Kottakkal (literally-''Land of the Fort'') is a municipal town in

Malappuram district Malappuram (), is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala, with a coastline of . It is the most populous district of Kerala, which is home to around 13% of the to ...

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 ...

, southern

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 ...

having 32

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

. it is a part of

Malappuram metropolitan area The Malappuram Metropolitan Area or Malappuram Urban Agglomeration is an urban agglomeration centred around the city of Malappuram, Manjeri in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is the 25th largest urban agglomeration in India and the 4t ...

and a growing city in Kerala. The town is best known for the

Arya Vaidya Sala Arya Vaidya Sala, popularly known as Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala, is a healthcare centre located in Kottakkal, in the Indian state of Kerala, known for its heritage and expertise in the Indian traditional medicine system of Ayurveda. History Va ...

, one of the top

Ayurvedic Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

health centres of the world. Kottakkal is also a major growing commercial, educational, and healthcare hub in

South Malabar South Malabar refers to a geographical area of the southwestern coast of India covering some parts of the present-day Kerala. South Malabar covers the regions included in present-day Kozhikode Tehsil, taluk of Kozhikode district, the whole area o ...

. The town lies on

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

–

Kanyakumari Kanniyakumari (; , referring to Devi Kanya Kumari), also known as Cape Comorin, is a city in Kanniyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent and the southernmost city in mainland Ind ...

National Highway 66 The following highways are numbered 66: Australia * Barkly Highway (Northern Territory) * Riddoch Highway Canada * Alberta Highway 66 * Highway 66 (Ontario) Finland * Kantatie 66 (Orivesi — Lapua) France * A66 autoroute Germany * Bundesa ...

. Kottakkal is located southwest of

Malappuram Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of including the surrounding suburban areas. The first municipality in the district formed in 1970, Malappuram serves as the administrative headquarter ...

, the district headquarters, and from

Tirur railway station Tirur railway station ''(Code:TIR)'' is the oldest railway station in Kerala. It is a major railway station serving the town of Tirur in Malappuram district of Kerala. It lies in the Shoranur–Mangalore section of the Southern Railways. Almost ...

. The

separates the municipality from Edarikode grama panchayat on some parts to the west. However, the fast-developing Kottakkal urban area is now spread up to different parts of neighboring panchayats such as Edarikode. Kottakkal is known for its

ayurvedic Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

heritage,

. Adding to the cultural heritage,

Kottakkal Pooram Kottakkal pooram is a temple festival in Sree Viswambhara Temple, Kottakkal, Malappuram District in Kerala, India. Dhanvantari It is celebrated to honour Dhanvantari, the patron god of medicine and health. Programs The grand celebrations in co ...

, The popular temple festival is celebrated over seven days during March–April.

History

Old Malayalam Old Malayalam, inscriptional language found in Kerala from ''c.'' 9th to ''c.'' 13th century AD, is the earliest attested form of Malayalam. The language was employed in several official records and transactions (at the level of the Chera Perumal ...

inscription which dates back to 932 CE found from Indianoor in Kottakkal mention the name of

Goda Ravi Goda Ravi (''fl.'' 905/06–c. 943/44 AD) was a Chera Perumal king of medieval Kerala, south India. The Chola relations with the Chera Perumals were consolidated during the rule of Goda Ravi. Records mention a number of Kerala military personnel ...

of Chera dynasty.Narayanan, M. G. S.
Perumals of Kerala: Brahmin Oligarchy and Ritual Monarchy Perumāḷs of Kerala
'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 438-42. Kottakkal, formerly known as ''Sweta Durgam'' (the White Fort) in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

, ''Venkalikotta'' and ''Venkita Kotta'' in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

, was a

military base A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

of the Kingdom of Valluvanadu earlier. Two swords, medieval European in style and finish, were discovered in a well from Kottakkal, in the year 2013. The

Zamorin The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited by ...

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...

invaded the

Kingdom of Valluvanad Valluvanad was an independent chiefdom in present-day central Kerala that held power from the early 12th century to the end of the 18th century. Prior to that, and since the late 10th century, Valluvanad existed as an autonomous chiefdom within t ...

in 14th century CE and seized the fort at Kottakkal. The Zamorin captuted the captaincy of

Mamankam festival Māmānkam or Māmāngam was a ''duodecennial'' medieval fair held on the bank, and on the dry river-bed, of Pērār (River Nil̥a, River Ponnani, or Bhārathappuzha) at Tirunāvāya, southern India. The temple associated with the festival wa ...

in the same period. Karuvayoor Moosad, who was the minister of ''Valluvakonathiri'', based at Kottakkal and also the chief marshal and preacher of the ''Moopil Nair''s, changed his seat to

Puzhakkattiri Puzhakkattiri is a village in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India Transportation Puzhakkattiri village connects to other parts of India through NH966. It connects to Malappuram, Palakkad and Kozhikode district head quarters as wel ...

when Kottakkal came under

. It may be the forts and castles constructed by the Karuvayoor Moosad that were the origin of the name "Kottakkal". The ''Kizhakke Kovilakam'', where the eastern branch of the royal family of

resided, is located at Kottakkal.Gradually, Kottakkal was annexed to the kingdom of the

Zamorin of Calicut The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited by ...

