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Palakkad
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Palakkad- The Palakkad district with its headquarters at Palakkadu town is the seat of cultural growth and activities in Kerala. Bound by Tamil Nadu, Mallapuram and Thrissur, the district is very influenced by the Tamil language and culture. The district is rich in Carnatic music exponents and conducts various cultural exchanges with the rest of the country.
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| Palakkad lies in the eastern part of the state of Kerala. It is a district abundant in natural beauty and thus is a center of attraction for the tourists. Palakkad is situated within the latitudes stretching from 10° 21' to11° 14' north and longitudes stretching from 76° 02' to 76° 45' east. The total population of the district according to the census of 2001 is 26,17,072. The number of male is 12,65,794 where as the number of female is 13,51,278. The area of Palakkad district is 4,480 sq km. Rice is produced in an abundant quantity in Palakkad. Cotton, ragi, pepper, sugarcane and others are also produced here.
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The places of interest are:
| Kanjirapuzha |
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Kanjirapuzha Dam: This dam feeds almost half the agricultural land of the district. It supplies water to such places as Mannarkkad, Ottappalam and Shoranur, and is the biggest dam built with soil in Kerala. There is a garden in front of the dam.
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| Malampuzha Dam |
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Malampuzha Dam is the largest reservoir in Kerala, located near Palakkad in south India with the scenic hills of the Western Ghats in the background. It is a combination of a masonry dam with a length of 1,849 metres and an earthen dam with a length of 220 metres.[1] The dam is 6,066 feet high and crosses the Malampuzha River, a tributary of Bharathappuzha , Kerala's second longest river. There is a network of two canal systems that serve the dam's reservoir of 42,090 hectares.
The dam project was begun in 1949 and completed in 1955. The total catchments area is 145 square kilometres, while the reservoir has a capacity of 8000 square meters of water. The canal systems serve to irrigate farm land while the reservoir provides drinking water to Palakkad and surrounding villages.
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| Jain Temple of Jainmedu |
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Jain Temple of Jainimedu - Situated on the western border of Palakkad town and not far from the railway station, this is an historic Jain Temple. The area around the temple is known as Jainimedu. This is one of the few places in Kerala where vestiges of Jainism have survived without substantial damage. The granite walls are devoid of decoration. The temple, 32 feet (9.8 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) wide, consists of four divisions with images of Jain Thirthankaras and Yakshinis in three of them. Kumaran Asan wrote his monumental poem Veena Poovu (the fallen flower) at a Jain house here during his brief stay with his master Sri. Narayana Guru.
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| Palakkad Fort |
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Palakkad Fort (Tipu's Fort) is an old granite fort situated in the heart of Palakkad town (Palghaut) of Kerala state, southern India. It was built by Haider Ali in 1766 and remains one of the best preserved forts in Kerala. The Palakkad Fort is said to have existed from very ancient times it was made in 1766 a.d, but little is known of its early history. The local ruler, Palakkad Achchan, was originally a tributary of the Zamorin, but had become independent before the beginning of the eighteenth century. In 1757 he sent a deputation to Haider Ali seeking help against an invasion threatened by the Zamorin. Haider Ali seized upon the opportunity to gain possession of a strategically important location such as Palghat, and from that time until 1790 the fort was continually in the hands of the Mysore Sultans or the British. It was first taken by the latter in 1768 when Colonel Wood captured it during his raid on Haider Alis's fortresses, but it was retaken by Haider a few months later. It was recaptured by Colonel Fullarton in 1783, after a siege that lasted eleven days but was abandoned the following year. It later fell into the hands of the Zamorin’s troops. In 1790 it was finally captured by the British under Colonel Stuart. It was renovated and was used as a base for operations that ended with the storming of Srirangapatnam. The fort continued to be garrisoned until the middle of 19th century. In the early 1900s it was converted into a taluk office.The fort is also known as Tipu's Fort (after Tipu Sultan, the son of Hyder Ali).
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| Parambikulam |
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Parambikulam is located in the Palakkad district of Kerala state, south India. Established in 1973, the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is in the Sungam range of hills, sprawling over 285 km˛. It is at a distance of 135 km from Palakkad town and is situated adjacent to the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. The Western Ghats, Anamala Hills Sub-Cluster, including all of Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary has been considered for selection as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Besides being an abode of elephants, wild boar, sambar, gaur, crocodiles and a few tigers and panthers, Parambikulam has a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Trekking in the forest is allowed with prior permission. Boating is available at the reservoir.
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| Silent Valley National Park |
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Silent Valley National Park (Core zone: 236.74 square kilometres (91 sq mi)) is located in the Nilgiri Hills, Coimbatore - Palakkad District in Kerala, South India. The area in this national park was historically explored in 1847 by the botanist Robert Wight,[1] and is associated with Hindu legend.
The park is one of the last undisturbed tracts of South Western Ghats montane rain forests and tropical moist evergreen forest in India. Contiguous with the proposed Karimpuzha National Park (225 km˛) to the north and Mukurthi National Park (78.46 km˛) to the north-east, it is the core of the Nilgiri International Biosphere Reserve (1,455.4 km˛), and is part of The Western Ghats World Heritage Site, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster (6,000+ km˛) under consideration by UNESCO.
Plans for a hydroelectric project that threatened the parks high diversity of wildlife stimulated an environmentalist Social Movement in the 1970s called Save Silent Valley which resulted in cancellation of the project and creation of the park in 1980. The visitors' centre for the park is at Sairandhri.
