Vaikom () is a municipality
Location
Vaikom is situated at the northwestern end of the Kottayam district, close to the border with the Ernakulam district. Vaikom is a lakeside town situated in the banks of the
Vembanad similar to other lakeside towns like
Kottayam and
Changanassery.
Its western borders are bound by the Vembanad lake. The
Muvattupuzha has its
River mouth near Vaikom where it empties into the Vembanad lake, many
Distributary of the Muvattupuzha river pass through Vaikom. It is also close to the tourism destination
Kumarakom and the city of
Kochi. Vaikom is situated on the
Ernakulam-
Alappuzha-
Kottayam border area and it is 33 km from
Ernakulam, 33 km from
Kottayam via
Kumarakom, 39 km from
Alappuzha and about from Kochi International Airport.
History
Vaikom was believed to be a part of a kingdom called Venmalanadu in the past. When Venmalanadu was split into Vadakkumkoor and Thekkumkoor, it became part of Vadakkumkoor dynasty. Vadakkumkoor kingdom spread along the path of
Muvattupuzha river towards the north east side from Kaduthuruthy, Vaikom,
Piravom,
Muvattupuzha,
Kothamangalam and
Thodupuzha. There was an important port at Chemmanakary, near Vaikom during the Vadakkumkoor era. Later in 1742, it became part of Travancore when the then Maharajah of Travancore, Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, annexed Vadakkumkoor to his kingdom.
Vaikom gained its fame on a national level during the Vaikom Satyagraha.
Vaikom Temple
The
Vaikom Temple, known as
Thekkan Kashi (Southern
Varanasi), is the centre of the town, and is the site of the
Vaikom Ashtami celebrations during November. It is notable as the venue of the Vaikom Agitation for achieving for the lower castes the right to walk on the roads surrounding the temple. One of the most popular temples in Kerala dedicated to
Shiva,
Administration
Vaikom is administered by a municipality and is the seat of a munsiff's court (among the oldest to be established in the Kingdom of Travancore, 100 years old). The Vaikom assembly constituency is part of the Kottayam parliamentary constituency.
Economy
The traditional economy has been based on
coconut and
rice crops, and
fishing; more recently, crops like
nutmeg,
black pepper, and
latex have been introduced. Tourism and software are pursued as a means to livelihood.
The Kerala Paper Products Limited (Previously called Hindustan Newsprint Limited) is situated in Velloor, away from Vaikom.
Demographics
As per the 2001 census,
Vaikom has a population of about 22637 (male: 10955; female: 11682). This region has a literacy rate of 92% (male: 97%; female: 90%). Population density of the region is 2496 per square km.
In the 2011 census,
Hindus are the largest religious community in Vaikom, accounting for 85% of the population. Christians represent 12%, and Muslims 3%.
Notable people
-
Mar Sebastian Adayantharath
-
Justice K. G. Balakrishnan
-
Vaikom Muhammad Basheer
-
Mammootty, actor
-
P. K. Biju
-
percy jackson
-
Cherian K. Cherian
-
V. N. Janaki
-
Janardhanan, actor
-
A. J. John
-
Monce Joseph
-
M. K. Kamalam
-
Abraham Kattumana
-
Kalaikkal Kumaran, actor
-
Mathew Ulakamthara, poet and literary critic
-
N. Mohanan
-
Vaikom Chandrasekharan Nair
-
N. N. Pillai
-
P. Krishna Pillai, leader of the first communist movement in Kerala
-
Vaikom Padmanabha Pillai, military officer of the Kingdom of Travancore
-
Vaikom Ramachandran, poet
-
Thomas Unniyadan
-
Vaikom Vijayalakshmi
-
Vaikom Viswan
-
S. Ramesan, Malayalam language poet and orator
See also
External links
