Things That Make You Love And Hate Palakkad

Palakkad, my hometown lies at the foot of the Western Ghats. It was once a land with ever green tropical forests, rivers, rare birds and animals, historical monuments, and places of worship. Palakkad district was the "Granary of Kerala", though its still known as the same, it is no more the granary of Kerala.

Palakkad, earlier known as Palghat is now a town and a municipality in the state of Kerala in south India. It is located near the Palghat Gap, a pass or natural depression in the western ghats. It would have got its name because of this ghat. Legend is that there existed a forest (kkad = forest in Malayalam) lot of "pala" trees in this ghat region from which the place got its name.

There are lots of tourist spots in this district of Kerala. Palakkad district is blessed with natural beauty and has a rich cultural tradition. You can see the various fairs and festivals and fairs in the district. Kalpathi chariot festival during November, nenmara vela held during May, konganpada festival held during Feb- March, Pattambi nercha during Jan- Feb, kollengode arattu during early January, bullock race, payyalore shadow puppet show held bi -yearly, chinakattur pooram, kodunthirappilly kathir vela (harvest festival), kavassery pooram, ettanur kummatti, pallassena kanniyakali are few well known festivals held in the district. These are worth watching atleast once.

In Palakkad town, you have an old granite fort which was built by Hyder Ali of Mysore in 1766. This fort is better known as Tipu's (Tipu Sultan, son of Hyder Ali) Fort. Malampuzha gardens is the largest irrigation dam built on the river Bharathapuzha at the base of the hills of the Western Ghats. It is the Vrindavan of Kerala There is an aerial ropeway across the garden, a telescope tower, fresh water aquarium, boating and fishing facilities, concrete sculpture of Yakshi, swimming pool, children's park, rock garden and snake park. Fantasy park, an amusement park is located near malampuzha gardens. Dhoni Hills is a trekking spot on the reserve forest area with waterfall and its fauna and flora. Jain Temple of Jainimedu situated close to the railway station is a historic Jain Temple. The area around the temple is known as Jainimedu. This is one of the few Jain temples in Kerala.

The Silent Valley National Park, is situated in the north eastern side of Palakkad. River Kunthi descends from the Nilgiri hills above, and rushes down to the plains through a deep gorge. River Kunthi never turns brown, it is crystal clear. The Silent Valley National Park, is believed to be the sole surviving bit of evergreen tropical rainforest in the Sahya Ranges. It is a habitat of some rare species of plants , animals and birds. There is a huge wild tree which is hollow within and can hide at least 12 people in it.

Parambikulam wild life sanctuary is almost 110 kms away from Palakkad via. Pollachi. The oldest and highest teak tree "Kannimari Teak"is situated here. Three Dams exist on the hill top. The wild animals in the forest area are a sight to see.

Nelliampathy Hills which is about 80 kms from Palakkad is known as the Ooty of Kerala. An ideal spot for trekking. Seetharkundu, at Nelliampathy offers a fantastic view of the valley below, a panoramic picture of Palakkad. The highest peak in the range is Nellikotta. Seetharkundu got its name from the legend that Sita Devi, during the vanavasa period with Sri Rama, took a bath here.

The Punarjani Guha, a natural tunnel in the rocky cliff near the thiruwilavamala temple is a well known religious spot in Palakkad. It is believed that performing ‘noozhal' -- crawling through the tunnel from one end to the other -- will wash away all of one's sins and thus bring about rebirth. Only men are allowed to do the ‘noozhal': women may only visit the cave. This ritual is practised on only one day per year, on Guruvayur Ekadashi.

There are so many other tourist centres are also here. Important of them are Sree Rama Temple and the Spring at Thenari, Myladumpara Choolannur peacock sanctuary, Loknayak J.P.Smrithi Vanam and Deer Park at Walayar, Shiruvani dam and Muthikulam hill in Sholayur Panchayath, the Kattilmadom Temple, Ruins of a mud fort near Chalissery, Attappady - a tribal abode and a mountain valley, Mennvallom where there are 10 steps of water falls, Kanjirapuzha Dam with an evergreen forest by name ‘Vettilachola', Ottappalam the centre of political movements in South Malabar of the erstwhile Malabar province of Madras Presidency, Kottayi the native place of the Late Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, the doyen of Carnatic music, Thunchan Gurumadom where Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam Language lived in the 16th Century, Kunchan Smarakom at Killikkurissimangalam, the Kollengode Vishnu Temple and the Poet P. Kunhiraman Nair Memorial are worth visiting.

Kanniyarkali, a folk dance held at Elavancherry, Kollengode; Pavakkoothu (shadow play) held at Payyalore, Kollengode, Cattle Race (Kala Poottu) and cattle cart race (Kalavandiyottam), traditional ayurvedic centres are other attractions of Palakkad. These are some peculiar attractions found only in Palakkad region. People here still cherish agriculture and everything related to agriculture. If we dig deep into each celebration, festival, practices, we can find its connection to farming and nature.

I personally feel charged up whenever I visit Palakkad. Explore the unexplored face of this place. Do you know that this place has some great artisans skilled in making percussion instruments, blacksmithing, palm jaggery, bamboo products, metal mirrors,etc.

How can I end this hub without mentioning the healthy, stomach friendly dishes of Palakkad :)? The food preparations here were very much vegetarian. Now it has changed a lot. But I'm mentioning here about the authentic Palakkad dishes. They are vegetarian, less spicy, is made in coconut oil; delicious, healthy, & organic because most of the ingredients may be home grown. Kondattams, vadakkoms and vattals are specialities of this place.