Nellikuzhi "THE FURNITURE VILLAGE OF KERALA" is a

Grama panchayat Gram Panchayat () is a basic village-governing institute in Indian villages. It is a democratic structure at the grass-roots level in India. It is a political institute, acting as cabinet of the village. The Gram Sabha work as the general bod ...

Kothamangalam Kothamangalam, , is a municipality in Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. The town is in the foothills of the Western Ghats, and is a part of the Idukki Lok Sabha constituency. The town serves as the headquarters of a taluk and a municipality ...

Taluk,

Ernakulam district Ernakulam, ; ISO: ''Eṟaṇākuḷaṁ'', in Malayalam: എറണാകുളം), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, that takes its name from the eponymous city division in Kochi. It is situated in the central part o ...

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 on the Aluva-Munnar State Highway. Nellikuzhi is famous for its furniture business. There are hundreds of furniture showrooms and thousands of production units. Nellikuzhi caters the main demand of hardwood furniture in South India. It covers an area of , and is a suburban area of Kothamangalam town, situated 3.5 km away.

Muvattupuzha 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 poin ...

and

Perumbavoor Perumbavoor (, Malayalam: പെരുമ്പാവൂർ) is a historic place located at Bank of Periyar (Poorna River) in Ernakulam District in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a part of the Kochi metropolitan area It lies in the n ...

towns are situated 15 km away from Nellikuzhy. Nellikuzhi is the hometown of Sri T. M. Meethian, Ex-MLA of Kothamangalam, a

mediator Mediator may refer to: *A person who engages in mediation *Business mediator, a mediator in business * Vanishing mediator, a philosophical concept * Mediator variable, in statistics Chemistry and biology *Mediator (coactivator), a multiprotein ...

in Kothamangalam Taluk.

Demographics

As of 2001, its total population was 29,593, for a density of . There were 14,932 males and 14,661 females. The literacy rate was 86.61%.

History

The first Iramalloor Village unit was formed in 1946, covering the Panchayat area as part of old Travancore under Muvattupuzha Taluk before formation of Travancore-Cochin state in 1949. Nellikuzhi Panchayat was formed in 1953 and was divided into two villages in 1988 as Iramalloor and

Thrikkariyoor Thrikariyoor is a village in Nellikuzhi panchayath in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. Thrikkariyoor Mahadeva Temple is nearby. Demographics India census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and ...

. According to the available historical evidence, Kothamangalam was a place of prominence during the rule of the First Chera Dynasty, the dynasty that ruled Kothamangalam from around 300 BC to the first millennium. Cheras was also known as Kothai. The capital of the Chera kingdom was

Karur Karur () is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Karur is the administrative headquarters of Karur district. It is located on the banks of River Amaravathi, Kaveri and Noyyal. Karur is well known for the export of Home Textile products to ...

. This led historians such as Professor Joseph Mundasseri and Kanakasabhato to claim that Thrikkariyoor, a village 3 km north of Kothamangalam, could have been the ancient capital of Cheras. However, this claim did not receive wide support. It is believed that until the 8th century followers of Lord

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

lived in Nellikuzhi area. There was an old rajapatha (road) between Thrikkariyoor and Thrikkakara called Pezhakkapilli road in the olden days.

Economy

Nellikuzhi is a prominent furniture market in Central Kerala, attracting workers from across India. It is an important educational centre in Kerala, too.

Educational institutions

Nellikuzhi Grama Panchayat hosts several professional institutions, including an engineering college, dental college, and ayurveda college. * Indira Gandhi Engineering College * Indira Gandhi College of Arts and Sciences * Indira Gandhi Dental College * Indira Gandhi Training College B.Ed. * Indira Gandhi Training Institute T.T.C * Nangelil Ayurveda Medical College * Mar Baselios Dental College * Mar Baselios College of Nursing * Green Valley Public School * Nellikuzhi Govt. High School * Al-Amal Public School * Blossom international Residential school *GHSS CHERUVATTOOR *GUPS KUTTILAHNJI *NECT PUBLIC SCHOOL *

References

* {{coord, 10, 05, N, 76, 35, E, display=title, region:IN_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Villages in Ernakulam district