Kottarakkara (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: Koṭṭārakkara), also transliterated as ''Kottarakara'', is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

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

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. The town is close to

Kollam Port Kollam Port is one of the historic ports situated away from Downtown Kollam (formerly Quilon),14 km north of Paravur and 24 km north of Varkala Town It is the second largest port in Kerala by volume of cargo handled and facilities. ...

, which has a rich history linked to the early medieval period as well as the reputation as an important commercial, industrial and trading center. Kottarakkara lies to the east of

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 ...

city centre.

History

Kottarakkara, also known in the ancient days of the kings as the Elayadathu Swarupam, was a principality ruled by a branch of the

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

Royal Family. It is the home of

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 ...

, a well known dance drama which originated initially as

Ramanattam Ramanattam (Malayalam: രാമനാട്ടം, IAST: Rāmanāṭṭaṃ) is a temple art in Kerala, India. The dance drama presents the story of Rama in a series of eight plays and was created under the patronage of Veera Kerala Varma (AD 16 ...

created in the 17th century by Prince Kottarakkara Thampuran and later patronized by the Raja of Kottarakkara in the early 19th century absorbing other dance forms of Krishnattam with further innovations.

Etymology

Kottarakkara, a compound word made up of the words ''Kottaram'', meaning "palace", and ''kara'' meaning "land", literally means "land of palaces". The area which had several palaces was thus named "Kottarakkara."

Geography

Kottarakkara is a small principality close to Kollam. As a taluk headquarters, it has six

panchayats 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 menti ...

and other small towns. It is surrounded by several other towns.

Towns and villages in Kottarakara Taluk

* Ampalakkara * Andoor * Chadayamangalam * Chengamanadu * Chakkuvarakkal *

Cherupoika Cherupoika is a small village in the Kerala state of India. It is situated on the west side of Puthoor and in Kottarakkara taluk, in the district of Kollam and on the banks of the Kallada river. Etymology Tha name is derived from ''cheru'' (sm ...

* Chithara * Elamad *

Ezhukone Ezhukone is a village in Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India between Kottarakara and Kundara . Transportation * Ezhukone railway station on Kollam–Sengottai branch line is very close to the town. * Ezhukone is situated along Ko ...

* Irukunnam * Ittiva *

Kadakkal Kadakkal is a historic town located in the eastern part of Kollam district, Kerala. History Kadakkal was where one of the notable movements of the Indian independence movement, the Kadakkal Riot Case, led by Franco Raghavan Pillai, took place ...

* Kalayapuram * Kareepra- Edakkidom *

Karickom 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 ...

* Kottarakkara *Kottathala *

Kottukkal Kottukkal is a village in Kollam district of Kerala, India. The historical importance of the village is linked to Kottukal cave temple, built before 800 CE. The village comes under ''Ittiva panchayath'' and it is the most prominent town in thi ...

Kulakkada Kulakkada is a village in Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India. Kulakkada is also a panchayath headquartered in Mavadi. The main towns in kulakkada panchayath are Kulakkada, Puthoor and Poovattoor. The Thiruvananthapuram–Angamaly M. ...

Kummil Kummil is a village in Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India Educational organizations * GHSS KUMMIL Tourist attractions * Meenmutty Falls . Demographics India census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recor ...

* Malavila * Mankode *

Melila Melilla ( , ; ; rif, Mřič ; ar, مليلية ) is an autonomous city of Spain located in north Africa. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was par ...

Mylom Mylom is a village in Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India. Demographics India census, Mylom had a population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country ...

* Neduvathur * Nilamel *

Odanavattom Odanavattam is a village in Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India. The village is situated 22 km east from Kollam town and is under the administration of Veliyam panchayath. Odanavattom is near to Edakkidom and Kottarakkara the b ...

* Panaveli * Pavithreswaram *

Pooyappally Pooyappally is a village in Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India. Demographics India census, Pooyappally had a population of 23924 with 11399 males and 12525 females. Transportation Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus serv ...

Puthoor Puthur is a small town located from Kollam City in Kollam District, Kerala, India. Politics Politically it was a Congress Party stronghold, and there were occasions when Communist groups won elections as well. But nowadays, the Congress and ...

* Sadhanathapuram * Thrikkannamangal * Ummannur * Valakom * Velinallur *

Veliyam Veliyam is a village in Kerala, India. It is situated near Kottarakara in the Kollam district of Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorga ...

Vettikkavala Vettikkavala is a village located in the Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India. One point of interest within the village is a Shiva-Vishnu temple which hosts a special deity called Vathukkal Njali Kunju. An annual celebration of Pongala i ...

