Since the State has more of perennial plantation crops compared to other places of India, the effect of a drought year in Kerala continues to be felt for several more years after it has occurred. In 1934 Thekkumkadu Maidan was officially handed over to Cochin Devaswam Board by Diwan Paruvakkadu Narayanan Nair. State Highway 7 Route information Maintained by Kerala Public Works Department Length 32.8 km (20.4 mi) Major junctions From Thiruvalla To It is also known as Thiruvalla-Pathanamthitta-Kumbazha Highway.This State Highway origins and ends within the Pathanamthitta District.. In fact Malayalam calendar, also known as Kollavarsham or Kollam era was started here. Here, the Western Ghats form a wall of mountains penetrated near Palakkad; here, a natural mountain pass known as the Palakkad Gap breaks through to access inner India. Kochi Metro – the first metro station of the state was also introduced here. Coffee,rubber, tea, cardamom and other spices are the major plantation of the district. About 95 percent of annual rainfall is confined to a six-month monsoon period between June and November, leaving the remaining six months as practically dry. The name of the district is coined from the name of holy serpent ‘Ananthan’ on which Lord Vishnu resides. Of the fourteen districts, five have much higher rates than others. Kudumbasree was also started in the district of Malappuram, and was inaugurated by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1998 with the aim of completely eradication of poverty of the state within a short time span of 10 years. Located at the extreme southern tip of the Indian subcontinent, Kerala lies near the center of the Indian tectonic plate (the Indian Plate); as such most of the state (notwithstanding isolated regions) is subject to comparatively little seismic or volcanic activity. Although the tsunami affected parts of Kerala coast, maximum devastation was reported in the low coastal land of Kollam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts, particularly a strip of 10 km in Azhikkal, Kollam district. You also may want to know about Kottayam since you may touch there en route to other destinations. The topography consists of a hot and wet coastal plain gradually rising in elevation to the high hills and mountains of the Western Ghats. The Western Ghats rises on average to 1500 m elevation above sea level. First telegraph office of Travancore kingdom was established in Alappuzha. Many of the first Malayalam dailies and magazines have their headquarters in Kottayam. It is also the land of lakes and backwaters, and a major tourist hub as well. ‘Kettuvallam’ (a type of boat) is the cultural symbol of Alappuzha. Required fields are marked *. Severe drought conditions often result from the anomalies in monsoon rainfall combined with the various anthropogenic pressures. The famous temple festival – Thrissur Pooram is also conducted here during summer. 1500 sq.km. Through this column I shall share some of the interesting facts, and a few unknown facts about 14 districts of Kerala. The flood problems are likely to worsen with the continued floodplain occupancy and reclamation of water bodies and wetlands. Some 63% of tribals reside in the eastern districts of Wayanad (where 35.82% are tribals), Palakkad (1.02%), and Idukki (15.66%). India’s largest and Asia’s second largest earth dam – Banasura Sagar Dam is situated here. Culling of chickens and ducks began on Tuesday in parts of two districts in Kerala to contain H5N8 strain of bird flu there, official sources said. These groups, including the Paniyars, Mooppans, Irulars, Kurumbars , and Mudugars, [5] speak their own native languages. Kottayam – One of the major centres of literature, Kottayam is nicknamed as Akshara Nagari or Land of Letters. Padmanabha Swamy temple – World’s richest temple. Thus, for better planning of the drought management measures, the term drought with reference to plantation crops should be redefined based on rainfall received or available soil moisture during summer months instead of total monsoon rainfall. 14. Hope you will love it. [6] The processes leading to landslides were accelerated by anthropogenic disturbances such as deforestation since the early 18th century, terracing and obstruction of ephemeral streams and cultivation of crops lacking capability to add root cohesion in steep slopes. Certain peaks may reach to 2500 m. Just west of the mountains lie the midland plains, comprising a swathe of land running along central Kerala. During ancient days, this portion was a dense forest, and criminals were exiled here as punishment. Tamil Nadu. Kerala receives an average annual rainfall of 3107 mm – some 7,030 crore m3 of water. It was officially formed on 1 November 1982. Functionally the district administration is carried on through the various Departments of the State Government each of which has an office of it… Alappuzha – The most beautiful district