Pathanamthitta: In 1982 the district of Pathanamthitta was formed and the town of Pathanamthitta was named its headquarters. It is surrounded by the districts of Kottayam, Idukki, Kollam and Alappuzha on all directions. It is an inland district. It is predominantly an agricultural district growing rubber and tea the most. Pathanamthitta is a landlocked district situated in the southern part of the state, and is bordered by Kottayam and Idukki districts in the north, Alappuzha in the west, Kollam in the south and has a border with Tamil Nadu in the east. The district was made up from combining areas from the Alappuzha, Idukki and Kollam districts. The district is part of the historical Central Travancore region of Kerala.
Major towns in the district are Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta, Aranmula, Kozhencherry, Kumbanad, Konni, Pandalam,Adoor, Ranni, Vadaserikara, Sabarimala, Mallappally and Parumala. More than 50% of the district is covered by forests. Pathanamthitta is a pre-dominantly agricultural district with major crops being coconut, rubber, paddy, pepper and tea. The hilly terrain coupled with high humidity make it suitable for rubber and tea plantations. Hydroelectric power plants situated in the district provide one-third of the electricity demands of the state. Three important rivers, the Achankovil, Manimala and Pamba flow through the district. Pamba originates from Sabarimala and is considered a holy river. Pathanamthitta holds the distinction of being declared the first polio-free district in India.
History
Pathanamthitta is a combination of two words - Pathanam and Thitta - which mean an array of houses on the river side. It is presumed that the regions presently under the district were formerly under the Pandalam reign which had connections with the Pandya Kingdom. The history of the district is sandwiched between the history of erstwhile Quilon and Alleppey districts. Some archaeological antiquities in the form of architecture, inscriptions, mural paintings, historical monuments, etc, found in the temples, rock-cut caves, churches, etc. show clear picture about the historic period.
During the 1st century A.D, almost all the portions of Quilon district formed a part of Ay Kingdom. The south-eastern portions up to Thiruvalla of erstwhile Alleppey district were ruled by Ay kingdom with their headquarters at South Travancore.
The Kaviyoor Cave Temple of Pallava style of architecture is some of the earliest specimen of stone sculpture supposed to be made in the 7th to the 9th century A.D. The inscriptions engraved on the central shrine of Kaviyoor temple depict details of the area in the Kali era of 4051 and 4052. There are some epigraphically records assigned to post-Portuguese period in the Orthodox Syrian Church at Niranam.
In the early 19th century during the reign of Balarama Varma, Velu Thampi Dalava, who took keen interest in uplifting Quilon as an administrative as well as commercial centre, organized a rebellion at Quilon against the British force. As result of Kundara Proclamation issued by the Dalava on the 16th January 1809, thousands of people marched under the banner of Velu Thampi Dalava. The British defeated the local force and captured the fort of Udayagiri and Padmanahbapuram. The ruler of Travancore became helpless and ordered to capture the Dalava. Velu Thampi Dalava decided not to surrender alive and committed suicide at Mannadi in Kadampanadu village of present Adoor taluk
During the reign of Rani Parvathy Bai, Pandalam was annexed to Travancore in 1812 AD. The old principality here was known as Airur Swarupam. The palace of Pandalam Raja is closely associated with Sabarimala temple. It is believed that Sree Ayyappan was brought up by the then ruling Raja of Pandalam. Even now the ornaments of Sabarimala temple are kept in this palace.
It is worth mentioning that in the 9th century A.D, the district had flourished in the field of culture and literature. The famous Niranam poets who had made great contributions to Malayalam literature belonged to this district. The district has prominent role in the freedom struggle of the country. Shri.K.E. Maman and Shri.K.A.Mathew are among the well-known freedom fighters who hail from Thiruvalla which belongs to Pathanamthitta district.
Climate
Pathanamthitta has a moderate climate Annual temperature 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 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.
Forest
Pathanamthitta district has a reserve forest area of 1,385.27 square kilometers (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.
Rivers
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.
Agriculture
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.
Fisheries
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. 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 provides technical as well as financial assistance to the farmers.
Industry
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 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 to SIDCO for industrial parks. Green channel committee has been set up to help entrepreneurs get help in obtaining licenses, clearances, electricity, and water connection, without delay.