Pathanamthitta district

Pathanamthitta district is a  district in the southern part of Kerala, India. The district headquarters is in the town of Pathanamthitta. The district is surrounded by the Kottayam, Idukki, Alappuzha and Kollam districts. It has a border with the state of Tamil Nadu in the east. Pathanamthitta, Tiruvalla, Pandalam, Ranni, Kozhencherry, Mallapally andKonni are the major towns and taluks in the district.

               

Because of the large number of pilgrims it receives, Pathanamthitta is known as "the headquarters of pilgrimage tourism" in India, and the district tourism board gave Pathanamathitta the moniker "The Abode of God". The famous pilgrimage centre ofSabarimala is situated here. Having three rivers and a forest cover which includes a tiger reserve, the district also attracts many wildlife and nature enthusiasts.

According to the 2001 Census of India, the population was 1,231,577, making it the third least populous district in Kerala (out of14), after Wayanad and Idukki. Pathanamthitta has been declared the first polio-free district in India. The district is 10.03% urbanised. Pathanamthitta is one of the richest district in India.                                                    The district's name is a combination of two Malayalam words, pathanam and thitta, which together mean 'array of houses on the river side'. The district capital is located on the banks of the river Achankovil.                                                                                                          It is presumed that the regions that form the district were formerly under the rule of Pandalam, which had connections with the Pandya kingdom. When Pandalam was added to the princely state of Travancore in 1820, the region came under Travancore administration.

The district was formed on November 1, 1982 in the interest of speeding up development. The formation was done by incorporating various portions of the erstwhile Kollam,Alappuzha and Idukki districts. While the taluks Pathanamthitta, Ranni, Konni and Kozhencherry were taken from Kollam district, Pandalam, Thiruvalla and Mallappally were taken from Alappuzha district.                                                        Pathanamthitta being also a land of culture and learning could bring forth the literary talents of two centuries together in single volume named Desathuti: Pathanamthitta Kavithakal. Unnikrishnan Poozhikkad collected 184 poems of different poets of Pathanamthitta starting from 18th century. Later on Desathuti was formed into a cultural organization which organizes literary symposiums and musical festivals.                  

                                                                                                                                                                                    Pathanamthitta is a landlocked district, located at 9°16′N 76°47′E, spanning over an area of 2,637 square kilometres (1,018.15 sq mi).^[9] The district is bordered by the districtsKottayam and Idukki in the north, Alappuzha in the west, Kollam in the south. To the east it has border with the Tamil Nadu state.

The district can be divided into three natural geographical regions: the highland, the midland and the lowland. The highland stretches through the Western Ghats, where the hills are tall and covered with thick forests. Western Ghats maintains an average altitude of around 800 m. It descends to the smaller hills of midland in the centre and finally to the lowland. The lowland with its abundance of coconut trees, lies along the western borders of Alappuzha district.                                                                                                                     

 Pathanamthitta has a moderate climate, more or less the same as is prevalent elsewhere in Kerala. Annual temperatures range between 20 °C (68 °F) and 39 °C (102 °F). The district experiences three distinct weather conditions: winter, summer and the monsoon. The winter season is experienced from December to February and summer season from March to May. There are two rainy seasons: The South-West monsoon (June to September) and the North-East monsoon (October to November). The South-West monsoon is usually very heavy. About 75% of its annual rainfall is received during this season.                                                                          Pathanamthitta district has a reserve forest area of 1,385.27 square kilometres (534.86 sq mi). This is approximately 50% of the total district area. The forest area can broadly be classified as evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous. The forest is the main source of raw materials for wood based industrial units. Timber is the most important produce.                                                                                                

                           Three important rivers flow through the district. These rivers originate from various mountains of the Western Ghats mountain range. The Pamba (176 km or 109 mi), which is the third longest river in Kerala, has its origin in Pulachimala. The Achankovil river (128 km or 80 mi) originates from Pasukida Mettu, and Manimala river (90 km or 56 mi) originates from the Thattamalai hills. A small portion of Kallada river also falls in the southern border of the district. Pamba and Achankovil rivers together drain more than 70% of the total area of Pathanamthitta.

One third of the electricity produced in the State comes from this district. The Sabarigiri Hydroelectric project situated at the Pamba basin and the Kakkad Electricity project functions in this district. The abundant water resources are also utilized for irrigation purpose through the Kallada and Pamba irrigation projects.

Nalkalikkal bridge which was built more than 50 years ago was replaced with a new bridge and approach road a few years back. The name is derived from the words 'Nalu' (four) and 'Kal' (legs or spans in case of a bridge), as the old bridge had 4 spans. It connects Aranmula and nearby village of Kidanganoor.                                                                                                   Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. About 75% people are dependent on this sector. Rubber is the most important crop, with its plantations covering over 478 square kilometres (185 sq mi). The hilly terrain coupled with high humidity makes the region suitable for rubber plantations. Paddy is the most important crop cultivated in the wet lands. Tapioca and pulses are the important dry land crops. Other major crops are coconut, banana, pepper and ginger. In certain areas cashew, pineapple, sugarcane, cocoa and other tree spices are cultivated. The land available for cultivation is less since sizeable area of the district is reserve forest.  

                Pathanamthitta district has a unique position in the inland fisheries map of Kerala state with its freshwater resources like rivers, reservoirs,streams, ponds, quarries and paddy fields. The fisheries activities in this region started with the establishment of a Fresh Water Survey Station. The district has an Ornamental Fish Breeding resource centre and a National Fish Seed Farm. There are 2444 fishermen depending on this sector for their livelihood.

Pathanamthitta district has tremendous potential in fish culture sector. For the development of piscine culture activities a Fish Farmers Development Agency(F.F.D.A.) was constituted during the year 1990. The agency provide technical as well as financial assistance to the farmers. The ongoing schemes of F.F.D.A. are assistance to new pond construction, pond reclamation, supply of fish seed, feed, medicine towards input, integrated farming and establishment of mini hatcheries.                                                                                                    Pathanamthitta is a less industrialized district of Kerala. As of March 31, 2006, there are 13,898 registered Small Scale Industries (SSI), employing 46,421 people. There are also 378 workers employed in the handloom sector. There are three Mini Industrial Estates in the district with the State government declaring 8.5 hectares of area as development plot. District Industries Centre distributes the land to needy entrepreneurs on request. 14.48 hectares of land has been transferred to KINFRA and five acres of land has been transferred toSIDCO for industrial parks. Green channel committee has been set up to help entrepreneurs get help in obtaining licenses, clearances, electricity, water connection, without delay.