144-633: Idukki (ഇടുക്കി; IPA: [iɖukːi] ) is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala in the southwest of the country. It is the largest district in Kerala and lies amid the Cardamom Hills of Western Ghats in Kerala. Idukki district contains two municipal towns – Kattappana and Thodupuzha , and five taluks . The district was constituted on 26 January 1972, by taking Peerumade , Udumbanchola , Devikulam taluks of
288-517: A Bhashya (language) where "Dravida and Sanskrit should combine together like ruby and coral, without the least trace of any discord". The scripts of Kolezhuthu and Malayanma were also used to write Middle Malayalam . In addition to Vatteluthu and Grantha script , those were used to write Old Malayalam . The literary works written in Middle Malayalam were heavily influenced by Sanskrit and Prakrit , while comparing them with
432-421: A population of 1,093,156. The 2011 Census places it at 416th among the 640 districts of India . The district has a population density of 251 inhabitants per square kilometre (650/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was −1.93% due to emigration and low fertility rates. Idukki has a sex ratio of 1,006 females for every 1,000 males, and a literacy rate of 92.2 percent. 4.69% of
576-516: A 7th century poem written by the Tamil poet Sambandar the people of Kerala are referred to as malaiyāḷar (mountain people). The word Malayalam is also said to originate from the words mala , meaning ' mountain ', and alam , meaning ' region ' or '-ship' (as in "township"); Malayalam thus translates directly as 'the mountain region'. The term Malabar was used as an alternative term for Malayalam in foreign trade circles to denote
720-469: A canonical word order of SOV (subject–object–verb), as do other Dravidian languages . A rare OSV word order occurs in interrogative clauses when the interrogative word is the subject. Both adjectives and possessive adjectives precede the nouns they modify. Malayalam has 6 or 7 grammatical cases . Verbs are conjugated for tense, mood and aspect, but not for person, gender nor number except in archaic or poetic language. The modern Malayalam grammar
864-506: A considerable Tamil minority population. However Malayalis are majority in these taluks as well. The aboriginal tribes in the district speak their own dialects such as Malavedan , Malaryan , Muthuvan , and Paliyan , which are closely related to the Malayalam and Tamil . According to the 2011 census, Hindus make up 48.86% (541,854) of the population, with Christians at 43.42% (481,507) and Muslims at 7.41% (82,206). Idukki district
1008-697: A distinct language due to geographical separation of Kerala from the Tamil country and the influence of Sanskrit and Prakrit from the Nambudiri Brahmins of the Malabar Coast . The Old Malayalam language was employed in several official records and transactions (at the level of the Chera Perumal kings, as well as the upper-caste ( Nambudiri ) village temples). Most of the inscriptions in Old Malayalam were found from
1152-501: A distinct literary language from the western coastal dialect of Middle Tamil and the linguistic separation completed sometime between the 9th and 13th centuries. The renowned poets of Classical Tamil such as Paranar (1st century CE), Ilango Adigal (2nd–3rd century CE), and Kulasekhara Alvar (9th century CE) were Keralites . The Sangam works can be considered as the ancient predecessor of Malayalam. Some scholars however believe that both Tamil and Malayalam developed during
1296-449: A high altitude plateau with rugged mountainous terrain, several river valleys and deep gorges. The entire northern part of the district forms a sub plateau higher than the rest of the district, this region includes the tallest peaks like Anamudi and includes the areas around Munnar , Pallivasal , Kanthalloor , Vattavada and Mankulam . The Pambar river valley ( Marayoor , Keezhanthoor ) forms an eastern sloping rain shadow region of
1440-637: A literary language. The Malayalam script began to diverge from the Vatteluttu and the Western Grantha scripts in the 8th and 9th centuries of Common Era . By the end of the 13th century, a written form of the language emerged which was unique from the Vatteluttu script that was used to write Tamil on the eastern coast. Old Malayalam ( Paḻaya Malayāḷam ), an inscriptional language found in Kerala from circa 9th to circa 13th century CE,
1584-592: A lot of its words from various foreign languages: mainly from the Semitic languages including Arabic , and the European languages including Dutch and Portuguese , due to the long heritage of Indian Ocean trade and the Portuguese-Dutch colonization of the Malabar Coast . Variations in intonation patterns, vocabulary, and distribution of grammatical and phonological elements are observable along
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#17327660416161728-415: A mayor, oversees the municipal affairs. The other administrative subdivision is " blocks ", which is co-terminus with the block panchayats area. Th CD blocks are established for the purpose of rural development , aligning with the boundaries of the block panchayat . Each CD Block encompasses several gram panchayats within its limit. A block is administered by a Block Development Officer (BDO), appointed by
1872-799: A portion of the Meenachil taluk which included the region of Poonjar along with the High Range region in the Idukki district in 1160 CE, which originally belonged to the Thekkumkur Rajas. This incident commenced the beginning of the Poonjar dynasty in the region. The territory of Poonjar was annexed by the Kingdom of Travancore following the annexation of the principalities of Thekkumkur and Vadakkumkur in 1749–1750. Entire portion of
2016-516: A result, Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma , the architect of the modern Travancore, attacked and annexed the kingdom of Thekkumkur into Travancore in 1749 during the Battle of Changanassery , after his annexation of Kayamkulam in 1746. The Thekkumkur king took refuge in the kingdom of the Zamorin of Calicut following his defeat in the battle. In 1157 CE , Kulothunga Chola , who belonged to
2160-685: A spirit of brotherhood. മനുഷ്യരെല്ലാവരും തുല്യാവകാശങ്ങളോടും അന്തസ്സോടും സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യത്തോടുംകൂടി ജനിച്ചിട്ടുള്ളവരാണ്. അന്യോന്യം ഭ്രാതൃഭാവത്തോടെ പെരുമാറുവാനാണ് മനുഷ്യന് വിവേകബുദ്ധിയും മനസാക്ഷിയും സിദ്ധമായിരിക്കുന്നത്. manuṣyarellāvaruṁ tulyāvakāśaṅṅaḷōṭuṁ antassōṭuṁ svātantryattōṭuṅkūṭi janicciṭṭuḷḷavarāṇŭ. anyōnyaṁ bhrātr̥bhāvattōṭe perumāṟuvānāṇŭ manuṣyanŭ vivēkabuddhiyuṁ manasākṣiyuṁ siddhamāyirikkunnatŭ. /manuʂjaɾellaːʋaɾum t̪uljaːʋakaːʃaŋŋaɭoːʈum an̪t̪assoːʈum sʋaːt̪an̪tɾjat̪t̪oːʈuŋkuːʈi d͡ʒanit͡ʃt͡ʃiʈʈuɭɭaʋaɾaːɳɨ̆ ǁ anjoːnjam bʱraːt̪rɨ̆bʱaːʋat̪t̪oːʈe peɾumaːruʋaːnaːɳɨ̆ manuʂjanɨ̆ ʋiʋeːkabud̪d̪ʱijum manasaːkʂijum sid̪d̪ʱamaːjiɾikkun̪ːat̪ɨ̆ ǁ/ Malayalam has
2304-552: Is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district ) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was designated a " Classical Language of India " in 2013. Malayalam has official language status in Kerala, Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé ), and is also the primary spoken language of Lakshadweep. Malayalam
2448-717: Is administered by a District Collector , who is an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of Kerala cadre, and is appointed by the State Government of Kerala . The headquarters of the district administration is known as the Collectorate . The District Collector serves as the head of revenue administration in the district and also functions as the District Magistrate responsible for maintaining law and order within
2592-839: Is also a considerable Malayali population in the Persian Gulf regions, especially in Dubai , Kuwait and Doha . For the consonants and vowels, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbol is given, followed by the Malayalam character and the ISO 15919 transliteration. The current Malayalam script bears high similarity with Tigalari script , which was used for writing the Tulu language , spoken in coastal Karnataka ( Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts) and
