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Muvattupuzha () is a town in the midlands directly to the east of
Kochi in
Ernakulam district,
Kerala,
India. It is located about from downtown Kochi, and is a growing urban centre in central Kerala. The town is also the starting point of the Muvattupuzhayar (Muvattupuzha river), which is a
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
formed by three rivers: the Thodupuzhayar, Kaliyar, and Kothayar.
Muvattupuzha is bordered by the
Kottayam district on the southern side and the
Idukki district on the eastern side. Muvattupuzha lies on the intersection between
MC Road and
National Highway 49, about from the district capital
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 ...
. Muvattupuzha is located from
Thodupuzha, from
Koothattukulam, and away from
Arakuzha. It is the second biggest commercial center of the district and one of the biggest in the central part of the state. There are two major malls: Canton Mall & Grand Central Mall.
Etymology
The town is named after the Muvattupuzha river that flows through it. The name is made up of three Malayalam words: ''Moonnu'' (), ''aaru'' (); and ''puzha'' (). ''Aaru'' is usually used for rivers in the southern half of Kerala, while ''puzha'' is used in the northern parts. The three rivers are Kothayaar, Kaliyar, and Thodupuzhayar, which merge to form Muvattupuzhayar. The meeting point is called
Thriveni Sangamam in Malayalam, which means "the point of confluence of three rivers".
In English both spellings (Muvattupuzha and Moovattupuzha) are used interchangeably.
History
Muvattupuzha was part of the Vadakkumkoor Kingdom until it was seized by the
Travancore. Old documents show that parts of the lands of Muvattupuzha belonged to Edappally Swaroopam, but were later transferred to Manas' (
Brahmin families).
After
Indian independence, from 1949 to 1956, Muvattupuzha was a part of the
Kottayam district in
Travancore-Cochin state. In 1956, when Kerala state was formed, Muvattupuzha remained as a part of Kottayam district until 1958, when Ernakulam district was formed on 1 April 1958. Muvattupuzha, as a village union, came under the control of a council of three members nominated by the Government. V. P. Govindan Nair was the first president of the village union. By 1953, Muvattupuzha was declared a
panchayat. Kunnappillil Varkey Vaidyan was the first president of the elected panchayat committee. Muvattupuzha was raised to the status of a
municipality in the year 1958. N. Parameshwaran Nair became the first municipal chairman. Muvattupuzha is the first municipality where the
Communist Party came into power in a general election.
N. P. Varghese was the first elected
Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Muvattupuzha Assembly Constituency, who defeated Manjunatha Prabhu of the Communist Party. Later,
K. M. George K. M. George may refer to:
* K. M. George (politician), political leader and founder of Kerala Congress
* K. M. George (writer)
Karimpumannil Mathai George (1914–2002), popularly known as Dr. K. M. George, was an eminent Malayalam writer and ...
, founder of
Kerala Congress
Kerala Congress is an Indian political party founded at Kottayam, Kerala in October, 1964, by a block of former Indian National Congress leaders led by K. M. George. The party is primarily active in central Kerala.
The establishment of Kerala ...
, represented Muvattupuzha. The first
member of parliament (MP) of Muvattupuzha (
as a Lok Sabha constituency) was George Thomas Kottukapally. The first block panchayat president of Muvattupuzha was Shyson P Manguzha in 1995 from the Arakuzha block panchayat division.
St. Thomas, the apostle who introduced Christianity to India, is believed to have visited this region. The
Marth Mariam Syro-Malabar Catholic Church of
Arakuzha has a recorded history of over 1,000 years, making it one of the oldest Syrian churches in Kerala. It is known for its paintings and sculptures. Muvattupuzha was also known as ''Arakuzha Pakuthi'' (meaning half of Arakuzha).
Demographics
As of
2011 Census, Muvattupuzha had a population of 30,397, of which 15,010 were males and 15,387 females. Muvattupuzha Municipality have an area of with 7,414 families residing in it.
