Palakkad

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Palakkad ( Malayalam: പാലക്കാട് Pālakkāṭ [ pa ː lək ː a ː ɖ ] ), formerly Palghat, is a city in the southern Indian state of Kerala with around 130,000 inhabitants ( 2011 census ). The city is the administrative center of the district of Palakkad. The name Palakkad ( Pālakkāṭ ) is composed of the Malayalam words Pala, the name for the species Alstonia scholaris, and Katu for " forest ". In part, the city is still known by its anglicised form of the name Palghat.

Geography and transport

Palakkad is located inland on the banks of the river Bharathapuzha Zentralkeralas near the border of the neighboring Federal State of Tamil Nadu. Between Palakkad and around 50 kilometers northeast located in Tamil Nadu Coimbatore are the Western Ghats, otherwise form the natural border between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, interrupted for a distance of around 25 kilometers through the so-called " Palakkad Gap " ( Palghat Gap ). This Palakkad is the gateway to the Malabar coast, the connections to the neighboring Federal States are pronounced. With the National Highway 47 and the railroad Chennai - Ernakulam lead two of the most important transport links between the two states by Palakkad.

History

The local ruler of Palakkad disbanded in the early 18th century from the to pay tribute to the Zamorinen of Calicut (Kozhikode ). In 1757 he asked Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore for support against the Zamorine whose attack he feared. Hyder Ali took the opportunity to secure the strategically valuable Palakkad, and built a fort. This Palakkad was drawn into the Mysore wars between Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan and the British. For the first time, the fort was taken in 1768 by the British, but few months later recaptured by Hyder Ali. 1783, the British captured the fort in turn, gave it but a year later again, before it finally came under British rule in 1790. As part of the district of Malabar, the city of Madras Presidency and thus British India was incorporated. After the Indian independence in 1956, the city came to Kerala, which was re-formed by the boundaries of Malayalam language, and became the administrative seat of the district of Palakkad.