Patthanamthitta ~ ഒളിയമ്പുകള്‍

Pathanamthitta is a large town and a municipality situated in the central Travancore region in the state of Kerala, south India. It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The city has a population of 38,000. The Hindu pilgrim centre of Sabarimala is situated in the Pathanamthitta district; as the main transport hub to Sabarimala, the town is known as the 'Pilgrim Capital of Kerala'. Pathanamthitta is a fast-developing city and business center.

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Etymology

There are different versions on how the name Pathanamthitta came about. One view is that the name is derived from two Malayalam words Pathanam and thitta, which together mean "array of ten "family" houses by the riverside". Another opinion is that is pattanam (town) which became 'pathanam'. Thus, Pathanamthitta meant a town by the riverside.
Pathanamthitta city is located on the fertile banks of the River Achenkovil.

Geography

Pathanamthitta has an average elevation of 18 metres (62 ft) above sea level.^[1]

A sign-board that indicates the direction to Sabarimala. The multilingual board is written in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannad

The main trunk road to Sabarimala is from Pathanamthitta. The Main Eastern Highway (Punalur-Pathanamthitta-Muvattupuzha Road/SH-08) and T.K.Road (Thiruvalla-Pathanamthitta-Kumbazha Road/SH-07) pass through Pathanamthitta.

Major townships around Pathanamthitta

Alappuzha & Kottayam	Kanjirappalli	Mundakayam/Kumily
Pandalam/Haripad		Tirunelveli
	Pathanamthitta

Kollam	Kottarakkara/Thiruvananthapuram	Punalur/Tenkasi

Climate

City Street after a monsoon shower

The city enjoys a tropical climate, the monsoons start in June. The months of April–May can get pretty humid. The best weather is from October to February.
Pathanamthitta experiences three distinct seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. Typical summer months are from March to May. The warmest month in Pathanamthitta is April. Although summer doesn't end until May, the city often receives locally developed heavy thundershowers in May (although humidity remains high).
The monsoon lasts from June to August, with moderate rainfall. Most of the heavy rainfall in the city fall between June and July, and June is the wettest month of the year. Last weeks of June is also days of floods. The three major rivers viz Pampa, Achankovil and Manimala swell with rainwater.
Winter begins in December. December through February are the winter months. The lowest temperatures are experienced during January.

Transportation

Air

Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (113 km) and Cochin International Airport, at Nedumbassery, Kochi (142 km) are the nearest airports. The proposed Aranmula international Airport is just 14 km from Pathanamthitta.

Rail

Tiruvalla (Code: TRVL) (30 km) is the only Railway Station in the District. Chengannur (26 km) in the Alleppey Dist. is the nearest Railway station. Direct Bus services to Pathanamthitta are operated from Tiruvalla and Chengannur. Tiruvalla and Chengannur Private Bus Stands are located near the Railway Stations. The proposed Angamaly - Erumely - Punalur and Tiruvalla - Ranni- Punalur Railway lines pass through Pathanamthitta district.

The General Hospital Road stretch of the T.K.Road

Road

Pathanamthitta is the meeting point of two major State Highways T.K.Road (SH - 07) and Main Eastern Highway ( Punalur-Muvattupuzha Road / SH - 08 ). The city is well connected to major towns and cities inside and outside Kerala by the State run K.S.R.T.C and private buses as well as Luxury Services. Both the KSRTC and private buses play equal roles in satisfying the transportation needs of the town. The cities of Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Thrissur etc. are connected by KSRTC services whereas hi-range townships like Punalur, Kumali, Pala and the Malabar Area of Northern Kerala are connected by private bus services. Plenty of A/C Luxury Bus services are operated from Pathanamthitta to Bangalore, Chennai, Mangalore and Mumbai on a daily basis.

Culture zone

Places around Pathanamthitta city within a distance of 15 km include Kadammanitta, Vazhamuttom, Pandalam, Manjinikara, Omallur, Malayalappuzha, Kodumthara, Muloor Smarakam, Kodumon, Ayroor Cherukolpuzha, Kaipattoor, Mylapra, Thumpamon, Maroor, Pramadom, Konni and Valamchuzhy. The places beyond these are Nilackal, Parumala,and Maramon. Pathanamthitta city lies on the road route to the pilgrim town of Sabarimala, which is 65 km away. The famous Chettikulangara temple, at Mavelikkara is about 35 km from Pathanamthitta.The famous Padanilam Parabrahma Temple is situated 26 km from Pathanamthitta.
Maramon Convention is the highest peoples gathering in Asia.

Notable people from Pathanamthitta District

Mohanlal, actor
Mahakavi Pandalam Kerala Varma, poet
M. N. Govindan Nair, politician, former minister and MP
Pandalam Sudhakaran, former minister
Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan, poet
Fathima Beevi, first woman judge to be appointed to the Supreme Court of India
M. G. Soman, actor
Meera Jasmine, actress
Nayantara, actress
Parvathy Jayaram, actress
Dr. T. K. Alex, Space scientist awarded Padmashri^{[citation needed]}
Captain Raju, actor
Parvathy Omanakuttan, Miss World runner up, Miss India
Adoor Gopalakrishnan, movie director
Blessy, movie director
Thilakan, actor
Kaviyoor Ponnamma, actress
Adoor Bhasi, actor
E. V. Krishna Pillai, writer
Kadammanitta Vasudevan Pillai, exponent of Padayani
Adoor Bhavani, actress
Adoor Pankajam, actress
Kaveri (actress), actress
K. K. Nair Ex-MLA^{[citation needed]}
M. Ranjith, producer^{[citation needed]}
Mahakavi K. V. Simon, Poet (1883–1944)^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[2] Pathanamthitta had a population of 12.34 lakh. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Pathanamthitta has an average literacy rate of 93%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 96%, and female literacy is 92.5%. In Pathanamthitta, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. There are five engineering colleges and one medical college in Pathanamthitta District.

Religion

Hinduism and Christianity are the main religions followed here. There are certain section who follow other religions also. Various sections of Hindus, Christians and Muslims co-exist harmoniously. Muslims of Pathanamthitta generally are Thulukkar Who are Tamil Muslims.
The temple of Lord Dharmasastha, a world famous forest pilgrim centre, is situated in the Sabarimala part of the western ghats in the Pathanamthitta district, which is hence known as the 'Pilgrim Capital of Kerala'.
The Shivaparvathy temple Anikkattilammakshethram is also in the district.

Vivid population

Pathanamthitta still has quite few settlements of aborigines called 'adivasis' deep in the forest area including areas like Thanithoddu, Chittar. The people from the settlements prefer not to be disturbed by the crowd from outside civilizations or lifestyles.
Pathanamthitta is bordered by Idukki district on the east, Kottayam on the north, Kollam and Aalapuzha on west and south again by Kollam. The villages of Pathanamthitta provides great opportunity to develop, eco, cultural, health care, adventure, monsoon tourism.

Politics

Pathanamthitta assembly constituency was part of the Idukki (Lok Sabha constituency) but now Pathanamthitta is a separate Lok Sabha constituency.^[3] Pathanamthitta is a part of the Pathanamthitta Legislative assembly, but from the general elections in 2011 onwards Pathanamthitta town will be a part of the Aranmula Legislative assembly.