Pandanad
Encyclopedia
Pandanadu is a village in Chengannur
Chengannur
Chengannur , is a municipal town in Alappuzha district of the state of Kerala in South India. Chengannur is located in the extreme eastern part of Alappuzha district. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram on the MC Road. Chengannur is connected to Kollam and Kottayam by NH 220...

 Taluk
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....

 in Alappuzha district
Alappuzha district
Alappuzha is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala in India. It was formed as Alleppey District on August 17, 1957. The name of the district was officially changed to Alappuzha in 1990. The district is a widely known tourist destination, and is well known for its coir factories. Most of...

, 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....

, 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...

. According to the 2001 Indian census, Pandanad has a population of 12,466 people. A major portion of the village is located on the banks of the Pampa River
Pampã River
-See also:* ] map]* Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993....

. The river divides the village into two; Pandanad North and Pandanad West. Pandanad West is 4 km (2 mi) from Chengannur
Chengannur
Chengannur , is a municipal town in Alappuzha district of the state of Kerala in South India. Chengannur is located in the extreme eastern part of Alappuzha district. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram on the MC Road. Chengannur is connected to Kollam and Kottayam by NH 220...

, the nearest town, and 4 km (2 mi) from Mannar. Pandanad North is 6 km (4 mi) from Thiruvalla.

Areas within Pandanad include:
  • Muthavazhy
  • Vanmazhy
  • Keezhuvanmazhy
  • Pandanad West
  • Pandanad North
  • Prayar
  • Premattakara

Flora

Pandanad is cultivated in most of the area. However, there are many farms that cultivate pepper, banana, tapioca and coconut palm. Much of the land is rural, and has a rich undergrowth. The more common trees are coconut palms, mahogany and teak.

Religion

Pandanad's two most common religions are Hinduism and Christianity. Pandanad, being a part of Middle Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...

, has been influenced by the Travancore family and the Pandalam royal family
Pandalam Palace
Pandalam palace is the permanent home for the royal family of Pandalam. It is cituated on the banks of river Achankovil. Although most of the original buildings have vanished by flood and fires, a few still remain which could be witnessed in the area among the newly constructed buildings.There are...

, which led to the development of a number of temples in the area, which attracts many devotees from within and without the state.

Christianity

The Churches in the region hold parentage in the arrival of St.Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...

 in AD 52. There are a various Christian denomination
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...

s in the area that maintain more than one church in the region. Maramon Convention
Maramon Convention
The Maramon Convention is a Christian convention held at Maramon, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India annually during the month of February on the vast sand-bed of the Pampa River next to the Kozhencherry Bridge...

 (a Christian Convention) was started in Kallissery
Kallissery
Kallissery is a place in Chengannur Taluk of Alappuzha district of Kerala. It is a part of Thiruvanvandoor village and is a prominent area of local business. Kallissery is part of the Northern Pandanad. Kallissery holds importance in the local community as it serves both as a village market place...

, a town near the Kadavil Malika
Kadavil Malika
Kadavil Malika is a historic place in India, associated with the origin of the Maramon Convention. It is a house in Kallissery and was built by Unnithan Kathanar and his son C. Abraham in the early 19th century....

. With the rise of the Pentecostal Movement in India
History of Pentecostalism in India
-19th century:The history of Pentecostalism in India began in the ministry of a Brahmin woman who was converted to Christianity. Pandita Ramabai led a small but renowned group that experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the early 1900s. Her work remained limited due to the lack of training...

, many Pentecostal denominations and churches were also started in the region.
Denomination Name of the Church Location
Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church Immanuel Marthoma Church
Jerusalem Marthoma Church
St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church
Umayattukara Mar Thoma Church
Pandanad, Pandanad West
Prayar, Pandanad North
Pandanad, Pandanad West
Kallissery
Kallissery
Kallissery is a place in Chengannur Taluk of Alappuzha district of Kerala. It is a part of Thiruvanvandoor village and is a prominent area of local business. Kallissery is part of the Northern Pandanad. Kallissery holds importance in the local community as it serves both as a village market place...

, Pandanad North
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Yordhanpuram St. Gregorious Orthodox Church(Kalikunnu Palli)
St Mary's Orthodox Church
Vanmazhy
Pandanad West
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with more than 3.6...

St Theresas Catholic Church Pandanad West

Hinduism

Legends tell of how Pandanad was formed by the Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...

s, hence the name Pandava Nadu. Pandanad had many temples that claim origins from the Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...

