Omallur

Omallur
—  town  —
Thazhoor Bhagavathy Temple-View from Thazhoor bridge
Omallur Location of Omallur in Kerala and India
Coordinates	9°26′N 76°32′E / 9.44°N 76.54°E / 9.44; 76.54Coordinates: 9°26′N 76°32′E / 9.44°N 76.54°E / 9.44; 76.54
Country	India
State	Kerala
District(s)	Pathanamthitta
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Codes • Vehicle • KL-

Omallur, often alternatively spelt Omalloor, is a small town, about 4 km south of Pathanamthitta District headquarters, in Kerala. Omallur is famous for Vayal Vanibham which is an annual cattle fair held in the month of Meenam (Malayalam Year). People from both within and outside the state participate in the fair.

Religion

Various sections of Hinduism co-exist harmoniously, the Ezhavas, Nairs, Viswakarmas and the Scheduled Class & Tribes constitute the major sections of the Hindu religion. Followers of Christianity Marthoma Church Orthodox church, Jacobite Church, , St. Thomas Evangelical Church, Church of South India, Pentecostal Churches, and Brethren form major Christian sects. Omalloor is place of peace and harmony. Temple festivals -Utsavam and Church feasts (Palliperunal) are celebarated as village festivals. There are many historically important places of worship in Omalloor. The Raktha Kanda Swamy Temple is a grand temple situated in Omalloor and is famous for the annual festival (utsavam). The very old St Thomas Orthodox Valiya Palli (church) is also another major place of worship for Christians. Manjanikkara Dayara is famous for its pilgrimage importance. Every year thousands of pilgrims come by foot to the tomb of Holy Patriarch Ignatius Elias III at Manjanikkara. St.Peters Jacobite church,St. Stephen's Jacobite Church, St. Thomas Malankara Catholic Church, Puthenpeedika , St. Peter's Malankara Catholic Church, Cheekanal and St Thomas Mar Thoma Church, Cheekanal are some other important places worship at Omalloor. Mathoor Kaavu Bhagavathi Temple, situated on the banks of Achenkovil river, is a famous Hindu temple.

The River Achankovil marks the eastern border of the Omalloor Panchayat.

The Thazhoor Bhagavati Temple, famous for the annual Padayani rituals during the Malayalam month of Kumbham is located on the banks of the River Achankovil.

Demographics

As of 2001^[update] India census, Omalloor had a population of 17540 with 8272 males and 9268 females.^[1]

The Community

Like many other communities in central Kerala, Omallur has a relatively high proportion of working age adults as diaspora, also known as non-resident Indians(NRIs). The village of Cheekanal, on the periphery of Omallur, is mainly a residential area but there are a number of small family-owned retail shops, and some rubber plantations. The largest employer in Cheekanal is Citco Oil, a company employing around 50 people making coconut oil and cotton cloth.

Noted personalities

• Father V.C. Samuel World renowned Ecumenical Theologian, Historian, Author and Multilinguist. First Keralite of highest academic pursuit (B.A. ph, M.A. ph, B.D. th, S.T.M. th, PhD., Yale University, Post Doctoral Research Scholar - University of Chicago, Rockefeller Fellow), Dean of foreign university (Haili Selassie I U, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia)
• H.G Yuhanon Mor Militos - Metropolitan of Kollam and Thumpamon Dioceses of Syrian Orthodox Church.
• Madhu Omalloor - Cartoonist, Journalist
• Prathapachandran - Malayalam cinema actor
• Captain Raju - Malayalam cinema actor

Chippy - Film actress

References

1. ^ "Census of India : Villages with population 5000 & above". http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Village_Directory/Population_data/Population_5000_and_Above.aspx. Retrieved 2008-12-10. 

See also

Padyani - At Thazhoor Bhagavathy Temple at Vazhamuttom near Pathanamthitta

• Pathanamthitta District
• Vazhamuttom
• Thazhoor Bhagavathy Kshetram
• Vallicode