Nileshwaram

Nileshwaram or Nileshwar or Neeleswaram is a municipality and a major town in Kasaragod District, state of Kerala, India.[1][2] It is one of the three municipalities in Kasaragod district; the others are Kasaragod and Kanhangad.[3] Nileshwar is referred to as the cultural capital of Kasaragod, the northernmost district, of Kerala.[4] "The first Chief Minister of Kerala and communist leader E. M. S. Namboodiripad had contested elections to the Assembly from the Neeleswaram segment."[4]

Nileshwaram
Town
Nickname(s):  Neeleshwaram
Coordinates: 12.26°N 75.13°E / 12.26; 75.13
Country	India
State	Kerala[1]
District	Kasaragod[1]
Taluk	Hosdurg[1]
Government
• Body	Nileshwar municipality
Area
• Total	26.23 km^2 (10.13 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	54,787
• Density	2,100/km^2 (5,400/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Malayalam
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	671314[1]
Telephone code	0467
Vehicle registration	KL-60

History

Mannan Purath Kavu, Nileshwaram

Neeleswaram, or Nileswaram, is the abbreviated form of Neelakanta Ishwaran. It was historically the seat of the Neeleswaram Rajahs, who belonged to the clans of the Kolathiri and Zamorins. The Nileshwar Rajahs and the Bednore Nayaks battled in this area.[4]

The grand finale of the annual temple festival season takes place in this area, which is known for its "kavus", or sacred groves. The most famous of the sacred groves is the Mannampurathu Kavu.[4] The town is also known for Theyyam, the ritualistic art forms. Also Nileshwar is the first town in Kerala famous for cultivating 'Chengthengu' (red dwarf coconut). [4]

In 1918, the Rajah's High School was established, it was one of the first north Kerala schools of its kind. The school retains a letter written to the students by Mahatma Gandhi on his way in 1928 to Mangalore. It was part of a broad appeal for people to rally behind the national movement.[4]

Religion

Most of the people are Hindus, followed by Christians and Muslims. To a lesser extent, there are Jain and Buddhists.[5] The name Nileshwa is derived from the name of a temple Thaliyil Siva Temple (Neelakanteshwaran), and the culture of the town is based in large part by its temples, like Thaliyil Siva Temple, Mannam Purath Kaavu, Shri Gopalakrishna Temple and Vaikunda Temple.[6]

Statue of Shri Gopalakrishna in Nileshwaram

Transportation

Nileshwar Town is between Kochi and Mumbai on the National Highway. Private and KSRTC buses provide routes to many cities like Ernakulam, Calicut, Mangalore, Mysore and Bangalore. There are rail services at Nileshwar railway station. There are airports at Mangalore to the north and Kannur to the south.

See also

• Kanhangad

References

1. "Nileshwar". pincode.net. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
2. "Who is Kavya Madhavan campaigning for?". Manoramaonline. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
3. "There are 38 Grama Panchayats in Kasaragod District". kasaragod.nic.in. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
4. The Hindu staff reporter (21 November 2011). "Neeleswaram fete to showcase its heritage". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
5. "People of Nileshwar". Nileshwar.com. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
6. "Temple". Nileshwar.com. Retrieved 23 November 2016.

Further reading

• Bhat, N. Shyam (1 January 1998). South Kanara, 1799-1860: A Study in Colonial Administration and Regional Response. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-7099-586-9.
• Cotton, James Sutherland; Burn, Sir Richard; Meyer, Sir William Stevenson (1908). "Nileshwar". Imperial Gazetteer of India. Clarendon Press. p. 85.
• Lohuizen, Jan van (14 November 2014). The Dutch East India Company and Mysore, 1762–1790. Springer. p. 30. ISBN 978-94-017-6846-7.