2736-486: Is also credited with developing the Malayalam script into the current form through the intermixing and modification of the erstwhile scripts of Vatteluttu , Kolezhuthu , and Grantha script , which were used to write the inscriptions and literary works of Old and Middle Malayalam. He further eliminated excess and unnecessary letters from the modified script. Hence, Ezhuthachan is also known as The Father of modern Malayalam . The development of modern Malayalam script
2880-467: Is assisted by an additional district magistrate and deputy collectors. The districts are divided into revenue divisions which comprises several taluks under its jurisdiction. Taluks comprises several revenue villages . A revenue division is headed by a Revenue Divisional Officer / Sub Collector , and taluk is headed by a Tehsildar . The Tahsildar is assisted in each revenue village by village officers and village assistants. Village offices functions as
3024-412: Is based on the book Kerala Panineeyam written by A. R. Raja Raja Varma in late 19th century CE. The declensional paradigms for some common nouns and pronouns are given below. As Malayalam is an agglutinative language, it is difficult to delineate the cases strictly and determine how many there are, although seven or eight is the generally accepted number. Alveolar plosives and nasals (although
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#17327660416163168-476: Is divided into 14 districts. Districts are the major administrative units of a state which are further sub-divided into revenue divisions and taluks . Idukki district is the largest district in Kerala with a total land area of 4,61,223.14 hectares. When the independent India merged smaller states together, Travancore and Cochin states were integrated to form Travancore-Cochin state on 1 July 1949. However, North Malabar and South Malabar remained under
3312-512: Is influenced by Tamil. Labels such as "Nampoothiri Dialect", "Mappila Dialect", and "Nasrani Dialect" refer to overall patterns constituted by the sub-dialects spoken by the subcastes or sub-groups of each such caste. The most outstanding features of the major communal dialects of Malayalam are summarized below: Malayalam has incorporated many elements from other languages over the years, the most notable of these being Sanskrit and later, English. According to Sooranad Kunjan Pillai who compiled
3456-560: Is located in the Idukki Township . The dam is located at the point where the Periyar flows through the gorge formed between two high and massive rocks known as 'Kuravan' and 'Kurathi'. Idukki has a large area of dense forest cover and shola forests . It is highly vulnerable to floods and drought and is considered a climate change hotspot in Kerala, along with the districts of Alappuzha, Palakkad, and Wayanad. Researchers attribute
3600-575: Is located in the Thodupuzha and Udumbanchola taluks in Idukki district. It has an area of 105.364sq.km. The altitude ranges from 450 to 1272 m. The highest peak is Vanjur Medu (1272m). The major rivers flowing through the area are the Periyar and the Cheruthoniar. Eravikulam is another wildlife sanctuary proclaimed as a National Park. It supports the largest population of Nilgiri tahr in
3744-647: Is noted for its small area, while Malappuram district stands out as the most populous in Kerala. Wayanad , Idukki , and Kasargod are the least populated districts in the state. Ernakulam district stands out as the most urbanized in Kerala, housing a municipal corporation and 11 municipalities, with 68.07% of its population residing in urban areas. Thiruvananthapuram has the highest population density at 1509 persons per sq.km, followed closely by Alappuzha and Kozhikode districts. Malayalam Malayalam ( / ˌ m æ l ə ˈ j ɑː l ə m / ; മലയാളം , Malayāḷam , IPA: [mɐlɐjaːɭɐm] )
3888-660: Is phonemic and all of the vowels have minimal pairs for example kaṭṭi "thickness", kāṭṭi "showed", koṭṭi "tapped", kōṭṭi "twisted, stick, marble", er̠i "throw", ēr̠i "lots" Some speakers also have /æː/, /ɔː/, /ə/ from English loanwords e.g. /bæːŋgɨ̆/ "bank" but most speakers replace it with /aː/, /eː/ or /ja/; /oː/ or /aː/ and /e/ or /a/. The following text is Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights . All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in
4032-668: Is presumed that a major portion of the High Range region in Idukki district belonged to the Thekkumkur dynasty just after the collapse the Chera Perumals of Mahodayapuram. The province Vempolinadu ( Bimbali Desam ) of the Chera Perumals of Mahodayapuram attained political autonomy in 1102 CE following the Chera-Chola wars of the 11th century CE. The Vempolinadu royal family got evolved into two independent branches by
4176-462: Is sometimes disputed by scholars. They regard the Chera Perumal inscriptional language as a diverging dialect or variety of contemporary Tamil . The oldest extant literary work in Malayalam distinct from the Tamil tradition is Ramacharitam (late 12th or early 13th century). The earliest script used to write Malayalam was the Vatteluttu script . The current Malayalam script is based on
4320-571: Is spoken by 35 million people in India. Malayalam is also spoken by linguistic minorities in the neighbouring states; with a significant number of speakers in the Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka , and Kanyakumari , Coimbatore and Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu. It is also spoken by the Malayali Diaspora worldwide, especially in the Persian Gulf countries , due to
4464-567: Is that they were given the position of forest chiefs as a reward for helping the Pandya Raja clan. At one point, they had to leave Madurai and reached Idukki via Kumily via Gudalur in Tamilakkam with the help of King Poonjar . It is also believed that those who were appointed to collect forest products for the local kings settled down here over time. The tribal people here may have migrated here in search of better living facilities. As
Idukki district - Misplaced Pages Continue
4608-549: Is the Malayalam Varthamanappusthakam , written by Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar in 1785. Robert Caldwell describes the extent of Malayalam in the 19th century as extending from the vicinity of Kumbla in the north where it supersedes with Tulu to Kanyakumari in the south, where it begins to be superseded by Tamil , beside the inhabited islands of Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea . In
4752-438: Is the earliest attested form of Malayalam. The beginning of the development of Old Malayalam from a western coastal dialect of Middle Tamil can be dated to circa 8th century CE. It remained a west coast dialect until circa 9th century CE or a little later. The origin of Malayalam calendar dates back to year 825 CE. It is generally agreed that the western coastal dialect of Tamil began to separate, diverge, and grow as
4896-674: The saṁvr̥tōkāram , which is not officially a vowel, and not as actual vocalic consonants) have been classified as vowels: vocalic r ( ഋ , /rɨ̆/ , r̥), long vocalic r ( ൠ , /rɨː/ , r̥̄), vocalic l ( ഌ , /lɨ̆/ , l̥) and long vocalic l ( ൡ , /lɨː/ , l̥̄). Except for the first, the other three have been omitted from the current script used in Kerala as there are no words in current Malayalam that use them. Some authors say that Malayalam has no diphthongs and /ai̯, au̯/ are clusters of V+glide j/ʋ while others consider all V+glide clusters to be diphthongs /ai̯, aːi̯, au̯, ei̯, oi̯, i̯a/ as in kai, vāypa, auṣadhaṁ, cey, koy and kāryaṁ Vowel length
5040-430: The 16th century , when it was known as "Malayayma" or "Malayanma"; the words were also used to refer to the script and the region . According to Duarte Barbosa , a Portuguese visitor who visited Kerala in the early 16th century CE, the people in the southwestern Malabar coast of India from Kumbla in north to Kanyakumari in south had a unique language, which was called "Maliama" by them. Prior to this period ,
5184-642: The Chera dynasty (first few centuries of the Common Era ) had their original headquarters in a region called Kuzhumur at Kuttanad in the ancient Tamilakam and were sometimes known as the Kuttuvans . Some historians have identified Kuzhumur with Kumily in Peerumade Taluk of the Idukki district. The Chera dynasty is mentioned as The Keralaputras in the inscriptions of the emperor Ashoka of
