Vazhakulam is a village in Muvattupuzha Talukis in

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 ...

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 States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. This town is known as ''Pineapple City'' due to its large-scale

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

farms. Another village named

Vazhakulam Vazhakulam is a village in Muvattupuzha Talukis in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. This town is known as ''Pineapple City'' due to its large-scale pineapple farms. Another village named Vazhakulam, is located in Aluva. ...

, is located in

Aluva Aluva (; also known by its former name Alwaye) is a town in the Ernakulam District in Kerala, India. It is a part of the Kochi metropolitan area and is situated around from the city center on the banks of Periyar River. A major transpor ...

Economy

The town is the largest

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

n pineapple market.

Kerala Agricultural University Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) is a State university (India), state university for agricultural education, recognised as a Agricultural Universities (India), State Agricultural University (SAU) by the Indian Council of Agricultural Resea ...

established a Pineapple Research Station at Vazhakulam in 1995. The pineapples cultivated there have achieved a

geographic indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...

. Vazhakulam pineapples are marketed as

GI tag A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...

ged products. Rice used to be the main crop of this area in the 1960s and 1970s, but the advent of rubber cultivation turned many rice fields and estates into rubber plantations.

Demographics

The population of this area largely consists of Syrian Catholic Christians. Many Hindu families have made this place their home.(?)

Educational institutions

* Viswajyothi College of Engineering and Technology, Vazhakulam * St. George College, Vazhakulam * Chavara International Academy, Vazhakulam * Carmel CMI Public School, Vazhakulam *Infant Jesus High School, Vazhakulam *St. Little Theresas High School, Vazhakulam *St. George's TTI, Vazhakulam *St. Reetha's L.P. School, Theakkumala *St. Thomas School, Vengachuvadu *The Bethlehem International Vazhakulam *Vimalamatha High School Kadalikkad *St. Sebastian's HS, Memadangu *Govt. L P School, Neerampuzha *Govt. L P School, Maniyantharam

Hospitals

*St. George's Hospital Vazhakulam *Govt. Hospital Vazhakulam

Churches

* St. George Syro-Malabar Catholic Forane Church * Carmel Monastery * Holy Family Church Bethleham *

Zion Gospel Church & Ministries Zion ( he, צִיּוֹן ''Ṣīyyōn'', LXX , also variously transliterated ''Sion'', ''Tzion'', ''Tsion'', ''Tsiyyon'') is a placename in the Hebrew Bible used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole (see Name ...

*St Sebastians church,Arikuzha

Temple

Among the famous Hindu temples in this area are the Lord Subramanya temple, Vallikkada Bhagavathi temple and Pudussery Kalari Bhagavathi temple.*Pallikkapparambu siva temple Other nearby temples include Sree Dharma Sastha Temple in Mangalloor and Bhagavathi Temple in Kalloorkad.

Banks

Canara Bank Canara Bank is an Indian public sector bank under the control and ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. Established in 1906 at Mangalore by Ammembal Subba Rao Pai, the bank also has offices in London, Dubai and New York. Hist ...

Federal Bank Federal Bank Limited is an Indian private sector bank headquartered in Aluva, Kochi, Kerala. The bank has 1,336 branches spread across different states in India. It also has representative offices abroad in Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and ...

State Bank Of India State Bank of India (SBI) is an Indian multinational public sector bank and financial services statutory body headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. SBI is the 49th largest bank in the world by total assets and ranked 221st in the ''Fortune ...

South Indian Bank South Indian Bank Limited (SIB) is a major private sector bank headquartered at Thrissur in Kerala, India. South Indian Bank has 933 branches, 4 service branches, 1 extension counters and 18 Regional Offices spread across India. The bank has al ...

Kerala Gramin Bank Kerala Gramin Bank (KGB) is a Regional Rural Bank (RRB), headquartered at Malappuram in Kerala, India. The bank is jointly owned by Central and State Governments & sponsored by Canara Bank. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Finance , ...

*Service Co-operative bank No:751

Sports

* Volleyball - Vazhakulam has a great volleyball culture. This town contributed many good players to the Indian volleyball. All the volleyball interests in this town is related to St. George's Volley Ball Club. * Basketball - Carmel cmi public school indoor stadium provides basketball facilities and nourishing the young talents.

Geography

Vazhakulam lies east of the town of

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 ...

on the Muvattupuzha -

Thodupuzha Thodupuzha (തൊടുപുഴ) is a municipal town located in Idukki district, Kerala, India, that covers an area of . It lies on the banks of Thodupuzha river, which merges with the Kaliyar and Kothamangalam rivers at Muvattupuzha to for ...

road. Nearby towns include: * Kavana * Memadangu * Kadalikkad * Madakkathanam * Manjalloor *

Kalloorkad 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 ...

* Nadukkara * Avoly *

Anikkad Anikkad is a village in Ernakulam district in the state of Kerala, India. It is located near the Muvattupuzha town in Avoly Panchayat. Location Anicadu is situated in Muvattupuzha taluk of Kerala State, in Main Eastern Highway in between Muv ...

-Anicadu * Vadakode * Thekkummala * Bethlehem * Mullappuzhachal

Notables

* K. M. George, 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 ...

References

{{Suburbs of Kochi Cities and towns in Ernakulam district Suburbs of Kochi