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| Nelliampathi |
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Nelliampathi is a popular hill station 60 km away from Palakkad in Kerala a small state in south India. It is famous for its tea and coffee plantations and the excellent weather condition. The journey to Nelliampathi itself is an experience. The only route is from Nemmara, from where the first town of Nelliampathi, namely Kaikatty junction, is at a distance of 26 km. At the 9th kilometer is the Pothundi Dam, a small irrigation dam which provides water for the rice fields in the surrounding area. The dam is at the foot of the Nelliampathi hills. From here, the road winds up for the next 17 km, with many hairpin turns on the way. Immediately after Pothundy dam, comes the government forest, where one can see massive teak trees. The road is very narrow and requires a skilled driver behind the wheel. On the way, one can see wild animals like monkey, deer and porcupine. The view of the Pothundy dam from the height is a breathtaking sight. There will be many waterfalls by the roadside during the rainy season.
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| Pothundi Dam |
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Pothundi Dam is an irrigation dam near a small village in Palakkad district of Kerala state, India. It was constructed in the 19th century. The dam is unusual in being constructed without a conventional concrete core, which is employed in most earth dams to counteract the force exerted by high water pressure. The core is, instead, an unusual mixture of jaggery and quick lime.It is the second dam in Asia constructed without using cement mixture.
The dam is located about 8 km from Nemmara and 42 km from Palakkad; Nelliampathi, around 17 km away, is known for its Nemmara Vallengi Vela festival.The Pothundy dam is a nice site for tourists, covered with mountains. The dam is one of the major water sources for agricultural and drinking in the chittur taluk. This dam is the main site for the malayalam film Vinodayathra.
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| Walayar Dam |
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Walayar Dam is a dam in Palakkad district of Kerala, south India. This dam is constructed across the Walayar River which is a tributary of Kalpathipuzha River. It was completed and opened in 1964. It is one of the major sources of irrigation in the region. Most of the water in this river is passed to the inner places of walayar . The dam holds a larger reservoir area , and the persons living near the reservoir area utilizes the water from the walayar dam as their main water source . But currently the water holding inside the reservoir is less due to lesser rain at walayar.
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| Attappady |
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Attappady is an extensive mountain valley above the crest of the Ghat ranges, with several rivulets of the river Bhavani. The area is dominated by tribal people
Attappadi Reserve Forest is a protected area comprising 249 km˛ of westernmost part of the 745 km˛ Attappadi block of Mannarghat Taluk in Palakkad district of Kerala, south India.
There is a Government Goat Farm at Attapadi village which has the "Attapadi Black" breed available.
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| Punarjani Guha |
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Punarjani Guha is a natural tunnel 150 meters long in a rocky cliff in Thrissur district of Kerala state, south India. Punarjani Guha is situated 2 kilometres from the Thiruvilwamala Temple where the chief presiding deity is Sri Rama. The idol is believed to be ‘swayamboo’ ie. born on its own. It is believed that performing ‘noozhal’ or crawling through the tunnel from one end to the other will wash away all of one’s sins and thus attain freedom from rebirth or moksha. Only men are allowed to do the ‘noozhal’ and women can only visit the cave. The legend is that sage Parasurama once observed this ritual 101 times in a row to atone the sin of annihilating the kshatriyas.
This ritual is practised only one day in a year on Guruvayur Ekadasi day, in the malayalam month of vrichikam. The "noozhal" is a challenging task and not all can perform this ritual. There is utter darkness in the cave,except in the middle. The source of light there is still unknown. Even those who have performed this ritual many times need about half an hour to finish the ritual. The movement through the cave demands all kinds of bodily postures like standing, sitting, creeping, crawling etc. yet every year thousands of men flock to this place on Ekadasi day to avail themselves of a chance to be reborn.
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| Killikkurussimangalam |
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Killikkurussimangalam (also known as Lakkidi) is a village around eight km from nearby town Ottappalam in Palakkad district of Kerala, south India. The river Nila (Bharatapuzha) flows through the southern border of Lakkidi.
The village got its name from the famous Lord Shiva temple- Sri Killikkurussi Mahadeva Kshetram situated in the village. The temple is very old and legends say it has been founded by the sage Sree Suka Brahma Hrishi.
The village is the birth place of famous Malayalam satire poet and founder of the Ottamthullal art form, Kunchan Nambiar (Rama panivada). The house, where Kunchan Nambiar was born- Kalakkathu Bhavanam, is now a cultural central, under taken by Department of Culture of Kerala State Government. There is also a library situated here in memory of Kunchan Nambiar called Kunchan Smaraka Vayanasala- Kunchan Memorial Library.
Legendary Koodiyattam and Chakyar koothu artist and noted Natyashasthra scholar Natyacharya Vidashakaratnam Padma Shri Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar, who was the authority of Abhinaya (acting) was also lived here. His home is near to the Killikkurussi Mahadeva temple. It is also the hometown of one of Chakyar's prominent disciples, Guru Kelu Nair.
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| Dhoni Waterfalls |
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Dhoni Waterfalls: It is a gift of nature to the district with green forest, rocks, shallow water and beautiful water fall. Dhoni waterfall is in the western ghats 15 km from the Palakkad Town bustand and 9 km from the Palakkad Junction railway station. There is a beautiful temple near the mountain valley and it is believed that this was built by the Goddess for Shiva Bhagawan.
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