5328-638: The Cherthala Taluk was transferred into the newly formed Kollam district on 1 July 1949. The High Range division of the erstwhile Travancore was merged with the remaining Taluks of the erstwhile Kottayam division to form the Kottayam district as a part of the inauguration of the new Indian state of Travancore-Cochin on 1 July 1949. The new district of Kottayam at that time contained eight Taluks – Changanassery, Kottayam, Vaikom, Meenachil, Muvattupuzha, Thodupuzha, Devikulam, and Peerumede. Hence Idukki
5472-573: The Dominion of India , the erstwhile revenue divisions were reorganised into districts and the Divan Peshkars gave way to District Collectors , paving the way for the birth of the Kottayam district on 1 July 1949, which had also included the modern-day district of Idukki in it. The erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin was reorganized into Thrissur district and Taluks of North Paravur and Kunnathunad were transferred to that district. Similarly
5616-525: The High Ranges of the Idukki district. According to the treaty signed on 16 June 1664, Dutch Malabar had trade contracts with the Thekkumkur Rajas on spices, cinnamon, opium, etc. The Thekkumkur Rajas allied with the Kingdom of Cochin and the Kingdom of Odanad ( Kayamkulam ) against the military invasions of the kingdom of Travancore into its northern kingdoms that occurred during the 1740s. As
5760-850: The Kalabhras , the Pallavas , the Chalukyas , the Pandyas , and the Rashtrakutas during the period between 500 CE and 800 CE for nearly three centuries. Idukki was part of three Nadus (provinces) during the period of the Chera Perumals of Mahodayapuram (800 – 1102 CE ) for nearly three centuries. The Thodupuzha - Muvattupuzha region was part of a province called Keezhmalanadu during this time, with its headquarters at Karikode near Thodupuzha . The High Range region, which lies to
5904-593: The Madras Presidency with harvesting cardamom in the region. The Kannan Devan Hills on the High Range region were given on lease on 11 July 1877 by the ruler of the Poonjar dynasty to John Daniel Munroe from London and for tea plantations . This created an influx of a large number of migrant Tamil plantation workers into the region from the neighbouring districts of the Madras Presidency as well as from various parts of Southern Travancore especially from Kanyakumari district and Shenkottai taluk and
Idukki district - Misplaced Pages Continue
6048-599: The Madras state . The States Reorganisation Act of 1 November 1956 elevated Kerala to statehood through the unification of Malayalam -speaking territories in the southwestern Malabar Coast of India. The state comprises three parts – the Northern Kerala districts of Kasaragod , Kannur , Wayanad , Kozhikode , Malappuram ; the Central Kerala districts of Palakkad , Thrissur , Ernakulam , Idukki ; and
6192-535: The Maurya Empire (322 BCE – 184 BCE). The province Kuttanad in the ancient kingdom of Keralaputras included the modern-day districts of Idukki, Ernakulam , Kottayam , and parts of Alappuzha , which could be broadly defined as the region between the rivers Periyar and Pamba . It was bounded by the Ay kingdom to the south, which included the regions between Pamba River and Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin), and
6336-998: The Middle East , the United States, and Europe. There were 179,860 speakers of Malayalam in the United States, according to the 2000 census, with the highest concentrations in Bergen County, New Jersey , and Rockland County, New York . There are 144,000 of Malayalam speakers in Malaysia . There were 11,687 Malayalam speakers in Australia in 2016. The 2001 Canadian census reported 7,070 people who listed Malayalam as their mother tongue, mainly in Toronto . The 2006 New Zealand census reported 2,139 speakers. 134 Malayalam speaking households were reported in 1956 in Fiji . There
6480-632: The Namboothiri and Nair dialects have a common nature, the Arabi Malayalam is among the most divergent of dialects, differing considerably from literary Malayalam. Jeseri is a dialect of Malayalam spoken mainly in the Union territory of Lakshadweep and Beary is spoken in Tulu Nadu which are nearer to Kerala. Of the total 33,066,392 Malayalam speakers in India in 2001, 33,015,420 spoke
6624-547: The Nilgiri tahr , the grizzled giant squirrel , the Nilgiri wood-pigeon , the elephant , the gaur , the Nilgiri langur , the sambar , and the neelakurinji (that blossoms only once in twelve years). The former Kundala Valley Railway in Munnar was destroyed by a flood in 1924, but tourism officials are considering reconstructing the railway line to attract tourists. Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary came into existence in 1976. It
6768-482: The Pathinettara Kavikal (Eighteen and a half poets) in the court of the Zamorin of Calicut , also belong to Middle Malayalam. The literary works of this period were heavily influenced by Manipravalam , which was a combination of contemporary Tamil and Sanskrit . The word Mani-Pravalam literally means Diamond-Coral or Ruby-Coral . The 14th-century Lilatilakam text states Manipravalam to be
6912-579: The Southern division headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram , and the High Range division with its headquarters at Devikulam . The High Range division in the northeastern part of Travancore included the Taluks of Devikulam and Peerumade . Thodupuzha region was however included in the northernmost division of the British Princely state of Travancore . Kottayam was the headquarters of
7056-583: The Voiced retroflex approximant (/ɻ/) which is seen in both Tamil and the standard form of Malayalam, are not seen in the northern dialects of Malayalam, as in Kannada . For example, the words Vazhi (Path), Vili (Call), Vere (Another), and Vaa (Come/Mouth), become Bayi , Bili , Bere , and Baa in the northern dialects of Malayalam. Similarly the Malayalam spoken in the southern districts of Kerala, i.e., Thiruvananthapuram - Kollam - Pathanamthitta area
7200-592: The Yerava dialect and 31,329 spoke non-standard regional variations like Eranadan . As per the 1991 census data, 28.85% of all Malayalam speakers in India spoke a second language and 19.64% of the total knew three or more languages. Just before independence, Malaya attracted many Malayalis. Large numbers of Malayalis have settled in Chennai , Bengaluru , Mangaluru , Hyderabad , Mumbai , Navi Mumbai , Pune , Mysuru and Delhi . Many Malayalis have also emigrated to
7344-462: The districts of Kerala . There are only two municipalities in the district and the urban population is comparatively much lower than the rural population, due to its mountainous nature. The 2,695 metres (8,842 ft) high peak of Anamudi , which is also the highest point of elevation in India outside the Himalayas , lies in the northern portion of the district of Idukki. The Idukki Dam is one of
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#17327660416167488-459: The northern districts of Kerala , those lie adjacent to Tulu Nadu . Old Malayalam was mostly written in Vatteluttu script (with Pallava/Southern Grantha characters). Old Malayalam had several features distinct from the contemporary Tamil, which include the nasalisation of adjoining sounds, substitution of palatal sounds for dental sounds, contraction of vowels, and the rejection of gender verbs. Ramacharitam and Thirunizhalmala are
7632-509: The 12th century CE – the southern branch among them later came to be known as the kingdom of Thekkumkur . It included the modern-day Taluks of Changanassery , Kanjirappally , Kottayam , and Thiruvalla , along with the High Range region of Idukki district. The High Range region was later handed over to the Poonjar dynasty by the Thekkumkur Rajas. The Dutch East India Company was attracted by enormous growth of black pepper in
7776-689: The 13th and 14th centuries of the Common Era . The Sandesha Kavya s of 14th century CE written in Manipravalam language include Unnuneeli Sandesam . Kannassa Ramayanam and Kannassa Bharatham by Rama Panikkar of the Niranam poets who lived between 1350 and 1450, are representative of this language. Ulloor has opined that Rama Panikkar holds the same position in Malayalam literature that Edmund Spenser does in English literature . The Champu Kavyas written by Punam Nambudiri, one among
