Nilambur

Nilambur
—  town  —
Nilambur Location of Nilambur in Kerala and India
Coordinates	11°16′37″N 76°13′33″E / 11.27694°N 76.22583°E / 11.27694; 76.22583Coordinates: 11°16′37″N 76°13′33″E / 11.27694°N 76.22583°E / 11.27694; 76.22583
Country	India
State	Kerala
District(s)	Malappuram
MP	M.I.Shanavas - Wayanad (Lok Sabha constituency)
Sex ratio	1000:1070 ♂/♀
Literacy	88%
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Codes • Pincode • 679329 • Telephone • +04931 • Vehicle • KL 10
Website	www.nilambur.info/

Nilambur is home to worlds oldest teak plantations

Nilambur (Malayalam: നിലമ്പൂര്‍) is a municipality and a taluk in the Malappuram district of Kerala, South India. It is famous for its forests, especially its wildlife habitats, rivers, waterfalls and teak plantations. It is situated close to the Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River. It is about 40 kilometres from Malappuram town and 24 kilometres from Manjeri on the Kozhikode–Ooty road. Nilambur is also an Assembly Constituency.

The town of Nilambur is famous for the Nilambur Vettekkoru Makan Paattu (Or simply Nilambur Paattu)held every year in the Nilambur Kovilakom Temple (a Hindu temple). Nilambur is also home to the oldest teak plantation in the world, called Conolly's Plot. It is claimed that the world's tallest or biggest teak tree is in the Nilambur Teak Preserve. Nilambur is also famous for its bamboos. The name "Nilambur" means 'Place of Nilimba' (a Sanskrit word for bamboo). This region is suitable for planting teak and grows well here. Teak grown here is having good quality and hence Nilambur Teak has good demand all over the world. Some nearby places are Chungathara, Pookkottumpadam and Edakkara. People here are almost in equal ratio of Hindu, Muslims and Christians. Most people are engaged in agriculture and business. It is a place where a huge number of Christians migrated during 1940s and 50s. Nilambur is the place where a large number of Christians of all denominations live in Malabar.

Nilambur Municipality

Area: 36.26 km² Population based on social audit report 2008-09 Male: 20659 Female: 21106 Total: 41765 Population Density: 1149 km² Female Male ratio: 1.02:1 Schedule caste: 1315 Schedule tribe: 563

Nilambur Assembly Constituency

The Nilgiri mountains

Landscape in inner parts of nilambur

Nilambur Rubber Estate

Punnapuzha

Under Nilambur Assembly Constituency there are 11 Panchayaths.

• Amarambalam Panchayath
• Chungathara Panchayath
• Chokkad Panchayath
• Edakkara Panchayath
• Karulai Panchayath
• Kalikavu Panchayath
• Moothedam Panchayath
• Nilambur Municipality
• Pothukal Panchayath
• Vazhikkadavu Panchayath

Villages Of Nilambur Taluk

The Nilambur Taluk contains 19 villages.

• Nilambur
• Akampadam
• Chungathara
• Kurumbalangode
• Edakkara
• Vazhikkadavu
• Amarambalam
• Karulai
• Mampad
• Vandoor
• Porur
• Thiruvaly
• Kalikavu
• Chokkad
• Vellayur
• Karuvarakundu
• Kerala SEstate
• Thuvur

Politics

The Nilambur assembly constituency is part of the Malappuram District and Wayanad (Lok Sabha constituency)."AssemblyConstituencies -Corresponding Districts and ParliamentaryConstituencies" (PDF). Kerala. ElectionCommission of India. http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/background/S11/KL_Dist_PC_AC.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-19.  The current MP is Mr. M. I. Shanavas, the current MLA is Mr.Aryadan Mohammad is also from here.