The sub-population of children aged 0–6 was 2,945, which was 9.69% of total population of Muvattupuzha.
The literacy rate in Muvattupuzha town was 96.11%, higher than the state average of 94.00%. In Muvattupuzha, male literacy was around 97.20% while female literacy rate was 95.07%.
Religion
The region has
Hindus,
Syrian Christians, and
Muslims.
Kavumpady Road in the town center contains major ''
agraharam'' of
Kerala Iyers.
Konkanis are also present in fewer numbers. Hindus are the majority in the region with castes like
Nair,
Ezhava,
Namboodiri, and
Pulayar present around the taluka.
Syrian Christians include a majority of
Syro-Malabar Catholic
lat, Ecclesia Syrorum-Malabarensium mal, മലബാറിലെ സുറിയാനി സഭ
, native_name_lang=, image = St. Thomas' Cross (Chennai, St. Thomas Mount).jpg
, caption = The Mar Thoma Nasrani Sl ...
s and
Jacobites. There are
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
,
Syro-Malankara Catholic
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, also known as the Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the worldwide Catholic Church possessing self-governance under the Code of Cano ...
s,
Marthomites
The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, often shortened to Mar Thoma Church, and known also as the Reformed Syrian ChurchS. N. Sadasivan. A Social History of India'. APH Publishing; 2000. . p. 442. and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar ...
and
Pentecostal. Muvattupuzha is the seat of the Muvattupuzha diocese of
Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church and the Kandanad East diocese. There is a small Latin Catholic community also in Muvattupuzha whose church was established in 1925, situated in Vazhappilly.
Mappila Muslims comprise most of the Muslim population.
The Kothamangalam-Muvattupuzha region is an important center for Mappila Muslims. Perumattam Juma Masjid, the first mosque in the eastern part of the district, is located in Muvattupuzha Taluk. Thottathikulam, Chakungal, Panakkal and Cherukappilly are the four traditional Muslim families who founded the centuries-old Perumattam Masjid.
Geography
The town and western parts of the region are mainly plains and is culturally similar to Ernakulam, whereas the eastern parts are mainly highlands. The regions of Thodupuzha, Muvattupuzha, and Kothamangalam are called sub-high ranges or ''keezhmalanad'' of Vadakkumkoor Kingdom, indicating they were lands with fertile soil deposited by the Thodupuzha and Muvattupuzha rivers from flooding. Muvattupuzha and nearby areas are less hilly and fertile. The altitude is lower and the hilly region is the Kadalikkad-Meenkunnam-Pampakkuda curved region. The town is above
mean sea level.
The term sub-high ranges or "low ranges" is a term used to describe the towns of Thodupuzha and Palai. The low-range towns lying in the foothills of western ghats along the SH 8 (Punaloor-Muvattupuzha road) meet the main interjunction at Muvattupuzha. Nine major roads converge here and connect to all directions.
Muvattupuzha river
The Muvattupuzha river () starts in the Idukki highranges and flows through Muvattupuzha, running before entering the Kottayam district. The major source of water is the Thodupuzha river which starts in the Idukki district and provides water throughout the year, enabled by the supply of water from
Idukki arch dam, which is the largest arch dam in India, and is used for hydro-electric power generation.
Muvattupuzha Bridge
In 1914, the first concrete bridge in Asia
was built in Muvattupuzha under the supervision of the British engineer W.H. Emrald. It is said that on its inauguration, to convince others of the strength and stability of the bridge, Emrald and his wife sat beneath the bridge in a boat while 15 elephants walked over it.
This bridge connects Nehru Park and Kacherithazham.
There was a wooden bridge across the river through which the
steam bus
A steam bus is a bus powered by a steam engine. Early steam-powered vehicles designed for carrying passengers were more usually known as steam carriages, although this term was sometimes used to describe other early experimental vehicles too.