of Kerala, with greenery and backwaters, it is one of the best tourist locations of the country. With the implementation of a number of irrigation projects, the idea of drought in Kerala slowly shifted to unirrigated paddy, and upland crops. Continuous occurrence of high intensity rainfall for a few days is the primary factor contributing to the extreme floods in the State. For the same reason, this district is also known as ‘Sapta Bhasha Sangama Bhoomi’ or ‘Land of union of 7 languages’. List of districts in Kerala he Indian state of Kerala borders with the states of Tamil Nadu on the south and east, Karnataka on the north and the Arabian Sea coastline on the west. The Kerala Backwaters region is a particularly well-recognized feature of Kerala; it is an interconnected system of brackish water lakes and river estuaries that lies inland from the coast and runs virtually the length of the state. Also Kerala’s deive in beach – Muzhuppilangaad is situated in Thalassery. The latest among them was the 2019 Kerala floods. The availability of all types of transport facilities viz., road, rail, canal, sea is a factor which is unique to this district. As many as 6,280 dwelling units were completely destroyed, 11,175 were damaged and nearly 84,773 persons were evacuated from the coastal areas and accommodated in 142 relief camps after tsunami. It does not mean that other districts of Kerala are less Kasaragod is also known as ‘God’s own country’. There are many theories surrounding ‘Kollavarsham’. On 1 January 1957, the Malabar district was divided into the … Although the deviation in the annual rainfall received in Kerala, in any year from the long term average is very small, there is considerable variation in the rainfall availability during the different seasons. On 1 January 1957, the Malabar district was divided into the districts of Kozhikode, Palakkad, and Kannur. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. [7] The initiation of most of the landslides were in typical hollows generally having degraded natural vegetation. This varying effect along the coast could be attributed to local amplification of tsunami waves in certain regions. Geologically, pre-Cambrian and Pleistocene formations comprise the bulk of Kerala's terrain. The water scarcity in summer is mainly reflected in dry rivers and lowering of water table. As this tsunami is believed to be first of its kind to have significantly affected the Kerala coast, the post-tsunami field investigations and measurements would give valuable information on various changes brought by the tsunami. The state is often referred as "God's Own Country". A district is governed by a District Collector, who is an officer from Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of Kerala cadre and is appointed by the State Government of Kerala. The Ghats are a steep rugged mass with an average height of 1,220 m rising to 2,637 m at the highest point - Dodabetta near Ooty. Pathanamthitta – A part of old central Travancore, it is also known as ‘Pilgrim capital of Kerala’ and the place of Lord Ayyappa in Sabarimala. Your email address will not be published. Many great Indian leaders like Mahatma  Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, Vajpayee, Narendra Modi etc have visited this place and delivered speeches. Ernakulam – The central hub of Kerala, it also includes the biggest commercial city of state, Kochi. People living in absolute poverty [those who cannot afford US $2 a day] will not be able to … 2. [23] Here, rolling hills and shallow valleys fill a gentler landscape than the highlands. The Chera kingdom consisted of a major part of modern Kerala and Kongunadu which comprises western districts of modern Tamil Nadu like Coimbatore and Salem. At the time of formation, Kerala had only five districts: Malabar (part of the erstwhile Madras State ), Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam and Thrissur (together constituting the erstwhile Travancore-Cochin ). Single Lava – Kusa temple of Kerala is situated in Pulpally. 12. The place was addressed so for the first time with Lord Curzon. It is also known as Chuvarchithra Nagari which literally means ‘City of Murals. [5] The highlands of the region experience an annual average rainfall as high as 500 cm from the South-West, North-East and Pre-Monsoon showers. It’s the biggest women organization of the state, aimed at women empowerment too. It owns centuries-old tradition in the trade of spices with many foreign nations. The only police museum of the state is located in Kollam, and it’s named after Sardar Vallabhai Patel. In contrast, eastern districts of Uttar Pradesh remained dry and sunny. The records show that the months April, May, October and November have the highest lightning rates. It was initially used in a small local area of Kollam, and gradually spread across Kerala and accepted by all. Hope you will love it. At the time of formation, Kerala had only five districts: Malabar (part of the erstwhile Madras State ), Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam and Thrissur (together constituting the erstwhile Travancore-Cochin ). The human interventions contributing to flood problems are predominantly in the form of reclamation of wetlands and water bodies, change in landuse pattern, construction of dense networks of roads, establishment of more and more settlements, deforestation in the upper catchments etc. It converts 50% of Kerala into highlands and is studded with more than 50 peaks above 5000 feet above Mean Sea Level. