village in Kayamkulam city in the Indian state of Kerala.The village will be northern part of this city.
Notable people
* Thachadi Prabhakaran, Indian politician
Demographics
At the 2001 India census
A census is the procedur ...
*
Kattanam
Kattanam(കറ്റാനം) is a village located in Central Travancore, Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala, in the southern part of the country, 2,200 km south of the capital New Delhi. Kattanam is about 7 Km east of Kayamkulam, ...
*
Charummood
Charummood is a town in Mavelikkara Taluk of Alappuzha district in Kerala. Charummood is 12 km east of the nearest town Kayamkulam, 15 km west of Adoor and 12 km south of Mavelikkara. Charummood Junction is at the intersection o ...
*
Mavelikkara
*
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 ...
*
Pandalam
*
Chengannur
Chengannur (also spelled Chengannoor or Chenganur) is a Municipality in the Alappuzha district of Kerala State, India. It is located in the extreme eastern part of the Alappuzha district, on the banks of Pamba River.
Chengannur is north of ...
*
Mannar Mannar may refer to the following places:
India
* Mannar, Alappuzha, a town in Chengannur Taluk, Kerala
Sri Lanka
* Mannar District, one of 25 districts in Sri Lanka
** Mannar Island, an island within the district
**Mannar Bridge, a bridge connect ...
*
Vallikunnam
Vallikunnam is a village in Mavelikara taluk of Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala.
Description
It is the southernmost place in Alappuzha, bordering Oachira and Thazhava of Kollam districts. It is an area of paddy field, paddy and ...
*
Alappuzha (Lok Sabha constituency)
Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency ( ml, ആലപ്പുഴ ലോക്സഭാ നിയോജക മണ്ഡലം) is one of the 20 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in Kerala state in southern India.
Assembly segments
Alappuzha ...
*
Oachira
Oachira or Ochira (') is an ancient temple town located 32 km away from Kollam city in Karunagappally taluk, Kollam district in Kerala, India.
Temple town
Oachira is one of the famous sacred places of Kerala and in India. Oachira is ...
*
Padanilam
*
Chettikulangara
*
Puthuppally
*
References
External links
Kerala Agricultural University
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Alappuzha district