Places of interest

Biggest Teak in Conolly Plot

Hanging Bridge across Chaliyar river

• Conolly Plot - 2 km from Nilambur Town. The plot was named in memory of H.V.Conolly, then Malabar District Collector.
• The longest Hanging Bridge in Kerala, across river Chaliyar will take one to the Conolly plot, which is just 300 metres off the Calicut-Nilambur-Ooty State Highway.
• Giant Teak, as the oldest planted teak is referred to. A part of the oldest teak plantation is retained here.
• The Teak Museum, maintained by the Kerala Forest Research Institute, giving additional information about teak, and the forest produce in general.
• A Bio Resources Park is attached to it. It is situated 4 km from Nilambur.
• Banglavu Kunnu (Bungalow Hill) at Nilambur is famous for its winding road where ayurvedic herbs are planted on both the sides of the officers'cottages (which are now used as forest range offices).
• Aruvacode Pottery Village.'Kumbham' and Artist Jinan has made this pottery village famous.
• Adyan Para Waterfalls, situated a few kilometers away on the other side of the Chaliyar River. It is situated 14 km from Nilambur.
• Koyippara Waterfalls (near kakkadampoyil) is also popular with visitors. It can be reached by travelling through a side road through Akampadam.
• Nedumkayam in the Nilambur reserve forest, where one can have a close look at the elephant camp run by the forest department. It is 18 km from Nilambur.
• Elephant Training Centre, where elephants poached from the forests were trained. Huge wooden cages can still be seen, though poaching has been banned.
• Pullangode is a place near Nilambur where there is Rubber estate and industry.
• Kallamoola 'Vallipoola' is a place situated near Pullangode, here you can see small waterfalls.
• ManjeeriColony is acolony built by the government for the Cholanaikkan, an indigenous forest-dwelling ethnicity.
• Chenappady estate situted near pullangode was the first estate in Malappuram district (info provided by Shaijal, Pullangode)
• T.K.Colony, situated a few kilometers away from Pookkottumpadam. The wild beauty of the Amarambalam Reserve forest.
• Vaniyambalam 12 km from Nilambur. Here is a famous temple called Banasura, situated on a huge rockcovering 40 acres (160,000 m²) land and with proportional height beside the Shoranur-Nilambur Railway Line.
• Nadukani Churam (Ghat) is situated on the road to Gudalur way just after Vazhikkadavu

Needed Developments

• Nilambur - Nanjangud Railway line through Tirur - Malappuram - Nilambur - Sulthan Bathery - Nanjangud - Mysore - Bangalore line.
• Development of KSRTC Bus Stand and allocation of more buses to District Head Malappuram.
• Upgrade Tirur - Malappuram - Manjeri-Gudalur State High way to National High Way.
• Starting TT Bus Service to Tirur and Ponnani.
• Allowing IT Parks in Nilambur.

Transport and Other Facilities

Nilambur Teak plantations (1917)

• Nearest Airport - Calicut International Airport - 45 km.
• Nearest Railway station - Nilambur Road Railway Station - 4 km. (Terminus for the Nilambur - Shoranur Railway Line (66 km))
• The town is situated on the Calicut - Ooty State Highway. There are plenty of bus services to Calicut, Ooty, Perinthalmanna, Wayanad, Mysore, Bangalore, Malappuram, Manjeri, Tirur, Areacode.
• A KSRTC Bus Stand is situated here (Aruvacode).
• The Private Bus stand is at Chandakunnu. A second Bus stand has been proposed at Chettiangadi.
  

  Teak flowers
  Approximate distances by road:
  • Ooty - 100 km
  • Manjeri - 25 km
  • Malappuram - 40 km
  • Calicut Airport - 45 km
  • Kozhikode - 72 km
  • Thrissur - 120 km
  • Kochi - 210 km
  • Gudalur - 48 km
  • Mysore - 158 km
  • Thiruvambady - 50 km
  • Thamarassery - 58 km
  • Sultan Battery - 80 km via Nadugani.
• The Kozhikode - Manjeri - Nilambur -Gudalur - Ooty State highway is the main road in this area. A new Hill Highway (Nilambur-Meppady) has been proposed. The Nilambur bypass (6.4 km) (From Opposite OCK Auditorium to Veliyanthodu via Mukkatta) has been sanctioned.

Famous Personalities

Past

• Chathu Menon (Forest Officer, raised Conolly Plot)
• Dawson, British Forest Officer, killed at Nedumkayam.
• K. Kunhali, (former CPM MLA) who was shot dead.
• E.K. Ayamu (Dramatist)
• Nilambur Balan (Actor)
• Dr. M Usman Nilabur (Doctor, former KNM state president)
• Kunhi Kuttan Thampan (Social Worker)
• Ramanan Embranthiri (Social Worker)
• A.R. Raghava Varma (Painter)
• G. Philips (Author)
• Devadas Pottakad (politician)
• T.N.Bharathan Thampan (politician)
• KUTAN NAIR ( BISNESS).
• S.A. Jameel (lyricist, Mesmerist, Singer & Actor)

Present

• Gopinath Muthukad (Magician)
• Johnson Eyeroor, (Writer & Hypnologist)
• Rahman (actor)
• [Abdul Wahab P V (Ex M P)]
• Aryadan Mohammed (Minister of electricity, 2011)
• Nilambur Ayisha (Actress)
• Joy T M (Magician)

Unique features

• Oldest Teak plantation and Teak tree.
• Only Teak Museum in India.
• The longest Hanging Bridge in Kerala.
• Chola Naikers - Cave dwelling tribes found only in the Nilambur Forests.
• First Panchayath with 100% Primary literacy in India.

See also

• Nilambur - Shoranur Railway Line
• Teak Museum
• Chaliyar River
• Nedumkayam
• Nilambur kovilakam
• Nilambur thick forest
• Adyanpara Water falls
• Canoli Plot
• Kozhipara water falls

References

• Nilambur Images
• Ecological history of Nilambur valley, see chapter 6
• Kerala Tourism page for Nilambur