Mavelikkara is a taluk and municipality in the '' Onattukara'' region of Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala. Located in the southern part of the district on the banks of the Achankovil River.

Etymology

The name Mavelikara is believed to be turned out from the words ''Maveli'' or Mahabali, the mythical king of Kerala, and ''Kara'' means land. This land is believed to be the place 'Mattom Mahadeva temple'where king Mahabali knelt before Vamana, offering his head for Vamana to keep his feet.

Background

The town boasts about a rich historical and cultural background. The Chettikulangara Devi Temple, known for the '' Kumbha Bharani'' festival is located near the municipality. The place is home to one of the 108 Shiva temples of Kerala created by Lord Parashurama, the Kandiyoor Mahadeva Temple. It was also a major centre of trade and commerce in ancient Kerala and the erstwhile capital of the rulers of Onattukara. As a result of the close association with the Travancore Royal Family, Mavelikkara gained modern facilities well ahead of other places in the state. It is one of the oldest municipalities of the state. Even before India attained independence, Mavelikara had a super express transport service to Trivandrum.

Demographics

As of 2011 Census, Mavelikara had a population of 26,421 with 12,070 males and 14,351 females. Mavelikara Municipality has an area of with 7,184 families residing in it. The average female sex ratio was 1189 higher than the state average of 1084. 7.7% of the population was under 6 years of age. Mavelikara had an average literacy of 96.9% higher than the state average of 94%: male literacy was 97.8% and female literacy was 96.2%.

Transport

Bus

Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has a sub depot at Mavelikkara (Station Code: MVKA) which is one among the 46 sub depots in the state. The KSRTC sub depot at Mavelikkara has an inter state bus service which is operated to Tenkasi every day; 2 trips morning & evening via Kayamkulam,

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, ...

. The Municipal Private bus stand is located at Mitchel Junction with buses to

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 ...

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 ...

, Adoor, Pandalam, Thiruvalla, Haripad, Kayamkulam,

Changanassery 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 ...

Rail

'' Main article : Mavelikara railway station'' Mavelikara railway station (Station Code:MVLK) is a mainline station in the Trivandrum Division of the Southern Railway Zone (India), with connections to New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad,

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

, Pune, Mangalore, Bhopal, Guwahati, Nagpur and Jammu. Other nearby stations are Kayamkulam Junction railway station, Chengannur Railway Station, Haripad railway station and Kollam Junction railway station.

Air

The nearest airports are Trivandrum International Airport115 km and Cochin International Airport (CIAL).127 km State highway SH 10 road start in mavelikara

Economy

Local industries in and around Mavelikkara include: *

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 ...

Regional Workshop and Bus Body Building Centre Mavelikkara * ALIND Switchgear,

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 ...

Several small-scale industries are present in the Industrial Estate (an initiative of SIDCO) located at Kollakadavu.

Politics

Lok Sabha

Mavelikara has its own constituency in the Lok Sabha. Until the 2002 Lok Sabha Delimitation took effect in 2008, the constituency consisted of Chengannur, Mavelikara, Kayamkulam, Pandalam, Thiruvalla and Kallupara. Since then, the assembly constituencies have comprised Changanassery, Kuttanad, Mavelikara (SC), Chengannur, Kunnathur (SC), Kottarakkara and Pathanapuram. The constituency is now reserved for a

scheduled caste 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 ...

candidate. Kodikunnil Suresh of the

INC Inc. or inc may refer to: * Incorporation (business), as a suffix indicating a corporation * ''Inc.'' (magazine), an American business magazine * Inc. No World, a Los Angeles-based band * Indian National Congress, a political party in India * I ...

has represented the Mavelikkara constituency since 2009.

State Assembly

M.S Arunkumar MS, ms, Ms, M.S., etc. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ms.'' (magazine), an American feminist magazine * Metal Storm (webzine), a heavy metal website based in Estonia Businesses and organizations * MS-13, criminal gang * Missionaries ...

from the CPI(M) is the representative of Mavelikkara in the

Kerala Legislative Assembly The Kerala Legislative Assembly, popularly known as the Kerala Niyamasabha, is the State Assembly of Kerala, one of the 28 states in India. The Assembly is formed by 140 elected representatives. Each elected member represents one of the 140 c ...

