Ottapalam Town Bus Stand and main road
Ottapalam is a town in Palakkad district of Kerala State, South India. Situated on the banks of the Bharathapuzha River (or Nila), it has a rich cultural heritage and has hosted many historic events. Headquarters of the taluk by the same name, it is one of the municipalities of the district. It used to be a major town of the erstwhile Valluvanad, during the reign of the Zamorins of Calicut. The principal spoken language is Malayalam. Other languages like English, Hindi and Tamil are also spoken to a lesser extent.
Features
Renowned personalities who owe it to this small town are:
- K.R. Narayanan, India's first President from the Dalit community, represented the Ottapalam Lok Sabha constituency for three terms - 1984, 1989 and 1991.
- K.P.S. Menon,Independent India's first Foreign Secretary, was born in Ottapalam. He also served pre-Independence India as an Agent-General to China.
- Dr. Mambullikalathil Govindakumara Menon Menon, the former Union Minister and Scientific Adviser to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, is from Ottapalam.
- M.K.Narayanan, the former chief of the Intelligence Bureau and present National Security Adviser, hails from Ottapalam.
- Sankaran Nair, the former Intelligence Bureau Director and head for the committee of Asiad 1982, is from Ottapalam.
- Bhaskar Menon, the first Indian to head a multinational corporation, comes from this place. He was the chairman of Lever Brothers in England (Now Unilever).
- Vidya Balan, the Bollywood actor, was born in Ottapalam.
- Kalluvazhi Vasu, famous Kathakali Artist is from Ottapalam.
Ottapalam's claims to fame:
- Recently Ottapalam, particularly Manissery, has become a popular shooting spot for Malayalam and Tamil movies. Manissery is famous for Varikkaseri Mana, where many Malayalam movies are picturised.
- Kalluvazhi Chitta is a special & attractive type of demonstration in Kathakali is originated from Ottapalam
- Pariyanampatta Temple, Kattukulam also known as Valluvanadan Mookambika Temple is situating in Ottapalam
Geography
Ottapalam is located at 10.77° N 76.38° E.[1] It has an average elevation of 54 metres (177 feet).
Demographics
As of 2001 India census[2], Ottappalam had a population of 49,230. Males constitute 47% of the population and females 53%. It has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82% and female literacy 79%. Nearly 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Transport
Ottapalam is well connected to a number of major cities by road and rail.
It has a major railway station in the Indian Railways network. Most of the major passenger and express trains stop here. It is a major station between Palakkad and Shoranur in the Konkan route and Wadakkanchery in the Kanyakumari/Alapuzha route.
The Palakkad-Shoranur (Kulappully) State Highway passes through the town. Regular bus services (Public as well as private) operate between Ottapalam and other major towns such as Thrissur, Palakkad, Pattambi, Guruvayur and Thiruvilwamala.
Calicut International Airport, Karippur, Cochin International Airport, Nedumbassery, and Coimbatore Domestic Airport are the nearest airports.
Nearest Places
Distances to major places in Kerala
Important Roads
- Main Road, Ottapalam
- TB Road, Ottapalam
- Chembolly Road, Kanniampuram
- Cherpulassery Road, Ottapalam
Temples
- Pariyanampatta Temple, Kattukulam
- Muthalappara Bhagavathi Kshetram
- Killikavu temple, Kanniampuram
- Srikurumba Bhagavathi temple, [Chorottur]
- Chinakkathurkavu temple, [Palappuram]
- Puzhikunnu Sri Krishna temple, Ottapalam
- Vengeri Shivan temple, Ottapalam
- Srirandumoorthi temple, [Thrikankode]
- Killikkavu temple, [Manissery]
- Nilikavu temple, [Palappuram]
- Chattankandar kavu, [Verode]
- Kalari Temple, [Thottakara]
- Thiruvalayanad Bhagavathi temple, [Thottakara]
- Parthasarathy Temple, [Thottakara]
- Mathoor Mana, [Thottakara]
- Killikavu temple, Pulachithra, Vaniyamkulam
- Kalikavu temple,Pookkottukavu
Educational Instituitions
Schools
- Govt Model High School, Kadambur. It is a rich cultured school in Palakkad district
- Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ottapalam
- NSS KPT School, run by Nair Service Society
- Mannam Memorial NSS English Medium High School
- Seventh-Day Adventist HSS (Kanniyampuram)
- Lady Sankaran Nair HSS and Lady Immaculate Junior School
- Amrita Vidyalayam (Kanniyampuram)
- Islamic Central School
- Bhavans Ottapalam, Kanniampuram
- ALP School Pookkottukavu
- AKNMMA Memorial High School,Kattukulam
- GLP School Thanikunnu
- Govt HSS Munnurkode
- Lakshmi Narayana Vidya Nikethan, Chakkala Kundu, Palappuram.
- Daffodils, Near Gas godown Palappuram
- Lakshmi Narayana Junior School, Near CPM Area Committee Office Ottappalam.
Colleges
- N.S.S.College Ottapalam, run by Nair Service Society
- N.S.S.Training College, run by Nair Service Society
- Lakshmi Narayana College, Palappuram
- Lakshmi Narayana Women's College Ottapalam
- Ottapalam Cooperative College, Ottapalam
- Allied Management College (Manissery-Ottapalam)
- Allied Model College (Manissery-Ottapalam)
Hospitals
- Government Hospital, TB Road, Ottapalam
- Ashwini Hospital, Ottapalam
- Valluvanad Hospital, Kanniampuram
- Seventh-day Adventist (S.D.A.) Hospital, Kanniampuram
- Semalk Hospital, Kanniampuram
Banks
- Canara Bank
- Catholic Syrian Bank
- Dhanalakshmi Bank
- Federal Bank
- Punjab Bank
- State Bank of Travancore
- State Bank of India
- South Indian Bank
- Urban Bank
- ICICI Bank
Entertainment
Ottapalam has three movie theatres.
- Lakshmi Theater is the oldest one. It is located on the main road
- Jass Theater is near Aswini Hospital.
- Imperial Theater is on the Railway Station Road.
Hotels
- Ayodhya Hotel and Lodging, Catholic Syrian Bank lane
- Aramana Bar, Hotel and Lodging, Railway Station Road
- Breeze Lodge
- Priya Hotel and Lodging, Main Road, opposite Ashwini Hospital
Restaurants
- Choice Restaurant
- Group Of Kalyani Hotels
- Hotel Greenland
- Hotel Sreelakshmi
- Hotel Ruchi
- Nila BakeHouse & Restaurant
References
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Ottappalam
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns. (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
External links
Coordinates: 10°46′N, 76°23′E
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