Kayamkulam

History

Main article: Odanad

Kayamkulam was a medieval feudal kingdom known as Odanad(also called Onattukara) ruled by the Kayamkulam rajas. Maha Raja Marthanda Varma (1706–58) conquered Kayamkulam and annexed its territories to Travancore.

Notable locations and events

The Krishnapuram Palace, built in the 18th century, now functions as a museum. Constructed in typical Keralan-style architecture, it has the largest mural painting in Kerala. The palace museum houses the Kayamkulam double-edged sword.

The Shankar Memorial National Cartoon Museum and Art Gallery is an art museum located at Krishnapuram in Kayamkulam. Established in 2014 by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, the institution serves as a tribute to the legendary Indian cartoonist, Kesava Shankar Pillai (Shankar), who is widely regarded as the father of political cartooning in India and was born in the area. The museum is the first of its kind in Kerala and occupies a 15,000 square feet area, housing an extensive collection of Shankar's original works, including approximately 120 cartoons featuring prominent Indian political figures, along with his personal artifacts like his pen, brush, and easel. It also displays works by other notable cartoonists and hosts exhibitions and sculptures.

The Kayamkulam Boat Race is held on the fourth Saturday of August every year. Chinese fishing nets can be found on the banks of the lagoon.

The Valiyazheekkal Bridge or the Valiyazheekkal-Azheekkal Bridge, is a bridge connecting between Valiyazheekkal, a coastal area of Aratupuzha village in Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district and Azheekal Beach in Alappad village of Kollam district in Kerala, India.Built across the mouth of the Arabian Sea, it is the longest tension steel bar concrete bowstring bridge in Asia. It is also the second longest bowstring bridge in Asia, after Chaotianmen Bridge in China. Valiyazheekkal is situated on the shore of Kayamkulam Town.

Transport

Roads

NH 66 passes through Kayamkulam, connecting it to the major cities Alappuzha, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Kollam, Palakkad and Nagercoil. The Kayamkulam–Punalur road (KP Road) is a major road connecting it to major city's in east *sengotai,Tenkasi,*Thirunelveli via Pettah parts of the Tamil Nadu state. The KSRTC bus station is located near the national highway.

Railways

Kayamkulam Junction railway station is a major railway junction located 1.5 km from the town on the Kayamkulam–Punalur road.

Demographics

According to the 2001 Census of India, Kayamkulam had a population of 65,299. Males constituted 49% of the population and females 51%. Kayamkulam had an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy was 84%, and female literacy is 79%. In Kayamkulam, 11% of the population was under six years of age.

Civic administration

Kayamkulam Assembly Constituency is part of Alappuzha.{{cite web |access-date=2008-10-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304011026/http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/background/S11/KL_Dist_PC_AC.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-04

Educational and research institutes

The Central Coconut Research Station (CCRS) was established in 1948 as a field station of the Agricultural Research Laboratory. Presently, it is a regional station of the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI).

Onattukara Regional Agricultural Research Station, Kayamkulam is located in the Kayamkulam Municipality of Alappuzha District, one kilometer east of Kayamkulam town, on the northern side of Kayamkulam - Punalur road. The station was established in the year 1937 under the erstwhile University of Travancore. It was subsequently transferred to the Department of Agriculture in 1958 and continued to function under it till it became a part of the KAU on 07.02.72. I n April, 2000, this Station was upgraded to the status of RARS (Onattukara Region).

KPAC drama troupe

Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC) is a theatrical movement in Kayamkulam, Kerala. It was formed in the 1950s by a group of individuals that had close ties with the leftist parties of Kerala.

In 1951 KPAC staged its first drama, Ente Makananu Sari (), whose songs were written by Punaloor Balan. Its second drama Ningalenne Communistakki () was first performed in 1952. The success of Ningalenne Communistakki brought KPAC to the forefront of a powerful people's theatre movement in Kerala.

KPAC played a significant role in popularising the Communist Party in Kerala through its dramas, road shows and kathaprasangams (story telling).

Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant (NTPC Kayamkulam)

Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant or Kayamkulam NTPC (also known as Rajiv Gandhi CCPP) is a 350 MW naphtha-based power plant which is largely idle due to high production costs, but the site is operational for other projects, most notably a 92 MW floating solar power plant. The plant is owned by NTPC Limited. This is a combined cycle power plant located at shore of Kayamkulam Kayal in Choolatheruvu which is in Alappuzha district, Kerala, India. The power plant is owned by NTPC Limited. The power plant is fueled by imported and indigenous naphtha. Source of the cooling water is Achankovil river at Nalukettumkavala in Pallipad.

Notable people

• Thopil Bhasi – Malayalam playwright, screenwriter, and film director
• K. M. Cherian – heart surgeon; founder of Frontier Lifeline Hospital and the Dr. K M Cherian Heart Foundation
• Kambisseri Karunakaran – journalist, politician, actor, satirist and rationalist
• P. Kesavadev – novelist, writer, and social reformer
• Kayamkulam Kochunni – highwayman based in Kayamkulam, active in Central Travancore in the early 19th century
• K. P. A. C. Lalitha – National Award-winning Indian film and stage actress
• S. Guptan Nair – Malayalam writer, critic, scholar and educationist
• K. Shankar Pillai – cartoonist, founder of Shankar's Weekly
• Thachadi Prabhakaran – former Minister of Kerala
• Kayamkulam Philipose Ramban – Christian priest
• T. P. Sreenivasan - diplomat; former High Commissioner to Fiji and Kenya and Ambassador to Austria

References

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