Pathanamthitta
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Situated near the Western Ghats and bordered
by the hills, Pathanamthitta district is a treat to the eyes
with its vast unending stretches of forests, rivers and rural
landscapes. Blessed by nature, the district is famous for
its scenic beauty, fairs and festivals. Visitors from India
and abroad often for its water fiestas, religious shrines
and the cultural training centre frequent the district. Pathanamthitta,
a true tropical diversity adorned with fertile agricultural
land where plantations, Paddy, tapioca, varieties of vegetables
and spices like cardamom, pepper etc. are extensively cultivated.
The district known for it's extensive forest cover also abounds
in rubber plantations.
It
is presumed that the regions presently under the district
were formerly under the reign of the Pandalam king, which
had connections with the Pandya kingdom. Pathanamthitta now
includes portions of the erstwhile Kollam, Alappuza and Idukki
districts.
Pathanamthitta
is a combination of two words Pathanam and Thitta, which means
an array of houses on the riverside. This district was formed
on 1st November 1982 with a view to hastening the process
of development. The total area of the district is 2642 sq.kms;
of this 1300.73 sq.kms come under forest. |
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The
district consist of three natural divisions via the Lowland
the Midland and the Highland. The highland stretches through
the Western Ghats and descends to midland in the center, down
to the lowland and coconut gardens on the western borders
of Alappuza district. The topography of the district is highly
undulating. It starts from the tall hill slopes covered with
thick forests on the east along the mountains down to the
valleys and small hills to the flat land of coconut trees
in the west.
Pathanamthitta engrossed on the hilly terrain of Kerala can
rightly be called the headquarters of pilgrimage tourism in
the state. Sabarimala, an important Hindu pilgrimage center
attracts crores of pilgrims from the different parts of India
and the state.
The
district can be proud of its rich contribution to the struggle
for freedom. When Mahatma Gandhi visited the erstwhile Travancore
in 1937, he asked his follower Khadar Das T.P. Gopala Pillai
to spread the message of ‘Khadi’ and ‘Charka’.
Inspired by Gandhiji he founded the 'Mahatma Khadi Ashram'
at Elanthoor 1941.
Climate
The district has more or less the same climate conditions
as prevalent elsewhere in the State, viz., dry seasons from
December to February and hot seasons from March to May. The
southwest monsoon from June to September and the north west
monsoon from October to November provide fairly good rain.
The southwest monsoon is usually very heavy and about 75%
of the annual rain is received during this season. The climate
is generally moderate, the temperature rising from 20 to 39
degree Celsius. |
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FOREST
Forest covers an area of 1390.73 sq.kms, in the district.
This is more than 50% of the total area of the district,
while the optimum area fixed by experts is only 33%. The
total cropped area in Pathanamthitta district is 1086.53
sq.kms. The forests in the districts can broadly be classified
as evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forest.
Timber is the most important forest produce in the district.
In fact, forest is the main source of raw materials for
wood based industrial units. Teak, rosewood, jack tree,
manjakadambu, anjili, pala etc. are some of the important
varieties of timber available. Apart from providing raw
materials for rayon, newsprint, plywood etc., these forests
are a source for a number of useful minor products like
bamboo, reeds, honey, medicinal plants and herbs.
RIVERS
Three important rivers flow through this district. They
are Pampa, Achankovil and Manimala Rivers. The Pampa River
is formed by the confluence of Pambayar, Aruthayar, Kakkadayar,
Kakkar and Kallar. It descends from Sabarimala, flows
through various parts of Ranny taluk, enters Alappuzha
district after joining with river Manimala and river Achankovil
and empties itself into the Vembanad Lake. The river Achankovil
is formed by the confluence of several small streams originating
from Rishimala, Pasukidamettu and Ramakkalteri and joins
the Pamba at Veeyapuram in Alappuzha district.
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Pathanamthitta
at a Glance
One
third of the electricity produced by the State comes from
this district. Power is generated from the Sabarigiri Hydro-electric
Project situated at the Pamba basin in the district. The
abundant water resource in the district is also utilised
for irrigation purposes through the Kallada Irrigation Project
and the Pamba Irrigation Project.
District Head Quarters: Pathanamthitta
Area: 2,642 Sq.
Literacy: 95.09 %
Total Registered factories:- 470 (Total employees: 10,350)
Total Registered SSI Units:- 9,041 (Total employees: 32,351)
Geographical Nature:- Half of the area of the total district
is forestland. The 'Sabarimala' is at the height of 3,790
ft and 'Poochimala' is at the height of 5,847 ft.
Rivers: Pamba, Manimala, Achencovil
Forest land: 1,55,214 hectre
Main Attraction: -Sabarimala, Aranmula.
Best Time-August To March.
Languages: - Malayalam, Hindi, English.
Temperature
Mean Max: 37.0 deg.C
Mean Min: 22.0 deg.C .
Clothing-Tropical Cottons.
Altitude: -500-1000 mt, above sea level.
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To
Reach Pathanamthitta
Pathanamthitta
is well connected through Road.
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Most
intresting Place In Pathanamthitta District
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Here |
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