Punalur
Encyclopedia
Punalur is a city situvated near the Tamil Nadu Kerala Border in Kollam district
in the southern state
of Kerala
, India. It is the pioneer in starting industrial revolution in Kerala by establishing Punalur Paper Mills, the first industry in kerala. It is situated in the banks of the river Kallada. The place got the name from two Tamil words punal means water and ooru means place which means land of water. It is about 45 km north-east of Kollam
and 75 km north of Thiruvananthapuram
. Punalur is the head quarters of Pathanapuram
taluk. This place is the gateway to Western Ghats.it is the second largest city in kollam.it is also known as THE HOTTEST CITY OF SOUTH INDIA.also it is the 7th largest city in south kerala.after 5 years punalur may be changed as a corporation.it is also a famous industrial city in india.punalur muncipality was established in 1972.
A Portugese ruler,named Captain Road Drigs in 1552 tried to eatsblish his supermacy over the black pepper trade, but the local traders were not interested and so they transported it to Tamil Nadu in about 500 bullock carts. This act of the local traders evoked the anger of the Captain and so he sent his troops and killed many people.
Punalur paper mill , the first of its kind in kerala served both as a huge job donor as well as an economic centre. Later Travancore plywood industry added to Punalur's importance in the industrial field. Sri Ramapuram market is one of the largest vegetable Market in Kerala. Punalur Balan and Llithambika Antharganam are the contribution of Punalur to the Malayalam.it is the first ltd company in kerala
passes through Punalur. Various scenic spots on Kallada River attracts many tourists. The Palaruvi Falls is 35 kilometres (21.7 mi) from Punalur.
The first Eco-Tourism Project in Kerala is only 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) from Punalur on NH 208 towards Shencottah.
Regarding climate, even though located near western ghats, Punalur is the hottest place in Kerala, and during summer temperature has recorded even 44 degree Celsius. Punalur experiences extreme temperatures. It holds the record for hottest and coldest temperatures recorded in lowland and midland regions of Kerala; the coldest being 12.9 degree Celsius on January 8, 1968.
by KSRTC Fast Passenger,super fast,deluxe,a/c buses which ply every 15 minutes.Buses are also plenty to the district headquarters of Kollam
and Pathanamthitta
and to towns in Tamilnadu like Tenkasi
and Shencotta.
The Main Eastern Highway
(Punalur-Pathanamthitta-Muvattupuzha Road / SH - 08),(Punalur-Ayoor
- Road / SH - 48) which connects Punalur to Thiruvanthapuram-(state capital),punalur-kulathupuzha(SH 79) (Punalur-Kayamkulam
Road / SH - 5) and Kollam - Thirumangalam Road (NH-208)
connects the town to other major towns.
Punalur Railway Station is located on the Kollam-Madurai railway line.A new railway line is proposed throughSabarimala
-Pathanamthitta
-Punalur-Thiruvananthapuram. The nearest airport is at Thiruvananthapuram.
Punalur railway station, which currently connects to Kollam. There are four services in this route right now and It is heard that many more services would be inducted in this route since the Punalur-Schengotta ghat section has been closed for Broad Gauge conversion.Once the conversion is over,this will serve as the shortest route from Kollam to Chennai and from Kochi port to Tuticorin port
to Chennai.
Currently Kollam-Punalur gauge conversion is finished and trains have started running from Kollam to Punalur.
The Punalur-Shencottah was closed to all traffic from 19 Sept 2010 for conversion into broad gauge. The journey through the western ghats is incredible.
crossing the river is the only suspended-deck type in south India. Built in 1877 by Albert Henry across the Kallada River, this huge bridge was suspended by three spans and was used for vehicular movement. Construction took more than six years. It is said that after completion of the bridge people hesitated to walk through the bridge. In order to prove the strength of the bridge the engineer and his family passed under the bridge in a country boat while six elephants were walking through the bridge. Now the bridge is only of archeological interest.
, black pepper
, and other spices. The chief commodities of export here are the hill products : pineapple
, pepper products, plywood and timber. The Punalur Paper Mill Ltd., a paper Industry established in 1888 by a British Nationale was under the control and management of Mr. L.N. Dalmia till 1984. This prestigious organisation was closed due to labour disputes and improper handling of the situation by the mill management and the state government. Now it is taken by an organisation Athula Industries, Hyderabad.
