Pallom
Encyclopedia
Pallom is a small village on the highway from Kottayam
to Trivandrum in southeastern India
. It has not undergone much change when compared to other parts of Kerala. The nearest airport is the Cochin International Airport (Airport code: COK) which could be reached within 2 hours. It is just 6 km from Kottayam railway station. Access to Pallom could be via the Main Central Road
(MC road) by car (4 hours from Trivandrum) or by train (4 hrs). It is a quiet community with religion being the centre of life. It was an agriculture-based community with strong linkages to seasonal Paddy cultivation. However many of the residents are employed with the local government or the other establishments in and around Kottayam. Some of the residents might have left to work abroad but the proportion is very low. Nothing much has changed in the last half century in Pallom. The calm is broken by a local temple or Church festival or the odd election. With its direct access to the backwaters, a few of the locals fish and live of the water. Trade connected with fishing and paddy cultivation was the major occupation in the past. The possibility of floods due to large monsoon downpours used to bother the residents of the lower lying areas.
This is indeed an early centre for education pioneered by the British Missionaries. CMS Middle School (The present day CMS Higher Secondary School is the successor) was probably the first English school in Travancore. Buchanan Girls' school was the pioneer in Girls education.
The major religions are Christianity and Hinduism. St. Ignatius JSO Church (Kallooparamb pally), St. Pauls Orthodox Syrian Church, St. John the Baptist CSI Church and St Andrews CSI Church (old St. Alban’s) are the churches in this area. The Sastha temple at Pakkil is an ancient one and is considered to have been consecrated by Parasurama himself (as per Kottarathil Shankunni's famed tome "Aeithiha Mala" he ordered the idol to stay (in Malayalam “Parku”) and hence name of the locality ).
The local Jolly Toddy Shop (Karumpumkala) was very popular across Kerala for its fabulous food. It is still continuing in the form of a family enterprise. The Toddy parlour is relocated towards Kottayam. There is a local palace which was built by the Travancore Raja for the chieftains who sought refuge in Travancore during the Tippu's invasion of Malabar. The arrival of the Syrian Christian Community may also would have started along with the establishment of the Palace. There are quite a few Protestant Christian families belonging to the Orthodox and CSI sects here and most of them are related by blood. The Rama temple inside the Palace is popular among devotees. The Cheruvallikavu Devi Temple near the Rama Temple may be older than the latter. SNDP Yogam has a large place of worship and other establishments here. However muslims are few in number.
When the Travancore state set up a generating station at Pallivasal, the power sub-station was set up at Pallom.
Kottayam
Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative capital of the Kottayam district. Kottayam Kottayam (Malayalam: കോട്ടയം) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative...
to Trivandrum in southeastern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It has not undergone much change when compared to other parts of Kerala. The nearest airport is the Cochin International Airport (Airport code: COK) which could be reached within 2 hours. It is just 6 km from Kottayam railway station. Access to Pallom could be via the Main Central Road
Main Central Road
The Main Central Road is the arterial State Highway in the Travancore region of Kerala state, India. It is designated as SH 1 by the Kerala Public Works Department.The highway was built by Raja Kesavadas, Dewan of Travancore...
(MC road) by car (4 hours from Trivandrum) or by train (4 hrs). It is a quiet community with religion being the centre of life. It was an agriculture-based community with strong linkages to seasonal Paddy cultivation. However many of the residents are employed with the local government or the other establishments in and around Kottayam. Some of the residents might have left to work abroad but the proportion is very low. Nothing much has changed in the last half century in Pallom. The calm is broken by a local temple or Church festival or the odd election. With its direct access to the backwaters, a few of the locals fish and live of the water. Trade connected with fishing and paddy cultivation was the major occupation in the past. The possibility of floods due to large monsoon downpours used to bother the residents of the lower lying areas.
This is indeed an early centre for education pioneered by the British Missionaries. CMS Middle School (The present day CMS Higher Secondary School is the successor) was probably the first English school in Travancore. Buchanan Girls' school was the pioneer in Girls education.
The major religions are Christianity and Hinduism. St. Ignatius JSO Church (Kallooparamb pally), St. Pauls Orthodox Syrian Church, St. John the Baptist CSI Church and St Andrews CSI Church (old St. Alban’s) are the churches in this area. The Sastha temple at Pakkil is an ancient one and is considered to have been consecrated by Parasurama himself (as per Kottarathil Shankunni's famed tome "Aeithiha Mala" he ordered the idol to stay (in Malayalam “Parku”) and hence name of the locality ).
The local Jolly Toddy Shop (Karumpumkala) was very popular across Kerala for its fabulous food. It is still continuing in the form of a family enterprise. The Toddy parlour is relocated towards Kottayam. There is a local palace which was built by the Travancore Raja for the chieftains who sought refuge in Travancore during the Tippu's invasion of Malabar. The arrival of the Syrian Christian Community may also would have started along with the establishment of the Palace. There are quite a few Protestant Christian families belonging to the Orthodox and CSI sects here and most of them are related by blood. The Rama temple inside the Palace is popular among devotees. The Cheruvallikavu Devi Temple near the Rama Temple may be older than the latter. SNDP Yogam has a large place of worship and other establishments here. However muslims are few in number.
When the Travancore state set up a generating station at Pallivasal, the power sub-station was set up at Pallom.