Ottapalam

Seventh Day Adventist Hospital, Ottapalam

Ottapalam is a town in the Ottapalam taluk of the Palakkad district in the state of Kerala, India.^[3]

Chinakathoor Pooram, an event held every year at Chinakkathoor Temple in Palappuram near Ottapalam, is one of the famous festival in Kerala.^[4]

History

Ottapalam was a part of the Valluvanad Swaroopam dynasty.^[5]

Valluvanad was an erstwhile late medieval feudal state in present state of Kerala in South India extending from the Bharathapuzha River in the south to the Pandalur Mala in the north during their zenith in the early Middle Ages. On the west, it was bounded by the Arabian Sea at the port Ponnani and on the east by Attappadi Hills. According to local legends, the last Later Chera ruler gave a vast extension of land in South Malabar to one of their governors, Valluvakkonithiri and left for a hajj. The Valluvakkonithiri was also given last Later Chera ruler's shield (presumably to defend himself from the sword received by the Samoothiri (Zamorin) of Kozhikode, another governor, from the departing ruler). Not surprisingly, the Vellatiri rajas were hereditary enemies of the Samoothiri.^[5] Valluvanad is famous for the Mamankam festivals, held once in 12 years and the endless wars against the Samoothiri of Kozhikode. By the late 18th century, Vellatiri or Walluwanad proper was the sole remaining territory of the Walluvanad raja (Valluva Konatiri), who once exercised suzerain rights over a large portion of Southern Malabar. Although management of the country was restored to the Vellatiri raja in 1792, it soon became evident that he was powerless to repress the trouble that quickly broke out between Mapillas (favored by the Mysorean occupiers) and nayars (who sought to restore the ancien régime), and already in 1793 management of the district had to be resumed as the chief and his family fled to Travancore.^[5]

Geography

Ottapalam is located at 10°46′N 76°23′E / 10.77°N 76.38°E / 10.77; 76.38.^[6] It has an average elevation of 54 metres (177 feet).

Climate

Administration

Ottapalam Minicivil Station

Ottapalam is sub district in Palakkad District. The population growth has increased 9.2% in last 10 years.The Town is listed in the top 18 most populous Urban Agglomeration In Kerala. First defence park in India is going to be established on Ottapalam KINFRA industrial park.^[8] Build up of a film city at Ottapalam is also under discussion.

The Ottapalam assembly constituency is part of Palakkad Lok Sabha constituency.^[9]

Transport

Road

The Palakkad-Shoranur (Kulappully) State Highway passes through the town.^[10] Government buses as well as private bus services operate between Ottapalam and other major towns such as Thrissur, Palakkad, Mannarkkad, Pattambi, Guruvayoor, Chelakkara (through the Ottapalam-Mayanur Bridge inaugurated on 22 January 2011).^[11]KURTC Low-Floor A/C and Non-A/C Buses are also servicing through the town in Palakkad, Guruvayoor, Mannarkkad routes.Traffic Problem is a major thread in the town due to the inappropriate ratio of road width to number of vehicles.

Rail

The town is served by the Ottapalam railway station which lies between Palakkad and Shoranur Junction on the Jolarpettai–Shoranur line. Fifty-four Indian Railways trains halt at the station.^[12]

Education

Schools

Ottapalam- Cherpulassery road passing in front of LSN Girls Convent, Ottapalam.

• Government Higher Secondary School, Ottapalam East
• L S N Girls Higher Secondary School,Ottapalam
• N.S.S. K.P.T. High School, Ottapalam
• Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ottapalam
• Mannam Memorial High School,Ottapalam
• Islamic Central School, Pulinchode, Ottapalam
• Amritha Vidyalayam,Ottapalam
• KPS Menon Memorial High School, Ottapalam
• Model English Medium School,Ottapalam
• Anangannadi High School, Ottapalam

Colleges

• Government N.S.S College,Ottapalam
• M.E.S Women's College,Ottapalam
• Lakshmi Narayana Women's College,Ottapalam

Notable people

The following people were either born in and/or are residents of Ottapalam:

• Ottapalam Pappan, Malayalam Drama and Film Actor
• Stephen Devassy, pianist
• Lal Jose, Malayalam film director
• Kutty, political cartoonist
• Anil Radhakrishnan Menon, Malayalam film director
• Bhaskar Menon, first Indian to head a multinational corporation, chairman of Lever Brothers (now Unilever)
• Gautham Menon, film director (Hindi, Tamil and Telugu)
• K. P. S. Menon, first Foreign Secretary of India. He also served pre-independence India as an Agent-General to China
• M. G. K. Menon, former Union Minister and Scientific Adviser in the Rajiv Gandhi administration
• Lt. General Candeth, was a prominent Lieutenant General in the Indian army
• Shivshankar Menon, 4th National Security Advisor and 26th foreign secretary
• V. P. Menon, seniormost Indian officer in pre-independence British India administration
• M. K. Narayanan, the former chief of the Intelligence Bureau and former National Security Adviser
• K. Sankaran Nair, former director of Research and Analysis Wing and former High Commissioner of India to Singapore

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ottapalam.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ottapalam.

• Ottapalam Municipality official site