Punalur market was in its height during the time of Punalur paper mill. The Punalur plywood industry another important wood factory in the whole state. Punalur market is also assisted by the agro industries.
The Company has settled 700 repatriate families from Sri Lanka. Two members from each family are provided with employment in the company. At present the company employs to 1300 workers, 185 staff members and 32 officers in the company.
, Punalur had a population of 47,226. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Punalur has an average literacy rate of 84%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 85%, and female literacy is 82%. In Punalur, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.
There is also a Government Polytechnic which offers technical education to students.
Colleges:-
There are many other professional colleges around Punalur.
Kollam district
-Climate:Kollam's temperature is almost steady throughout the year. The average temperature ranges from 25 to 32 degrees Celsius. Summer usually runs from March until May; the monsoon begins by June and ends by September. Kollam receives an annual average rainfall of around...
in the southern 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....
, India. It is the pioneer in starting industrial revolution in Kerala by establishing Punalur Paper Mills, the first industry in kerala. It is situated in the banks of the river Kallada. The place got the name from two Tamil words punal means water and ooru means place which means land of water. It is about 45 km north-east of Kollam
Kollam
Kollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...
and 75 km north of Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
. Punalur is the head quarters of Pathanapuram
Pathanapuram
Pathanapuram is an administrative division situated in the Western Ghats in the Kollam District of Kerala state of India. It is about 13 km from industrial town Punalur...
taluk. This place is the gateway to Western Ghats.it is the second largest city in kollam.it is also known as THE HOTTEST CITY OF SOUTH INDIA.also it is the 7th largest city in south kerala.after 5 years punalur may be changed as a corporation.it is also a famous industrial city in india.punalur muncipality was established in 1972.
History
Punalur is a city which has a good relation with Tamil Nadu from ancient time .Most parts of Pathnapuram taluk had habitation before the Indus valley civilizaton. There is a possibility that there were civilization in and around Punalur during the 1st AD , but most parts were thick forests. Punalur was described in Mithranandpuram and Vellayani shasanas. Upto 1734 Punalur was under the direct rule of Ilaydathu swaroopam.A Portugese ruler,named Captain Road Drigs in 1552 tried to eatsblish his supermacy over the black pepper trade, but the local traders were not interested and so they transported it to Tamil Nadu in about 500 bullock carts. This act of the local traders evoked the anger of the Captain and so he sent his troops and killed many people.
Punalur paper mill , the first of its kind in kerala served both as a huge job donor as well as an economic centre. Later Travancore plywood industry added to Punalur's importance in the industrial field. Sri Ramapuram market is one of the largest vegetable Market in Kerala. Punalur Balan and Llithambika Antharganam are the contribution of Punalur to the Malayalam.it is the first ltd company in kerala
Geography
Punalur has an average elevation of 56 metres (183.7 ft). The Kallada RiverKallada River
The Kallada River is one of two major rivers that flow through the Kollam District of Kerala, India. It originates on the Kulathupuzha hills near Ponmudi and travels for 121 km, flowing through Punalur, Pathanapuram, Kunnathur, Kottarakkara and Kollam before ending at Ashtamudi Lake...
passes through Punalur. Various scenic spots on Kallada River attracts many tourists. The Palaruvi Falls is 35 kilometres (21.7 mi) from Punalur.
The first Eco-Tourism Project in Kerala is only 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) from Punalur on NH 208 towards Shencottah.
Regarding climate, even though located near western ghats, Punalur is the hottest place in Kerala, and during summer temperature has recorded even 44 degree Celsius. Punalur experiences extreme temperatures. It holds the record for hottest and coldest temperatures recorded in lowland and midland regions of Kerala; the coldest being 12.9 degree Celsius on January 8, 1968.
sm group
punalur is the administrative office of saradha memmorial group. sm group have many divisions like mr.wrong for fun,o2 group for friend ship,ame for better life.Etymology
It is believed that Punalur derived its name from ‘Punel’ - the Malayalam word for ‘funnel’. The other school of thought attributes the etymology to the word 'punal' (river in old Tamil and Malayalam as in "kuruthipunal=river of blood" according to Dr. Herman Gundert), and 'ooru' (place), referring to the river passing through the town.Transportation
Transportation in this hilly town is mainly dependant on private buses as well as the state run KSRTC buses.It is well connected to the capital city of Kerala ThiruvananthapuramThiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
by KSRTC Fast Passenger,super fast,deluxe,a/c buses which ply every 15 minutes.Buses are also plenty to the district headquarters of Kollam
Kollam
Kollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...
