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Nileshwaram or Nileshwar or Neeleswaram is a municipality and a major town in Kasaragod District, state of Kerala, India. It is one of the three municipalities in Kasaragod district; the others are
Kasaragod Kasaragod () is a municipal town and administrative headquarters of Kasaragod district in the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1966, Kasaragod was the first municipal town in the district. It is the northernmost district of Kerala and ...
and Kanhangad. Nileshwaram is located on the estuary of
Kavvayi Backwaters Kavvayi Backwaters located near Payyanur is the third largest backwater in Kerala and the largest one in north Kerala. The Kavvayi Kayal (backwaters) is dotted with several small and large islands. Valiyaparamba island is the largest among th ...
and Neeleshwaram River (also known as Thejaswini River). Nileshwar is referred to as the cultural capital of Kasaragod, the northernmost district, of Kerala. "The first Chief Minister of Kerala and communist leader
E. M. S. Namboodiripad Elamkulam Manakkal Sankaran Namboodiripad (13 June 1909 – 19 March 1998), popularly known as EMS, was an Indian communist politician and theorist, who served as the first Chief Minister of Kerala in 1957–1959 and then again in 1967–1969. A ...
had contested elections to the Assembly from the Neeleswaram segment."


History

Neeleswaram, or Nileswaram, is the abbreviated form of Neelakanta Ishwaran. The   Kolathiri  Dominion  emerged  into  independent 10 principalities in the late medieval period, i.e., Kadathanadu ( Vadakara), Randathara or Poyanad (
Dharmadom Dharmadom or Dharmadam is a census town in Thalassery taluk of Kannur district in the state of Kerala, India. This town is located in between Anjarakandi River and Ummanchira river, and Palayad town and Arabian sea. It is known for the 100-yea ...
), Kottayam ( Thalassery), Nileshwaram, Iruvazhinadu (
Panoor Panoor is a Municipality in the district of Kannur in the state of Kerala, India. The town is the main market place for the farmer communities in the surrounding regions. Panoor is one of the main suburbs of the City of Thalassery. Panoor got mu ...
), Kurumbranad etc., under separate royal chieftains due to the outcome of internal dissensions. Many portions of the present-day Hosdurg taluk (Kanhangad) and
Vellarikundu Vellarikundu is a town and taluk headquarters in the Hill range of Kasaragod District in the state of Kerala. Vellarikundu is located between Odayanchal and Chittarikkal on Odayanchal- Cherupuzha Road. Transportation Vellarikundu is able to conn ...
were parts of the Nileshwaram dynasty, who were relatives to both Kolathunadu as well as Zamorin of Calicut, in the early medieval period. Nileshwaram was historically the  seat of the Neeleswaram Rajahs, who belonged to the clans of the Kolathiri and
Zamorins The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited b ...
. The Nileshwar Rajahs and the Bednore Nayaks battled in this area. The grand finale of the annual temple festival season takes place in this area, which is known for its "
kavu Kāvû is the traditional name given for sacred groves across the Malabar Coast in Kerala, South India. Kavus are notable for Theyyam, the centuries-old ritual dance. Snake Groves A Sarpa Kavu (meaning ''Abode of Snakes'') is a traditional n ...
s", or sacred groves. The most famous of the sacred groves is the Mannampurathu Kavu. The town is also known for Theyyam, the ritualistic art forms. Also Nileshwar is the first town in Kerala famous for cultivating 'Chengthengu' (red dwarf coconut). In 1918, the Rajah's High School was established, it was one of the first north Kerala schools of its kind. The school retains a letter written to the students by Mahatma Gandhi on his way in 1928 to Mangalore. It was part of a broad appeal for people to rally behind the national movement.


Administration

Nileshwar Municipality and surrounding Panchayats are administered by Nileshwar Block Panchayat. Nileshwaram is politically a part of Thrikaripur Assembly constituency under Kasaragod Loksabha constituency.


Municipal Wards

Nileshwar Municipality is composed of following 32 wards:


Religion

Most of the people are
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
s, followed by Christians and Muslims. To a lesser extent, there are Jain and
Buddhists Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
. The name Nileshwaram is derived from the name of a temple Thaliyil Siva Temple (Neelakanteshwaran), and the culture of the town is based in large part by its temples, like Thaliyil Siva Temple, Mannam Purath Kaavu, Shri Gopalakrishna Temple and Vaikunda Temple.


Transportation

Nileshwar Town is between Kochi and Mumbai on the National Highway. Private and KSRTC buses provide routes to many cities like
Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...
, Calicut, Mangalore, Mysore and Bangalore. There are rail services at
Nileshwar railway station Nileshwar railway station ''(code: NLE)'' is a major railway station serving the town of Nileshwar in the Kasaragod District of Kerala. It lies in the Shoranur–Mangalore section of the Southern Railways. The station has two platforms and six ...
. There are airports at Mangalore to the north and Kannur to the south.


See also

* Kanhangad


References


Further reading

* * * {{North Malabar Nileshwaram area Cities and towns in Kasaragod district