Mavoor is a town situated in
Kozhikode district
Kozhikode (), or Calicut district, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, along its Southwestern Malabar Coast. The city of Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, is the district headquarters. The district is 67.15% urbanised.
...
in
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
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 ...
. It is 19 km away from
Kozhikode
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 ...
city.
Etymology
The former name of
Mavur was Pulpparambu, or "hayfields" 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 ...
, as grass for thatching houses was stored in this town. (In Malayalam, ''pul'' means "grass/hay", and ''parampu'' means "field".)
Geography
Mavoor is 21 km east of
Kozhikode
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 ...
city, beside the river Chaliyar.
Grasim factory
Until the 1960s, Mavoor was like any other village in Kerala. During the 1963s the industrial house of Birla established a factory named "'
Gwalior Rayons'" (later renamed as
Grasim) at Mavoor for producing pulp and fibre on 316 acres of land. An integrated township with schools, a hospital, and a police station also came up. The arrival of Gwalior Rayons caused a rapid change in the area.
In 1985 Grasim shut down for three years. The disruption caused to the local economy was significant. 11 suicides in Mavoor were attributed to this. In 1988, the Government of Kerala offered more concessions to the management and the factory was re-opened by the management.
The factory faced many protests as it turned out to be a heavily polluting unit. The management avoided the use of any pollution control measures, citing profitability concerns. A large quantity of pollutants produced by Grasim ended up in the Chaliyar river which flows beside the factory. The thick effluents recklessly released by the factory were identified as poisonous. The factory was also a serious air polluter. The impact of the pollution could be seen in the every aspect of the town. Cases of asthma and other respiratory diseases shot up. There was a marked decline in the fish population. Thousands of dead fish and other aquatic animals surfaced from the Chaliyar river. Environmental organizations started agitations focusing on this aspect of the factory.
A series of labour strikes and heightened trade union was also witnessed at the plant. All these factors contributed to the shutdown of Gwalior Rayons in 2001. (See also
the first environmental movement in Kerala.) The closure of the factory caused the loss of employment of around 3000 people.
Future plans
386 acres of land is still owned by the Birla group of companies in Mavoor town. The government can utilize this land for the development of Mavoor town. However, the control of the land is still vested with the Birla management. The Kerala Government is planning to build another industrial hub in Mavoor which will be an eco-friendly project. This area is also considered ideal for the setting up of the
AIIMS
The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is a group of autonomous government public medical universities of higher education under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare , Government of India. These institutes h ...
hospital, considering the availability of the required amount of land in the vicinity of an abundant freshwater source - the Chaliyar. Moreover, Mavoor, owing to the previous presence of a factory, is fully equipped to house big installations and organizations...
Culture
Many
temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
s,
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
s and
churches are situated in the nearby places. Kalchira Sree Narasimha Moorthy Kshethram, kanniparambu Siva kshethram, Mavoor Juma masjid, Valiya Juma masjid, Kalpally Juma masjid, Christ the King Church, and Little Flower Church are the major religious centers in Mavoor.
Arts and sports clubs drive the cultural aspirations of people.
The Mavoor Public Library is on the ground floor of the Grama Panchayath Office.
Climate
The district has a generally humid climate with a hot season extending from March to May. The most important rainy season is during the south west
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
, which sets in the first week of June and extends up to September. In June and July, most of the places suffer the threat of floods.
Demographics
India
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
, Mavoor had a population of 27,843. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Mavoor has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 85%, and female literacy is 79%. In Mavoor, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Suburbs of Mavoor
The suburbs of Mavoor are Kuttikkadu, Valayanoor, Kuniyankadavu, Chittari Pilakkal, Thathoor, Koolimad, Cheruvadi, Kettungal, Ayamkulam, Kacherikunnu, Kanniparamba, Cherupa, Kuttikadave, Valayanoor, Peruvayal, Cheruppa, Thengilakkadavu, Kalleri, Manakkad, Kolakkott Thazham, Kalpally and Parammal.
Educational institutions
Some of the educational institutes are Mavoor GMUP school, GHSS Mavoor, Mahlara Public school (CBSE), Mahlara Arts & Science College, Crescent English school, St. Mary's English Medium School
St. Mary's English Medium School
/ref> Aduvad AUP school, GUP school, Arayancode ALP school, ALP School Kanniparamba, Govt UP School Manakkad, Cheruppa and Govt LP School Nechikkad, Cherooppa.
See also
* Kunnamangalam
Kunnamangalam is a growing census town located about 14 km east of Kozhikode (Calicut) city on the Calicut - Bangalore National Highway (NH 766 , Kozhikode - Kollegal). Nearby places are Koduvally, Mukkam, Chathamangalam, and Kattanga ...
* Cheruvadi
Cheruvadi is a village in the Kozhikode district of Kerala. It is located 24 kilometres east of Kozhikode.
Climate
Cheruvadi has a humid and hot climate extending from March to May. The rain starts from June, lasting up to October. The North East ...
* kodiyathur
* Thamarassery
Thamarassery, formerly known as Thazhmalachery, it is one of the taluk in Kozhikode district and major hill town in the Kozhikode district of Kerala, India, 30 km north-east of Kozhikode (Calicut) City and 29 km east of Koyilandy. It li ...
* Thiruvambady
Thiruvambady is a major hill town and a suburb in southeastern Kozhikode district in Kerala, India. Thiruvambady is a Panchayat headquarters, and a legislative assembly constituency, situated from the district headquarters of Kozhikode.
Geog ...
* Mukkam
Mukkam is a major municipality town in Kozhikode, state of Kerala, India. Mukkam is one of the major regional suburb of the Kozhikode district. Mukkam is located about 27 km east of Calicut city on the bank of river Iruvanjippuzha, one of th ...
* Koduvally
Koduvally is a major municipal town in Kozhikode district. It is located on the Calicut- Mysuru National Highway 766 (NH 766) and is about 21 km northeast of Kozhikode (Calicut) city. koduvally is known as the city of gold for its gold tr ...
* Elamaram
Elamaram is a village in the Indian state of Kerala. It is situated near Edavannappara in Malappuram District of Kerala. This village is very scenic as it is on the bank of Chaliyar. There is a ferry service here that can take you to the ...
* Manasheri
* Pannicode
References
External links
* Website for Mavoor with photos
* Documentary on Mavoor Chaliyar pollution
''Chaliyar... The Final Struggle'' by P.Baburaj and C.Saratchandran
{{Kozhikode district
Cities and towns in Kozhikode district
Kozhikode east