7920-427: The 16th century CE, Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan from the Kingdom of Tanur and Poonthanam Nambudiri from the Kingdom of Valluvanad , followed the new trend initiated by Cherussery in their poems. The Adhyathmaramayanam Kilippattu and Mahabharatham Kilippattu , written by Ezhuthachan, and Jnanappana , written by Poonthanam, are also included in the earliest form of Modern Malayalam. Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan
8064-424: The 1940s, were chosen for the colonisation project. As a victory of the Colonisation project done by post-independence Travancore, these two Taluks and a larger portion of Cardamom Hills retained in the state of Kerala , after the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 . Following the formation of the new Indian state of Kerala according to the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 , many jurisdictional changes were done in
8208-466: The 1951 Linguistic Census of the state of Travancore-Cochin, it was found that nearly half of the total Tamil-speaking population in Devikulam taluk at that time was born outside the state of Travancore-Cochin and most of them were immigrants from the Madras Presidency , who were brought into the region by the British officials mainly as tea plantation workers to the Cardamom Hills . Furthermore, some quick decisions were taken by Pattom Thanu Pillai , who
8352-495: The Britishers migrated to Idukki. The Cardamom Proclamation of 1822, issued by the Rani Uthrittathi Thirunal Gowri Parvathi Bayi , the regent of the British Princely state of Travancore at that time, paved the way for bringing people from outside for collecting Cardamom from the forest of the Cardamom Hills in the district. The proclamation, issued on Malayalam Era 15 Medam 997 (which corresponds to CE 28 April 1822), entrusted Tamil workers from neighbouring districts of
8496-476: The Chera Perumals of Mahodayapuram got disintegrated into several small feudal states by early 12th century CE as a result of the continuous war that occurred between the Chera Perumals and the Medieval Cholas throughout the 11th century CE. The province Keezhmalanadu of the Chera Perumals of Mahodayapuram attained political autonomy in 1102 CE following the Chera-Chola wars. Remnants of numerous medieval forts have been found from Karikode near Thodupuzha , which
8640-412: The Dravidian or South-Indian Family of Languages" , opined that literary Malayalam branched from Classical Tamil and over time gained a large amount of Sanskrit vocabulary and lost the personal terminations of verbs. As the language of scholarship and administration, Old-Tamil, which was written in Tamil-Brahmi and the Vatteluttu alphabet later, greatly influenced the early development of Malayalam as
8784-444: The Fire and Rescue Department, Divisional Forest Officer for the Forest Department, etc. Each department's district-level offices oversee their respective areas of administration. At the time of formation, Kerala had only five districts: Malabar , Thrissur , Kottayam , Kollam , and Thiruvananthapuram . On 1 January 1957, the Malabar district was trifurcated to form new districts of Kannur , Kozhikode , and Palakkad , bringing
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#17327660416168928-401: The Idukki district. Pamba , the third-longest river in Kerala, also has its origin in the district of Idukki. During the Travancore Era, Munnar has acted as the summer residence of the British residents in Travancore. Higher peaks like Anamudi on the eastern border of the Idukki district have acted as a natural boundary between the Malayalam kingdoms and the contemporary Tamil kingdoms in
9072-404: The Kannan Devan Hills (Resumption Of Lands) Act, 1971. Munnar has acted as the summer residence of the British residents in Travancore. Tradition states that Colonel Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , was the first British man to pass through Munnar during Tipu Sultan 's campaign into Travancore in the last decades of the 18th century CE, but this is unsubstantiated. The first survey of
9216-447: The Kingdom of Vadakkumkur around 1600 CE. Vadakkumkur was the northern branch of the erstwhile province of Vempolinadu which attained political autonomy in 1102 CE after the collapse of the Chera Perumals of Mahodayapuram. The rulers of this dynasty were also known by the titles Bimbaleeshas and Manikandas in the contemporary Sanskrit works just like their Thekkumkur counterparts. The kingdom of Vadakkumkur originally included
9360-411: The North Travancore Land Planting & Agricultural Society in 1879. Soon many other Europeans began establishing tea plantations in the area throughout the 1880s, after A H Sharp, a European planter entered into tea cultivation in the region. Early plantations had few facilities and were mainly huts of straw. In 1897, a separate company, Kannan Devan Hills Corporation (KDHC) , was registered to operate
9504-449: The Southern Kerala districts of Kottayam , Alappuzha , Pathanamthitta , Kollam , and Thiruvananthapuram . Such a regional division occurred being part of historical regions of Cochin , North Malabar , South Malabar , and Travancore . The North Malabar region, which is culturally distinct from the rest of Kerala, entirely lies in the districts of Northern Kerala . North Malabar region includes Kasargod , Kannur , Wayanad , and
9648-445: The Travancore rule in the region. The transportation facility through the dense forests of Idukki was also improved during the period. The controversial Mullaperiyar Dam was also constructed during the period. During the Travancorean administration , the British Princely state of Travancore was divided into four revenue divisions- the Northern division headquartered at Kottayam , the Central division headquartered at Kollam ,
9792-468: The Vatteluttu script, which was extended with Grantha script letters to adopt Indo-Aryan loanwords. It bears high similarity with the Tigalari script , a historical script that was used to write the Tulu language in South Canara , and Sanskrit in the adjacent Malabar region . The modern Malayalam grammar is based on the book Kerala Panineeyam written by A. R. Raja Raja Varma in late 19th century CE. The first travelogue in any Indian language
9936-477: The Western Ghats. The eastern frontier of the district ( Kumily , Kattapana , Nedumkandam , Rajakumari and Ramakkalmedu ) constitutes the Cardamon hills . The western part of the district is covered by forests and hills bordering the eastern regions of Ernakulam and Kottayam district like Neriyamangalam , Vannapuram , Thommankuthu , Moolamattom , Vagamon and Kuttikanam . Places like Thodupuzha , Koothattukulam , Udumbanoor and Muttom are situated in
10080-505: The ancient culture. Almost all the tribal tribes of the Western Ghats were owners of a life identity that was destroyed by various invasions. Most of the land that the British planters found to plant cardamom , Tea and Coffee was in the lands where the tribal tribes roamed freely. As the mountains were cut down and whitened one by one, each tribal community was pushed back. Each tribes have their own languages closely related to Tamil and Malayalam . Ancient Roman coins have been found from
10224-456: The authoritative Malayalam lexicon, the other principal languages whose vocabulary was incorporated over the ages were Arabic , Dutch , Hindustani , Pali , Persian , Portuguese , Prakrit , and Syriac . Malayalam is a language spoken by the native people of southwestern India and the islands of Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea . According to the Indian census of 2011, there were 32,413,213 speakers of Malayalam in Kerala, making up 93.2% of
10368-533: The authorship of the medieval work Keralolpathi , which describes the Parashurama legend and the departure of the final Cheraman Perumal king to Mecca , to Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan. Kunchan Nambiar introduced a new literary form called Thullal , and Unnayi Variyar introduced reforms in Attakkatha literature . The printing, prose literature, and Malayalam journalism , developed after
