Neeloor is an agriculture-oriented rural
village in the
Taluk of
Meenachil,
Kottayam district,
Kerala. The village is situated on the hill sides of Noorumala, Ellumpuram and Perumkunnu which are hills on the borders of Kottayam district and the neighboring
Idukki district. Earlier the place was known as "Kallidapootha".
History
Being a rural village, the entire region is covered by different sorts of farming. The historical backdrop of Neeloor is blurred in the pages of history. At the same time 'Sree Dharma Shasta Temple', Ambalabhagam, 2 km away from Neeloor suggests that the place has hundreds of years old legacy.
The new history begins with the beginning of the 20th century, when people from other areas came to Neeloor and settled here. In 1924 a chapel was established in the name of
Saint Joseph
Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers of ...
and soon a primary school was started here.
Later a parish was established here in the name of
St. Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; Latin: ''Franciscus Xaverius''; Basque: ''Frantzisko Xabierkoa''; French: ''François Xavier''; Spanish: ''Francisco Javier''; Portuguese: ''Francisco Xavier''; 7 April 15063 December 15 ...
in 1925.
The parish now comes under the
catholic diocese of Palai, Kerala. This parish now constitutes over 550 families and 3015 parishners.
In 1959 the primary school was upgraded to Upper Primary School and in 1961 a high school was started. The high school was among the first recognised un-aided schools in Kerala and today it is well known as St. Joseph's English Medium High School and has a long history of 100% pass in SSLC Examinations. Currently a CBSE school is also functioning along with it.
Economy
Neeloor's economy is mainly dependent on agriculture. The major cultivation is
natural rubber. Different crops like
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...
,
pepper
Pepper or peppers may refer to:
Food and spice
* Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant
** Black pepper
* ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae
** Bell pepper
** Chili ...
, coco,
tapioca,
banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
,
ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice
A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...
,
turmeric, etc. are also cultivated here. Cattle, goat and chicken are commonly domesticated here. A unit of
Milma milk producers' society is working here to support the milk production in the region.
Politics
Neeloor is part of the
Kottayam Lok Sabha constituency and
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 ...
Assembly Constituency (Neeloor was part of
Poonjar Assembly Constituency till 2011). Main political parties in Neeloor include
Indian National Congress,
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 ...
,
CPIM and
BJP.
Transportation
People of this area mostly depend on public transportation through road. The nearest railway station is
Kottayam (43 km).
Palai and
Thodupuzha are the nearest towns and one can reach Neeloor easily by bus from these towns. The nearest airport is at
Kochi (67 km) (
Cochin International Airport).
Timeline
* AD 1650 - Neeloor Temple established
* 1925 - Foundation of St.Xaviour's Parish Church
* 1927 - Establishment of St.Joseph Chappel at Neeloor
* 1934 - St.Joseph L.P School established
* 1934 - Construction of St. Benedict Mount Shrine at Ellumpuram
* 1955 - Neeloor Post Office functioned
* 1960 - L.P School upgraded to U.P School and inauguration of Neeloor Service Co-Operative Bank.
* 1962 - Established NSS office at Amabalabhagam
* 1961 - St.Joseph EMHS established
* 1963 - Savio Home-Boy's Hostel founded and Palai-Thodupuzha Bus service started
* 1964 - St.Joseph statue created at Neeloor
* 1966 - Pala to Kattappana Bus Service through Neeloor
* 1972 - Electricity came to Neeloor
* 1984 - Vincent De Paul Society started
* 1987 - Renovation of Parish Cemetery
* 1997 - SNDP Gurumandhiram founded
* 1998 - Inauguration of a 20 shutter building at Neeloor
* 2005 - St. Joseph's Public School started
* 2008 - Akshaya Centre started
[St.Xaviour's Church- Platinum Jubilee Souvenir (2001) p.32-57 Retrieved 27 July 2014.]
Institutions in the village
* St.Joseph English Medium High School, Neeloor
* Neeloor Service Co-Operative Bank
* Neeloor Post Office (Pin-686651)
* St. Joseph's UP School Neeloor
* NSS Karayogam Office
* SNDP Gurumandiram
* Savio Home-Boy's Hostel, Neeloor
* Gorethi Bhavan-Girl's Hostel
* Sacred Heart Convent, Neeloor
* SH Nursery School, Neeloor
* Akshaya e-centre
* Nabard Information Center
* Milma ksheera sahakarana sangham
* St.Joseph Public School Neeloor
* Farmer's Club Neeloor
* Rubber Producers Society
Religious Institutions
* St. Xavier's Church, Neeloor
* St. Joseph Chappel, Neeloor
* Sree Dharma Shasta Temple, Ambalabhagam, Neeloor
* St. Benedict Mount Shrine, Ellumpuram
Nearest towns and villages
*
Palai 7 km*
Thodupuzha 8 km*
Kollappally km*
Muttom km*
Mattathippara km* Karimkunnam
1 km*
Erattupetta 8 km*
Bharananganam 8 km
References
{{coord missing, Kerala
Villages in Kottayam district