Pala () is a town and a municipality in
Kottayam district of
Kerala, India. It is the headquarters of the
Meenachil taluk and the Pala Revenue Division.
Pala is situated on the banks of the
Meenachil river
The Meenachil River or Meenachilaar (Malayalam: ), also known as Kavanar, Valanjar, is a river in Kerala. It is one of the most treacherous rivers in Kerala due to its flash floods, heavy undercurrents and woods and debris it carries from the m ...
. It is one of the main gateways to the southern high ranges of the
Western Ghats.
Demographics
Indian
census, Pala had a population of 22,640. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Pala has an average literacy rate of 98%, higher than the national average of 73%: male literacy is 98.5%, and female literacy is 97.8%, still much higher than the state average. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. Christians make up 65.09% of the population, Hindus 34.19%, Muslims 0.00%, Jain 0.00%, other religions 0.05% and 0.15% not stated.
Cuisine of Pala
Appams, kallappams, or vellayappams are rice flour pancakes that have soft, thick white spongy centres and crisp, lace-like edges.
[Marks, Gil (2010), Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, John Wiley and sons]
Beef ularthiyathu is a beef dish cooked with a variety of Indian spices. Other dishes include ''Peralan'' (chicken stir-fries), ''Meat Thoran'' (dry curry with shredded coconut),
sardine and
duck curries, and
meen molee (spicy stewed fish).
Sports
The Municipal Stadium is the centre of sports in Pala. The multipurpose stadium can be used for conducting
athletic events and
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
. The stadium also has a synthetic track and a football
turf. There is also an indoor swimming pool in the sports complex.
The 61st Kerala State Schools Athletics Championships was held at the stadium in 2017. At least 2500 students from 100 schools attended the sports meet. The 63rd Kerala State Athletics Championship was also held at the stadium in the month of October, 2019.
See also
*
Bharananganam
*
Cherpunkal
Cherpunkal is a small town in the Kottayam district of Kerala State in India on the Kottayam-Palai Road, seven kilometers from Palai city.
Cherpunkal is famous for Mar Sleeva Forane Catholic Church, believed to have been established by Thoma ...
*
List of people from Pala
Notable people from Palai include:
Politicians
* K. R. Narayanan, President of India (1997–2002), Vice-President of India (1992–97).
* Jose K. Mani Member of Indian Parliament - Lok Sabha (2010-Continuing).
* N M Joseph, Minister of Fo ...
*
Meenachil
*
Meenachil River
The Meenachil River or Meenachilaar (Malayalam: ), also known as Kavanar, Valanjar, is a river in Kerala. It is one of the most treacherous rivers in Kerala due to its flash floods, heavy undercurrents and woods and debris it carries from the m ...
*
Pala (State Assembly constituency)
*
Ullanadu
Ullanadu is a village located in Bharananganam panchayat, Pala , Kottayam district in the Indian state of Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the Stat ...
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2001
All articles containing potentially dated statements
Cities and towns in Kottayam district
Tourist attractions in Kottayam district