Kottayam Fairvalue
Literally Kottayam (Kotta + Akam) means the interior fort. The rulers of Munjanad and Thekkumkur made their headquarters at Thazhathangadi which is the present Kottayam town. Marthanda Varma, the ruler of Travancore attacked the important place Thekkumkur. They destroyed the palace and the Thaliyil fort which was seen till now.
Kottayam District is located in the central of Kerala State in India. Kottayam city is the administrative capital of Kottayam district. The unique characteristics of the Kottayam land is bordered by Alapphuzha district on the west, Idukki district on the west, Ernakulam district on the north and Pathanamthitta district on the south.
Importance of Kottayam City
The people living in Kottayam District are fully literate and many legends belong to this area. This district consists of Vembanad Lake, lush paddy fields of Kuttanad, Panoramic backwater stretches, highlands, hills and hillocks and extensive rubber plantations. Kottayam city has become an important trading center for spices and commercial crops, especially rubber. Most of India’s natural rubber originates from the acres of well-kept plantations at Kottayam. The Rubber Board is located in this district. This district is also called as ‘Akshara Nagari’ which means the ‘city of letters’ considering its contribution to the print media and many literatures. A remarkable feat achieved by Kottayam Town in 1989. It is the first town in India to have achieved 100% literacy.
Formation of the present Kottayam District
Previously, the present Kottayam district was a part of the princely state of Travancore. During that period, it consisted of two revenue divisions namely the southern and northern divisions which were under the administrative control of a Diwan Peshkar for each. In 1868, two more divisions Quilon (Kollam) and Kottayam were constituted. The fifth division Devikulam was added to Kottayam for a short period. The revenue divisions were renamed as districts at the time of the integration of the State of Travancore and Cochin (Kochi). The Diwan Peshkars gave way for the birth of the Kottayam District in July 1949.
Printing Press and First CMS College
In 1813, English education was actually started in South India at the old seminary at Kottayam. In 1821, Rev. Benjamin Baily established the first printing press in Kerala known as CMS Press. In 1840, the state's first college was started at Kottayam was CMS College. In 1846 and 1847, Maiden printed Malayalam-English and English-Malayalam dictionaries from this district. In 1945, the first and only Cooperative Society (SPCS) for writers was set up, with many authors and publishers for publishing books and periodicals. It is the hometown of a vast number of books and is the center of publishing business in the State.
First Eco City in India
The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India transformed Kottayam city as an Eco City which is the first town in our country. Former President of India K R Narayanan hails from this district. Kottayam is the temple city and take off point for many tourists visiting Peermade, Munnar, Thekkady and Ernakulam. It is the gateway to the pilgrim centers such as Sabarimala, Mannanam, Vaikom, Ettumanoor, Bharananganam, Erumeli, Manarcaud, and so on.