Vaikom

Location

Vaikom is situated at the northwestern end of the Kottayam district, close to the border with the Ernakulam district. Vaikom is a lakeside town situated in the banks of the Vembanad lake similar to other lakeside towns like Kottayam and Changanassery. Its western borders are bound by the Vembanad lake. The Muvattupuzha river has its mouth near Vaikom where it empties into the Vembanad lake, many distributaries of the Muvattupuzha river pass through Vaikom. It is also close to the tourism destination Kumarakom and the city of Kochi. Vaikom is situated on the Ernakulam-Alappuzha-Kottayam border area and it is 33 km from Ernakulam, 33 km from Kottayam via Kumarakom, 39 km from Alappuzha and about 56 km from Kochi International Airport.

History

Vaikom was believed to be a part of a kingdom called Venmalanadu in the past. When Venmalanadu was split into Vadakkumkoor and Thekkumkoor, it became part of Vadakkumkoor dynasty. Vadakkumkoor kingdom spread along the path of Muvattupuzha river towards the north east side from Kaduthuruthy, Vaikom, Piravom, Muvattupuzha, Kothamangalam and Thodupuzha. There was an important port at Chemmanakary, near Vaikom during the Vadakkumkoor era. Later in 1742, it became part of Travancore when the then Maharajah of Travancore, Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, annexed Vadakkumkoor to his kingdom.

Vaikom gained its fame on a national level during the Vaikom Satyagraha.

Vaikom Temple

Main article: Vaikom Temple

The Vaikom Shiva Temple, known as Thekkan Kashi (Southern Kashi), is the centre of the town, and is the site of the Vaikom Ashtami celebrations during November. It is notable as the venue of the Vaikom Agitation for achieving for the lower castes the right to walk on the roads surrounding the temple. One of the most popular temples in Kerala dedicated to Lord Shiva,

Administration

Vaikom is administered by a municipality and is the seat of a munsiff's court (among the oldest to be established in the Kingdom of Travancore, 100 years old). The Vaikom assembly constituency is part of the Kottayam parliamentary constituency.{{cite web | access-date = 2010-08-29

Economy

The traditional economy has been based on coconut and rice crops, and fishing; more recently, crops like nutmeg, black pepper, and latex have been introduced. Tourism and software are pursued as a means to livelihood.

The Kerala Paper Products Limited (Previously called Hindustan Newsprint Limited) is situated in Velloor,17 km away from Vaikom.

Demographics

As per the 2001 census,{{cite web | access-date = 2013-06-16 | archive-date = 17 December 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121217132413/http://www.vaikommunicipality.in/about | url-status = dead

In the 2011 census,{{cite web | access-date = 2015-09-24

Hindus are the largest religious community in Vaikom, accounting for 85% of the population. Christians represent 12%, and Muslims 3%.

Notable people

• Mar Sebastian Adayantharath
• Justice K. G. Balakrishnan
• Vaikom Muhammad Basheer
• Mammootty, actor
• P. K. Biju
• George Josy
• Cherian K. Cherian
• V. N. Janaki
• Janardhanan, actor
• A. J. John
• Monce Joseph
• M. K. Kamalam
• Abraham Kattumana
• Kalaikkal Kumaran, actor
• Mathew Ulakamthara, poet and literary critic
• N. Mohanan
• Vaikom Chandrasekharan Nair
• N. N. Pillai
• P. Krishna Pillai, leader of the first communist movement in Kerala
• Vaikom Padmanabha Pillai, military officer of the Kingdom of Travancore
• Vaikom Ramachandran, poet
• Thomas Unniyadan
• Vaikom Vijayalakshmi
• Vaikom Viswan
• S. Ramesan, Malayalam language poet and orator

References

References

1. "Grama Panchayaths".
2. "Census of India: Search Details".
3. "Vaikom". [[Department of Tourism (Kerala)]].
4. "Vaikom Village Life Experience : Showcasing Kerala's Rural Tradition". [[Department of Tourism (Kerala)]].
5. "Vaikom, General Information". Government of Kerala.
6. "ചരിത്രം {{!}} Vaikom Municipality".
7. "Kerala Paper Products Limited Home Page".
8. "Vaikom Municipality City Population Census 2011-2019".