.K. V. Krishna Iyer ''Zamorins of Calicut: From the Earliest Times to AD 1806''. Calicut: Norman Printing Bureau, 1938 The ''Kizhakke Kovilakam'', which was the eastern palace of the royal family of the

, is present at Kottakkal.

was established in 1902. The suburbs of Kottakkal were known as ''Changuvettikkadu'' and ''Eyyakkadu'' (now Changuvetti is developing as a

twin town A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

to Kottakkal).

Municipal elections

The United Democratic Front won the first elections (held in October 2010) to the Kottakkal municipality. K. K. Nazar and Paroli Moosakutty Haji of

Indian Union Muslim League The Indian Union Muslim League (abbreviated as the I. U. M. L. or the League) is an Indian political party primarily based in the Indian state of Kerala. It is recognised as a State Party in Kerala by the Election Commission of India. The first ...

were elected as the Chairperson and Vice-Chairman respectively of the municipality. Other major Political representatives in the Municipality include TP Subair and Nani of

Left Democratic Front The Left Democratic Front (LDF) is an alliance of left-wing political parties in the state of Kerala, India. It is the current ruling political alliance of Kerala, since 2016. It is one of the two major political alliances in Kerala, the oth ...

Kottakkal Municipality Election 2020

Notable personalities

Vaidyaratnam P. S. Warrier Vaidyaratnam P. S. Warrier (10 April 1869 – 30 January 1944) was an Ayurveda practitioner from Kerala, India. He is well-regarded as the founder of Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal Arya Vaidyasala, a major Ayurvedic treatment centre in Kerala. L ...

(founder of Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala) * K C Manorama Thampuratti (eminent

poet) * K. C. Manavedan Raja (founder of Raja's High School,

during 1932-1937) *

M. K. Vellodi Mullath Kadingi Vellodi Order of the Indian Empire, CIE, Indian Civil Service (British India), ICS (1896–1987) was the appointed Chief Minister of Hyderabad State (1948–56), Hyderabad state by the government of India after the fall of the Hyd ...

(Indian civil servant, diplomat, former Cabinet Secretary) * Dr. K. C. K. E Raja, former Vice Chancellor Kerala University and Director General of Health Services. *

Sangita Madhavan Nair Sangita Madhavan Nair is an Indian actress, who has worked in Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada film industries, predominantly in the 1990s. The actress is best known for her role as Shyamala in '' Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala'', which was written a ...

, Actress *

U. A. Beeran U. A. Beeran (9 March 1925 – 31 May 2001) was an Indian politician from Kottakkal, Malappuram, Kerala backwaters, Kerala, India. Beeran was affiliated with the Indian Union Muslim League and later joined with the Indian National League. Beeran s ...

Jayasree Kalathil Jayasree Kalathil is an Indian writer, translator, mental health researcher and activist. She is known for her work in the area of mental health activism as well as for her translations of Malayalam works, ''The Diary of a Malayali Madman'' and ' ...

, Researcher. * P. K. Warrier *

Kottakkal Sivaraman Kottakkal Sivaraman (1936 – 19 July 2010) was a performing artiste who revolutionised the portrayal of female roles in Kathakali, the classical dance-drama from Kerala in southern India. Career Kathakali, being a largely masculine dance form w ...

(eminent

Kathakali Kathakali ( ml, കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditional male actor-dancers. It is native to the M ...

artist) * V. C. Balakrishna Panicker *

Kottakkal Madhu Kottakkal Madhu (born 26 October 1968) is a prominent Kathakali Musician, Playback singer and Composer from Kottakkal, Kerala, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larg ...

(

singer) *

M. P. Abdussamad Samadani M.P. Abdussamad Samadani (born 1 January 1959) is an Indian politician, orator, writer and scholar. He knows Malayalam, English, Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit languages. Samadani was awarded Doctor of Philosophy degree from Jawaharl ...