Culture

The cultural capital of Alappuzha is Mavelikkara. Mavelikara was once part of the principality of Onattukara and has been a centre of religious harmony, culture and arts for several centuries. As a testament to its link to that flourishing centre of Buddhist culture, Mavelikkara is one of the rare places in Kerala where one can find the ''Statue of Buddha in Seated Position'', which dates back to the 9th century AD. Mar Ivanios, the pioneer of the Reunion Movement is from this holy socio-cultural land. He is from the Medayil Panicker Family situated at the center of the Mavelikara Town.

Notable people

Abu Abraham Attupurathu Mathew Abraham (11 June 1924 – 1 December 2002), pen name ''Abu'', was an Indian cartoonist, journalist, and author. In a career spanning 40 years, Abu Abraham worked for various national and international newspapers including ''T ...

, cartoonist and writer * P. C. Alexander, principal Secretary to former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and

Rajiv Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi (; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to beco ...

Zacharias Athanasios Zachariah Mar Athanasios (born ''Cherian Polachirackal''; 19 February 1909 in Tiruvalla, India – 29 September 1977 in Tiruvalla), was a Saint Thomas Christian Syro-Malankara Catholic Bishop of Tiruvalla. Athanasios was born into a Jacobite Or ...

, 3rd Bishop of Tiruvalla - Cherian Polachirackal, originally from Mavelikkara * Ramesh Chennithala, home minister, leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly * Ramayyan Dalawa, the chief minister and friend of

marthandavarma Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...

- the kavu in front of municipal office is in his name * Archbishop Aboon

Geevarghese Ivanios Geevarghese Ivanios (born 21 September 1882 as Geevarghese Panickeruveetil - died 15 July 1953) was the first metropolitan archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum. He was the founder of Bethany Ashr ...

, founding father of the Syro–Malankara Catholic Church * T. K. Madhavan, Reformist leader of modern Kerala * Mavelikkara Velukkutty Nair, Carnatic

mridangam The mridangam is a percussion instrument of ancient origin. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble. In Dhrupad, a modified version, the pakhawaj, is the primary percussion instrument. A related instrument is the ...

player *

Geevarghese Osthathios Geevarghese Mar Osthathios (9 December 1917 – 16 February 2012) was a senior bishop of the Indian Orthodox Church. He was the metropolitan of the Niranam diocese from1975–2007. He was a theologian, orator and writer. Childhood and Educ ...

, Bishop of

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) also known as the Indian Orthodox Church (IOC) or simply as the Malankara Church, is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church headquartered in Devalokam, near Kottayam, India. The church serve ...

, theologian, orator and writer *

Rahul Panicker Rahul Alex Panicker is a technology leader and entrepreneur, formerly Chief Innovation Officer at the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and best known as the President and Co-founder of Embrace Innovations and Embrace, a socia ...

, award-winning innovator, entrepreneur, scientist * Divya Pillai, actress * Mavelikkara Ponnamma, actress * Narendra Prasad, college professor, actor, author *

Mavelikkara S. R. Raju Mavelikara S. R. Raju is an acclaimed Carnatic music percussionist. He is adept in playing the ''mridangam''. He is the ''sishya'' (disciple) of the celebrated Mridangam maestro Mavelikara Krishnankutty Nair. His father M.N. Raghavan Pillai, was ...

, Carnatic mridangam player *Justice C.T Ravikumar,Judge Supreme Court of India *

C. M. Stephen Chembakassery Mathai Stephen (23 December 1918 – 16 January 1984) was an Indian politician who served as the Union Minister of Communications of India from 1980 to 1982 in the Republic of India. C. M. Stephen was born on 23 December 1918 ...

, Leader of Congress and the INTUC, he is the first opposition leader of congress. *

P. G. N. Unnithan P. G. N. Unnithan (1898 – 5 April 1965) was the last Diwan (Prime Minister) of independent Travancore. He succeeded C. P. Ramaswami Iyer on 20 August 1947 following the latter's resignation (subsequent to the attempt on Iyer's life at the Sw ...

, the last Diwan (Prime Minister) of independent Travancore *

M. S. Valiathan Marthanda Varma Sankaran Valiathan (born 24 May 1934) is an Indian cardiac surgeon. He is a former President of the Indian National Science Academy and National Research Professor of the Government of India. He was awarded the Padma Vibushan i ...

cardiac surgeon, former President of the Indian National Science Academy and National Research Professor *

A. R. Raja Raja Varma A. R. Raja Raja Varma or A R. Rajaraja Varma ( ml, എ.ആർ. രാജരാജവർമ്മ) (1863–1918) was an Indian poet, grammatician and Professor of Oriental Languages at Maharaja's College (present University College), Trivandrum. ...

