Valapattam
Encyclopedia
Valapattanam is a small town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

 in the Kannur district
Kannur district
Kannur District is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala, India. The town of Kannur is the district headquarters, and gives the district its name. The old name Cannanore is the anglicised form of the Malayalam name Kannur. Kannur District is bounded by Kasaragod District to the north and...

, located in the 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...

n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...

 of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

. It is also the smallest panchayath in kerala.Its area is 2.04 sqr Km. It is about 7 km north of Kannur
Kannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...

. Valapattanam is an important Muslim settlement area in Kannur
Kannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...

. Valapattanam is known for its communal harmony. On one hand one can see the "Kalarivathukkal temple" and on the other hand you have the "Kakkulangara Mosque" lying in close proximity. The long vision of the social leaders and people on the whole has made Valapattanam a land of communal harmony.

This town is also known as Balyapattanam. This town is in the on the banks of Valapattanam river
Valapattanam River
Valapattanam River is the largest river in the Kannur district, located in the South Indian state of Kerala. Valapattam town is located on its bank...

. This town is well known for its wood-based industries and timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...

 trade. Centuries back Valapattanam River
Valapattanam River
Valapattanam River is the largest river in the Kannur district, located in the South Indian state of Kerala. Valapattam town is located on its bank...

 (puzha) was the main ship route for trading and Valapattanam was the main town, because of this the town got this name. "Valya pattanam" means "big town" in Malayalam language though it is the smallest panchayath in Kerala.
The port of Azhikkal
Azhikkal
Azhikkal is a coastal village in Kannur district, Kerala, India. The village has a small port and a fishing harbour. It is the site for a proposed expanded cargo port. The Valapattanam River empties into the Arabian Sea at Azhikkal....

 is located nearby. In the bank of Valapattanam river you see Western India Plywoods Ltd.
Western India Plywoods Ltd.
Established in 1945 the company started manufacture of sawn timber and plywood on a modest scale with a few indigenous and lent-leased machinery. The company was founded by Shri. A.K. Kaderkutty, father of present managing director Mr P K Mohemmed. It operates wood-based industrial integrated...

, the largest wood-based industry in the country and which was the biggest plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...

 factory in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 till few years back.
The famous Muthappan temple
Muthappan temple
Muthappan Temple is located in the Kannur District of North Malabar region in Kerala state, South India, on the banks of the Valapattam river. It is dedicated to Sree Muthappan, the most popular local deity.-A Story of Muthappan Relating to the Temple:...

 is in the bank of Valapattanam river.

History

This town is named after its historical founder Vallabha II of the Mooshika dynasty (Kolathiri
Kolathiri
Kolathiri or Kolathiri Rājā was the title by which the senior most male along the matilinial line of the Mushika or Kolathunādu Royal Family was styled...

 family) and was originally known as Vallabha-Pattanam and served as the capital of the Mooshika dynasty during the medieval ages. The fourteenth-century narrative of Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta
Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta , or simply Ibn Battuta, also known as Shams ad–Din , was a Muslim Moroccan Berber explorer, known for his extensive travels published in the Rihla...

 refers to the ruler of Ezhimala as residing at Baliapatanam and offers a clue that by this time, the centre of the political authority had shifted from Ezhimala to Baliapatanam. In the sixteenth century AD, a Portuguese official Duarte Barbosa
Duarte Barbosa
Duarte Barbosa was a Portuguese writer and Portuguese India officer between 1500 and 1516–17, with the post of scrivener in Cannanore factory and sometimes interpreter of the local language...

 also mentions Baliapatanam (Baliapatam in European records) as the residence of the ‘king of Cannanore’.
Valapattanam is a strong bastion of the UDF and its ally IUML. It is part the Azhkkodu Legislative assembly constituency where KM Shaji of UDF is likely to win th 2011 assembly elections with a thumping majority

Geography

Valapattanam is located at 11.9°N 75.37°E. It has an average elevation of 6 metres (19 feet).Valapattanam is a strong bastion of Indian Union Muslim League

Valapattnam is an important tourist destination in Kannur district
Kannur district
Kannur District is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala, India. The town of Kannur is the district headquarters, and gives the district its name. The old name Cannanore is the anglicised form of the Malayalam name Kannur. Kannur District is bounded by Kasaragod District to the north and...

.

Demographics

India census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, Valapattanam had a population of 8369. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Valapattanam has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 79%. In Valapattanam, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Images

Valapattanam Punchayat is rated among the best panchayats in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

.The development activities of the panchayat has been commended by both the district and state authorities,as well as the public at large.

See also

  • Muthappan temple
    Muthappan temple
    Muthappan Temple is located in the Kannur District of North Malabar region in Kerala state, South India, on the banks of the Valapattam river. It is dedicated to Sree Muthappan, the most popular local deity.-A Story of Muthappan Relating to the Temple:...

  • Sree Muthappan
  • Kannur
    Kannur
    Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...

  • [VDOs of Valapattanam-by-Eyya click here to access http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1NFo_LNOZU

External links

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