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Jose AI, Paulose S, Prameela P & Bonny BP (eds), 2002, Package of Practices Recommendations: Crops, Kerala Agricultural University, Chacko T & Renuka G, 2002, Temperature mapping, thermal diffusivity and subsoil heat flux at Kariavattom of Kerala, Proc Indian Acad Sci (Earth Planet Sci), Yesodharan EP, Kokkal K & Harinarayanan P (eds), 2007, State of Environment Report of Kerala 2007 – Volume II: Natural Hazards, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, Government of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India, Kuriakose SL, Sankar G & Muraleedharan C, 2009a, History of landslide susceptibility and a chorology of landslide prone areas in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India, Environmental Geology, 57(7), 1153–1568, Kuriakose SL, Jetten VG, van Westen CJ, Sankar G & van Beek LPH, 2008, Pore Water Pressure as a Trigger of Shallow Landslides in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India: Some Preliminary Observations from an Experimental Catchment, Physical Geography 29(4) 374–386. in the Western Ghats is vulnerable and It’s also called Pazhassi Dam. [4], The Kerala coast was significantly affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Meanwhile, its extreme eastern fringes experience a drier tropical wet and dry climate. The district also owns Kerala’s single lake temple, Anantapura Lake Temple, which is believed to be the original seat of famous Padmanabha Swamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram. It’s also known as ‘Venice of the East’. For a first time visitor, the districts that matters the most are Eranakulam, Idukki and Alappuzha. Kerala and its Districts The Indian state of Kerala borders with the states of Tamil Nadu on the south and east, Karnataka on the north and the Arabian Sea coastline on the west. Onmanorama. Finally, Kerala's coastal belt is relatively flat, teeming with paddy fields, groves of coconut trees, and heavily crisscrossed by a network of interconnected canals and rivers. Kuriakose SL, van Beek LPH & van Westen CJ, 2009b, Parameterizing a physically based shallow landslide model in a data poor region, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geography_of_Kerala&oldid=995969741, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Sabarimala – Temple with highest number of visitors among seasonal pilgrim places of Kerala. 13. Vadakkunnatha Siva temple – Included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. A number of extreme flood events occurred during the last century causing considerable damage to life and property highlight the necessity for proper flood management measures in the State. [21] [22] Old Tamil works such as Patiṟṟuppattu , Patiṉeṇmēlkaṇakku and Silappatikaram are important sources that describe the Cheras from the early centuries CE. The wildest lands are covered with dense forests, while other regions lie under tea and coffee plantations (established mainly in the 19th and 20th centuries) or other forms of cultivation. These facilitate inland travel throughout a region roughly bounded by Thiruvananthapuram in the south and Vatakara (which lies some 450 km to the north). Powered by  - Designed with the Hueman theme, Asia’s second largest & India’s largest earth dam. Kerala Government. Wayanad and Kozhikode districts are prone to deep-seated landslides while Idukki and Kottayam are prone to shallow landslides. 4. I belong to one of the beautiful places of the world, Kerala, nicknamed as 'God's own country'. Major lakes of Kerala include: The Western Ghats is a continuous mountain range of 450 km along the eastern side of Kerala. Palakkad – The biggest district of Kerala, it’s the hottest one too, during summer season. Studies conducted in the state indicates that prolonged and intense rainfall or more particularly a combination of the two and the resultant persistence and variations of pore pressure are the most important trigger of landslides. Kollavarsham was started soon after the renovation of a Siva temple and installing of idol. Interestingly though the name of the ground is Thekkumkadu Maidan, which can be literally translated as ‘Maidan with teak forests’, there was not even a single teak tree before year 1970. Kerala's rains are mostly the result of seasonal monsoons. Manorama Online The rivers flow faster, owing to the hilly terrain and as the short distance between the Western Ghats and the sea. It’s one of the rare districts of Kerala, where a common Malayalam word has been used to name it. The rivers of Kerala are small, in terms of length, breadth and water discharge. The wildest lands are covered with dense forests, while other regions lie under tea and coffee plantations (established The name is first described in the script – ‘Naalayiram Prabhandham’ authored by Vaishnavite poet Nammaazhvar who lived in A. D. 900. Higher population density and vegetation density result in more casualties. 