Anchal

Anchal
Panchayath Bus Stand in Anchal Market Junction
Anchal
Location in Kerala, India
Anchal
Anchal (India)
Coordinates: 08°55′45″N 76°55′05″E / 8.92917°N 76.91806°E / 8.92917; 76.91806Coordinates: 08°55′45″N 76°55′05″E / 8.92917°N 76.91806°E / 8.92917; 76.91806
Country  India
State Kerala
District Kollam
Government
 • Body Panchayat
Area
 • Total 24.45 km2 (9.44 sq mi)
Elevation 45 m (148 ft)
Population
 • Total 33,088
Languages
 • Official

Malayalam

Other Languages=English, Tamil, Hindi
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN 691306
Telephone code 0475
Vehicle registration KL-25, KL-24, KL-02
District Kollam
Civic agency Panchayat
Climate Monsoon (Köppen)
Literacy Rate 95%

Anchal is a large village[1] and Block Panchayath located in the centre of the Kollam district of Kerala, India.[2] It is located between the National Highway 744 and the Main Central Road.Anchal is the second fastest devolping town in Kerala.Anchal is also the centre between Trivandrum city and Pathanamthitta The nearest city to Anchal is Punalur. Now Anchal Town consists of 4 Panchayats such as Anchal, Alayamon, Edamulakkal and Yeroor . The village is also close to Kadakkal, an agricultural village known for its spice production and the site of the Kadakkal Devi Temple.[3] Trivandrum formerly known as Thiruvananthapuram is 55 kilometres (34 mi) from Anchal. Kollam (Quilone), which is the district headquarters, is 36 kilometres (22 mi) distant. Shenkotta and Pathanamthitta are 55 km from Anchal. Kottarakara town is 18 km from Anchal. Anchal Block Panchayath is the largest block panchayath in Kollam district. Anchal Block Panchayath covers an area of 39% of Kollam Jilla Panchayath. Anchal Block Panchayath has 8 Grama Panchayaths and 14 Villages. Headquarters of Anchal Block Panchayath is situated at Anchal. The Panchayaths in Anchal Block are Anchal, Alayamon, Edamulakkal, Yeroor, Karavallur, Kulathupuzha, Thenmala and Aryankavu. There are a plenty of tourist places in Anchal. Anchal is one of the educational hubs of Kollam district. Educationally and Socially well developed place in Kerala. Educational and Medical institutions of Anchal posses a higher standard which is a model for other places.

Etymology

There are a number of different legends about the origin of the name Anchal. One legend speaks of how there used to be an "Anchalappis (അഞ്ചലാപ്പീസ്)" at the site of the present range office junction from which the name "Anchal" originates. Another speaks of how five famous disputes evolved in the region, eventually giving it the name of the land of five disputes, proverbs or puzzles. (അഞ്ചു തർക്കങ്ങളുടെ നാട് )[4]

Another legend points to the presence of five banyan trees or Aal in the region which gave it the name Anchal, a portmanteau of Anch meaning five and Aal meaning Banyan tree.[4]

Religion

Religion is a large part of life in Anchal. Edamullakal Ganesh Temple is one of the oldest Ganapathy temples in Kollam district. It is believed to be a very old kavu turned into a temple. In 2009 the temple was rebuilt and given a new look. The main deity of the temple is Ganesh.

Kalary Devi Temple is another temple located in Anchal. It is dedicated to Lord Kali Devi. It is also one of the oldest temples in Kerala. The Kadakkal-Anchal Thirumudi Ezhunellathu ritual centres around this temple. It is said that Kadakkal Devi is the sister of Kalary Devi and every 12 years Kadakkal Devi comes to Anchal to see Kalary Devi. It is one of the largest celebrations in Kerala, attracting thousands of visitors when it last occurred in 2015.[5] The celebration runs from Kaddakal temple in Kadakkal to the Kalary Devi temple in Anchal.

There are so many Muslim mosques & Christian Churches surrounded by Anchal. People living here peacefully.

Kadakkal Temple

Transport

Kollam Junction railway station

The nearest major railway station is Punalur railway station located about 14 km away in Punalur & Kollam Junction railway station located about 39 km away in Kollam.It is the second largest railway station in Kerala by area and also one of the oldest.[6] Punalur railway station is about 11 km from Anchal and currently connects to Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Nagarcoil, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Madurai. The nearest Interternational Airport is Trivandrum International Airport, situated approximately 55 km from Anchal in the city of Thiruvananthapuram. It is the main international airport in the state of Kerala and offers both national and international flights.[7] The village is located between the National Highway 744 and the Main Central Road and is accessible by car. Multiple bus services also run between Anchal and other villages in Kollam district.

Demographics

As of the 2011 Census of India, Anchal had a population of 33,088 of which 15,732 were male and 17,356 were female. The literacy rate is 95%, with 96.7% of males literate and 93.49% of females literate.[1] The total number of the population in employment is 11,960. 71% of the population that are in employment are male, while the other 29% are female.

Notable people


References

  1. 1 2 "Anchal Population - Kollam, Kerala". Census2011.co.in. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  2. ↑ Panchayat List. Kollam.nic.in. Retrieved on 2014-07-11.
  3. ↑ http://kadakkalamma.org/about/
  4. 1 2 അഞ്ചല്‍ ഗ്രാമപഞ്ചായത്ത് (Anchal Grama Panchayat) » ചരിത്രം. Lsgkerala.in
  5. ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/thousands-take-part-in-temple-procession/article7034367.ece
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
  7. ↑ http://www.trivandrumairport.com/aboutairport.php
  8. ↑ Website High Court of Kerala
  9. ↑ "Rajiv Anchal", Wikipedia, 2018-06-05, retrieved 2018-06-17
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