10512-592: The case of rural areas, by a Sub-Inspector of Police designated as the Station House Officer (SHO). The Kerala High Court has the jurisdiction of the state of Kerala. Each of the districts has a District & Sessions Court . Each state government department has a district office at the district level, headed by district-level officials, such as the District Medical Officer for the health department, District Fire Officer for
10656-565: The caste. It is king among mannans. Urali are believed to be the first tribe to migrate to the hills of Idukki.Uralis still practice some practices of the Stone Age in a nominal way. It is believed that the black stone placed over the grave after burial is a continuation of the Stone Age grass stone. There are 33 tribal sanctuaries in Idukki including Venmani, Mullaringad, Nadukani, Kurukanadu, Koovakandam, Kannampadi, Muthampadi, East Mattucutta, Vellall, Memarikudi, Poovantikudi. In later times,
10800-411: The development of the two languages out of "Proto-Dravidian" or "Proto-Tamil-Malayalam" either in the prehistoric period or in the middle of the first millennium A.D. , although this is generally rejected by historical linguists. The Quilon Syrian copper plates of 849/850 CE are considered by some to be the oldest available inscription written in Old Malayalam . However, the existence of Old Malayalam
10944-505: The district of Idukki contributes around 66% of the total power needs of Kerala. The Mullaperiyar Dam still remains as the source of the interstate dispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu . In September 2023, Idukki regained its status as the largest district in the state after the addition of 12718.5095 hectares of land which was a part of Kutampuzha village in Ernakulam district to Idamalakudi village in Idukki. The Idukki district forms
11088-422: The district, making it The Spice Garden of Kerala . A significant area in the district is protected as reserved forests and wildlife sanctuaries. The Periyar River is a major river that originates and flows through Idukki. The Pamba River is another important river that originates from Idukki district. Though it is the largest district in the region in terms of area, it has the lowest population density among
11232-434: The district. These districts are further divided into police sub-divisions. A subdivision comprises several police stations under its jurisdiction, each headed by an Assistant Superintendent of Police or Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) designated as the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO). The police station is the basic unit of police administration at the district level, each headed by an Inspector of Police, or in
11376-511: The district. The Collector serves as both the agent of the state Government and also as the representative of the people in the district. District administration is performed by the various Departments of the State Government, each of which has its own office at the district level. The District Officers of the various Departments in the district render technical advice to the collector in the discharge of his duties. The district collector
11520-510: The districts of Central Kerala . The Travancore region is incorporated in the districts of South Kerala . The Travancore region was again divided into three zones as Northern Travancore (Hill Range) ( Idukki District , Kottayam district and eastern portion of Ernakulam district), Central Travancore (Central Range) ( Kollam district , Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha district) and Southern Travancore (Southern Range) ( Thiruvananthapuram ). The districts in Kerala are often named after
11664-598: The dynasty got split into three branches and fixed their capitals at Muziris , Tyndis , and Caroura , respectively, as seen in the ancient Greco-Roman travelogues as well as the Old Tamil literary works of the Sangam period . During the reign of Narmudi Cheral , the regions included in the Kingdom of Ezhimala was also added to the Chera empire. The ancient Chera empire collapsed due to continuous invasions carried out by
11808-507: The early Middle Tamil period, thus making independent descent impossible. For example, Old Tamil lacks the first and second person plural pronouns with the ending kaḷ . It is in the Early Middle Tamil stage that kaḷ first appears: Indeed, most features of Malayalam morphology are derivable from a form of speech corresponding to early Middle Tamil. Robert Caldwell , in his 1856 book " A Comparative Grammar of
11952-513: The early 19th century CE. The earliest extant literary works in the regional language of present-day Kerala probably date back to as early as the 12th century . At that time, the language was differentiated by the name Kerala Bhasha . The earliest mention of Malayalam as a language is found outside of Kerala in the 15th century Telugu work Śrībhīmēśvarapurāṇamu by Śrīnātha. The distinctive "Malayalam" named identity of this language appears to have come into existence in Kerala only around
12096-465: The east of Keezhmalanadu , was possibly included in two provinces namely Nantuzhanadu and Vempolinadu (known as Bimbali Desam in Sanskrit). This period saw the decline of Buddhism and Jainism , which were once prominent in the region, along with the growth of Hinduism , in the Thodupuzha region. The tribal cultures may have sustained in the sparsely populated High Range region. The territory of
12240-437: The entire Pathanamthitta taluk and nine villages of Kunnathur taluk from Kollam district, entire Thiruvalla taluk and part of Chengannur and Mavelikkara taluks from Alapphuzha district and parts of Idukki district. Kasaragod district was formed on 24 May 1984 as the 14th district by carving out a major portion of the erstwhile Kannur district. Idukki district is the largest district in Kerala by area. Alappuzha district
12384-649: The excavation sites in Vandiperiyar region as well. The Megalithic monuments found from Idukki show numerous similarities with the contemporary remnants those discovered from Deccan plateau and other parts of the South India . Usage of Iron was common in the Megalithic culture of Deccan. Tribals are another culture that was established on the hills of Idukki after the Stone Age culture. Although many of
12528-622: The former High Range division from Kottayam district and the Thodupuzha taluk from Ernakulam district . Its division was previously headquartered at Kottayam city but moved to Kuyilimala near Painavu and Cheruthoni in June 1976. Malayalam and English are the two official administrative languages in the district. Tamil is the second most spoken language in Idukki district after Malayalam. Around 66% of Kerala's power needs come from various Hydroelectric Power Projects in Idukki district. Numerous cash crops and spices are cultivated throughout
12672-404: The governance of the urban areas in the district. These urban local bodies are governed by elected municipal councils, headed by mayor /chairperson and deputy mayor /vice chairperson respectively. A municipality, which consists of urban areas, is administered by a municipal council headed by a Municipal Chairperson. In cities, a municipal corporation, administered by a corporation council headed by
12816-569: The government, who also functions as the ex-officio secretary of the Block Panchayat. A taluk consists of urban units such as statutory towns and census towns and rural units called gram panchayats (for revenue purposes). The Local Self-Governments Department (LSGD), Government of Kerala, coordinates and supervises the administrative affairs of these local bodies and has district-level offices. There are 20 police districts in total, and among these, 8 police districts are coterminous with
12960-600: The grassroot of the revenue administration. For the purpose of local governance, there are local-self government institutions, which includes 941 Gram panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 14 district panchayats, 6 corporations and 87 municipalities. The panchayati raj institutions ( gram panchayats , block panchayats , district panchayats ) look after the governance of the rural areas in the district. These panchayats are governed by elected councils, headed by presidents and vice presidents respectively. The urban local bodies ( municipalities and municipal corporations ) look after
