Kuthiathode is a gram panchayat in

Alappuzha district Alappuzha district (), is one of the 14 Districts of Kerala, districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It was formed as Alleppey district on 17 August 1957, the name of the district being changed to ''Alapp ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

. It is only 20 minutes from

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

city.

Geography

The Kuthiathode or river stream, was once the major waterway for transporting goods to the local market from

via the Vembanad lake.

History

The name Kuthiathode comes from Kuthia (dug)+ thode (canal) means a dug-canal. The Panchayat has a

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...

memorial inside its office dedicated to Mahathma Gandhi who visited this place during the Pre-Independence period.

Demographics

India

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, Kuthiathode had a population of 22,880 with 11,098 males and 11,782 females. The population consists of

Ezhavas The Ezhavas, () also known as ''Thiyya'' or ''Tiyyar'' () in the Malabar region, and Chovar () in the south, are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the p ...

, Nairs, Nampoothiris, Gouda Saraswat Brahmins,

Tamil Brahmins Tamil Brahmins are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil language, Tamil-speaking Hindus, Hindu Brahmins, predominantly living in Tamil Nadu, though they number significantly in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana in addition to othe ...

, Pulayas, Kudumbis,

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, and

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

living harmoniously together.

Administration

Kuthiathode is under the Pattanakkad development block. Kuthiathode, Vallethode, Parayakad, Nallukulanagara, Pallithode, Chapakadavu, Tirumalabhagom, Thazhuppu, Thuravoor North, and Valamangalam North are the local areas under the panchayat. The panchayat office has a library and a community hall. The Kuthiathode village office, Krishi Bhavan office, government veterinary clinic, excise range office, BSNL telephone exchange and sub-treasury are also located in Kuthiathode. Kuthiathode is within the

Aroor Aroor is a fishing village on the northernmost part of the Alappuzha district, within Cherthala, Cherthala taluk of Kerala, India. It lies on either sides of National Highway 66 (India), National Highway 66 and serves as a gateway between Koc ...

state assembly constituency.

Schools

* Govt.West UP School,Thuravoor * Government Primary School, Tirumalabhagam * Government Upper Primary School, Parayakadu * St. Sebastian High School, Pallithode * St. Thomas Lower Primary School, Pallithode * Spring of Arts Academy,Kuthiathode.(Study center of Music & Arts) * T.D. Higher Secondary School * V V H S S Kodamthuruth

Transportation

The village is well connected to the nearest towns by NH-47, Thuravoor-

Ezhupunna Ezhupunna is a village in the taluk of Cherthala in Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala. It lies between Alappuzha and Kochi, India, Kochi, near National Highway 66 (India), National Highway 66. There is also a railway station, wh ...

road and the Pallithode-

Chellanam Chellanam is a village and a suburb of Kochi city in the Indian state of Kerala. History Chellanam formed the southern border of the pre-colonial Kingdom of Cochin. In 1510, Goa was captured by the Portuguese general Alfonso Albuquerque fr ...

beach road. The Alapuzha-

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...

Railway has a crossing station at Thuravoor.

Economy

The local market on both sides of the river was a major commercial hub around the locality. Even now, the market exists with a few wholesale traders selling vegetables and other provisions. The vast agricultural lands on the western side, or the Thuravoor Kari, where large-scale paddy cultivation and shrimp farming are done annually and serve as the seasonal livelihood for many of them. A large number of shrimp peeling sheds operating in this panchayat provide large-scale employment.

Industrial Units

* Steel and Heavy Industries Kerala Ltd. * Higasimaru Feeds * Veepack Industries

Tourism

The landscape of paddy fields on both sides of the Pallithode-Chavady road is really splendid. One can enjoy the evening panoramic view of Chinese fishing nets across the Pallithode backwaters from the Pallithode bridge. A small backwater lake at Tazzupu connects Kuthiathode with Valiathode.During

Onam Onam () is an annual harvest and Hindus, Hindu cultural festival celebrated mostly by the people of Kerala. A major annual event for Malayalis, Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events. H ...

boat racing is held in Tazzupu backwaters and attracts many seasonal tourists.

Religious buildings

Hindu temples

* Pattukulangara Devi Temple * Amedathu kavu Devi temple * Nalukulangara Devi Temple * Nalikattu Subramanian Temple * Kuthiathode Dharma Sastha temple * Thirumala Devasom - Sree Lakshmi Narasimha Temple * Thirumala Devasom - Arthikulangara Devi Temple * Thuravoor Thirumala Bhagom Sree Mahadeva Temple * Pallithode Helapuram Devi Temple * Pallithode Sree Krishnaswamy Temple

Mosques

* Rahmathul Islam Masjid, near KP Junction * Ponnpuram Jamat Masjid- Chavady * Masjid-Ul-Ansar - near North Railway cross * Salafi Masjid, near petrol pump * Thuravoor Jumua Masjid, near NCC Junction * Kuthiathode Juma Masjid & Darul Uloom Madrasa

Churches

* Kodamthuruthu Fathima Matha Church * St. Joseph Church, Kuthiathode * St. Sebastein Church, Nalukulangara * St. Monica's Church, Mariapuram, near railway station * St. Sebastian Church, Pallithode * St. Antony's Church, Chappakadavu

References

{{Alappuzha district Villages in Alappuzha district