Alathur

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
type = town
native_name = Alathur
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district = Palakkad
state_name = Kerala
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longd=76.538 |longm= |longs=
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Alathur is a small town in the Palakkad district of Kerala, South India. It is the headquarters of Alathur Taluk. It is situated at a distance of 24 km from the district headquarters, at the south west end of the district, on the way to Trissur. Alathur taluk is predominantly rural with an agriculture-based economy.

People

The population consists predominantly of Hindus. They belong to many castes like Nair, Ezhava, Iyer, Asari, Kollan, Thattan, Kusavan, Mannan, Ezhuthachan, Telugu Chetty, Kavara etc. Every caste has a traditional profession. But in recent years, the traditional system has lost its relevance and people from different castes are seen in the same field.

One of the famous Nair family is "Malamal Family" in alathur which is having a large number of peoples across the world and having most of paddy fields and ultimately given an economical boost to the place through their wealth and knowledge.

There are many Muslims in the Taluk, a majority among them being traders. Many members of the community have employment in the Arab countries, which has given a boost to the economic status of the community in general. Now-a-days they run many institution for children such as Model Central School and Islamiya College.

The Christians are mostly settlers from Kottayam and Idukki districts. They are reputed to be good farmers and have made their homes the areas around Vadakkanchery, Kizhakkanchery, Korenchira, Palakkuzy, Vandazhi and Mangalam Dam. Rubber, pepper and cassava are some of the most prominent crops here and it can be said that the economy greatly depends on the price of rubber. Christians are well known in the field of education and medical care.

Occupation

The main occupation is agriculture. The main crop is paddy in the plains and rubber in the hilly areas. There are other crops like ginger, banana and vegetables like pumpkin, bitter gourd and egg plant.

There is no industry worth mentioning in Alathur Taluk. Alathur town was once well known for its "beedi" (Cigarette made of leaf) making units. This was a "cottage industry", with people making the product from their homes and delivering it to the manufacturing company for packing and labelling. But due to the general campaign against smoking, beedi production has come down drastically. Another cottage industry is the agarbatti (Incense) units found in the area. Recently, some factories like steel smelting plants have come up near Manjalur in Erimayur Panchayat. There used to be a large number of rice mills engaged in parboiling and dehusking of paddy, but with the paddy cultivation becoming unattractive, many of them have been closed down.

Educational institutions

There are a number of schools up to the higher secondary level within Alathur Taluk. There are two colleges for Arts & Science and one Engineering College.A.S.M.M Higher Secondary School is one of the veteran Government-aided educational institution which recently completed 100 years.

Transportation

The National Highway No. 47 passes through the entire length of Alathur Taluk. Hence the place is well connected by road to all parts of Kerala, inclulding the state capital. A number of private and government buses ply on this road between Trissur and Palakkad.Alathur does not find a place in the railway map. This is due to the presence of the mountainous terrain at Kuthiran, on the way to Trissur. But a recent government decision to revive an old plan to construct the Kollengode-Trissur railway line may come as a blessing to Alathur.

Famous people

Alathur Taluk has produced some of the great personalities. Among them are K.P.Kesava Menon, the first editor of Mathrubhumi; Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, the great Carnatic musician; Brahmananda Swami Sivayogi, the great saint and educationist and Swami Tapovanam, the guru of Swami Chinmayananda and A.Muhammad Ali, former editor of Madhyamam Daily.

Festivals and traditions

The "Vela" and "Pooram" festivals of the different villages in the Taluk is a great attraction among the local people. The prominent among them are "padoor vela": "Kavasseri Pooram", "Pudiyankam-Kattusseri Vela", Mangottu Kavu Temple Vela, "Kunisseri Kummatti" and "Karappotta vela" ("Karappotta Ayappan Kavu Vela").

The 'Theruvath Palli Nercha' conducted every year at Chungamannam attracts a lot of people from the local area as well as from Tamil Nadu. People come in bullock carts all the way from Pollachi and other places to witness the event.

The cattle race conducted at Chithali every year during Onam period is a unique event. There is stiff competition among the owners of the cattle to bring the best pair for the race.

Alathur town is famous for its banana chips, which is made of coconut oil, the most popular being S.N.R. Chips. It is a common sight to see people in the passing buses making purchase when the buses stop in front of the shop. People who are employed outside the state always take a few packets as gifts to their friends and colleagues.

Every Saturday, at the weekly market at Kuzhalmannam, cattle are traded in large numbers. Cattle are brought from Tamil Nadu to be sold to Trissur district and beyond. The southern districts of Kerala are major consumers of beef. The sight of cattle bundled into trucks without any consideration for their safety or comfort is really distressing, but there has been no action from any animal rights group or SPCA so far.

Forest

The forest area near Choolanur called Mayiladumpara has a considerable population of peafowls. The Forest Department has declared the area as a sanctuary.

There is an irrigation dam at Mangalam Dam, which is the main source of water for the crops in areas like Vandazhi, Kizhakkencheri, Mudappallur and Vadakkenchery.

Nearby places

Kunissery is 7 km from Alathur. Kunissery's famous festival is Kummatti. Celebrated on the birthday of Goddess Pookulathi on the Punartham Star of Meenam.

Vanoor is another place in Alathur. There is a big hill called Veezhumala in Vanoor. The legend behind this hill is, in Ramayana, when Hanuman went to take "mrithasanjivani", a small part from the hill he was carrying fell down and it become a big hill, which is Veezhumalla ("Fallen Mountain" in Malayalam language). Paddy and rubber are the main agriculture in Vanoor.

Kavassery is a small villiage, 4 km from Alathur. "Parakkattu Kavu" a small temple is situated in this village, pooram is the main festival which falls on Pooram star in the Malayalam month Meenam (March/April). Athipotta, 8 km away from Alathur is famous for Mangottu Kavu Temple.

Arangattu Parambu is a small village on the way to Puthiyankam from Alathur. It is a part of Pudiyankam Desam. There are some remnants of an Old Shiva Temple. Legand is that it was a very big temple, demolished during Tippu Sultan's aggression. Interestingly, there is a small mount nearby called as "Pallikkunnu", and a pond near to the remnants of the temple called as "Pallikkulam". The word "Palli" is always related to some thing royal or religious.

Panchayats in Alathur Taluk

*Alathur
*Erimayur
*Kannambra
*Kavasseri
*Kizhakkancheri
*Kottayi
*Kuthanur
*Kuzhalmannam
*Mathur
*Melarcode
*Peringottukurissi
*Puthucode
*Tarur
*Tenkurissi
*Vadakkencherry
*Vandazhi

References

[http://www.thanjavur.nic.in/drda.htm] District Development Authority,Thanjavur

External links

*http://www.Koduvayur.net - Koduvayur community website. Koduvayur is 10 km west of Alathur.
*http://www.sabsday.blogspot.com -alathur.itz from alathur town