13104-512: The highest arch dams in Asia. The major tourism destination of Idukki is Munnar . The name Idukki was derived from the Malayalam word ‘ Idukk ’, which means gorge . A perfect blend of the Malayali , the Tamil and various tribal cultures is found in the Idukki district. The temples and other older buildings in the High Range and the surrounding regions in Idukki have significant influences from
13248-756: The highest point of elevation on the Peninsular India , the Cardamom Hills and its surrounding regions were inhabited by human beings during the Megalithic age itself. Numerous Megalithic monuments have been discovered from the mountainous regions of the district. The remnants of numerous Kodumkallaras and Kallaras have been found from various places at Marayur in Devikulam taluk . Megalithic remnants of Kallaras and Nadukkallus are also found at Kallarpattom colony in Udumbanchola taluk. Huge Kodumkallaras and Nadukkallus were discovered from
13392-452: The increasing frequency in landslides in Idukki to climate change and deforestation . Changes in rainfall patterns caused by climate change, coupled with deforestation and large-scale construction projects, are among the contributing factors that led to the August 2020 landslide that killed 65 people, including plantation workers. According to the 2018 Statistics Report , Idukki district has
13536-502: The large populations of Malayali expatriates there. They are a significant population in each city in India including Mumbai , Bengaluru , Chennai , Delhi , Hyderabad etc. The origin of Malayalam remains a matter of dispute among scholars. The mainstream view holds that Malayalam descends from a western coastal dialect of early Middle Tamil and separated from it sometime between the 9th and 13th centuries. A second view argues for
13680-547: The largest surviving population of Nilgiri tahr , estimated at 750 individuals. The other ungulates are gaur , Indian muntjac and sambar deer . Golden jackal , jungle cat , wild dog , dhole , leopard and tiger are the main predators. Some little-known animals such as Nilgiri langur , stripe-necked mongoose , Indian porcupine , Nilgiri marten , small clawed otter , ruddy mongoose , and dusky palm squirrel are also found. Elephants make seasonal visits. List of districts of Kerala The Indian state of Kerala
13824-410: The largest tea plantations in the world. This hill station, which is more than 5,000 feet above sea level, is a tourist attraction noted for its scenic landscapes. Most of the native flora and fauna of Munnar have disappeared due to severe habitat fragmentation resultant from the creation of the plantations. However, some species continue to survive and thrive in several protected areas nearby, including
13968-648: The largest town or city in the district. Some of the districts were renamed in 1990 from the anglicised names to their local names. The 14 districts are further divided into 27 revenue divisions , 77 taluks , and 1664 revenue villages . For local governance, Kerala has 6 Municipal Corporations and 87 Municipalities overseeing urban areas. Additionally, there are 941 Gram Panchayats , 152 Block Panchayats , and 14 District Panchayats responsible for rural governance. Kerala State has been divided into 14 districts, 27 revenue divisions , 78 taluks, 152 community development blocks , and 1664 revenue villages . A district
14112-528: The latter-half of the 18th century CE. Modern literary movements in Malayalam literature began in the late 19th century with the rise of the famous Modern Triumvirate consisting of Kumaran Asan , Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer and Vallathol Narayana Menon . In the second half of the 20th century, Jnanpith winning poets and writers like G. Sankara Kurup , S. K. Pottekkatt , Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai , M. T. Vasudevan Nair , O. N. V. Kurup , and Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri , had made valuable contributions to
14256-638: The lineage of the Medieval Cholas , entered into a war with Manavikrama Kulasekhara Perumal, who belonged to the Pandya dynasty of Madurai . Upon the failure in the battle, Manavikrama appointed his brother Maravarman Sreevallabha as the monarch of the Pandya dynasty and left Madurai with his family and some of his trusted servants. Manavikrama crossed the Western Ghats and sought political asylum in Kerala . The ruler of Thekkumkur awarded him
14400-459: The linguistic demographics in the Taluks of Devikulam taluk and Peerumedu taluk underwent a significant transformation during the last decades of the 19th century CE. Earlier the region was inhabited by various aboriginal tribes like Malavedas, Malayarayas, Muthuvans, and Paliyans, and was sparsely populated. The land and the plantations were later resumed by the Government of Kerala through
14544-557: The medieval era Tamil- Pandyan architectural styles. The mountain passes like Bodinayakkanur (connecting various mountain ranges) and Cumbum (which connects the eastern Tamil country with Thodupuzha ) have facilitated trade and travel between the Tamil-Pandyan country which lied to east of the Western Ghats and various Kerala kingdoms west of it during the medieval period. Periyar , the longest river in Kerala, has its source of origin and major portion of its route of flow, in
14688-468: The modern Malayalam literature . The Middle Malayalam was succeeded by Modern Malayalam ( Aadhunika Malayalam ) by 15th century CE. The poem Krishnagatha written by Cherusseri Namboothiri , who was the court poet of the king Udaya Varman Kolathiri (1446–1475) of Kolathunadu , is written in modern Malayalam. The language used in Krishnagatha is the modern spoken form of Malayalam. During
14832-399: The modern Malayalam literature. The life and works of Edasseri Govindan Nair have assumed greater socio-literary significance after his death and Edasseri is now recognised as an important poet of Malayalam. Later, writers like O. V. Vijayan , Kamaladas , M. Mukundan , Arundhati Roy , and Vaikom Muhammed Basheer , have gained international recognition. Malayalam has also borrowed
14976-602: The modern-day Taluks of Ettumanoor and Vaikom along with a portion of the Meenachil Taluk. Keezhmalanadu merged with the Vadakkumkur dynasty around 1600 CE. Afterwards the Vadakkumkur kings often used to reside at Karikode near Thodupuzha, which was originally the headquarters of the Keezhmalanadu. Vadakkumkur was a vassal state of the Kingdom of Cochin during that time. Vadakkumkur's western boundary
15120-419: The modern-day district of Idukki became part of the erstwhile British Princely state of Travancore by 1750 CE. This era marked considerable progress and social reformation in all spheres. The social development indicators like the literacy rate were improved considerably during this period. After the Stone Age people and tribals, Anchunadan Tamils migrated to Idukki, Then Travancore farmers, Tamil workers and
15264-794: The new Kurinjimala Sanctuary to the east, the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary , Manjampatti Valley , and the Amaravati reserve forest of Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary to the northeast, the Eravikulam National Park and Anamudi Shola National Park in the north, and the Pampadum Shola National Park to the south. The Palani Hills National Park is proposed to come up to the east of Idukki. These protected areas are especially known for several threatened and endemic species including
15408-633: The newly formed Ernakulam district on 1 April 1958. The land and the plantations in the Kannan Devan Hills in the High range region were resumed by the Government of Kerala through the Kannan Devan Hills (Resumption Of Lands) Act, 1971. On 26 January 1972, the district of Idukki was formed by the separation of the three High Range Taluks, namely Devikulam, Udumbanchola, and Peerumede, from Kottayam district. The High Range region
