Kattappana is a municipal town in the Sahyadri (or Western Ghats) of

Kerala state 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 Can ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. It is the main urban centre in the high ranges of Idukki district, situated about from sea level. It is the second city to became a municipality in Idukki District. It is a major commercial town and flourished with the boost in production of agriculture and spices.

Municipal administration

Previously, Kattappana was included in the Udumbanchola tehsil (taluk) of Idukki district and was later included in the newly formed Idukki tehsil (taluk). It was officially declared as municipality by the state government on 1 November 2015. It became the second municipality in the district, while

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 f ...

became the first. The first municipal chairman was Mr. Johny Kulampallil and the current municipal chairperson is Ms Shyni Sunny Cherian. It is one of the more important commercial centre in the high ranges and was on a fast track in terms of development and infrastructure building. However, it was the development of the Kottayam–Kattappana road and the Puliyanmala–Thodupuzha State highway that turned the town into a commercial centre. It was the agriculture sector that played a pivotal role in economically uplifting the town. The Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information & Broadcasting, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu presented the Swachhata Certificate to then Chairman of Kattappana Municipality Shri Johny Kulampally on becoming the Open Defecation Free Municipality in Kerala, in Kochi on October 18, 2016. For administrative convenience, the municipality is divided into 34 wards.

Demographics

As of 2011 Census, Kattappana had a population of 42,646, with 21,159 males and 21,487 females. Kattappana has an area of with 10,419 families residing in it. Kattappana had an average literacy of 95.25% higher than the state average of 94%. People migrated to this place mainly during 1950s from Central Travancore. The migrations were majorly from Palai, Chenganassery and Kanjirapally taluks of Kottayam district and Pathanamthitta. Descendants of earlier inhabitants, the tribals of the forest, can still be seen. The Mannan tribe is now concentrated around Kovilmala, near Kanchiyar.

Agriculture

Kattappana is the center for spices trade and the primary producer of

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera '' Elettaria'' and '' Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They ar ...

and

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in dia ...

. The main occupation of people of Kattappana is agriculture. A specific type Njallani high yielding variety of cardamom, was developed in Kattappana. It is also the centre of production and marketing of

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter an ...

and

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...

. There are also several reputed tea plantations (Tata Tea, A V Thomas & Co, Malayalam Plantations, Kannan Devan etc.) in adjoining areas of the district. '' Spices Board'' (erstwhile Cardamom Board under Government of India) has an office in Kattappana. A Spices Park is established at Puttadi near Kattappana. Cardamom Research Institute is situated at Pampadumpara. Njallani high yielding variety of cardamom was developed by Sebastian Joseph Njallani from Kattappana.

Climate

The climate of Kattappana falls under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

. The place normally experiences a moderate climate. The humidity rises from the month of March to April and mid May. The average annual temperature here is 23 °C. The months of June, July, August and October receives significant amount of rainfall. November and December are the coldest months in the year.

Notable people

* Shaji Chen - Tamil, Malayalam writer and Tamil film actor

Healthcare

St. John's Hospital, managed by the Hospitaller Brothers of St. John of God, is a leading health institution in Kattappana.An institution named St. John College of Nursing is attached to the hospital

Transportation

Kattappana has a well established road system to other districts as well as to nearby state Tamil Nadu. Recently one new National highway 185 announced to Idukki district, through Adimali-Cheruthoni-Kattappana-Kumily.

Distances to Nearby Towns

*Nedumkandam - - 18 km,
*Kumily - - 26.8 km,
*Kottayam - - 100.2 km,
*Cumbum - - 31.2 km,
*Palai - - 73.8 km,
*Thodupuzha - - 85.8 km,
*Changanasherry - - 112 km,
*Theni - - 68.8 km,

Major Roads Connecting Kattappana

* * *

References

External links

Tourist Map of Idukki District

Idukki District Administration
{{Northern Travancore Cities and towns in Idukki district