H ...
went from Muvattupuzha to Ernakulam. The border to Kochi state was at Chungam, Mamala, near Thiruvankulam. Until the late 1970s, traffic went over the old concrete bridge. There was a traffic police outpost on either side of the bridge to control one-way traffic. Later in the 1970s, a new bridge was constructed and in the late 1970s the traffic diverted through a wider two-way bridge.
Politics
Muvattupuzha is one of the 140 legislative assembly constituencies of Kerala state. Its assembly constituency is part of Idukki (Lok Sabha constituency) and the current MP is
Dean Kuriakose
Dean Kuriakose (27 June 1981) is an Indian politician from Kerala and a member of the Indian National Congress. Dean Kuriakose was the president of the Youth Congress Kerala wing of Indian Youth Congress
The Indian Youth Congress is the youth ...
of
Indian National Congress. The major political parties of Muvattupuzha are Indian National Congress, Kerala Congress (M), CPI (M), CPI, Muslim League, and BJP.
Mathew Kuzhalnadan
Mathew Kuzhalnadan (born 28 May 1977) is an Indian lawyer and politician from Kerala and a member of the Indian National Congress. He represents Muvattupuzha constituency in the Kerala Legislative Assembly.
Kuzhalnadan earned his masters from ...
of
Indian National Congress is the current MLA of Muvattupuzha.
Administratively, Muvattupuzha is a
municipality and the current municipal council is ruled by
Indian National Congress, led by P P Eldose who was elected in 2020.
Political leaders of the past include K. M. George (former Minister and the founder of Kerala Congress) and P.P Esthose (former MP and MLA). The present political leaders of Kerala who are from Muvattupuzha are Mathew Kuzhalnadan,
Johny Nelloor, Francis George (former MP), and Gopi Kottamurikkal (former MLA and Ernakulam district secretary of CPI(M)).
Notable people
*
Madhu Neelakandan, award-winning Indian cinematographer
*
K. M. George K. M. George may refer to:
* K. M. George (politician), political leader and founder of Kerala Congress
* K. M. George (writer)
Karimpumannil Mathai George (1914–2002), popularly known as Dr. K. M. George, was an eminent Malayalam writer and ...
was a veteran politician and former minister. He was the founder of the
Kerala Congress
Kerala Congress is an Indian political party founded at Kottayam, Kerala in October, 1964, by a block of former Indian National Congress leaders led by K. M. George. The party is primarily active in central Kerala.
The establishment of Kerala ...
Party and former Muvattupuzha MLA. His son
Francis George is former M. P. of Idukki.
*
Johnny Nellore
Johnny Nellore (born 19 August 1951) is an Indian politician who is the Deputy chairman of Kerala Congress and ex-Chairman of the KC (Jacob). He is an advocate in Muvattupuzha Bar Association.
He was elected to Kerala Legislative Assembly i ...
is a veteran politician and former MLA of Muvattupuzha from 1991 to 2006. He was the chairman of Kerala Congress (Jacob). Now he is in KC (M) Joseph Faction
*
Francis George is a Kerala Congress leader and former MP of Idukki. He is the son of
K. M. George K. M. George may refer to:
* K. M. George (politician), political leader and founder of Kerala Congress
* K. M. George (writer)
Karimpumannil Mathai George (1914–2002), popularly known as Dr. K. M. George, was an eminent Malayalam writer and ...
.
*
Jeethu Joseph, award-winning Indian film director and screenwriter
*
Bhagath Manuel
Bhagath Manuel (born November 26, 1986) is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam cinema. He made his debut in Vineeth Sreenivasan's '' Malarvadi Arts Club''. He is known for his performance in '' Doctor Love'' and ''Thattathin Marayathu
...
, Indian film actor
*
Vishak Nair
Vishak Nair ''(also spelled as Vyshak Nair)'' is an Indian actor appearing in Malayalam cinema. He gained recognition on his debut performance in 2016 film ''Aanandam'' directed by Ganesh Raj which made him a household name. He also appear as the ...
