About Pathanamthitta

Pathanamthitta is one of the fourteen districts of Kerala state in South India. It was formed on 1 November 1982 with headquarters at Pathanamthitta.

Pathanamthitta is a landlocked district situated in the southern part of the state, and is bordered by Kottayam and Idukki districts in the north, Alappuzha in the west, Kollam in the south and has a border with Tamil Nadu in the east. The district was made up from combining areas from the Alappuzha, Idukki and Kollam districts.

The district is part of the historical Central Travancore region of Kerala. The Central Travancore consists of the South-Central districts of Pathanamthitta and (parts of) Kottayam, Alappuzha, Idukky and Kollam.

Major towns in the district are Pathanamthitta, Thiruvalla, Aranmula, Kozhencherry, Kumbanad, Konni, Pandalam, Adoor, Ranni, Vadaserikara, Sabarimala, Mallappally and Parumala. More than 50% of the district is covered by forests.

The district's name is a combination of two Malayalam words pathanam and thitta, which together mean "houses by the riverside".

Pathanamthitta is a pre-dominantly agricultural district with major crops being coconut, rubber, paddy, pepper and tea. The hilly terrain coupled with high humidity make it suitable for rubber and tea plantations.

Hydroelectric power plants situated in the district provide one-third of the electricity demands of the state. Three important rivers, the Achankovil River, Manimala River and Pamba River flow through the district. River Pamba originates from Sabarimala and is considered a holy river. It is considered as the Ganga of South India.

Pathanamthitta holds the distinction of being declared the first polio-free district in India. It is 10.03% urbanised.

Kerala's first Airport in private sector is developing in Aranmula, near Kozhencherry in this directory by promoted by FOKANA, and other US-Canada Malayali organizations and Middle-East based Malayalis.