Meenachil is the name of the north-eastern region of Kottayam district in Kerala, south India. Palai is a prominent town in Meenachil. The arterial river of the district is also named Meenachil. The river finds mention in Arundhati Roy's Booker Prize winning novel, The God of Small Things. For the town with the same name, see Kottayam. ... Kerala ( (Anglicised) or (native); Malayalam: േകരളം, — ) is a state on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ... South India is a region of India that includes the entire Indian Peninsula, south of the Vindhya ranges. ... Palai, also known as Pala (Malayalam : പാലാ), is a municipal town, population 22,600 in 2001, in the eastern hilly region of the district of Kottayam, Kerala state, South India. ... Arundhati Roy Suzanna Arundhati Roy (Malayalam: അരുന്ധതി റോയ്, Devanagari: अरुंधती राय) (born November 24, 1961) is an Indian novelist, activist and a world citizen. ... The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known as the Man Booker Prize, or simply the Man Booker, is one of the worlds most important literary prizes, and awarded each year for the best original novel written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland in... The God of Small Things is a semi-autobiographical novel by Indian author Arundhati Roy. ...

The river Meenachil, also known as Kavanar, originates in the Western Ghats of Kerala, flows westward through Erattupetta, Palai, Kidangoor, Ettumanoor and Kottayam. Near Kottayam it splits into a number of distributaries before emptying into the Vembanad Lake. Kumarakom, the bird sanctuary and tourist resort is on one such branch. The Western Ghats or Sahyadri mountains (as they are known in Maharashtra and Kerala) run along the western edge of Indias Deccan Plateau, and separate the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. ... Erattupetta is a town in Kottayam District of Kerala state, south India. ... Palai, also known as Pala (Malayalam : പാലാ), is a municipal town, population 22,600 in 2001, in the eastern hilly region of the district of Kottayam, Kerala state, South India. ... Kidangoor is a beautiful village in Kottayam district. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... For the district with the same name, see Kottayam District. ... For the district with the same name, see Kottayam District. ... A distributary is a river that branches off from a major river before it reaches the sea, particularly in a river delta. ... Location of Vembanad lake, Kerala Vembanad Lake (Vembanad Kayal or Vembanad Kol) is the largest lake in Kerala, India. ... The village of Kumarakom is a cluster of little islands on the Vembanad Lake in Kerala, a state in India. ...

History

The current Meenachil taluk was part of four Meenachil was a principality under the local chieftains, the Karthas before Marthanda Varma annexed it to Travancore in the sixteenth century. The name of the place comes from Goddess Meenakshi of Madurai, the deity of the Karthas. The southern bank of the river was the kingdom of Thekkumkoor with capital at Changanassery and the northern bank, that of Vadakkumkoor, with its capital at Kaduthuruthy. The Poonjar royal family also held sway over significant areas of the district towards the east. Marthanda Varma (1706 - 1758) was the son of the Rani of Attingal. ... Travancore or Thiruvithaamkoor (Malayalam: തിരുവിതാങ്കൂര്‍ [], തിരുവിതാംകൂര്‍ [], തിരുവിതാങ്കോട് []) or Tamil திருவிதாங்கூர் was a princely state in India with its capital at Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram). ... Gopuram of Madhurai Meenakshi temple built for Meenakshi According to Hindu mythology, Meenakshi was a princess who was born with three breasts, fish-shaped eyes and fishy smell. ... Madurai (மதுரை in Tamil) is situated on the banks of Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state. ...

Economy

Though food crops like paddy and tapioca are cultivated, majority of the population depends on cash crops like rubber and black pepper for income. Recently people had diversified into the cultivation of vanilla on account of the sudden spurt in prices. However, with rubber prices ruling high and vanilla prices nosediving, the original agricultural pattern is seen reemerging. Though there are families with considerable wealth, a large section of the population are farmers with small and medium agricultural holdings. Paddy has these meanings:- A paddy field, a field for cultivating rice or other semi-aquatic crops. ... Tapioca is an essentially flavourless starchy ingredient, or fecula, produced from treated and dried cassava (manioc) root and used in cooking. ... Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky emulsion (known as latex) in the sap of several varieties of plants. ... Binomial name Piper nigrum L. Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. ... For other uses, see vanilla (disambiguation). ...

