PHYSICAL FEATURES
Location
Palakkad district is situated in the South West Coast of India, bounded on the North by Malappuram in the East by Coimbatore of Tamilnadu, in the South by Thrissur and in the West by Thrissur and Malappuram districts. It lies between 10’21 and 11’14 North latitude and 76’02 and 76’54 East longitude. The total geographical area of the district is 4480 sq.k.m representing 11.53 per cent of the State’s geographical area. The forest land per cent covers 136257 hectares. Topographically the district can be divided into two regions. Based on the physical features, the district is divided into two natural divisions - midland and highland. The midland region consists of valleys and plains. It leads up to the highland which consists of high mountain peaks, long spurs, extensive ravines, dense forests and tangled jungles. Midland is thick with coconut, arecanut, cashew, pepper, rubber and paddy cultivation.The soil is laterite in the hill and mid land regions. Ottappalam taluk lies completely in the midland and highland regions. The road and rail links between Kerala and Tamil Nadu pass through the Palakkad gap. The Western Ghats has an average altitude of 5000 ft. except for two peaks of more than 6000 ft. The important peaks above an altitude of 4000 ft. are Anginda (7628 ft.), Karimala (6556 ft.), Nellikotta or Padagiri (5200 ft.) and Karimala Gopuram (4721 ft.)
Population
According to the 2001 census the population of the district is 2617072. The density of the population is 584 per Sq. km. Decadal growth rate for the period 1991-2001 is 9.86 per cent in comparison with the State figures of + 9.42 per cent. The sex ratio of the district is 1068 females for 1000 males. The District has achieved 84.31 per cent literacy in 2001 calculated on the basis of population above the age of 7 years.
Climate
The district has a humid climate with a very hot season extending from March to June in the Western Part of the district whereas it is less humid in the Eastern sector. The most important rainy season is during South West Monsoon which sets the second week of June and extends upto September. About 75 per cent of the annual rain is received during the south west monsoon period. During the period December to May, practically no rain is received. The temperature of the district ranges from 20’C to 45’C. The maximum temperature recorded at Palakkad was 43’C.
Soil
The soil of Palakkad district is mainly of four types, namely, peaty (kari), laterite, forest and black . Peaty soil is found only in Thrithala firka of Ottappalam taluk. Laterite is seen in the major portions of all taluks. Forest soil is confined to Mannarghat and Ottappalam taluks, the narrow strip of land along the western boundaries of Palakkad and Alathur taluks and along the southern boundary of Chittur taluk. Black soil is seen mostly in the eastern sector of Chittur taluk and a small portion of Palakkad taluk.
Minerals
Low grade iron ore (magnetite) is found at Kollengode, Mannarghat and Muthalamada. Limestone deposits are found in the Chittur and Kozhinjampara firkas. Muscovita mica is reported to be present in the Sholayar villages. A large quantity of limestone deposit is found in Walayar forest area where the government has started a cement factory.
Rivers
Bharathappuzha, with her tributaries, sprawls across the entire district. The river takes its origin from Anamalai hills and flows through the districts of Palakkad, Malappuram and Thrissur before emptying into the Arabian sea at Ponnani. Its four main tributaries are Gayatrippuzha, Kannadippuzha, Kalpathyppuzha and Thuthappuzha.
Gayatrippuzha
This river originates from Anamala hills and after traversing through Kollengode, Nenmara, Alathur, Wadakkanchery and Pazhayannur, joins Bharathapuzha at Mayannur. This tributary has five main subtributaries; Mangalam river, Ayalurpuzha, Vandazhippuzha, Meenkara ppuzha and Chulliyar.
Kannadippuzha
It is also known as Chitturpuzha or Amaravathippuzha. This river, which also starts from the Anamala hills, flows through Thathamangalam and Chittur and joins the main river at Parli. There Palar, Aliyar and Uppar streams combine to this river .
Kalpathyppuzha
Also known as Korayar this river starts from the place called Chenthamarakulam in the hills, north of Walayar. Kalpathypuzha is formed by four streams, viz., Korayar, Varattar, Walayar and Malampuzha.
Thuthappuzha
Thuthappuzha, otherwise known as Pilanthol river, starts from the Silent Valley hills and joins the main river about two kms off Pallipuram railway station. The important streams which feed this tributary are Kunthippuzha, Kanjirappuzha, Ambankadavu and Thuppanadippuzha. The length of Bharathappuzha is 374.40 kms and its catchment area is 6186 sq.kms.
Bhavani
The Bhavani river originates from the Kunda mountains in the Nilgiris, makes a circuitous course through the Attappady valley and returns to the shadow of Nilgiri mountains. The catchment area of the Bhavani river within Kerala is 220 sq. miles yielding an annual run off of 27,000 million cubic feet of water. Of the rivers of Kerala, Bhavani river is one among the three which prefers Bay of Bengal to the Arabian sea.
Flora and Fauna
The flora of Palakkad district is characteristically tropical, owing to the seasonal rainfall, moderate temperature and the mountainous eastern border. Major portion of the district comes under the midland region and is under cultivation. Some of the dominant trees in the region are Eppothi (Macaranga Indica), Mavu (Mangifera) Parangimavu (Ancardium Occidentale),Pilavu (Atocarpus Integriofolia), Elavu (Cieba Pentandra), Ezhilampala (Astomia Scholoris), Urakkam Thoongi (Enterolobium Saman), Mullumurikku (Erythrina Indica) and Aranamaram (Polyalthia Longifolia). Intermingled with these are other trees like Osboekia Ostandra, Lantana Sculeata, etc. Rubber and teak plantations are common in the hills. The midland region gradually merges with the hilly forests.
No animal can be mentioned peculiar to this district. Elephants are common in almost all parts of the forest. Tiger, leopard, gaur, etc., are some times found in the thick forests. Sambar and spotted deer are seen in large numbers.
Nilgiri langur, bonnet monkey, slender loris, jungle cat, different types of mangoose, jackals, squirrels, hares, etc. are found in the forest. Birds found in the jungle are crow, kingcrow, mynah, woodpeckers, sunbird, king fishers, skylark, paradise fly catchers, parrots, peacocks, pigeons etc. Poisonous and non-poisonous snakes are common in the district.
The Silent Valley area, 40 kms. from Mannarghat town, has the distinction of being a rain forest, very rare in the world. It is spread over an area of about 9000 hectares. This thick forest is rich in some of the rare species of plants and animals.
Content Courtesy: Department of Information & Public Relation