Manimala
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Manimala is a small town and a village in
Kottayam district Kottayam (), is one of 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettumanoor, and Vaikom. It is the only district in Kerala that neither borders the ...
in the Indian state 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 Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
, situated about from the nearest town
Kanjirappally Kanjirappally is a taluk and a town in Kottayam district situated about away from the district capital, in the state of Kerala, India. Climate Kanjirappally has the highest number of rainy days in Kerala. It receives the highest amount of su ...
. It's declared as a folklore village since 2011 by the central government to promote folklore.


Geography

The River Manimala is long. The area is mostly hilly with Kuranganmala, Varukunnu and Poovatholymala being the most important hills. Ponthenpuzha forest separates the village from
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 ...
district.


Climate

Manimala experiences a
tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
climate with sufficient rainfalls in the months of June, July, August and October. Average annual precipitation here is 2820 mm. Humidity rises during the months of March and April. Average annual temperature is 31.14°C. Temperature falls during the end of year. The place also receives locally developed thundershowers.


Education

Manimala is acclaimed for its high literacy rate and access to primary and secondary education facilities within walking distance. There are four high schools within of the town centre. These are C.C.M Higher Secondary School, Karikkattoor; St.George Higher Secondary School, Manimala; Cardinal Padiyara Public School and K.J.C.M.H.S Pulikkallu. In recent years the schools have undergone significant modernisation with the installation of state of the art facilities such as IT and science labs. Also, higher secondary schools such as C.C.M Higher Secondary School, Karikkattoor and St.George Higher Secondary School and Cardinal Padiyara school have benefited from the construction of modern school buildings and other facilities. The village boasts a hundred percent literacy rate. Girls are generally high achievers than boys at schools and universities. The people from all religions, mostly Syrian Christians, Hindus and Muslims live in harmony and peace in this village. The majestic Holy Magi's Forane church remains as a landmark structure at the centre of the village and the church tower (മണി മാളിക ) can be seen from many kilometres away from the village centre.


Economy

Manimala was an important transaction hub for goods from the high range areas of Kerala. The boats from Alappuzha and Changanacherry market used to come to Manimala. The boats could not go up any longer because of the presence of rocks in the river. Thus Manimala naturally became the transaction hub for goods from the high range areas. Later, with large-scale sand and gravel mining in the river, the river became inaccessible for boats. This along with the development of road transports reduced the importance of Manimala. The village has many commercial banks such as Catholic Syrian Bank, Federal Bank Ltd, Co-Operative Bank, and government-owned State Bank of India. Access to modern health care is also possible through village-based primary health center and other seven modern hospitals within 16 kilometers. The River Manimala and the Manimala bridge are the two nostalgic symbols to the people of Manimala.


Access

Manimala has access to all major cities and inter national airports in Kerala through roadways. The nearest railway stations are at Kottayam, (district headquarters) and
Changanacherry Changanassery or Changanacherry is a municipal town in Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. History The first recorded history on the origin of Changanacherry is obtained from Sangam period literature. According to Sangam era d ...
. Manimala lies on the
main eastern highway The Main Eastern Highway is the lifeline of the high range townships of the Travancore region of Kerala state, India. It is also known as Punalur-Muvattupuzha Highway. Main Eastern Highway is categorized as State Highway - 08 ( SH-08 ) of ...
(SH-8) in between
Ponkunnam Ponkunnam (പൊൻകുന്നം) is a census town in Kerala, India, part of Kottayam district under Kanjirappally taluk. Ponkunnam literally means ''golden mountain'' (''ponn'' = gold, ''kunn'' = mountain). Nearby towns are Kanjirappalli ...
and Ranni. Both privately operated and state owned buses provides services to Manimala from dawn to dusk. Also the proposed
Sabarigiri International Airport Sabarimala Greenfield Airport also known as Cheruvally Estate Airport or Believers' Church Airport is a proposed greenfield airport project to be built in Erumely of Kottayam district in Kerala, India. The proposed site is 53.9 km away from ...
will be constructed by acquiring Cheruvally Estate which is nearly only five kilometers away from Manimala town centre


Demographics

As of 2011 India census, Manimala had a population of 21053 of which 10213 are males and 10840 are females. Majority are plantation owners whose main income comes from
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, and ...
plantations. . The planters of Manimala are mostly Catholic Syrian Christians, who are the descendants of settler farmers who migrated to the region from Kuravilangad and Meenachil regions centuries ago.


Places of worship

There are many places to worship in the village, one of which is the Manimalkkavu Bhagavathi Temple, which at one point owned a lot of land in the area, which included the villages of Manimala and
Vellavoor Vellavoor is a village in Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. Demographics India census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. Th ...
. * Manimalkkavu Bhagavathi Temple * Kulathumkal Sreedevi Temple * Kadayanickadu Bhagavathy Temple * Kadayanickadu Dharmashastha Temple * Koodathingal Mahadeva Temple * Moongani Sree Dhrama Sastha temple * Manimala Town Mosque * Holy Magi Forane Church (Pazhaya Palli - Archdiocese of Changanacherry) * St. Basil's Church (Puthan Palli - Archdiocese of Changanacherry) * SH Church Karimpanakulam rchdiocese of changanacherry* St. Mary’s church, Vallamchira (Archdiocese of Changanacherry) The parish feast of Manimala Holy Magi Church is world-famous. Thousands of people from all across the world come here for the feast in January. This feast is celebrated by people of all religion.


See also

*
Kanjirappally Kanjirappally is a taluk and a town in Kottayam district situated about away from the district capital, in the state of Kerala, India. Climate Kanjirappally has the highest number of rainy days in Kerala. It receives the highest amount of su ...
*
Manimala river Manimala River or Manimalayar is a 92km long river which flows through South and Central Kerala. The river used to be wrongly considered as a tributary of Pamba River before satellite maps became popular, but this was proved incorrect. Manimala d ...


References

{{Kottayam district Villages in Kottayam district