and Pathanamthitta
Pathanamthitta
Pathanamthitta is a large town and a municipality situated in the central Travancore region in the state of Kerala, south India, spread over an area of 23.50 km2. It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The city has a population of 38,000...
and to towns in Tamilnadu like Tenkasi
Tenkasi
Tenkasi pronounced as is a town and a municipality in Tirunelveli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located in the foothills of the Western Ghats near the Courtallam Waterfalls.Tenkasi is also famous for saaral...
and Shencotta.
The Main Eastern Highway
Main Eastern Highway
The Main Eastern Highway is the life line of the high range townships of the Travancore region of Kerala state, India. It is also known as Punalur-Pathanamthitta-Thodupuzha-Muvattupuzha Highway. Main Eastern Highway is categorized as State Highway - 08 of Kerala. It is the second longest State...
(Punalur-Pathanamthitta-Muvattupuzha Road / SH - 08),(Punalur-Ayoor
Ayoor
Ayoor is a town in Kollam district, Kerala state, India. Ayoor is located on the M C Road . It is 55 km north of Thiruvananthapuram and 17 km south of Kottarakara. Anchal is 8 km away and Nilamel and Kadakkal lies south of Ayoor. The Chadayamangalam Rock is near Ayoor...
- Road / SH - 48) which connects Punalur to Thiruvanthapuram-(state capital),punalur-kulathupuzha(SH 79) (Punalur-Kayamkulam
Kayamkulam
Kayamkulam is a town and a municipality in Alappuzha district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is an ancient maritime trading centre. One of the largest power plants in Kerala, run by the NTPC, is located in Kayamkulam. Krishnapuram Palace is located nearby and an old cashew factory.Kayamkulam is...
Road / SH - 5) and Kollam - Thirumangalam Road (NH-208)
National Highway 208 (India)
National Highways 744 is a National Highway in Southern India that links Tirumangalam near Madurai in Tamil Nadu with Kollam in Kerala...
connects the town to other major towns.
Punalur Railway Station is located on the Kollam-Madurai railway line.A new railway line is proposed throughSabarimala
Sabarimala
Sabarimala is a Hindu pilgrimage center located in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta District in Kerala. It is the largest annual pilgrimage in India with an estimated 45–50 million devotees visiting every year. Sabarimala is believed to be the place where the Hindu God Ayyappan...
-Pathanamthitta
Pathanamthitta
Pathanamthitta is a large town and a municipality situated in the central Travancore region in the state of Kerala, south India, spread over an area of 23.50 km2. It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The city has a population of 38,000...
-Punalur-Thiruvananthapuram. The nearest airport is at Thiruvananthapuram.
Punalur railway station, which currently connects to Kollam. There are four services in this route right now and It is heard that many more services would be inducted in this route since the Punalur-Schengotta ghat section has been closed for Broad Gauge conversion.Once the conversion is over,this will serve as the shortest route from Kollam to Chennai and from Kochi port to Tuticorin port
Punalur railway line
Punalur is one of the stations in India which has both meter gauge & broad gauge. It lies 45 km from Kollam on the scenic Kollam-Shencotta railway line across the western ghats, providing a valuable link across the southern states. It is also linked with Kollam by road. The long-pending Shencottah-Punalur gauge conversion under Unigauge work has been sanctioned recently and is planned for completion by 2013. Once finished, this will be the shortest route from ThiruvananthapuramThiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
to Chennai.
Currently Kollam-Punalur gauge conversion is finished and trains have started running from Kollam to Punalur.
The Punalur-Shencottah was closed to all traffic from 19 Sept 2010 for conversion into broad gauge. The journey through the western ghats is incredible.
Suspension bridge
The Punalur suspension bridgeSuspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
crossing the river is the only suspended-deck type in south India. Built in 1877 by Albert Henry across the Kallada River, this huge bridge was suspended by three spans and was used for vehicular movement. Construction took more than six years. It is said that after completion of the bridge people hesitated to walk through the bridge. In order to prove the strength of the bridge the engineer and his family passed under the bridge in a country boat while six elephants were walking through the bridge. Now the bridge is only of archeological interest.
