Vechoor is a village in

Vaikom Vaikom, , is a municipal town and a capital town of Vaikom Taluk, situated in the northwest of Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. The town is also noted for its role in the Indian independence movement for being the venue of Vaikom ...

taluk A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

Kottayam district Kottayam (), is one of 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettumanoor, and Vaikom. It is the only district in Kerala that neither borders the A ...

in the 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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Vechoor is a short drive away from one of

's tourist destinations,

Kumarakom Kumarakom is a popular tourism destination located near the city of Kottayam (), in Kerala, India, famous for its backwater tourism. It is set in the backdrop of the Vembanad Lake, the largest lake in the state of Kerala. History Kuma ...

. The

Vechur Cow The Vechur Cow ( ml, വെച്ചൂര്‍ പശു ) is a rare breed of ''Bos indicus'' cattle named after the village Vechoor in Vaikom Taluk, Kottayam district of the state of Kerala in India. With an average length of 124 cm ( ...

breed of

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

is named after this village.

Geography

Vechoor village covers a total area of 2,913 hectares. Vechoor is bordered by Vembanattu lake on the west and Kaipuzha river on south. Thanneermukkom Bund starts from Vechoor. The eastern part of Vechoor is majorly covered by paddy fields. There are many natural and man made canals in Vechoor which were used for water transport and irrigation.

Transport links

Until 1985, road connectivity to Vechoor was limited and bus services from Vaikom used to stop at Vechoor. A road bridge alongside Thanneermukkom Bund connected Vechoor to Alleppey district in 1985. In 2003, Vechoor got connected directly to Kottayam via Kumarakom. Renovation of Kallara - Vechoor road added further connectivity. Vechoor is about 10 km from both the towns

and

Cherthala Cherthala, , (formerly Shertalai, Shertallai or Shertallay) is a Municipal town and a Taluk located at National highway 66 in the district of Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, India. Cherthala is the satellite town and industrial hub of Al ...

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south- ...

and Alappuzha are about 20 kilometres away. There are regular bus services to all the towns. Bundroad junction is a major junction in the village where Vaikom - Vechoor road meets road to Cherthala. Kaippuzhamuttu is a bus hub where many bus services terminate. A mega infrastructure road project is being planned through vechoor connecting Cherthala to Manarcaud

Water transport

Swamikkallu boat jetty on western coast of Vechoor used to have regular services connecting Ernakulam,

, Thanneermukkom, Mannanam and

. Also hand rowed boats were regularly used for transport of goods till end of the 20th century. However the improvement of road transport reduced the importance of inland water transport. The boat jetty is now a hub for tourist houseboats.

Railway station

The nearest railway station is

on the Ernakulam-Kayamkulam coastal line which is 12 kilometers away.

Cochin International Airport Cochin International Airport is an International airport serving the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. Located at Nedumbassery, about northeast of the city centre, Cochin International Airport is first of its kind which is develo ...

is 70 km away.

Education institutions

* Government Devivilasam Higher secondary school * St. Michael's Higher secondary school * Govt. Highschool Vechoor (known as Perumana school) * St. Mary's Lower Primary School * St George Lower Primary School * Hindi Premi Mandal of Dakshin Bharath Hindi Prachar Sabha (closed down) N.S.S High school Vechoor is not located in Vechoor despite the name.

Religious institutions

* St. Mary's Church (Vechoor Palli) * Govindhapuram Sreekrishna Swami temple * Sasthakkulam Devi Temple * Poonkavu Devi Temple * Ansarul Islam Juma Masjid Achinakom * Cherakulangara Devi Temple * Idayazham Subramanya Swami Temple * Muchoorkkavu Temple * Vaikundapuram Sreekrishna Temple

Notable personalities

* Vechoor Harihara Subramania Iyer, a Karnatic singer *

Harikrishnan Harikrishnan S. is an Indian actor and a classical dancer who appears in Malayalam cinema.Kathakali Singer aikom Brothers* Vaikom Purushothaman Nair, Famous Kathakali Singer aikom Brothers* C. K. Asha, Member of Kerala Legislative Assembly * Dalit Bandhu N. K. Jose: Historian known for his studies in

Dalit Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming ...

and Christian history.

Demographics

As per 2011 census, Vechoor had a population of 17041 with 8,315 males and 8,726 females. In 2001, Vechoor had a population of 16,830 with 8,305 males and 8,525 females. After 2010, several migrant workers arrived in Vechoor particularly from

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

and

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

References

Villages in Kottayam district {{Kottayam-geo-stub