(politician, MLA, former

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

) *

Sachin Warrier Sachin Warrier is an Indian playback singer and composer in the Malayalam film industry from Kerala. He became notable with the song "''Muthuchippi Poloru''" from the film ''Thattathin Marayathu''. He made his debut with the movie ''Malarvaadi A ...

(playback singer and composer) * Mohammed Ali kottakkal (social activist, kottakal kmcc president) * Puthur

Basic information of Kottakkal Municipality

Government Rajah's Higher Secondary School, Kottakkal

Wards

Kottakkal Municipality is composed of the following 32 wards:

Transportation

* Bus services: Kottakkal Bus station at the heart of the town, links to all rural bus services around Kottakkal locality and Long route services connecting nearby towns like

Manjeri Manjeri () is a major town and municipality in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is the fourth-most populous municipality in state. It is situated southeast to Karipur International Airport and northeast to Malappuram, the district hea ...

Perinthalmanna Perinthalmanna is a major town and municipality in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It serves as the headquarters of the Perinthalmanna taluk, and a block and a Revenue Division by the same name. It was formerly the headquarters of Valluvana ...

etc.

KSRTC KSRTC may refer to: * Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation * 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 o ...

service also available. * Railway Station:

is one of the major railway stations in the Malabar region. Almost every train stops here, connecting the Malappuram district to the rest of the country. It is located 14 km away from the Kottakkal town. Passengers from Kottakkal can also access Angadippuram railway station which is about 26 km from kottakkal town. * Nearest Airport:

Calicut International Airport Calicut International Airport , also known as Kozhikode Airport or Karipur Airport, is an international airport located in Karipur, Malappuram district of Kerala, India. It serves the Malabar region of Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Palak ...

is approximately 25 kilometres away.

Nearby places

* Vengara,

Oorakam Oorakam is a census town in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India. Oorakam is located midway between Malappuram and Vengara. Oorakam is approximately 12 km from Malappuram. Demographics India census, Oorakam had a populatio ...

, Cherukulamba, Puthuparamba and

Edarikode Edarikode is a village Panchayat near the Municipal town of Kottakkal, in Malappuram district of Kerala state. Kottakkal and Edarikode jointly can be treated as Ayurveda Nagara.pkmmhss , gups clari , ysc ground edarikode very famous Transpor ...

Indianoor Indianoor is a village in Kottakkal, Malappuram district, Kerala, India. Culture Indianoor village is a predominantly Muslim-populated area. Hindus exist in comparatively smaller numbers. The Hindu minority of this area keeps their traditions ...

, Kavathikalam,

Puthanathani Puthanathani is a census town in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India. The town lies on the National Highway 66 (India), between Kottakkal and Valanchery. Roads to Vailathur (and hence Tirur) and Thirunavaya also can be seen in Put ...

Marakkara Marakkara is a grama panchayath in Kuttippuram Block Panchayat, Tirur Taluk, Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India. Kadampuzha Temple The famous Kadampuzha Devi Temple is situated inside the Marakkara panchayath.Kadampuzha Devi T ...

Kalpakanchery Kalpakanchery is a revenue village and a Gram Panchayat in Tirur Taluk, Malappuram district, Kerala, India. The village is located south-west to the city of Malappuram. Kadungathukundu, Puthanathani, Kurukathani, and Randathani are four maj ...

, Maravattam,

Kadampuzha Kadampuzha is a small town and a pilgrimage centre in Malappuram district of Kerala situated near the Thrissur-Calicut national highway. Kadampuzha Temple This village is known for Kadampuzha Devi Temple believed to have been consecrated by Ad ...

, Puthur,

Padapparamba Padapparamba is a village town in the Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala. It was the erstwhile place of Valluvanad, an erstwhile princely state of Kerala. Culture Padapparamba village is a predominantly Muslim populated area. Hind ...

, Chattiparamba * Pang,

Parappur Parappur (Malayalam: പറപ്പൂര്‍) is a village and townland two kilometers north of Kottakkal in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India. The village's landscape can be divided into six plains, slopes, valleys, pla ...

, Pottippara, Venniyoor and

Vettichira Kurumbathur{{Cite web, title=https://village.kerala.gov.in/Office_websites/about_village.php?nm=582Kurumbathoorvillageoffice village is located in Tirur Taluk of Malappuram district in Kerala, India. According to Census 2011 information.{{cite w ...

References

External links

Kottakkal in Wikimapia

Kottakkal Municipality
* Documentary on Arya Vaidya Sala in Malayalam - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuPbz-etmMI {{Navboxes , title = Articles Related to Kottakkal , list = {{Municipalities of Kerala {{Malappuram district {{South Malabar {{Malabar {{Kerala Cities and towns in Malappuram district