Palakkad
The name of the place Palakkad, has been
derived from the words 'Pala' which is a tree and 'Kadu' which means forest.
It is said that the place was once entirely covered by the Pala trees.
Palakkad, located at the foot of Western Ghats on the border of Kerala and
Tamil Nadu, is mainly made up of plains with some hillocks scattered here
and there. Palakkad is also called the Granary of Kerala because of the
fertility of the land here. The longest river of Kerala, Bharathapuzha flows
through the district. Though the water of the river is too shallow and
rocky for transport purpose, it still holds an important place in the
culture of Kerala.
Fast Facts
- District : Palakkad
- Other names : Palghat, Palakattusery
- Location : The major distances from Palakkad to
Calicut 137 km, to Connanore
230 km, Cochin 159 km and Trivandrum 382
km away.
- Journey Time : It takes from Palakkad about 3 and 1/2
hrs to reach Calicut, 6 hrs to reach Connanore, 4 hrs to reach
Cochin and 8 and 1/2 hrs to reach Trivandrum,
respectively.
- Route from Thrissur : While going from
Thrissur to Palakkad, you'll have to
travel via Vedakkanacherry, Alattur Kulamannam. Those coming from
Malappuram will have to reach Palakkad via Mannarkad, and Mundur and
the other route may go through Srikrishnapuram, Kongad and Mundur.
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Feature Attraction
Jain Temple, Jainmedu
Located about 3 km away from the city centre on the banks of the Kalpathy
river, the Jain temple here is dedicated to a Jain sage, Chandranathswamy.
The idols that can be found within the temple are that of Chandranathswamy,
Vijaylaxmi, Jwalamohini among others. The hallmark of the interiors of the
temple is its simplicity emphasised by the plain granite marble walls and
unadorned main altar of the temple.
- Hotel Karali Kovikolam – 5 St.
- Hotel Indraprastha – 3 Star
- Kalyan Tourism Home – 2 St.
When to go
The best time to visit Palakkad is the period between September and May.
How to get there
Coimbatore, about 55 km away, is the nearest airport from Palakkad.
Palakkad is an important railway station of the southern railway and is
connected to all the major cities by the railway network. As far as road
transport system is concerned, Palakkad has an efficient road transport
system and smooth roads that connect it to all the neighbouring districts.
Various Tamil Nadu cities are also connected by good roads with Palakkad.
Other Attractions
» Palakkad Fort
The Palakkad fort is also known as Tipu's fort and is one of the best
preserved forts in Kerala. The fort was built by Hyder Ali in 1766 AD. The
fort later went into the control of the British who renovated it. Today it
is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.
» Vadakkanthara Temple
This temple is located on the way to the Jain Temple in Jainmedu. The
temple is dedicated to Bhagwathy, who is considered to be am incarnation of
Kannagi.
» Manapullikavu
The presiding deity of this temple, which is believed to be 1200 years old,
is Bhagwathy. It is believed that the older idol at this temple was self
created whereas the main idol was installed much later. The main temple
festival celebrated here is the Vela Festival.
» Silently Valley National Park
Located about 40 km away from Mannarkad in the Palakkad district, the
Silent Valley National Park is still untouched by the polluting influences
of the human civilization. The park has a wide variety of wildlife which
includes over 100 species of butterflies and 400 species of moths along with
great Indian hornbill, the Nilgiri laughing thrush and the lion tailed
macaque.
