Kottayam, is one of the districts in the southern part of Kerala which is formed on 1 Nov 1956 and has an area of about 2204 sq. Km. It lies on the latitude 9.595°N and longitude 76.531°E. Kottayam consists of 3 taluks, Changanasserry, Kanjirappally, Kottayam, Meenachil and Vaikom. The district Head quarters is also in the same city, Kottayam. The border of the district includes the Western Ghats on the east and Kuttanad on the west.

Kottayam is very fond of rubber cultivation. We can see a lot of rubber plantations all over the district since most of the people here are doing rubber cultivation. So Kottayam is known as land of latex. According to the census conducted on the year 2008, Kottaym district has the highest literacy rate. Because of this Kottayam is also called as land of letters. In addition to this, Kottayam is also known as land of lakes since many of the places in the district is filled with picturesque streams, back waters and lakes.

Tourist Attractions

Vembanad Lake: People can enjoy the back waters as well as the beauty of the place on travelling by the luxurious cargo boats known as Kettuvallams.

Pathiramanal: Near to the Vembanad Lake there located a small beautiful island which is known as Pathiramanal (the midnight sands) . We can get down there only by boat.

Kumarakom: This is a beautiful village located on the Coast of Vembanad Lake. We can see thick coconut groves, mangroves and lush green paddy fields all over the place. A bird sanctuary is also there at Kumarakom where we can see a wide variety of birds.

Bharananganam: Nowadays it is one of the famous pilgrimage centres in Kerala. The place is now nicknamed as the “Lisieux of India” since it is blessed with the tomb of St. Alphonsa.

Other famous tourist places include Ilaveezhapoonchira, Maramala Waterfalls, Panchalimedu, Parunthumpara, Wagamon, etc.

The locations of the most popular tourism destinations are detailed in the map of Kottayam below.

Kottayam Map

Map of Kottayam (Click to Enlarge)