Chittur-Thathamangalam

Chittur is a green town in Palakkad district of Kerala, South India. It is the headquarters of Chittur taluk, situated 13 km away from Palakkad towards the south-east, on the banks of Kannadipuzha, a major headstream of Bharathapuzha, the second longest river in Kerala. It was once part of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin.

For other uses, see Chittoor (disambiguation).

Chittur
Town
Chittur Municipal Office
Coordinates: 10.70°N 76.75°E / 10.70; 76.75
Country India
StateKerala
DistrictPalakkad
Government
 • TypePanchayati raj (India)
 • BodyMunicipality
Area
 • Total1,155.10 km2 (445.99 sq mi)
Elevation
131 m (430 ft)
Malayalam
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registrationKL-70
Pudunagaram
Andayil temple

Temples

Chittur Thathamangalam town consists of the famous Chittur Bhagavathi temple, which is under the Cochin Devaswom board. The other major temples are the Pazhayannur Bhagavathi temple, Durga temple, and Sivakshethram (in Lankeswaram agraharam). The municipality consists of Chittur, Thathamangalam, Pallimokku, Kannanthara, Puzhampalam, Kacherimedu, Anicode, Thekkegramam and Kadambidi. Chittur's M.L.A is K. Krishnan Kutty of Janata Dal(Secular).

Economy

Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. The town is home to some of the major Menon Tharavads of Kerala. There are also many agraharams (settlement of Iyers) and Moothan tharas.

History

The Sokanashini river flows through Chittur, and it is on the banks of this river that Thunjathu Ramanujan Ezuthachan, the father of Malayalam language, spent his last days. His final resting place is famous for Vidyarambham celebrations, where young children are initiated into the world of words and knowledge.

Chittur was formerly a military cantonment.[1]

Tattamangalam is seen mentioned in history books and maps as "TATTAMUNGALUM".[2]

Chittur, Tattamangalam and nearby towns are also mentioned in "Memoir of the Survey of Travancore and Cochin 1816-1820" and on this book the used spelling is "TATTAMUNGALUM".

Old map of Kingdom of Kochi showing Tattamangalam and Chittur Areas.[3]

Festivals

Music is a part of the lifestyle of the people here, with the Government College training students towards higher degrees in music. 'Kongan pada' is the main celebration of Chittur and it is celebrated in the month of March. Sooranporu, Niramala and Ayyappan vilakku are also celebrated here. Others include Onam, Pongal, Vishu, Deepavali and Navarathri. At the time of Vishu, Vishu vela is also celebrated. There are music concerts in Chittur Kavu at the time of Navarathri and Konganpada. Other than these, there comes a main event at Lankeswaram village which is called Ardra Dharsanam (Thiruvathira Radholsavam) at the end of December or first of January month every year.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,[4] Chittur-Tattamangalam had a population of 31,884. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Chittur-Tattamangalam has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 84% and female literacy of 74%. 9% of the population is under 6 years of age. Chittur is sometimes called as Kerala's "nellara" along with Alappuzha, meaning the rice bowl.

[5]

Transportation

Chittur-Thathamangalam town connects to other parts of India through Palakkad city. National Highway No.544 connects to Coimbatore and Bangalore. Other parts of Kerala are accessed through National Highway No.66 going through Thrissur. The nearest major railway station is Palakkad. The nearest airport is Coimbatore.

Chittur Taluk

The headquarters of Chittur Taluk, one of the six Taluks of Palakkad district is here.

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References
  1. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Chittur" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 252.
  2. 1793 Faden_Wall_Map_of_India
  3. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Map_of_the_Kingdom_of_Cochin.jpg
  4. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  5. "Pin Code of Thathamangalam". citypincode.in. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
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