Economy
Main agricultural products of this town include rubberRubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
, black pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
, and other spices. The chief commodities of export here are the hill products : pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
, pepper products, plywood and timber. The Punalur Paper Mill Ltd., a paper Industry established in 1888 by a British Nationale was under the control and management of Mr. L.N. Dalmia till 1984. This prestigious organisation was closed due to labour disputes and improper handling of the situation by the mill management and the state government. Now it is taken by an organisation Athula Industries, Hyderabad.
Punalur market was in its height during the time of Punalur paper mill. The Punalur plywood industry another important wood factory in the whole state. Punalur market is also assisted by the agro industries.
Industries in Punalur
- Punalur paper mill-first paper mill in kerala currently in the reopening stage.
- Travancore Plywood Industries Ltd., Punalur now changed as KINFRA industrial park.
- Kerala Agro Fruit Products
- State Farming Corporation of Kerala Ltd., Punalur -A Govt. of Kerala undertaken.
- Rehabilitation Plantations LTD, Punalur
- Rpc Kraft paper mills manufacturing M.G.Plain kraft paper which is situated Manalil
Kerala Agro Fruit Products
Kerala Agro Fruit Products engages in the production and processing of fruit products under the Jyothi brand. The company produces pineapple juice, jam, and concentrate. Kerala Agro Fruit Products is based in Punalur, India. As of December 13, 2008, Kerala Agro Fruit Products operates as a subsidiary of Oil Palm India Limited.The Rehabilitation Plantations Ltd
The Rehabilitation Plantations Ltd., Punalur (RPL) started as a government rubber plantation scheme in 1972 for the settlement of Sri Lankan repatriates which was necessitated by Sirimao-Shastri Agreement of 1964. Later on it was formed into Government Company and incorporrated on 5 May 1976. The authorised share capital of the company is Rs.350.00 lakhs and the paid up capital is Rs.339.27 lakhs. The share capital contribution of Government of India is 40% and remaining 60% was contributed by Government of Kerala.The Company has settled 700 repatriate families from Sri Lanka. Two members from each family are provided with employment in the company. At present the company employs to 1300 workers, 185 staff members and 32 officers in the company.
Demographics
India censusCensus
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...
, Punalur had a population of 47,226. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Punalur has an average literacy rate of 84%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 85%, and female literacy is 82%. In Punalur, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Banks
- State Bank of Travancore
- Federal Bank Ltd(elampal,punalur city branch)
- Canara Bank
- Catholic Syrian Bank Ltd
- Kollam District Co Operative Bank
- The Punalur co-operative Bank
- Union Bank of India
- Dhanalekshmi Bank
- North Malabar Gramin Bank
- Syndicate Bank(2 Branches)
- ICICI Bank
- SBI(karavaloor) * south Indian bank(piravanthoor)* hdfc bank*axis bank
Educational Institutions
Schools:-Punalur has many Government,aided and unaided schools. Schools play an active role in producing a bright future for Punalur. The Government Higher Secondary school in punalur was established in early 20th century.The taluk samajam schools too were established at the same time. Later these were split into Boys HSS,Girls HS and HSS at Chemmanthoor.- Govt. HSS
- Boys HSS
- Girls HS
- St.Goretti HSS
- S N Trust HSS
- St. Thomas HSS
- Chemanthoor HSS
- Tholicode LPS
- N S V vocational higher secondary school
- S N Public school
- T V T M School
- Sabarigiri senior secondary school
- Toch public school
- sm group senior hss may be opening shortly.
There is also a Government Polytechnic which offers technical education to students.
Colleges:-
- Sree Narayana College, Punalur, was established in 1965 by the perspicacious visionary and administrator Sri. R. Sanker. The college offers courses at the degree and post-graduate levels in Arts, Science and Humanities and is fast developing into a centre of excellence in University education. Its academic, research and extension programmes have been rendering outstanding service to society by moulding academically equipped, intellectually inquisitive, emotionally balanced and socially committed citizens.
- Cooperative Engineering College:-This college would be operational by 2011.
There are many other professional colleges around Punalur.
- smg college may be opening shortly.