Climate

Politics

Kottarakara Assembly Constituency is one among the 11 assembly constituencies in

. K.N.Balagopal is the present MLA from Kottarakkara constituency. Kottarakkara comes under

Mavelikkara (Lok Sabha constituency) Mavelikara Lok Sabha constituency ( ml, മാവേലിക്കര ലോക്സഭാ മണ്ഡലം) is one of the 20 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in Kerala state in southern India. Assembly segments Mavelikkara Lok Sa ...

(previously it was in Adoor Loksabha constituency) that represents a large area including Kottarakkara, Mavelikkara, Changanasseri, spread in Kollam, Alappuzha and Kottayam districts. E Chandrasekaran Nair (CPI), D.Damodaran Potti (PSP), R.Balakrishna Pillai (Kerala Congress), E.Chandrasekaran Nair (CPI), C.Achutha Menon (CPI), Kottara Gopalakrishnan (INC) and R.Balakrishna Pillai (Kerala Congress - B) are the former elected members represented Kottarakara Assembly Constituency in the past. Mandalam president: G.Peter (Kerala Congress)

Transportation

Road Network

NH 744 earlier known as NH 208 (

to Thirumangalam) meets the MC road (

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 ...

Angamaly Angamaly (''Aṅkamāli''), , Malayalam : അങ്കമാലി Situated about north of the city centre, the town lies at the intersection of Main Central Road (MC Road) and National Highway 544. MC Road, which starts from Thiruvananthapu ...

) at Kottarakkara. Kottarakkara is linked with

(the district headquarters), both by road and rail, at a distance of 27 km. It is 67 km to the north of

(the capital of Kerala) and 80 km to the south of

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...

Road

Kottarakara has one of the Kerala's well connected

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 ...

Hub, consist of various services across almost all the parts of kerala and interstate services. Local routes are connected by private bus services as well as State Transport. It is well connected to the capital city of Kerala,

by KSRTC Fast Passenger, super fast, super deluxe, a/c low floor buses. Buses are also ply to the district headquarters of

and

Pathanamthitta Pathanamthitta (), is a municipality situated in the Central Travancore region in the state of Kerala, India, spread over an area of 23.50 km2. It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The town has a population of 37 ...

and to towns in Tamil Nadu like

Coimbatore Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...

Tenkasi Tenkasi is a town and headquarters of the Tenkasi district in Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Being one of the most significant spiritual and cultural places in South Tamilnadu,Tenkasi houses The Kutraleeshwarar temple (Chitra Sabha), one of the ...

and

Sengottai Sengottai (also known as Shencottah, Chenkotta or Shenkottai) is a town in the Tenkasi district, of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the gateway to southern Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Spread over an area of 2.68 km2 with a population of over 26,823, t ...

and Daily trips to

Mookambika Mookambika (, Kannada: ಶ್ರೀ ಮೂಕಾಂಬಿಕಾ) is a Hindu goddess, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess of Hinduism. She is regarded to be the form of shakti, the divine feminine energy, that represents creativ ...

Sullia Sullia (also known as Sulya) is a town in the Dakshina Kannada district of the state of Karnataka, India. It is the headquarters of the Sullia taluk. Sullia taluk is one of the seven talukas of Dakshina Kannada district. Its administrative ...

Munnar Munnar () is a town and hill station in the Idukki district of the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. Munnar is situated at around above mean sea level, in the Western Ghats mountain range. Munnar is also called the "Kashmir of South Indi ...

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

Hosur Hosur is an industrial city located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Hosur is one of the municipal corporations in Tamil Nadu. It is located on the bank of the river River Ponnaiyar, southeast of Bengaluru and west of Chennai, the state ...

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

Velankanni Velankanni (''Vēḷāṅkaṇṇi''), is a Special Grade Panchayat Town in Nagapattinam district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, 350 km south of Chennai (Madras), 12 km south of ...

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

Kumily Kumily also spelt as Kumaly is a revenue village and Gram Panchayat in the Idukki district of Kerala. It is a town in Cardamom Hills near Thekkady and Periyar Tiger Reserve. Kumily is a gateway town into Kerala from Tamil Nadu. History The pr ...

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

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 ...

Nagercoil Nagercoil, also spelt as Nagarkovil ("Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the Indian peninsula, it lies on an ...

Thirunelveli Tirunelveli (, ta, திருநெல்வேலி, translit=Tirunelveli) also known as Nellai ( ta, நெல்லை, translit=Nellai) and historically (during British Raj, British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian ...

Tuticorin Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) is a port city, a municipal corporation and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies in the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the capital and he ...

Palani Palani ( or ''Palni'' as in British records, is a town and a taluk headquarters in Dindigul district of the western part of Tamil Nadu state in India. It is located about south-east of Coimbatore and north-west of Madurai, from Kodaikanal ...

