Palakkad Tours

Palakkad derives its name from the Pala (Alsteria Scholaris) tree and kadu (forest). Its geographical position, historical background, rural nature, educational status, tourist attractions and above all developmental activities are vivid and varied. Palakkad district provides the inlet for the rest of India to the State through a 32 to 40 mt wide natural gap. In the 960 km long Western Ghats this gap is perhaps the most influential factor in the unique characteristics of the district. It has also contributed to the commercial as well as cultural exchanges between the State and the rest of the country.

History
Palakkad got its name from the word Pala (barren land) together with Kadu (jungle). Some people believe that it is connected with the ancient Jain temple in the town. Pali being the sacred language of the Jains, giving the land its name as Palighat, which over the years changed to Palghat and later Palakkad. However, most believe that Palakkad is derived from Pala, an indigenous tree which once densely occupied the land, and hence Palakkad or the forest of Pala trees. The Perumals ruled Palakkad for several hundred years. Later their governors took possession of this land and divided it among themselves. In 1757, the Raja of Palakkad sought the help of Hyder Ali of Mysore, who freed all parts of Palakkad invaded by the Zamorin. Eventually, Hyder helped himself to Palakkad and later his son Tipu Sultan was the unquestioned ruler of this region. But after his defeat to the British, Tipu ceded all his Malabar territories to the British following the treaty with the English East India Company in 1872. Palakkad formed part of the Malabar District of the Madras Presidency thereafter.

Culture
Palakkad has a vivid cultural tradition. Thunjathu Ramanujam Ezhuthachan, widely accepted as the father of Malayalam literature spent his last days at Chittur in this district. Kunjan Nambiar the most famous of all Malayalam poets and the founder of Thullal , a purely Kerala art form, was born in a small village in this district. Many other noted exponents of varied art forms like Chakkiar Koothu, Kathakali, Thullal etc., which are intrinsically Kerala art forms, found encouragement and inspiration at Palakkad. Most noted of all perhaps is the exponent of Carnatic Music late Sri Chembai vaidyanatha Bhagawathar. Likewise Palakkad Mani Iyer was known the world over for his mastery over the mridangam, the drum so central to Carnatic music.

Climate & Geogaphical Location
The climate is tropical, with scorching hot summer from March to May and heavy monsoons from June to September.

How to Reach
Palakkad is well connected by rail, road and air. By air , the nearest airport is Coimbatore, 55 Km away and is well connected to different parts of the country. To the south is Cochin Airport, 16OKm away. By rail, the nearest rail head is Palakkad Junction (Olavakkode), which is 5 Km from the city. Frequent trains from all metros pass through this station. By road, Palakkad is connected by good motorable roads to all the major towns of Kerala and the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. It is connected to Coimbatore and Trichur by National Highway 47, which is served by an extensive transportation network. Several transport companies offer bus services connecting Palakkad with Coimbatore, Trichur, Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai. The Palakkad district has a good internal bus service too. Some of the road distances from Palakkad are Coimbatore - 45 Km, Trichur - 65 Km and Cochin - 160 Km.

Tourist Places

Malampuzha
One of the biggest tourist attractions, Malampuzha Gardens with lush green lawns, innumerable flower beds, glittering pools and fountains and surrounded by a mammoth Dam is known as the Vrindavan of Kerala. The natural grandeur of the garden is enhanced by fresh water aquarium, Snake Park and childrens park with a toy train. The water reservoir in the middle of lush green gardens is ideal for boating and fishing. Other items of interest are the imposing concrete sculpture of Yakshi, the road train, amusement park and the telescopic tower. The first rock garden of South India, and the Udankhatola - South Indias only Passenger Ropeway are other major attractions. But unique by nature, extremely safe and economical, a 20 minutes sky ride will give you the best panoramic view of the beautiful gardens nestled below the blue mountains, making it an unforgettable experience.

Silent Valley National Park
The Silent Valley Forests, locally known as Sairandhrivanam is considered to be one of the last representative tracts of virgin tropical evergreen forests in India. Together with the adjacent Nilgiri Plateau and Karimpuzha forest block, this constitutes some of the finest forested habitat for wildlife in India. A considerable number of rare, threatened or economically important plants or animals are found in Silent Valley, some of which are endemic to the Western Ghats and others new to science. Notable species include Nilgiri leaf monkey, lion-tailed macaque, tiger, leopard, Jerdons palm civet, wild dog, Nilgiri marten, Asian elephant, gaur, and Nilgiri tahr, some of which are endemic to the Western Ghats. Six species of bats including the Peshwas bat and hairy-winged bat are considered to be rare.

Palakkad Fort
One of the best preserved forts in Kerala, the Palakkad Fort was built by Hyder Ali of Mysore. In 1790, the Fort was taken over and renovated by the British in European style. However, on 22nd February 1792, according to the Srirangapattanam Treaty, Tipu ceded the fort to the British. Today, this Fort, popularly known as Tipus Fort, is one of the protected monuments in Palakkad town. It is square in shape, with walls of immense thickness and with strong bastions at all four corners and in the middle. The old draw bridge has since been replaced by a permanent one.

Others

CHOOLANUR PEACOCK SANCTUARY - Only one of its kind in Kerala, the Choolanur Peacock Sanctuary has a population of about 200 peacocks. Since Peacocks do not like thick forests, the dry rocky terrain of Choolanur with small streams and shrub along with trees provide a natural habitat.

DHONI - Dhoni, a reserve forest area is 15 Km from Palakkad. The site can be reached after a fairly long climb of 3 hours from the base of the Dhoni Hills to this reserve forest area. The forest has among other captivating sights, a small but splendid waterfall.

JAINMEDU - One of the few existing Jain temple in Kerala is at Jainmedu, near Palakkad town. Built on the shores of the Kalpathy River, according to a legend, one Sutra (head of the Jains) built this temple 500 years ago for the Jain sage, Chandranatha Swami.

KOTTAYI - 15 Km via Poodar from Palakkad, this village is the native place of the late Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, the doyen of Carnatic music.

NELLIAMPATHY HILLS - A forest range 75Km from Palakkad, the Nelliampathy hills comprises a chain of ridges cut off from one another by valleys of dense evergreen forests and plantations. The queen of Palakkad hills, it is clothed with the original beauty of picturesque mountain.

THREAD GARDEN - This is a marvelous and astounding work of art created by years of mere hard work of several labourers, using only embroidery colour threads and without the aid of needles or any special devices. Designed by Mr. Anthony Joseph, The Thread Garden has been designed by Mr. Anthony Joseph.