The Kerala Government has recently(2006) accorded high priority to the implementation of the Meenachil River Valley Project. The project aims at diverting excess water from the Moovattupuzha river into the Meenachil River basin by constructing a tunnel from Arakkulam to Melukavau. Once implemented the project will help in increasing the availability of water in the area. Moovattupuzha is Muvattupuzha. ...

Festivals

Some of the important festivals celebrated in the region are:
1. The Arattu at Lalam Sree Mahadeva Temple. (January)
2. The Kadappattor temple festival (April)
3. Palai Jubilee thirunal (December 8)
4. The Cherpunkal Church festival(December)
5. The Aruvithura St George Church festival.
6. The Paika Church festival
7. Palai Rakkuly thirunal (Jan 7)
8. Bharanganam Sr Alphonsa's feast (Jul 28)
9. Ramapuram Church feast

Polity

Traditionally, the region is the hotbed of various factions of the Kerala Congress. However mainstream parties like the Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Bharatiya Janata Party also have significant following. The prices of rubber and other agricultural prices determine the agenda of many elections. It is alleged that the church influences the political agenda significantly. Executive President Prime Minister The Union Ministries Legislative Parliament Rajya Sabha Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Lok Sabha Speaker of the House Judicial Supreme Court Chief Justice of the Supreme Court High Courts District Courts Constitution Fundamental Rights and Directive principles Regions States and territories Elections General Elections State Assembly... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), is a political party in India. ... The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), literally meaning Indian Peoples Party, created in 1980, is one of the two major national political parties in India. ...

Transport

Meenachil Taluk does not have rail connectivity. The nearest major railway station is at Kottayam, 28 km from Palai. The nearest airport is the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery, 100 km from Palai. For the district with the same name, see Kottayam District. ... Cochin International Airport (IATA: COK, ICAO: VOCC), also known as Kochi International Airport, is located at Nedumbassery, near Kochi (formerly known as Cochin) in India. ... Nedumbassery is a town in Kerala, India. ...

The Ettumanoor - Poonjar State Highway (SH 32) traverses across the Taluk in the easterly direction connecting major centres like Kidangoor, Cherpunkal, Palai, Bharananganam and Erattupetta. In the north- south direction, the Main Eastern Highway (Moovattupuzha - Punalur- SH 8)passes through Kollappally, Palai and Paika. The Erattupetta - Peerumedu State Highway (SH 14) passes through Teekoy and Wagamon. The Sabarimala - Kodaikanal Highway passes through Erattupetta. The Main Central Road (SH 1) from Trivandrum to Angamaly passes through the western boundary of the Taluk. This article needs to be wikified. ... Kidangoor is a beautiful village in Kottayam district. ... Palai, also known as Pala (Malayalam : പാലാ), is a municipal town, population 22,600 in 2001, in the eastern hilly region of the district of Kottayam, Kerala state, South India. ... Bharananganam is a Christian pilgrimage center. ... Erattupetta is a town in Kottayam District of Kerala state, south India. ... Moovattupuzha is Muvattupuzha. ... Punalur is a town in the Indian state of Kerala. ... Paika Kottayam district,Kerala,India is a small town 8 km away from Palai on Pala-Ponkunnam road of Muvattupuzha - Punalur state highway. ... Erattupetta is a town in Kottayam District of Kerala state, south India. ... Wagamon is a hill top resort near Palai,in Kottayam District,Kerala,India. ... The Main Central Road (MC Road) is the arterial State Highway in the Travancore region of Kerala state, India. ... Indian Coffee House Thiruvananthapuram or Thiruvanathapuram (formerly known as Trivandrum) is the capital (population - 889,191 (2001)) of the state of Kerala, India. ... Angamaly (Malayalam: ) is a rapidly growing town in Ernakulam district of Kerala, south India, famous as the intersection of Main central road and National Highway 47. ...

See also

• Meenachil River
  
• Palai
  
• Erattupetta