Kayamkulam

Kayamkulam
Onattukara, Odanadu, Onad, Kallikoilon and Chirava Svaroopam
Municipality[1]
Azheekal Bridge
Krishnapuram Palace
Kayamkulam is located in Kerala
Kayamkulam
Kayamkulam
Location in Kerala, India
Kayamkulam is located in India
Kayamkulam
Kayamkulam
Kayamkulam (India)
Coordinates: 9°10′19″N 76°30′04″E / 9.172°N 76.501°E / 9.172; 76.501
Country India
StateKerala
DistrictAlappuzha
Government
 • BodyKayamkulam Municipality
 • MLAU Prathiba
 • ChairmanSarath Lal Bellari
 • Vice-ChairpersonAmbika
Area
 • Total
21.79 km2 (8.41 sq mi)
 • Rank9th (Kerala Most Populous Urban agglomerations)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total
68,634
 • Rank23rd (Most populous cities in kerala)
 • Density3,150/km2 (8,158/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialMalayalam, English
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
690502
Telephone code+91-479
Vehicle registrationKL-29
Nearest cityKollam (38 km), Alappuzha (46 km), Pathanamthitta (41 km)
Sex ratio1094 ♂/♀
Literacy94.81% (2011 Census)

Kayamkulam (IPA: [kaːjɐmkuɭam, kaːjɐŋɡuɭam]) is a municipality[3] in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, India. It is located 46 km (28.6 mi) south of the district headquarters in Alappuzha and about 110 km (68.4 mi) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kayamkulam has a population of 68,634 people, and a population density of 3,149/km2 (8,160/sq mi).

Kayamkulam was the erstwhile capital of the Kingdom of Onattukara, and today continues to be the largest town in the Onattukara region.

Coconut plantations

History

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. The history of Kayamkulam is a saga of a kingdom that was once a military powerhouse and a commercial hub for the pepper trade, until its dramatic fall in the 18th century.

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.[4] The palace museum houses the Kayamkulam double-edged sword.[5]

The Shankar Memorial National Cartoon Museum and Art Gallery is an art museum located at Krishnapuram in Kayamkulam.[6] 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.[7] 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.[6][7] It also displays works by other notable cartoonists and hosts exhibitions and sculptures.[6]

The Kayamkulam Boat Race[8] is held on the fourth Saturday of August every year.[9] Chinese fishing nets can be found on the banks of the lagoon.

Transport

Kayamkulam City Bus Stand

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 (0.93 mi) from the town on the Kayamkulam–Punalur road.

Kayamkulam Railway Junction

Waterways

National Waterway 3 (NW-3), also known as the West Coast Canal, spans approximately 205 km between Kollam and Kozhikode. About 25 km of this route passes directly through Kayamkulam Lake.

Kayamkulam IWT Terminal, A fixed Inland Water Transport (IWT) terminal occupies roughly 1.63 acres in Kayamkulam. It is one of nine strategic terminals developed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) along NW-3.


Demographics

According to the 2011 Census of India, Kayamkulam municipality had a population of 68,634. Males constituted 47.8% (32,784) of the population and females 52.2% (35,850). The municipality has a high sex ratio of 1,094 females per 1,000 males, which is higher than the Kerala state average of 1,084. Children under six years of age made up 10.07% (6,914) of the total population

The average literacy rate in Kayamkulam is 94.81%, higher than the state average of 94.00%. Male literacy stands at 96.72%, while female literacy is 93.10%

Year Male Female Total Population Change Religion (%)
Hindu Muslim Christian Sikhs Buddhist Jain Other religions and persuasions Religion not stated
2001[10] 31,997 33,302 65,299 - 55.78 36.26 7.92 0 0 0.01 0 0.03
2011[11] 32,784 35,850 68,634 +5.1% 53.30 39.07 7.32 0.01 0.01 0 0.01 0.28
  1. Hindu (53.3%)
  2. Muslim (39.1%)
  3. Christian (7.32%)
  4. Others (0.31%)

Civic administration

Kayamkulam Assembly Constituency is part of Alappuzha.[12]

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).[13]

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.

KPAC emblem

In 1951 KPAC staged its first drama, Ente Makananu Sari (transl. "My Son is Right"), whose songs were written by Punaloor Balan. Its second drama Ningalenne Communistakki (transl. "You Made Me a Communist") was first performed in 1952. The success of Ningalenne Communistakki brought KPAC to the forefront of a powerful people's theatre movement in Kerala.[14]

KPAC played a significant role in popularising the Communist Party in Kerala through its dramas, road shows and kathaprasangams (story telling).[15]

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.

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
  • Michael Mor Dionysus - Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church Metropolitan, Muncipal Councillor of Sree Moolam Popular Assembly
  • 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

See also

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kayamkulam.
  1. ^ "Grama Panchayaths" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Kerala (India): Districts, Cities and Towns - Population Statistics, Charts and Map".
  3. ^ "Grama Panchayaths" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2018.
  4. ^ Lonely Planet Things to do in Southern Kerala by Lonely Planet travellers.
  5. ^ Department of Archaeology WebsiteArchived 2011-01-22 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ a b c Biju E Paul (6 December 2014). "A Museum for Mr Mirth". The New Indian Express. Alappuzha. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  7. ^ a b S, Lekshmi Priya (24 November 2017). "Lovers of Art! This Gem in Kerala's Kayamkulam Has to Be on Your Travel Plans!". The Better India. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  8. ^ First Kayamkulam boat race.
  9. ^ Kerala boat races Archived 28 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  10. ^ Census India 2001.
  11. ^ Census India 2011.
  12. ^ "Assembly Constituencies - Corresponding Districts and Parliamentary Constituencies" (PDF). Kerala. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  13. ^ "ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute".
  14. ^ "Frontline article". Archived from the original on 30 December 2001. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  15. ^ "First Ministry of Kerala Government". Archived from the original on 2 October 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
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