About Palakkad District :

Palakkad is one of the fourteen districts of Kerala and has no coastal line. The district opens the state to the rest of the country through the Palakkad Gap with a width of 32 to 40 Kms. Its geographical position, historical background, educational status, tourism hot-spots and above all, the development activities that are carried out, are wide and varied. The district is one of the main granaries of Kerala and its economy is primarily agricultural. The district is also the land of Palmyrahs.

The present Palakkad district, as an administrative unit,was formed on the first of January 1957, comprising of Palakad, Perinthalmanna, Ponnani, Ottapalam, Alathur and Chittur. Later when the Malappuram District was formed excluding Thritala firka of Ponnani Taluk, Mankada firka and excluding Karkidamkunnu & Chetalloor amsoms of Perinthelmanna Taluk are transferred to that district and a new taluk was formed namely Mannarkkad. In 2013, Ottapalam taluk was bifurcated and Pattambi taluk was formed.

At present the Palakkad district consists of 2 revenue divisions, 6 taluks and 157 revenue Villages. There are 7 Muncipalities, 13 block panchayats and 88 village panchayats in district. The District Police Office is situated near by the collectorate. The District headquarters is at Palakkad Town. After the 73rd amendment of Indian Constitution, decentralized planning was implemented in the district and three tier system was formed in Panchayat Raj. The District Panchayat is the top-most tier of the Panchayat Raj System. The District Panchayat is headed by a President and a Vice-President and has an office functioning near the Collectorate.

The district is headed by the District Collector and seated at Collectorate, Civil Station, Palakkad. The District Collector exercises control over the various offices in the district and staff attached to the Collectorate. For the maintenance of the law and order, the District Police Chief assists the District Collector. The District Panchayat President assists the District Collector for the planning and execution of the development programmes for the district.

The business of the government offices of the district is transacted through the various office heads based on the rules of business. Each office consists of District Officer, who is the official head of the office and such other officers and staffs subordinate to him/her assigned with specific duties.

The first District Collector of the district was Sri K. C. Sankaranarayanan IAS , the District Police Chief was Sri. T. K. Bhaskara Marar IPS and the District Panchayat President was Sri. K.V. Vijayadas. Now, the District Collector is Dr. P. Suresh Babu IAS, the Police Chief is Sri. Prateesh Kumar IPS and the District Panchayat President is Adv. K. Shanthakumari.

District at a Glance :

• District – Palakkad
• Headquarters – Palakkad
• State – Kerala

Area in Sq Km (Census 2011)

• Total – 4482
• Rural – 4082.31
• Urban – 399.69

Population (Census 2011)

• Population – 2809934
• Rural – 2133124
• Urban – 676810
• Male – 1359478
• Female – 1450456
• Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males) – 1067
• Density (Total, Persons per sq km) – 627

Constituencies (ECI)

• Assembly – 12
• Loksabha – 2

• Official Website – http://palakkad.gov.in

Tourist Places :

Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary:

(98 km from Palakkad) Sprawled across 285 sq.km, the Parambikulam Wildlife sanctuary is home to many rare wild animals. The tree house in the reserve forest area in Thunakkadavu has to be booked in advance. One of the oldest and the largest teak trees in the world can be seen here. The Kannimara Teak with a girth of 6.57 m and a height of 48.5m, said to be around 360 years old, is a remnant of the wild teak that grew in this area which now houses cultivated teak plantations. Boating/cruising facilities are available at the Parambikulam Reservoir. The Rest Houses of the State Forest Department at Thunakkadavu, Illikkal and Anappady offer accommodation.

Silent Valley National Park  :

(40 km northwest of Mannarkkad) The 89.52 sq.km national park is believed to be the sole surviving bit of evergreen forest in the Sahya Ranges. The peculiarity of the Silent Valley Forest is that it is even devoid of the chirping of cicadas’. Vehicular transport is possible only up to Mukkali, nearly 24 km from the park.

The rest of the way has to be covered by foot, up to the source of Kunthipuzha, which flows through the valley before merging into the Bharathapuzha River. The closest to a virgin forest in the entire Western Ghats, the Silent Valley National Park is home to India’s last substantial stretch of tropical evergreen forests. It’s difficult terrain and remoteness shelters a large number of wild animals. Permitting authority: Asst. Wildlife Warden, Silent Valley National Park, Mukkali

Palakkad Fort: (Open 0800-1800 hrs) The old fort situated in the very heart of Palakkad town is one of the best preserved in Kerala. It was built by Hyder Ali of Mysore in 1766 and later taken over and modified by the British in 1790. It is now preserved by Archeological Survey of India.

A temple of Lord Hanuman is adjacent to the main entrance of the Fort. A museum of Archeology is also functioning inside the Fort.Fort is surrounded by a moat. A jogging track parallel to the moat is provided for jogging in the morning and evening hours. The entire area is beautifully landscaped. Conservation Assistant, Palakkad Fort. Ph: 0491 – 2500171.

Siruvani:

(46 km north of Mannarkkad and 48 km from Palakkad) The reservoir was built by Kerala Government for providing drinking water to Tamil Nadu. The Siruvani Reservoir comes under the control of mannarkkad Forest division. The route towards Siruvani is excellent due to the proximity to forest and rare chances to watch the wildlife. Creation of basic facilities for visitors are under planning. (Permitting authority: Divisional Forest Officer, Mannarkkad Ph: 04924-222574.

Meenvallam Waterfalls:

Originating from Thuppanadu River at the height of 5 to 45 metres, falls in step by step. Creation of basic facilities in joint hand with forest Department are progressing.Entry is managed by VSS.

 

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