Kodanad

Kodanad is a rural riverside village of Ernakulam district in Kerala, South India. Kodanad is situated on the south bank of Periyar river, about 42 kilometers east of Kochi. The nearest airport is Cochin International Airport which is about 20 km (12 mi) by road. The village is a major tourist destination because it houses an Elephant training center.[1]

View from Kodanad countryside

Kodanad
town
Elephant Kraal at Kodanad
Kodanad
Location in Kerala, India
Kodanad
Kodanad (India)
Coordinates: 10.18°N 76.51°E / 10.18; 76.51
Country India
StateKerala
DistrictErnakulam
Population
 (2011)
 • Total14,244
Languages
 • OfficialMalayalam, English
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
683544
Telephone code0484
Vehicle registrationKL-40
2011 census code627941
Nearest cityCochin

Location

Transportation

Kodanad has got private bus services to places inside and outside Ernakulam District and run into several neighbouring towns. There are frequent bus services to Perumbavoor from here. AutoRickshaws are commonly used for small distances. The nearest railway stations are Angamaly and Aluva. The Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery is only 16 km from the kodanad Elephant training centre.KL-40 is the RTO code for Kunnathunad Taluk and Perumbavoor. Perumbavoor JRTO is situated at Pattal.

Kodanad is surrounded by many small but populous commuter villages, The notable ones are Koovappady, Thottuva, Alattuchira, Panamkuzhy, Cheranalloor,Kurichilakode, kaprikad etc. Vallam town, is one of the main interchange points for public transport.

History

In the 1950–60s, Kodanad used to be the largest of several elephant training centres for captured Elephants from the adjoining forest regions. They were trained using Mahouts, specially skilled people also known as 'Paappaan' in Malayalam language. In the 1970s, there was a ban to elephant capture by Government of India and from then on, Kodanad was primarily used as a rescue training centre. As of 2017, all the animals have been shifted to nearby Abhayaranyam facility.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census of India, Kodanad has 3502 households. The literacy rate of the village is 84.63%.[2]

Demographics (2011 Census)[2]
TotalMaleFemale
Population1424470367208
Children aged below 6 years1284655629
Scheduled caste206610051061
Scheduled tribe1065353
Literates1205460905964
Workers (all)584240521790
Main workers (total)429732511046
Main workers: Cultivators39735245
Main workers: Agricultural labourers618403215
Main workers: Household industry workers927220
Main workers: Other31902424766
Marginal workers (total)1545801744
Marginal workers: Cultivators1167838
Marginal workers: Agricultural labourers484232252
Marginal workers: Household industry workers1144272
Marginal workers: Others831449382
Non-workers840229845418

Kaprikkad Ecotourism project

Kodanad is in the list of Ecotourism destination projects sponsored by the Government of India. As a part of this project, Kaprikkad, a village lying 3 km adjacent to Kodanad on the river bank has been set up in 2006 for entertaining visitors in the most natural and environmental friendly way.

Abhayaranyam Mini Zoo, Kaprikkad

Most of the animals from Kodanad elephant centre including the elephants have been recently rehabilitated to Kaprikkad, as the part of Ecotourism project named as Abhayaranyam, which is spread across 200 acres of natural forest. The project was inaugurated on 18 February 2011 by the Minister of Forestry and Housing, Shri. Binoy Vishwom. You can find Spotted deers, Sambar deers and young elephants here.[3] Abhayaranyam extends for an area of 2.5 acres on the bank river of river periyar . [4]

Places of worship
Temples
  • kodanad shiva temple,
  • chettinada saraswathi temple,
  • kunnumpuram ayyappa temple,
  • edavanakavu temple,
  • pancheswara Vishnu temple.
Churches
  • St. Antony's Syro-Malabar Church, Kodanad
  • St. Thomas Church , Malayatoor (2 km)
  • Bethlehem St.Marys Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church,Alattuchira

Nearby places

References
  1. Kurian, Shiba (2015). "Kodanad: The land of elephants". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015.
  2. "Ernakulam district census data". 2011 Census of India. Directorate of Census Operations. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  3. http://www.abhayaranyam.com
  4. https://travel.manoramaonline.com/travel/getting-about-kerala/ernakulam/2019/12/02/abhayaranyam-ideal-getaway-from-ernakulam.html


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