Trichy Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...

Kannur Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and a municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the major port city and commercial hu ...

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...

Sultan Bathery Sultan Bathery is a town and municipality in Wayanad district of Kerala, India, near the borders with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states. The largest town in Wayanad district, it is the headquarters of Sultan Bathery taluk. The place came to ...

Kasaragod Kasaragod () is a municipal town and administrative headquarters of Kasaragod district in the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1966, Kasaragod was the first municipal town in the district. It is the northernmost district of Kerala and ...

. Kottarakara depot of ksrtc is one of the top revenue earning depots of the state.

Rail

Kottarakara railway station Kottarakara railway station (Code: KKZ) is a railway station in the Indian town of Kottarakkara in Kollam district, Kerala. Kottarakara railway station falls under the Madurai railway division of the Southern Railway zone of Indian Railways. I ...

is located on the Kollam-Sengottai railway line.

, which currently connects to

Trivandrum 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 ...

Tirunelveli Tirunelveli (, ta, திருநெல்வேலி, translit=Tirunelveli) also known as Nellai ( ta, நெல்லை, translit=Nellai) and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tami ...

Guruvayur Guruvayur () is a municipal temple town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at ...

Varkala Varkala, is a major coastal municipality situated in the northern suburb of Trivandrum, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the headquarters of Varkala Taluk and important government institutions such as the taluk office, court ...

and

Punalur Punalur is a Municipality in Kollam district of Kerala State in India. It is the headquarter of the Punalur Taluk and Punalur Revenue Division. It's situated in the eastern part of Kollam district of Kerala, on the banks of the Kallada River a ...

through the direct passenger, fast passenger and express train services. There are eight pairs of services right now and heard that many more services would be inducted in this route since the Punalur-Schengotta ghat section has been closed for Broad Gauge conversion. Further, a new line from

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 ...

via Adoor and

Pandalam Pandalam is a municipal town in Pathanamthitta district Kerala, India. Pandalam is considered a holy town due to its connection with Lord Ayyappa and Sabarimala. Rightly recognised to be the ''educational and cultural capital of Central Travan ...

is awaiting survey. Kottarakkara will become a junction once the new line materializes.

Air

The nearest airport is

Trivandrum International Airport Thiruvananthapuram International Airport , is an international airport which serves Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. Established in 1932, it is the first airport in the state of Kerala and fifth international airport of In ...

, .

Notable people

Veliyam Bharghavan Veliyam Bharghavan ( ml, വെളിയം ഭാർഗവൻ‎; May 1928 – 18 September 2013) was a Communist leader from the Kerala, India. He was the state Secretary of Communist Party of India (CPI) from 1998 to 2010. In 2010 he retir ...

, Former General Secretary, Communist Party of India *

Bobby Kottarakkara Bobby Kottarakkara (11 March 1952 – 3 December 2000) was an Indian actor who acted in Malayalam films. He was born to Pareedkunju Ravuthar in Kottarakkara. He began his acting career on stage. He made his film debut with Mucheettukalikkaarant ...

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 ...

actor *

K. B. Ganesh Kumar Keezhoote Balakrishna Pillai Ganesh Kumar (born 25 May 1966) is an Indian actor, television host, and politician. Ganesh Kumar is a proposed cabinet minister for the last 2.5 years in the ongoing 2nd LDF govt in Kerala and he is also the curre ...

, actor and politician *

Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair N. Sreedharan Nair (11 September 1922 – 19 October 1986), popularly known as Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair or just Kottarakkara, was an Indian actor who appeared Malayalam movies. He hailed from Kottarakkara in Kollam district of Kerala. Sree ...

(1922–1986), actor *

R. Balakrishna Pillai Keezhoote Raman Balakrishna Pillai (8 March 1935 – 3 May 2021) was an Indian politician who served as minister of the state of Kerala in India, holding portfolios such as Transport and Electricity. He was a member of the Kerala Legislative A ...

, former Minister, MLA, MP and Panchayat President, Chairman of the Kerala Congress * Sai Kumar, Malayalam actor *

Salim Yusuf Salim Yusuf (born 26 November 1952) is an Indian-born Canadian physician, the Marion W. Burke Chair in Cardiovascular Disease at McMaster University Medical School. He is a cardiologist and epidemiologist. Early life and education Born in the ...

Physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

cardiologist Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular hear ...

and

epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and risk factor, determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decision ...

Schools and Colleges

References

External links

Kottarakara MunicipalityOfficial Website Of Kottarakara Mahaganapthi
Cities and towns in Kollam district {{Kollam-geo-stub