PATHANAMTHITTA

                                                         HISTORY

                          Pathanamthitta is a combination of two words Pathanam and Thitta which mean an array of houses on the river side. This district was formed on Ist November 1982 in the interest of the hastening process of development. It is presumed that the regions presently under the district were formerly under the Pandalam reign which had connections with the Pandya Kingdom. Pathanamthitta now includes portions of the erstwhile Kollam Alappuzha and Idukki districts. Pathanamthitta, Adoor, Ranni, Konni and Kozhencherry are some of the important places taken from Kollam district, whereas Thiruvalla and Mallappally are the major places taken from Alappuzha district

The district can be proud of its rich contribution to the struggle for freedom.When Mahatma Gandhi visited the erstwhile Travancore in 1937, he asked his follower Khadar Das T.P. Gopala Pillai to spread the message of Khadi and Charka. Inspired by Gandhiji he founded the 'Mahatma Khadi Ashram' at Elanthoor 1941.He launched a scheme for mobilizing funds for khadi activities known as 'ek paise fund'in order to ensure the participation of the whole people

in the khadi movement. There was strong protest in Travancore against the British in connection with the visit of the Prince of Wales in 1921. In 1922, a student's strike was held which instilled a lot of spirit and enthusiasm among the freedom fighters. During the same period, Congress leaders like Ponnara Sreedhar and K. Kumar, the participants from Kerala in the flag satyagraha at Nagapur were arrested and beatenup by the police. The contribution of lanthoor K.Kumar, Thadiyal Raghavan Pillai, Pandalam KP and N.G. Chacko to the National Movement have much significance in the history of freedom struggle.

                                                           LOCATION

The youngest district in the sate of Kerala nestles its head on the slopes of western ghats and stretches to the low-lying rice fields bordering Alappuzha district. The district consist of three natural divisions viz the Lowland the Midland and the Highland.The highland stretches through the western ghats and descends to midland in the

centre, down to the lowland and cocunut gardens on the western borders of Alappuzha disrict. The topography of the district is highly undulating.It starts from the tall hill slopes covered with thick forests on the east along the mountains down to the valleys and small hills to the flat land of coconut trees in the west.
Pathanamthitta engrossed on the hilly terrain of Kerala can rightly be called the headquarters of pilgrimage tourism in the state. Sabarimala, an important Hindu pilgrimage centre attracts crores of pilgrims from the different parts of India and the state.

                                                              CLIMATE

The district has more or less the same climatic conditions as prevalant elsewhere in the state viz, dry season from the Dec to Feb and hot season from March to may. The climate is generally moderate, the temperature rising from 20 C to 39 C. The south west monsoon from June to September and the north west monsoon from October to November provide fairly good rain.

                                                                  CROPS

Pathanamthitta is a true tropical diversity adorned with fertile agricultural land, plantations and forest. Paddy, tapioca, varieties of vegetables and spices like cardamom, pepper etc. are extensively cultivated. The district also abounds in extensive rubber plantations.