15552-401: The northern region of Kozhikode district, south Malabar region includes south-central part of Kozhikode district , Malappuram , parts except Chittoor taluk of Palakkad district , Kunnamkulam and Chavakkad region of Thrissur district. The regions of South Malabar and Kingdom of Cochin , both of which share many historical, geographical, and cultural similarities, together constitute
15696-617: The northernmost Kasargod district of Kerala. Tigalari script was also used for writing Sanskrit in Malabar region . Malayalam has also borrowed the Sanskrit diphthongs of /ai̯/ (represented in Malayalam as ഐ , ai) and /au̯/ (represented in Malayalam as ഔ , au) although these mostly occur only in Sanskrit loanwords. Traditionally (as in Sanskrit), four vocalic consonants (usually pronounced in Malayalam as consonants followed by
15840-562: The northernmost revenue division in Travancore which also included the Taluks of North Paravur , Kunnathunad , Muvattupuzha , Meenachil , Changanassery , Kottayam , Vaikom , and Cherthala in 1931, in addition to Thodupuzha. At the time of the integration of the state of Travancore and Cochin into the state of Travancore-Cochin in 1949 following the integration of the British Princely states of Travancore and Cochin into
15984-447: The number of families in each tribal village increases, a new community is created. The clothing used in the early days was wood made from crushed arayanjil. They also made musical instruments from animal skins. Adivasis have great ability to weave household items using reeds. They worshiped the forces of nature and trees. All the tribes had their own system of administration. The heads of the huts are known as Muppan or Kani depending on
16128-539: The oral forms and rituals associated with tribal culture, tribal life begins in Idukki in the period 13 – 15 BC. Tribal people who were in contact with Tamil culture came to Idukki, from present day Coimbatore, Madurai and Ramanathapuram districts, as evidenced by their language, customs and art forms. According to modern anthropologists, the aborigines here belong to the Proto-Australoid race. Many stories are popular about their (Idukki) mountain climbing. One
16272-643: The parameters of region, religion, community, occupation, social stratum, style and register. According to the Dravidian Encyclopedia, the regional dialects of Malayalam can be divided into fifteen dialect areas. They are as follows: According to Ethnologue, the dialects are: Malabar, Nagari-Malayalam, North Kerala, Central Kerala, South Kerala, Kayavar, Namboodiri , Nair , Mappila , Beary , Jeseri , Yerava , Pulaya, Nasrani , and Kasargod . The community dialects are: Namboodiri , Nair , Arabi Malayalam , Pulaya, and Nasrani . Whereas both
16416-605: The past, thereby reducing invasions into the region from the neighbouring Tamil country as well as from other parts of the Indian peninsula. The 17th century Dutch work, Hortus Malabaricus , contains information about the flora and fauna of the region at that time. Archaeological findings found from the district include dolmens of the Neolithic era in the Marayur area. They are locally known as "muniyara", derived from muni ( hermit or sage ) and ara (dolmen). Located on
16560-524: The people of Kerala usually referred to their language as "Tamil", and both terms overlapped into the colonial period . Due to the geographical isolation of the Malabar Coast from the rest of the Indian peninsula due to the presence of the Western Ghats mountain ranges which lie parallel to the coast, the dialect of Old Tamil spoken in Kerala was different from that spoken in Tamil Nadu . The mainstream view holds that Malayalam began to grow as
16704-605: The people who came to Poovanthikudi, Ayyappancoil who fled from the forest where the Mullaperiyar Dam is located, they left agriculture with the migration of the Britishers , Tamils and the Malayalis . All the adivasi tribes were the owners of a great cultural heritage, the tribals who danced in the inner forests, engaged in handicrafts, organized their lives in their own unique way and created many rare charms of
16848-414: The population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 13.12% and 5.03% of the population respectively. Languages of Idukki district (2011) Malayalam and English are the two official administrative languages in the district. Around four-fifth of the people in Idukki district speak Malayalam as their mother tongue. The Taluks of Devikulam , Peerumedu and Udumbanchola have
16992-410: The possible literary works of Old Malayalam found so far. Old Malayalam gradually developed into Middle Malayalam ( Madhyakaala Malayalam ) by the 13th century CE. Malayalam literature also completely diverged from Tamil literature during this period. Works including Unniyachi Charitham , Unnichiruthevi Charitham , and Unniyadi Charitham , are written in Middle Malayalam , and date back to
17136-500: The prehistoric period from a common ancestor, "Proto-Tamil-Malayalam", and that the notion of Malayalam being a "daughter" of Tamil is misplaced. This is based on the fact that Malayalam and several Dravidian languages on the Western Coast have common archaic features which are not found even in the oldest historical forms of literary Tamil. Despite this, Malayalam shares many common innovations with Tamil that emerged during
17280-400: The province of Kudanad , which lies between the rivers Periyar and Chaliyar (modern-day districts of Thrissur , Palakkad , and Malappuram ), to the north. It was during the reign of Uthiyan Cheralathan (105–130 CE) that the Chera dynasty began to expand towards the northern and the eastern regions of Kuttanad by conquering the provinces of Kudanadu and Kongu Nadu . Afterwards
17424-571: The regions like Edamaruku near Thodupuzha , indicating ancient trade between the Ancient Rome and the region during the Classical Antiquity . Spices might had been imported from the region as a part of the ancient Indian Ocean trade . Idukki district is still known as The Spice Garden of Kerala. The literary works of the Sangam period help to take a look into the contemporary period. According to those works, early members of
17568-460: The respective revenue districts, while the remaining 12 police districts are constituted by bifurcating the revenue district into "city" and "rural" areas. Each police district is headed by a "District Police Chief" (DPC), an IPS officer typically holding the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) or above. The District Police Chief is responsible for maintaining law and order, conducting criminal investigations, and overseeing police administration in
17712-531: The semi elevated Thodupuzha River plains with scattered hills. The Periyar river basin in the district which includes Vandiperiyar , Ayyapankoil , Rajakkad , Idukki , Cheruthoni and Adimaly is an elevated plateau crisscrossed by river valleys and lies between the high peaks of the western and eastern parts of the district. The southern region is entirely covered with the forests of the Periyar National Park . Anamudi and Meesapulimala ,
17856-489: The single largest linguistic group accounting for 35.5% in the Virajpet Taluk. Around one-third of the Malayalis in Kodagu district speak the Yerava dialect according to the 2011 census, which is native to Kodagu and Wayanad . In all, Malayalis made up 3.22% of the total Indian population in 2011. Of the total 34,713,130 Malayalam speakers in India in 2011, 33,015,420 spoke the standard dialects, 19,643 spoke
18000-477: The social elements that existed in the Stone Age can be seen in the tribal culture here, the two groups represent two different periods. There is no clear evidence of where the Stone Age people went later. It is also thought that the mountain may have come down due to the weather and difficulties in living conditions. Tribal people found in Idukki are Mannan , Muthuvan , Paliyan , Urali , Malayarayan , Malapulayan , Ulladan . According to those who have studied
18144-531: The southwestern coast of the Indian peninsula, which also means The land of hills . The term originally referred to the western hilly land of the Chera dynasty (later Zamorins and the Kingdom of Cochin ), Kingdom of Ezhimala (later Kolathunadu ), and Ay kingdom (later Travancore ), and only later became the name of its language. The language Malayalam was alternatively called Alealum , Malayalani , Malayali , Malabari , Malean , Maliyad , Mallealle , and Kerala Bhasha until
