Padur
| Padur Padoor | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
 Common Pierrot spotted at Padur | |
| Coordinates: 10°39′N 76°28′E / 10.650°N 76.467°ECoordinates: 10°39′N 76°28′E / 10.650°N 76.467°E | |
| Country |
 |
| State | Kerala |
| District | Palakkad |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 678543 |
| Telephone code | 04922 |
| Vehicle registration | KL-49 |
| Nearest city | Palghat |
| Literacy | 99.9% |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Alathur |
Padur (or Padoor) is a village in Palakkad District, Kerala. There is a temple of Sree Panickanar where a yearly festival called Padur Vela is celebrated, which is the curtain raiser for Vela-Poorams in Palakkad.
Location
Padur is a village in Palakkad District of Kerala State. It is a border village between Palakkad and Thrissur Districts. Padur comes under Kavassery Village II of Alathur revenue taluk. In about 5 km2 geographical area, the population is nearly 5,000. Padur is situated 31 km from Palakkad district headquarters, 8 km from Alathur and 8 km from Pazhayannur.
Geography
Padur is surrounded by rivers on its 3 sides. River Gayathri forms boundary on north and River Mangalam on south and they meet at the west side of Padur and together flows to merge in River Bharatapuzha, the largest river in Kerala. Because of this natural distinctiveness, Padur has thick greenery, including paddy fields, banana farms and coconut trees.
Etymology
The name Padur (Padoor:പാടൂര്) is derived from the usage : "The land (oor : ഊര്) of Palakkad King (പാലക്കാട് രാജാവ്)". This is why, the 'Vela-Pooram' celebrations in Palakkad starts from Padur.
Temples
Padur Vela, usually celebrated on 23 or 24 February every year is the curtain raiser for Vela Poorams in Palakkad. The festival is celebrated as birthday of Lord Sree Panickanar, an incarnation of Lord Ayyappa. The culture, belief, and prosperity of this village is bound to Sree Panickanar. This temple is one of the rarest of its kind as the idol is formed on its own (swayam bhoo :സ്വയം ഭൂ). Apart from this there are around six more temples in the village. They are of Lord Shiva, Lord Krishna, Karthiayani Kovil — of Goddess Parvathi, Sree Kurumba Kaavu — of an incarnated Goddess known as the daughter of Lord Shiva, a couple of Mariamman Kavu — temples of a Hindu goddess, Venkatachalapathy Temple in East Village and the list goes on. There is a church and a mosque in the boundaries of the village.
Demography
The majority of people belong to the Hindu religion. However, there are people from other religions such as Christianity and Muslim.
Institutions
Padur has an Aided LP school which is in its 113th year of existence providing knowledge to about 5 generations. There is a primary health center and a veterinary hospital. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has set up a telephone exchange in Padur. A branch post office is also present in the village. A public library and a number of sports clubs are also the assets of this small village. Blue Star Sports club has delivered many talented volleyball players to the state.
Transportation
Padur is having plenty of bus services as it comes in the main road connecting Alathur and Pazhayannur, which is a gateway between Palakkad and Thrissur. Padur (Main), Anavalavu, Mini Industrial Estate, Chemmannumkunnu and Thonikkadavu are the bus stops available.
People
Padur is famous for astrologers and there is a community of people who are professional astrologers. The astrologers are called Panickers and use Padur Panicker (Kalarikkal) in their names.
Irrespective of the religion, caste or colour, the people of Padur are very conservative and are closely knit together through traditions, culture, and relations. They believe that they are always looked after by Sree Panickanar, no matter which religion they belong to.
The main occupation of the people of Padur is agriculture — either as agriculturalist or as laborer. A few are working in government services. A countable number of people work in other states of India and abroad, in either public or private sectors. A few entrepreneurs also live here. There is a Mini Industrial Estate in Padur, where small scale industries such as plastic products, power looms, soap and brick manufacturing units are running, thus providing job opportunities to people in Padur and neighboring villages.
Educational Institutions
The village has a lower primary school which is located 0.5 from padur center. The school has a massive history of a century. The school was started in 1905. Many people educated from this institution is serving in many reputed areas in the country and abroad. The school is generally called 'aksharamuthassi'(അക്ഷര മുത്തശ്ശി ) of Padur. The school celebrated its diamond jubilee in 2005 and many famous people from different areas including Mullanezhi, Sippy Pallippuram, Therambil Ramakrishnan attended the function. The function lasted for 5 days. About 250 students and 11 teachers are now working in the school.
The founder of the School is (Late) Sri Karunakara Master.
How to reach
Padur, being in the midway between Alathur and Pazhayannur state road, is well connected through road to different places in the region such as Palakkad, Alathur, Thrissur, Nemmara, and many more. Direct buses are available from Palakkad Municipal Bus Stand, Alathur New Bus Stand and Thrissur Saktan Bus Stand. Apart from this connecting buses are also available from Palakkad Jn Railway Station and Palakkad Town Bus Stand. The nearest railway station from Padur are Palghat Jn, and Thrissur Jn. The nearest airports are Coimbatore and Cochin. Bus services are available from 5 am till 8.30 pm.
Also three wheelers (Auto Rickshaw) are available at reasonable charges.
Famous festivals
Padur Vela celebrated in the month of February every year brings in a lot of crowds to the place. The excitement of vela starts one month before and people clean and paint their houses. People from the Padur village who stay in other places also come to attend this festival. This festival features lot of fireworks, elephant processions, and other cultural events.
Apart from Padur Vela, some more festivals are celebrated every year like the Karthika Vilakku in West Village and Manadalavilakku & Brahmotsavam in East Village. There are two Mariamman Temples in Padur where Mariamman Vilakku is celebrated every year.
Agraharas in Padur
There are two agraharams at Padur, where Tamil Brahmins are residing. One is Padoor Padinjare Gramam and the other is Kazhani Puthan Gramam. There is a Gopalakrishna Swamy temple at Padoor Padinjare Gramam and there is a Venkitachalapathy temple at Kazhani Puthan Gramam. The main uthsavam of Padinjare Gramam is Karthika Vilakku and falls in the month of Vrichikam. The main uthsavam of Kazhani Puthan Gramam is Mandala Vilakku and Brahmothsavam and falls in the month of Dhanu (i.e., 23 to 28 December and the 27th is the main uthsavam day Mandalavilakku).