, Indian film actor
*
Anoop Kannan
Anoop Kannan is an Indian film director, producer and distributor who mainly works in Malayalam Cinema.
Early life
Kannan was born in Moovattupuzha, Ernakulam, as the elder son of Kesavan Nair and Vatsala Kumari. He has a brother, Ajeesh.
Car ...
, Indian film director & producer
*
Kalabhavan Abi, Indian film actor
*
Shane Nigam
Shane Nigam is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. Having made his debut with the 2013 road film ''Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi'' (2013), he went to receive wider attention for his performances in various successful drama ...
, Indian film actor
*
Mathew Kuzhalnadan
Mathew Kuzhalnadan (born 28 May 1977) is an Indian lawyer and politician from Kerala and a member of the Indian National Congress. He represents Muvattupuzha constituency in the Kerala Legislative Assembly.
Kuzhalnadan earned his masters from ...
, Indian MLA of Muvattupuzha
Places of worship
Educational organizations
* School of Architecture Mookambika Technical Campus, Eattappilly, Mannathur P.O
* Mookambika College of Pharmacy Eattappilly, Mannathur P.O
* Ilahia College of Engineering and Technology
Transport
KL-17 is the RTO code for Muvattupuzha taluka, including the town. Auto rickshaws are commonly used for small distances. Taxis are also available. The
Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery is away from Muvattupuzha town.
Muvattupuzha is well-connected to the main cities of the state via road. Muvattupuzha is in the center of the midlands region starting from the eastern borders of Kochi city at Kakkanad spreading all the way to Thodupuzha and Vannappuram. The town has very good accessibility through roads. Unfortunately, railways has not yet reached Muvattupuzha. But, Sabari railway will ensure railway connectivity.
Muvattupuzha is a major junction for highways passing through the town. There are nine highways and major roads which join at Muvattupuzha, which include:
* NH 85 (previously NH 49) Kochi–Dhanushkodi passing through Munnar.
*
MC Road towards Angamaly connects the town towards northern part of the state such as Thrissur, Palakkad and Kozhikode
*
MC Road towards Thiruvananthapuram passing through many important towns in
Central Travancore like
Kottayam,
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 ...
.
*
Punalur–Muvattupuzha PM road passing through low ranges (foothills of western ghats) towns like Thodupuzha,
Pala Pala may refer to:
Places
Chad
*Pala, Chad, the capital of the region of Mayo-Kebbi Ouest
Estonia
* Pala, Kose Parish, village in Kose Parish, Harju County
* Pala, Kuusalu Parish, village in Kuusalu Parish, Harju County
*Pala, Järva County, vi ...
,
Ponkunnam
* Muvattupuzha–Vaikom–Alappuzha highway through
Piravom, Peruva,
Thalayolaparambu.
* Muvattupuzha–Theni
SH 43 state highway passing through Chalikkadavu, Randattinkara,
Kalloorkkad
Kallorkkad (കല്ലൂർക്കാട്) is a village in Ernakulam district, in the Indian state of Kerala. Most of its people are either farmers or engaged in small-scale business.
Location
Kalloorkkad is situated in Muvattupuzha talu ...
, Udumbannoor.
*
Palarivattom
Palarivattom (MRC) is a region in the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India.Kochi City
Ke ...
–
Thekkady SH 41 passing through
Kakkanad,
Pattimattom
Pattimattom is a village in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is situated 17 km northwest of Muvattupuzha at the junction of Kolenchery-Perumbavoor Road and SH41 Palarivattom-Muvattupuzha Road.
It is one of the main pa ...
, Muvattupuzha,
Pandappilly,
Arikkuzha, Thodupuzha, Moolamattom,
Vagamon
* Muvattupuzha–
Kaliyar road passing through Kakkadassery,
Pothanikkad
Pothanikkad or Pothanicad is a village in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala.
