State: Kerala

District: Kollam

Main languages: Malayalam

 

History:

 

The town of Kottarakkara is located in the district of Kollam, which was formerly known as Quilon, in Kerala. The town is about 72 km to the north of the State Capital, Thiruvananthapuram. The area had also served as the seat of residence for the King. It also means "the land of the palaces" with Kottaram meaning Palace and Kara means Land. The last ruling family of region was The 'Elayidath Swaroopam', a branch of the Travancore Royal family. King Marthanda Varma defeated the last queen of the area, who was also a distant cousin of his, in the 18th century. The queen had fled to Cochin and sought asylum with her allies, the Dutch and was also pensioned by them. During the invasion of Tipu Sultan a Royal family from North Malabar was settled in Kottarakara by Dharma Raja.

 

Geography:

 

The soil in the area is apt for agriculture which is also one of the major reasons for agriculture being the main source of income here. 

 

Economy: 

 

The Kottarakkara region is primarily agrarian but it also has substantially acquired urban characteristics. The commercial activities in the area were centered on two junctions namely Pulamon Junction and the Market Junction. But the town has developed a lot over the past few years.

 

Demographics:

 

Kottarakara Taluk has a population of 5.77 lakhs as per the 2001 census. 

 

Education:

 

Various educational institutions are located in these areas which are known for their excellent standards of education. These include the 'St. Gregorious College' and the 'Engineering College'. There are various other engineering colleges emerging in the area.

 

Culture:

 

The area is the centre of various kinds of classical forms of dance and music. The classical dance Kathakali had been conceived in this area. This dance had been developed by Kottarakkara Thampuran, the King of Kottarakkara, as he was in competition with Krishnanattam, which had its origin in Kottayam. Various popular Malayalam novelists also hail from this region. 

 

 

Tourism:

 

The town of Kottarakkara is a famous pilgrim centre for the Hindus and is also the home to the famous Ganapati Temple, which is believed to have a sculptured idol by Perumthachan from the root of the jack tree. The Ganapati temple is famous for its 'Unniappom'. There are lots of churches in the area, which are mainly of the 'Malankara Orthodox Church '. There are many nearby places that one can visit here like Karikom, Thrikkannamangal, Perumkulam, etc. The district itself has some heavy tourist traffic through out the year. There are also various festivals held here like Crafts Festival in December ¨C January, the Kerala Tourism Boat Races in January, Kollam Pooram in April and Ashtami Rohini in August ¨C September. Sree Mahaganapathy Kshethram here is one of the old and famous pilgrim centers in South India. 

 

Transportation:

 

The nearest railway station from Kottarakkara is located about 27 km away. The city is also well connected to by roads to the southern cities. The nearest airport is the Thiruvananthapuram airport.

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