Attappadi

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
type = village
native_name = Attappadi
other_name =
district = Palakkad
state_name = Kerala
nearest_city =
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skyline = Topo map Attappati Reserve Forest.jpg
skyline_caption = Attappati Reserve Forest
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locator_position = right
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vehicle_code_range = KL-
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Attappadi Reserve Forest is a protected area comprising 249 km² of westernmost part of the 745 km² Attappadi block of Mannarghat Taluk in Palakkad district of Kerala, south India. [Suchitra M.(8/8/2005) "Remote adivasis face health care chasm" Free India Media, retrieved 4/3/2007 [http://www.freeindiamedia.com/health/08_aug_05_health1.htm "Remote adivasis..."] ] There is a Government Goat Farm at Attapadi village which has the "Attapadi Black" breed available. [Public Relations Department, Govt. of Kerala, "Where to get" Department of Amimal Husbandry, retrieved 4/1/2007 [http://www.kerala.gov.in/dept_anihusbandry/modifi.htm "Where to get"] ]

Geography

Attappati is an extensive mountain valley at the headwaters of the Bhavani River nestled below the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats. It is bordered to the east by Coimbatore district in Tamilnadu, on the north by the Nilgiris, south by the Palghat taluk and on the west by Karimba, Pottassery and Mannarghat revenue villages of Mannarghat taluk of the Palghat District and Ernad taluk of the Malappuram district. [pradeepsz (2007)"Tribal people in Attappadi" ,NowPublic Technologies, retrieved 321/2007 [http://www.nowpublic.com/tribal_people_in_attappadi_2 "Tribal people in Attappadi"] ]

The 249 km² Attappadi Reserve Forest is an informal buffer zone conjoining Silent Valley National Park to the West. [ keralaatbest.com (2002) "Palgat", retrieved 4/1/2007 [http://www.keralaatbest.com/palghat.htm Palgat] ] 81 km² of this forest was separated to become most of the new 94 km² Bhavani Forest Range which is part of the 147.22 km² Silent Valley Buffer Zone formally approved by the Kerala Cabinet on June 6, 2007. The Cabinet also sanctioned 35 staff to protect the area and two new forest stations in Bhavani range at Anavai and Thudukki. The zone is aimed at checking the illicit cultivation of ganja, poaching and illicit brewing in areas adjacent to Silent Valley and help long-term sustainability of the protected area. [June 6, 2007, "Cabinet approves buffer zone for Silent Valley", The Hindu, Front page, retrieved June 8, 2007 [http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/07/stories/2007060719920100.htm] ] The elevation of Attappati valley ranges from 750 to 1000 metres (2,460 to 3,280 [foot (length)|ft). The Malleswaram peak at coordinates coord|11.0833|76.6333|type:mountain|name=Malleswaram peak rises to 1,664 m (5,458 ft) from the center of the valley.

Climate

Attapadi RF in the southwest portion of Mannarghat Forest Division receives a high rainfall of 4700 mm (185 in). Moving eastward along the Attapadi valley towards Agali [ [http://www.wikimapia.org/1984186/ Agali, attappadi ] ] , the rainfall steadily decreases to a low of 900 mm. [Asian Nature Conservation Foundation (2006) "NILAMBUR-SILENT VALLEY-COIMBATORE - PERSPECTIVE FOR THE RESERVE" retrieved 3/29/2007 [http://asiannature.org/nilambur.php PERSPECTIVE FOR THE RESERVE] ]

Population

There are 171 hamlets in Attapadi. The population of the valley is mostly Muduga, Irula and Kurumba tribal people with a small section of settlers from Tamilnadu and Other Districts of Kerala.