It's also the first village to achieve 96.00% literacy in India. However, In 2011, literacy rate of Mallappally village was 96.92 % compared to 94.00 % ...
,
Paingottoor,
Vannappuram
Vannappuram is a village in the Idukki district of state Kerala in India . The village is in the highland regions 28 km east of Muvattupuzha Town and lies north of the Kaliyar River.
Demographics
the India census
A census is the pro ...
Economy
Muvattupuzha taluk consists of midlands and highlands with agriculture and small-scale industries as its primary economic base. Muvattupuzha was a part of the Travancore Kingdom. The border check posts of Travancore in Mamala, near Thiruvankulam prevented interconnectivity between Kochi and Muvattupuzha. Muvattupuzha was an important commercial centre and a prominent town until about 1975. The
2011 Census of India
The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...
noted a new, separate, and distinct
urban agglomeration including parts of the Muvattupuzha and Kothamangalam talukas.
Infrastructure
Muvattupuzha is between
Angamaly and
Kottayam on the
Main Central Road, The first and second longest state highways of Kerala, Main Central Road (Angamaly - Thiruvananthapuram / SH-01 / ) and
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 ...
(Muvattupuzha–Punalur / SH-08 / ), meet here. The Muvattupuzha–Theni Highway (SH 43) starts at the Chalikkadavu Bridge and goes through Randattinkara, Kotta, Udumbannoor, Kattappana, Nedumkandam and
Cumbum before ending at
Theni
Theni is a valley town situated in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu at the foothills of Western Ghats. It is the headquarters of the Theni district, located in a distance of 70km from Madurai. It is known for the large-scale trading of garlic, c ...
, which is a shorter route to
Madurai in neighbouring
Tamil Nadu.
A bypass to Thodupuzha Road and MC Road is planned from Kadathi on NH49 via the proposed new bridge at Murikkallu.
Suburbs
Kizhakkekara and Randaattinkara (Randarkara or Randar) lies on the eastern part of the town on the banks of the Muvattupuzha river. About southwards, Muvattupuzha town is covered by a hilly region of above sea level that crosses the Kottayam and
Piravom routes; most of these hills are rubber plantations.
The old Muvattupuzha bridge built over the Muvattupuzha river was the first concrete bridge in Asia, and was completed in 1914.
It serves as the connection between Nehru Park and Kacherithazham.
The nearby
panchayaths mostly have agriculture and small- and medium-scale industries.
Pineapple and
rubber plantations are the common agrarian products. Match box industries, plywood factories, saw mills, paper, plastic and wood carton production are the main industries in this area. KINFRA's Small Industries Park in Nellad is from Muvattupuzha on
SH41.
See also
*
Marady
Marady is a village in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala.
Marady Grama Panchayath office is located in South Marady. Areas near to MC Road is Known as East Marady. Areas which is near to Muvattupuzha town is known as North Marady ...
*
Anikkad
*
Arakuzha
*
Valayanchirangara
Valayanchirangara is a village in the Ernakulam district of Kerala state, India. It is 7 km away from Perumbavoor
Perumbavoor (, Malayalam: പെരുമ്പാവൂർ) is a historic place located at Bank of Periyar (Poo ...
*
Mulavoor
*
Perumpalloor
Perumpalloor is a village 4 km southeast of Muvattupuzha in the Ernakulam, Kerala, India. It is a small area in Arakuzha panchayat of Muvattupuzha taluk in the banks of the Thodupuzha river
Thodupuzha River ( ml, തൊടുപുഴയ ...
References
Sources
Kerala PWDStatehighways in Yahoo Maps#
State Highway list
External links
Official Government page for Muvattupuzha in MalayalamAirapuram Rubber Park Farmers Action CouncilRemaining Date for Muvattupuzha Municipality Election 2020
{{Northern Travancore
Cities and towns in Ernakulam district