. Many of these temples attract residents from surrounding states and are believed to be powerful temples.

List of Temples in and around Pandanad

Deity Name of the Temple Location
Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...

Adichicavu Devi Temple
Adichicavu Devi Temple
Adichicavu Sree Durga temple, also known as the Adichikkavu Devi Kshetram is one of the oldest temple in Pandanad village, Alapuzha. The temple is located at Pandanad in Chengannur taluk of Alappuzha district in the south Indian state of Kerala...

Pandanad West
Andeshwaram Mahadeva Temple Pandanad West
Aalummottil Nada Devi Temple Keezhuvanmazhy, Pandanad West
Trikkanvapurammaha Vishnu Temple Keezhuvanmazhy, Pandanad West
Sree Kartyayni Temple Keezhuvanmazhy, Pandanad West
SreeKrishna Swami Temple Keezhuvanmazhy, Pandanad West
Keezhuvanmazhy Vanmazhy, Pandanad West
Murugan
Murugan
Murugan also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindus, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influences, especially South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the...

Kumaramanglam Subramanyaswami Temple Muthavazhy, East of Pandanad West
Karingattukavu Devi Temple Prayar, Pandanad North
Trikkaipuram Maha Vishnu Temple Prayar, Pandanad North
Neighboring Temples
Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

 
Pancha Pandava Temple
Trichittattu (Believed to be Erected by Yudhisthira
Yudhisthira
In the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Yudhisthira , the eldest son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti, was king of Indraprastha and later of Hastinapura. He was the leader of the Pandava side in the Kurukshetra War...

)
Tripuliyoor (Believed to be Erected by Bhima
Bhima
In the Mahābhārata, Bhima is one of the central characters of Mahabharata and the second of the Pandava brothers...

)
Tiruaranmula (Believed to be Erected by Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...

)
Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

Sree Gosalakrishna Temple(Believed to be Erected by Nakula
Nakula
Nakula, also spelt "Nakul" was one of the five Pandava brothers according to the epic Mahābhārata. Nakula and Sahadeva were fraternal twins born to Madri, who had invoked the Ashvins using a mantra for a son, the mantra shared by Kunti...

)
Thiruvanvandoor
Thiruvanvandoor
Thiruvanvandooris a village in Chengannur Taluk in Alappuzha district, in Kerala, India.-Region:The village of Thiruvanvandoor is connected with Main Central Road at two junctions on the road. One is at Kallissery and other is at Pravin coodu.-Hinduism:...

 (Adjoining Village)

Kumaramanglam Subramanyaswami Temple

Kumaramanglam Subramanyaswami Temple in Muthavazhy, Pandanad, 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....

, 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...

 is dedicated to Murugan
Murugan
Murugan also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindus, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influences, especially South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the...

 and has great historic and architectural importence. The temple dome is believed to be over 2000 years old and is made from iridium
Iridium
Iridium is the chemical element with atomic number 77, and is represented by the symbol Ir. A very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum family, iridium is the second-densest element and is the most corrosion-resistant metal, even at temperatures as high as 2000 °C...

. This temple had been added to the list of protected memorials in India. This temple also claims an ancient snake boat that could hold over 80 people.

Boats

Pandanadu has 3 Palliyodams (Snake Boats) owned by different "Karas" (locality) viz Keezhuvanmazhy, Vanmazhy and Muthavazhy. Among which Keezhuvanmazhy has the biggest one . Keezhuvanmazhy palliyodam was awarded the mannam trophy in 1996 and second prize in 2008 aranmula utharattati boat race.

People From Pandanad

Name Recognised or Honoured For Area
Abraham Malpan
Abraham Malpan
Palakunnathu Abraham Malpan of Malankara Church, was a strong Churchman, loyal to the best traditions of his Church. He wanted only to effect such reforms in the Church as were consistent with the apostolic and truly evangelical traditions of the Church...

Reformer of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church  Pandanad West

Schools

A number of schools are located at both parts of the Pandanad Panchayat. They are Swami Vivekanda High Schools M.A.M School, Govt JBS, Keezhuvanmazhy and Prayar.

Demographics

In 2001, the Pandanad Panchayat had a total population of 12,46, of which males constituted 47.03% of the population and females 52.97%. Pandanad has an average literacy rate of 85.27%, which is higher than the national average of 74.02%; with a male literacy of 85% and female literacy of 77%. There are no scheduled tribes in the Pandanad Village, but there are 1921 people belonging to scheduled caste in the village.
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