| Location |
Positioned a little south to central Kerala, Kottayam district is bordered on the north by Ernakulam district, on the east by Idukki district and on the south by Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts. The Vembanad Lake forms the western boundary. Kottayam lies between latitude 9o 15' and 10o 21' and longitude 76o 22' and 77o 25'.
| Geography |
 |
Kottayam
district has a total area of 2208 sq. km. The district is naturally
divided into high land, midland and lowland, the bulk being constituted
by the midland regions. Meenachil and Kanjirappally Taluks have high
land and midland areas while Kottayam, Changanassery and Vaikom Taluks
have midland and lowland areas. Kanjirappally and Meenachil Taluks
have Laterite soil, where as Vaikom Taluk, part of Changanassery
and Kottayam Taluks have Aluvial soil. The district has no coastal
area. |
The important
rivers of the district are the Meenachil River, the Muvattupuzha
River and the Manimala River. The 78 km. long Meenachil River flows
through the Taluks of Meenachil, Vaikom and Kottayam. It has a catchment
area of 1272 km2 and utilizable water resource of 1110 mm3. The River
is formed by several streams originating from the Western Ghats in
Idukki district. At Erattupetta, Poonjar River also joins it, takes
a sharp turn and flows towards the west. At Kondur, it is joined
by the Chittar and at Lalam it receives the Payapparathodu and flows
in a south-west direction till it reaches Kottayam. Here it branches
into several streams before emptying into the Vembanad Lake. The
important towns in the basin are Pala, Poonjar, Ettumanoor and Kottayam.
Meenachil Medium Irrigation project is having a net ayacut of 9960
hectares, 155 sq.km. catchment area and a water spread area of 228
hectares. |
 |
The
Muvattupuzha River originates from Idukki district, flows through
Vaikom Taluk and empties into the Vembanad Lake. The most important
town in the basin is Vaikom, the famous pilgrim centre.The
Manimala River flows through Kanjirappally and Changanassery Taluks.
The Chittar joins it on its course further down the west as it flows
to Alappuzha district. The important town in the basin is Mundakkayam. |
| Climate |
The district has a tropical climate with an oppressive hot season in the plains and plenty of rainfalls throughout. The hot season from March to May, is followed by the south-west monsoon from June to September. The months of October and November constitute the post-monsoon or retreating monsoon season, when day temperature increases gradually and the heat is nearly as intense as in summer. The months of December to February form the north - east monsoon. Rain ceases early in January. The district normally gets an annual average rain fall of 3130.33 mm.
| Art and Culture |
The Folk dances of Kottayam consists of Margamkali and Arjuna Nritham. Margamkali is an art form popular among the Syrian Christian Community of the erstwhile Travancore. This consists of group dances and martial arts like Parichamuttukali. The theme of the songs revolves round the life of St. Thomas. Margamkali is performed by men and women separately.
Koodiyatam is the ancient Sanskrit dramatic version of Kerala It is a temple art and has been recognized and approved by UNESCO. This art is very ancient and is supposed to be about 2000 years old. This programme has been staged in several foreign countries many timesKottayam occupies a prominent place in the cultural map of Kerala.
Kunchan Nambiar, the father of Thullal, a popular temple art form, is supposed to have lived at Kidangoor. Unnineeli Sandesam, the exquisite Malayalam poetry work, is supposed to have been written by one of the Vadakkumkur Rajas. The Christian Missionaries enriched Malayalam literature by their valuable contributions in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Varthamana Pusthakam (1778) written by Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar, on a travel to Rome, is the first travelogue in Malayalam. The first autobiography in Malayalam by Vaikom Pachu Moothathu was published from Kottayam in 1870.
In the concluding decades of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century, Kottayam shot into limelight as the nerve centre of all literary and cultural activities in the erstwhile Travancore State. Late Kottarathil Sankunny, Kandathil Varghese Mappilai, Kerala Varma Valiyakoi Thampuran, K.C. Mammen Mappilai, Kattakkayathil Cheriyan Mappilai, Vadakkumkoor Raja Raja Varma, Karoor Neelakanda Pillai, Vaikom Muhammed Basheer, D.C. Kizhakkemuri and Abhaya Dev are few names, in the category of outstanding dignitaries and celebrities, worth mentioning, who had made very valuable, substantial and individual contributions in their own way to the cultural and social milieu. Eminent writers Ponkunnam Varkey, Vaikom Chandra Sekharan Nair, distinguished Poet Mahakavi Pala Narayanan Nair, illustrious Kathakali artist Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair, world renowned Booker prize winner Arundhathi Roy, accomplished film actor Mammootty, and talented film director Jayaraj are some other notable personalities who all hail from Kottayam district. Renowned music director L. P. R. Varma (Late ) also hailed from Kottayam
Kottayam stands first in the field of Education, Mass Communication, Printing and Book Publication. The significant role played by Malayala Manorama & Bhashaposhini and Deepika for the cultural and literary development is of immense importance. There are many printing presses and book publishing companies in Kottayam. The SPCS, a unique co-operation venture of authors and writers was started in the year 1945. Prominent publishers D.C. Books started publication from here in the year 1974. Kottayam is the headquarters of Current Books since the year 1977. It is estimated that 70% of the State's book publication takes place in Kottayam.
| Demography |
- Area - 2208 Sq.km
- Taluks -
5 Nos
- Revenue Villages -
95 Nos
- Municipalities -
4 Nos
- Development Blocks -
11 Nos
- Panchayats -
74 Nos