, grammarian and poet * Mavelikkara Prabhakara Varma, Carnatic singer *

Raja Ravi Varma Raja Ravi Varma ( ml, രാജാ രവിവർമ്മ; 29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art. His works are one of the best examples ...

, artist * Ravindra Varma, minister for Labour and Parliamentary Affairs in the Morarji Desai Ministry in India from 1977 to 1979 *

R. Marthanda Varma Ravivarma Marthanda Varma was an Indian neurosurgeon, one of the pioneers of Indian neurosurgery and the founder director of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS). He was the originator of a new surgical procedure f ...

, India's first neurosurgeon and developer of a surgical technique for treating Parkinson's disease * Vishnupriya- Malayalam film actress *

Yesudasan Chackalethu John Yesudasan (12 June 1938 – 6 October 2021), also known as Yesudasan, was an Indian political cartoonist from Kerala. He was the founding chairman of the Kerala Cartoon Academy and chairman of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi. ...

, cartoonist

Places of worship

* Chettikulangara Devi Temple, founded in AD 823, is a Bhagawathy Temple. The major festival is

Chettikulangara Kumbha Bharani Chettikulangara Kumbha Bharani is a festival celebrated every year at the Chettikulangara Devi Temple, Chettikulangara, Alappuzha district, Kerala. It is held in the month of February or March, the date being determined according to the Malaya ...

. * Maha ganapathi temple,Pela * Kannamangalam south mahadevar temple. * Malimel bhagavathi temple, Kurathikad, Mavelikkara * Ponnaramthottam Bhadra Durga Devi Temple near Power House and Court Mavelikara (Ponnaramthotam Patham udayam festival is famous) * Mattom Mahadeva Temple also known as (''SHIVA NADA'') this temple founded in AD 832 * Sri Maruthakshi Devi temple, Mavelikara * Thiruvairoor Sree Mahadevar Temple, Chunakkara, "Sarwam Swayambhoo Temple" * Kandiyoor Sree Mahadeva Temple, also known as ''Dakshina Kashi'' Founded in AD 731 * Sree Krishna Swami Temple * Malimel Bhagavathi Temple, Kurathikad * St . Marys Orthodox Cathedral, Puthiyacavu (Mavelikkara) Founded in AD 934 * C.S.I. Christ Church * St.Joseph Malankara Catholic Church, Puthiyakavu-Mother Parish of Late Archbishop Servant of God Geevarghese Mar Ivanios * St.Marys Malankara Catholic Church (Bethany Pally), kallumala * St. John's Orthodox Valiyapally, Pathichira - St. John the Baptist, Thattarambalam P.O., Mavelikara - 690103 * St. George Orthodox Church, Karipuzha - St. George, Thattarambalam P.O., Mavelikara - 690103 * Immanuel Church of God (Full Gospel), Erezha South, Chettikulangara.690106 * St. Andrew's Marthoma Church, Kaitha North, Chettikulangara. 690106 * Parimanam Marthoma Church, Parimanam * Indian Pentecostal Church of God (IPC) Bethel, Vadakkethundam, Kannamangalam South, Karipuzha Road, Chettikulangara. 690106 * Christian Worship Centre (Pentecostal Church), Kaitha North, Chettikulangara P.O., Mavelikara - 690106 * Cherukole Marthoma Church, Cherukole * St. Peter's Marthoma Church, Chennithala * Thazhakara Mar Thoma Church, Mavelikara. * Mannalill Bhagavati Temple. Arunoottimangalam mavelikara * Ramanallor Vishnu Temple, Vettiyar Mavelikara * Shree Parabhramodya Temple, Varenickal *

Hanuman temple karayamvattam , Mavelikara

Educational organizations

Bishop Hodges Higher Secondary School, Mavelikkara Bishop Hodges Higher Secondary School', is under C.S.I. Madhya Kerala Diocese in Alleppey District. The school is located at the heart of Mavelikara town (near to Kayamkulam-Thiruvalla highway). History The institution is founded in the year 18 ...

* Bishop Moore College, Kallumala, Mavelikkara * Bishop Moore Vidyapith, Mavelikkara * CNPPM Vocational High School, Kattachira * Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Chennithala * Peet Memorial Training College, Mavelikkara * Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts, Mavelikkara

Hospitals

*Govt.hospital, Mavelikara *VSM hospital *Sreekandapuram hospital *Meepallikutti hospital

References

External links

Official website of Mavelikkara taluk

Shappil House - Ancient Family in Mavelikara
{{Central Travancore Cities and towns in Alappuzha district