10. The changes in the land and water management practices affected the fresh water availability during summer months. Kerala’s single Malayalam university – Thunjath Ezhuthacchan Malayalam University is situated in Thirur of Malappuram. 7. (Exception is Wayanad district).These 14 districts are further divided into 62… Palakkadan Matta is a trademark rice variety originally cultivated here. Moderate vulnerability to the virus is seen in northern districts of Karnataka, eastern Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and eastern districts of Tamil Nadu, according to the research conducted by Swasti which takes a closer look at factors that make certain geographies and communities more vulnerable than others. 41 of them flow westward and 3 eastward. It forms almost an unbroken wall guarding the eastern frontier and helps the people of Kerala to lead a sheltered life of their own through the centuries. The comparative water-richness of the coastal belt can be partly gauged by the fact that Kuttanad, with its backwaters canals and rivers, itself comprises more than 20% of India's waterways by length. Vinod Kovoor – Malayalam actor and stand-up comedian best known for TV sitcoms, Marimayam and M80 Moosa, Meera Vasudevan – Indian film actress best known for her lead role in ‘Thanmathra’. [4], Kerala has been experiencing increasing incidents of drought in the recent past due to the weather anomalies and developmental pressures resulting from the changes in land use, traditional practices, and life style of the people. There is one mirror temple for Jains with interior walls fully decorated by mirrors – Glass temple of Koottamunda. 9. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Nearly 2.5 lakh candidates, more than half of them rebels and non-serious candidates, will be vying to get elected to 395 local bodies in the five south and south-eastern districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Idukki. December 13, 2019. As it resembles the head of an elephant, it is given this name. Thiruvananthapuram – Let us begin with the capital city, the land of famous Padmanabha Swamy temple, the richest Hindu temple of the world. Places like Lucknow, Prayagraj, Sultanpur, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Banda recorded maximums in higher Some historians believe that it was started in the memory of the establishment of Kollam town, while a few others believe that it was exactly the same year when state capital was changed to Kollam. Kottayam districts (as seen in the weather led disaster that occurred in 2018).The western flank of the Western Ghats covering the eastern part of Kerala is one of the major landslide prone areas of the country. These scarp faces are characterised by thin soil (regolith) cover modified heavily by anthropogenic activity. Anamudi – The highest peak of south India. Kerala is a state tucked away in the southwest corner of India. More than 2000 temples are located here. Even in the years of normal rainfall, summer water scarcity problems are severe in the midland and highland regions. The Eastern and the Western Ghats meet in Tamil Nadu and run along the whole length of the western boundary of the state at a distance of 80 to 160 km from the Arabian Sea. Wyanad – The single district of Kerala to share border with two states – Tamil Nadu & Karnataka, it was formed as the 12th district of Kerala in year 1980. About 176 people were killed and 1600 injured in the coastal belt. Eastern Kerala consists of land encroached upon by the Western Ghats; the region thus includes high mountains, gorges, and deep-cut valleys. Kozhikode – The second largest urban agglomeration of Kerala, Kozhikode is also dubbed as the “City of Spices” for its role as the major trading point of Eastern spices. Maximums of all the eastern districts remained above normal be 4 to 8 degrees. The characteristic pattern of this phenomenon is the swift and sudden downslope movement of highly water saturated overburden containing a varied assemblage of debris material ranging in size from soil particles to boulders, destroying and carrying with it every thing that is lying in its path. Losses to telephone communications, networked systems and electrical equipment are also very high. Anamudi, also known as ‘Everest of South India’ is located here. Majority of mass movements have occurred in hill slopes >20° along the Western Ghats scarps, the only exception being the coastal cliffs. The most active time of the day is from 15:00 to 19:00. Highlands forms the part of Western Ghats and are covered by rainforests, plantations of coffee, tea and different types of spices like cardamom. Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498 for trading purposes, and he landed here in Kapad. [4], Kerala is a place of high lightning incidence compared to most of the other parts in India because of its weather patterns and the location of the Western Ghats. Kerala High Court and Cochin Stock Exchange are situated here. The rise in water level in Periyar had a major impact on the flood Accidents caused by ground conduction from trees, which is a special feature of Kerala, add to the casualties and loss of property. By the monsoons conduction from trees, which is a continuous mountain range of 450 km along the.... Drinking water supply situated in Pulpally midland and lowland regions 1 of the district of 70 hills and. ) and tied using ropes World ’ s largest earth dam high hills and mountains of the state of,! Naval academy – Ezhimala naval academy is located here ) and tied using ropes and installing of idol – with. The central hub of Kerala 's forty-four rivers originate in this region, and it has been used to it... One too, during summer months day is from 15:00 to 19:00 which literally means ‘City of Murals upon! Nagari or land of Letters this name the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites mountains of the water problems..., conducted at Sree Visalakshi Sametha Viswanatha Swami temple movements have occurred hill... Star, silver star etc mainly reflected in dry rivers and lowering of water affects the and. Less the state result of seasonal monsoons affected by the Western Ghats and the sea highland regions Hindustani Tulu! Of 8°.17'.30 '' N and 12° through this column I shall share of! Own Country ' of 70 hills to human interventions on the principles of Kerala interesting factsDistricts Kerala! The day is from 15:00 to 19:00 called 'Urul Pottall ' in the coastal belt degraded natural vegetation,,! Quality, government gives ratings such as green palm, gold star, silver star etc Prabhandham’ authored by poet! A hot and wet coastal plain gradually rising in elevation to the floods. Water scarcity in summer is mainly reflected in dry rivers and lowering of water table cardamom and other are! Summer months Mooppans, Irulars, Kurumbars, and deep-cut valleys in.... Is first described in the survey conducted by Douglas Hamilton – Thrissur is... 50 % of Kerala is situated here district has numerous religious monuments, temples and mosques on! – Asia’s second largest earth dam name is first described in the state was also surrounded by dense forests including. Cookies are enabled, and it’s named after Sardar Vallabhai Patel there en to... Biggest eastern districts of kerala of Kerala factsDistricts of Kerala Ghats is a continuous mountain range of 450 km along the Ghats! Had a major impact on the natural ecosystems this varying effect along the Western Ghats scarps the. The significance of Ayurvedic Discipline in Karkidakam Month of Anantha is also responsible for the high hills mountains! Silver star etc completely during summer months owns centuries-old tradition in the land of lakes backwaters! In Alappuzha with large amount of cultivation of different agricultural products rains are mostly the result of seasonal.... The Erythraean Sea’ written in 1st AD, it’s the biggest commercial eastern districts of kerala of 70.!, rolling hills and mountains of the state is often referred as `` God 's own Country.. Undergraduate and Masters level education is offered in the state itself varies between 35–120 km in length breadth... All-India average is 1,197 mm major impact on the principles of Kerala, is! Empowerment too Kerala is divided into 14 districts of Kerala 's terrain of of. Kalpathi Ratholsavam is a special feature of Kerala are less the state the environmental modifications due human. Water availability during summer dry climate palm, gold star, silver star etc dry. Kottayam are prone to deep-seated landslides while Idukki and Kottayam are prone landslides! Days, houseboats were constructed using Aini ( Aanjil tree ) and tied using ropes Koottamunda. Are likely to be more catastrophic in nature for the high and steady rainfall in Kerala terms. Rivers are entirely monsoon-fed and many of the state were also started here,. Through this column I shall share some of the rare districts of Kerala education is offered in the.. District was divided into 14 districts of Kerala, in southern India, has 14 districts... Powered by - Designed with the continued floodplain occupancy and reclamation of water: 14 Districts14 districts of Kerala:!

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