18288-490: The standard dialects, 19,643 spoke the Yerava dialect and 31,329 spoke non-standard regional variations like Eranadan . The dialects of Malayalam spoken in the districts like Kasaragod , Kannur , Wayanad , Kozhikode , and Malappuram in the former Malabar District have few influences from Kannada . For example, the words those start with the sound "V" in Malayalam become "B" in these districts as in Kannada . Also
18432-455: The state. Two new Taluks, namely Kanjirappally (from Changanassery and Thiruvalla) and Udumbanchola (from Devikulam and Peerumede) were carved out on 1 October 1956 in the Kottayam district. After a month, a new Taluk called Kuttanad was carved out from Changanassery and Ambalappuzha . The Kuttanad Taluk was transferred into the newly formed Alappuzha district on 17 August 1957. The Taluks of Thodupuzha and Muvattupuzha were transferred into
18576-599: The tea estates which was later taken over by the American Direct Tea Trading Company Ltd., who owned 26 estates, most with coffee and some with Cinchona , almost all in the area except for a few in the lower areas. The former Kundala Valley Railway through Munnar , established in 1902, was destroyed by the Great flood of 99 that occurred in 1924 across the modern-day state of Kerala . Many dams were constructed in Idukki district during
18720-589: The terrain was undertaken by Benjamin Swayne Ward in 1816–1817, who followed the Periyar River into the Western Ghats and established a camp at the confluence of three rivers, from which the name of Munnar is derived. Munroe, Henry Turn, and his half-brother A W Turner, obtained ownership of the Cardamom Hills from the Raja of Travancore and began clearing forest around Devikulam in 1879. Munroe formed
18864-590: The total number of Malayalam speakers in India, and 97.03% of the total population of the state. There were a further 701,673 (1.14% of the total number) in Karnataka , 957,705 (2.70%) in Tamil Nadu , and 406,358 (1.2%) in Maharashtra . The number of Malayalam speakers in Lakshadweep is 51,100, which is only 0.15% of the total number, but is as much as about 84% of the population of Lakshadweep. Malayalam
19008-508: The total to seven districts. Alappuzha district was carved out of erstwhile Kottayam and Kollam districts on 17 August 1957, to form the 8th district. Ernakulam district was formed on 1 April 1958 as the 9th district, carved out of parts of erstwhile Thrissur and Kottayam districts. Malappuram district was formed on 16 June 1969 as the 10th district, with Ernad and Tirur taluks of the erstwhile Kozhikode district and Perinthalmanna and Ponnani taluks of Palakkad district. Idukki district
19152-564: The two highest peaks in India south of the Himalayas, are located in Idukki district. Anamudi is situated in the Kuttampuzha Panchayat of Adimali Block in the Kannan Devan Hills village of Devikulam taluk. Thirteen other peaks in the district exceed a height of 2,000 m (6,600 ft). Periyar , Thodupuzhayar, Muthirappuzhayar, and Thalayar are the important rivers of the district. Idukki Dam , Asia's largest arch dam ,
19296-416: The world. Anamudi peak is on the southern part of this park. Most of the park is grassland and the average altitude is more than 5000 feet above sea level . Heavy rain and gushing winds make the area inaccessible during the monsoon season. The famous Neelakurinji ( Strobilanthes kunthiana ) grows here. It has a flowering cycle of 12 years. Twenty-six species of mammals have been recorded in the park including
19440-523: Was a part of the Kottayam district at the time of the formation of the state Kerala in 1956. Apart from the Kanyakumari district , the Devikulam taluk in present-day Idukki district had a slight Tamil -majority in the late 1940s. The Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress (TTNC) had requested to merge it with the Madras State as a part of the upcoming States Reorganization Act of 1956. However, in
19584-404: Was a part of the combined military alliance formed by the kingdoms of Odanad (Kayamkulam), Thekkumkur , and Cochin against the expansion of Travancore into the northern territories. As a result, Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma , the architect of the modern Travancore, attacked and annexed Vadakkumkur in 1750. The Vadakkumkur Raja sought asylum in the kingdom of the Zamorin of Calicut . It
19728-494: Was also heavily influenced by the Tigalari script , which was used to write Sanskrit , due to the influence of Tuluva Brahmins in Kerala. The language used in the Arabi Malayalam works of the 16th–17th century CE is a mixture of Modern Malayalam and Arabic . They follow the syntax of modern Malayalam, though written in a modified form of Arabic script , which is known as Arabi Malayalam script . P. Shangunny Menon ascribes
19872-583: Was extended up to the Vembanad lake and the eastern boundary was the Western Ghats , which bordered with the medieval Pandyan country and the later territory of the Madurai Nayak dynasty . The Dutch Malabar who became an influential power in the territory of Vadakkumkur during the 17th century CE and the first half of the 18th century CE had trade centres in Vadakkumkur. Vadakkumkur Raja
20016-427: Was formed on 26 January 1972 as the 11th district, with Devikulam, Udumbanchola and Peermedu taluks of the erstwhile Kottayam district and Thodupuzha taluk of the erstwhile Ernakulam district. Wayanad district was formed on 1 November 1980 as the 12th district in Kerala by carving out areas from Kozhikode and Kannur districts. Pathanamthitta district was formed on 1 November 1982 as the 13th district by carving out
20160-529: Was merged with the Thodupuzha taluk of Ernakulam district to form the district of Idukki. It was the largest district of Kerala by area at that time. In 1998, Kuttampuzha village was transferred into the Ernakulam district , making Idukki the second largest district in Kerala, only after to Palakkad . The High Range region is still sparsely populated and various cash crops and spices are extensively cultivated there. Now various hydroelectric power projects in
20304-424: Was the capital of the kingdom of Keezhmalanadu, many of them belonging to the era between 14th century CE and 16th century CE. Keezhmalanadu included parts of modern-day Taluks of Thodupuzha and Muvattupuzha . The Portuguese explorers described the region as "The Pepper country" due to the availability and high scale production of good quality Black pepper there during the 16th century CE. Keezhmalanadu merged with
20448-629: Was the first in India to get connected to a super-fast broad band system as a part of the Digital India campaign. It was also the first to get BSNL 4G in whole country, taking the number of 4G operators in the district to four, including Vodafone Idea Ltd , Jio , and Bharti Airtel . Munnar was the summer resort of the British Government in the south. The town is situated at the convergence of three mountain streams, namely Muthirappuzha , Nallathanni, and Kundala. Munnar has some of
20592-507: Was the first prime minister of Travancore, to ensure that the taluk of Devikulam will retain in the modern-state of Kerala , as the region had a greater economic importance in the future coastal state of Kerala. Pattom came up with a colonisation project to re-engineer the demography of Cardamom Hills . His colonisation project was to relocate 8,000 Malayalam -speaking families into the Taluks of Devikulam and Peermade . About 50,000 acres in these Taluks, which had become Tamil-majority area by
20736-554: Was the most spoken language in erstwhile Gudalur taluk (now Gudalur and Panthalur taluks) of Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu which accounts for 48.8% population and it was the second most spoken language in Mangalore and Puttur taluks of South Canara accounting for 21.2% and 15.4% respectively according to 1951 census report. 25.57% of the total population in the Kodagu district of Karnataka are Malayalis , and they form
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