Ottapalam

Ottapalam (also spelled Ottappalam) is a town, taluk and municipality in the Palakkad District, Kerala, India.[2] It is the administrative headquarters of the Ottapalam taluk.[3] Ottapalam is located about 36 km from district headquarters Palakkad. Ottapalam is located along the banks of Bharathapuzha, second longest river of the state.

Ottapalam
Town
Ottapalam bus stand
Ottapalam bus stand
Ottapalam is located in Kerala
Ottapalam
Ottapalam
Location in Kerala, India
Coordinates: 10°46′N 76°23′E
CountryIndia
StateKerala
DistrictPalakkad
Assembly constituencyOttapalam
Government
 • BodyMunicipality
 • MLAAdv. K. Premkumar
 • ChairpersonK Janaki Devi
Area
 • Total32.7 km2 (12.6 sq mi)
Elevation
54 m (177 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total53,790
 • Rank2nd in Palakkad district
 • Density1,600/km2 (4,300/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialMalayalam
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN code
679 101-679 104
Telephone code0466
Vehicle registrationKL-51
Sex ratio1000:1121 ♂/♀
Literacy Rate91%
Websitewww.ottapalammunicipality.lsgkerala.gov.in

It is one of the major commercial centres in the district. It is also one of the major filming locations in Kerala.

Etymology

History

The area was formerly known as Ayirur Thekkummuri Desam. The present-day Ottapalam, Pattambi and Cherpulassery areas were part of the medieval Nedunganad kingdom.[4] Nedunganathiripad (Nedungadi) was the main ruler of Nedunganad. The headquarters was at Makovilakam near Kodikunnu, Chembulangad. Nedunaganad was ruled by the Nairs of Kavalappara,[5] Thrikkadeeri, Kannambra, Vattakkavil Perumbada under the leadership of Nedunganathiripad. Ottappalam was the administrative area of Thrikkadeeri Nair. Its north side starts at Ayirur-Vadakkummuri near Mannarkkad and ends at Ayirur-Thekkummuri.[6] After passing Ayirur-Thekkummuri, crossing the 'Ottapalam of Kanniyampuram river', then it comes the place to pay a toll for Kavalappara Nair.

Around 1487 AD, the region was annexed to the kingdom of the Zamorin of Calicut. The Zamorin appointed his chieftain at Kavalappara Kovilakam.[4] After the long rule of the Zamorin of Calicut, it became a part of the Kingdom of Mysore around 1766.[7] It came under the rule of East India Company with the Treaty of Seringapatam in 1792. The British formed the Malabar District and built their headquarters at Kozhikode.[8] The headquarters of North Malabar was at Thalassery and that of South Malabar was at Cherpulassery. The headquarters of South Malabar was later changed to Ottapalam.[9] Ottapalam was a part of Walluvanad Taluk of Malappuram Revenue Division in Malabar District with its Taluk headquarters at Perinthalmanna during British Raj. The railway was installed and the town was renamed as Ottappalam. The South Malabar Special Court started functioning at Ottappalam by 1880, and with that Ottappalam became the common name for the town. Gradually, the name Ayirur-Thekkummuri was confined to the land records.

Before Indian Independence, present-day Kerala state was scattered in South Canara and Malabar Districts of British India and two princely states namely Cochin and Travancore. The first All-Kerala conference of Indian National Congress was held in 1921 at Ottapalam, which was the then capital of South Malabar, on the bank of the river Bharathappuzha, which also later demanded a separate state for the Malayalam-speaking regions in future Independent India. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee was formed in that conference. Before that, Malabar District, Cochin, and Travancore had separate Congress committees.

Geography

Ottapalam is located at 10.77°N 76.38°E / 10.77; 76.38.[10] It has an average elevation of 54 m (177 ft).

Climate
Climate data for Ottapalam, Kerala
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 32.8
(91.0)		 34.5
(94.1)		 35.8
(96.4)		 35.1
(95.2)		 33.2
(91.8)		 29.5
(85.1)		 28.6
(83.5)		 29.1
(84.4)		 30.2
(86.4)		 30.8
(87.4)		 31.6
(88.9)		 32.0
(89.6)		 31.9
(89.5)
Average low °C (°F) 22.3
(72.1)		 23.2
(73.8)		 24.8
(76.6)		 25.7
(78.3)		 25.2
(77.4)		 23.6
(74.5)		 22.9
(73.2)		 23.5
(74.3)		 23.5
(74.3)		 23.7
(74.7)		 23.4
(74.1)		 22.4
(72.3)		 23.7
(74.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 2
(0.1)		 12
(0.5)		 27
(1.1)		 103
(4.1)		 211
(8.3)		 566
(22.3)		 687
(27.0)		 349
(13.7)		 203
(8.0)		 264
(10.4)		 136
(5.4)		 23
(0.9)		 2,583
(101.8)
Source: Climate-Data.org[11]

Administration
Ottapalam Minicivil Station

Ottapalam is sub district of the Palakkad District. Over the last 10 years, the population growth has been 9.2%. The town is listed in the top 18 most populous Urban Agglomeration in Kerala. The First Defence Park in India is established in Ottapalam KINFRA industrial park.[12]

Ottapalam town area
Paddy fields, Ottapalam

The Ottapalam assembly constituency is part of Palakkad Lok Sabha constituency.[13]

Ottapalam Taluk

Ottapalam is one of the six Taluks of Palakkad district.

Transport

Road

The Palakkad-Shoranur (Kulappully) State Highway passes through the town.[14] Government buses as well as private bus services operate between Ottapalam and other major towns, such as Palakkad,Thrissur,Mannarkkad,Pattambi,Guruvayoor,Perinthalmanna,Thiruvilwamala,Chelakkara (through the Ottapalam-Mayanur Bridge, inaugurated on 22 January 2011.)[15]

Rail

The town is served by the Ottapalam railway station, which lies between Palakkad and Shoranur Junction on the Jolarpettai–Shoranur line. Fifty Indian Railways trains stop at the station.[16]

Notable people

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

See also

References
  1. "Kerala (India): Districts, Cities and Towns - Population Statistics, Charts and Map".
  2. "Ottapalam".
  3. "Taluks | Palakkad | India". Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  4. S. Rajendu (2012). The History of Nedunaganad. Perinthalmanna.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. O. P. Balakrishnan (2014). Kavalappara- History and Heredity.
  6. Ottapalam (2014). "Ottapalam Vayanasala Suvaneer". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. S. Rajendu (2016). 250 years of Mysore conquest. Sukapuram: Vallathol Vidyapeedam.
  8. Logan (1887). Malabar (2 vols). Madras.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. Malabar District Gazatteer (1908). "C.A. Innes". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. "Maps, Weather, Videos, and Airports for Ottappalam, India". Fallingrain.com. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  11. "CLIMATE: OTTAPPALAM", Climate-Data.org. Web: .
  12. The Hindu. "Ottapalam To Have India's First Defence Park". Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  13. "Assembly Constituencies – Corresponding Districts and Parliamentary Constituencies" (PDF). Kerala. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
  14. "Kerala State Highways". Kerala PWD Department. Archived from the original on 1 December 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  15. "Kerala News : Mayyannur bridge to be opened on Saturday". The Hindu. 20 January 2011. Archived from the original on 24 January 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  16. "Trains to OTP/Ottappalam Station - 50 Arrivals SR/Southern Zone - Railway Enquiry". indiarailinfo.com. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  17. "Biography" (PDF). Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research. 3 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
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