Infrastructure

The local governments of Attappadi are the Agali, Puthur and Sholayur GramaPanchayats.
Health: There are three government primary health centres (PHC), one community health centre (CHC) and 27 subcentres in this 745-km² block. All hamlets are serviced by an effective government health extension program using trained tribal health volunteers. [newindpress.com (6/7/2001) "A healthy revolution in Attapadi tribal's life" retrieved Jan 4, 2007 [http://www.ambedkar.org/News/Ahealthy.htm Attapadi tribal's life] ] . [ [] ] The tribal women of 80 Attapadi hamlets are conducting a vocal campaign against liquor and ganja which has received public support from the Governor. [Hindustan times, Kerala, (3/21/2007) "Kalam starts Attapadi anti-liquor campaign", retrieved 4/21/2007 [http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=38c0fe65-82c3-4b76-bc29-3886112c858a Attapadi anti-liquor campaign] ] The Society of the Missionaries of St. Thomas operates the St. Thomas Ashram in Nelippathy for providing services to the tribal people of Attapadi including a 15 bed Hospital and health clinic with Lab, X-ray, Dental X-ray, ECG, Pharmacy and ambulance.
Education:
St Thomas Ashram facilities include a 220 student I - VII standard English medium boarding school. [Society of the Missionaries of St. Thomas, "St.Thomas Ashram" [http://www.attappadystthomasashram.org/index.htm St.Thomas Ashram] ]
Transportation: There are frequent local buses from Anakkatti village in Attappadi to the nearest town of Nelippathy (16 km) and Mannarghat (38 km).Sholayur
Accommodation: Hotels are available at Mannarghat and at Agali.

Development projects

In 1970 the State Planning Board assessed Attappati as the most backward block in the state and the first Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) in Kerala was initiated there. Since then, the state government has implemented several special development projects including the Attappadi Co-operative Farming Society, the Western Ghats Development Programme , the Attappadi Valley Irrigation Programme and the People's Planning Programme implemented in Attappadi in 1997-2002. A monumental palace-like "Bharat Yatra Centre" at Agali was established in 1984 by a former Prime Minister, Chandra Shekhar, to provide employment training in weaving, pottery, embroidery and food processing to the women of this rural area. The property was occasionally occupied personally by Chandra Shekar but employment training never happened. The leaders of Girijan Sevak Samaj (GSS), the major tribal body in Attappadi, stated that the center was built on original tribal lands possessed illegally.
In 2000 The Centre at Attappadi and its huge building were deserted and unoccupied. [Menon Mukundan C. (2/21/2001) "S. Chandrasekhar : Tribal Land Grabber Turned Ex-PM", A Dalit Bahujan Media, retrieved 3/16/2007 [http://ambedkar.org/research/SChandrasekhar.htm ] ]

Many of these projects were not well adapted to traditional adivasi culture and beliefs so about 80 per cent of the tribal population is still living in abject poverty. Attappadi demonstrates how difficult it is for a modern government development process to succeed in a traditional self-sustaining indigenous peoples (adivasi) community. Tribal people are a majority of the Attappadi population but have a high illiteracy rate of 49.5 per cent and a lack of political and administrative awareness. The majority of project managers and new land owners are from other parts of Kerala, Tamilnadu and other states. [ [] ] The Attappadi Comprehensive Environmental Conservation and Wasteland Development Project was established in 1995, with local operations managed from their [http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=N11.11108E76.65397&z=13&t=M Agali Headquarters.] This project has Rs. 219 crore ($5,000,000) development assistance loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and is implemented by the Attappadi Hills Area Development Society ( [http://www.ahads.org/index.php AHADS] ) [AHADS, index [http://www.ahads.org/index.php AHADS] ] , a state government agency. AHADS has made good quantified achievements [Attappadi Hills Area Development Society, (2005) "Achievements" Retrieved 4/4/2007 [http://www.ahads.org/Achievements_ahads.htm] ] that will bring long term benefit to the valley.

Attappady Social Service Organisation (ASSO) is one of the major Social Service Organization functioning in Attappady. It successfully implemented World Bank aided 'Jalanidhi' project to provide drinking water facility for the tribal community.

Festival

The Sivarathri festival is celebrated at the chemmannur Malleeswaram temple by the tribals during the month of February/March. The Malleswaram peak is worshipped as a gigantic Shivalinga by the adivasis who celebrate the Sivarathri festival there with great fervour.

See also

* Tourism in Kerala
* Silent Valley National Park

References

External links

[A visit to attapady http://peermade.info/30/pager.php?page=travelreports&item=004]

[Photo Gallery Of Attapady http://peermade.info/30/pager.php?page=travelgallery&spot=coimbatore&trip=attapady]