Pallom
| Pallom പള്ളം | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
  Pallom Location in Kerala, India | |
| Coordinates: 9°32′5″N 76°31′5″E / 9.53472°N 76.51806°ECoordinates: 9°32′5″N 76°31′5″E / 9.53472°N 76.51806°E | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | Kerala |
| District | Kottayam |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, English |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Vehicle registration | KL-05 |
| Pallom | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 9°31′40″N 76°31′0″E / 9.52778°N 76.51667°E |
Pallom or Pallam is a small village in the Kottayam district of Kerala state, south India. It is near Kottayam town.
Pallom is a small village on the highway from Kottayam to Trivandrum in southeastern India. It has not undergone much change when compared to other parts of Kerala. The nearest airport is the Cochin International Airport (Airport code: COK) which could be reached within 2 hours. It is just 6 km from Kottayam railway station. Access to Pallom could be via the Main Central Road (MC road) by car (4 hours from Trivandrum) or by train (4 hrs). It is a quiet community with religion being the centre of life. It was an agriculture-based community with strong linkages to seasonal Paddy cultivation. However many of the residents are employed with the local government or the other establishments in and around Kottayam. Some of the residents might have left to work abroad but the proportion is very low. Nothing much has changed in the last half century in Pallom. The calm is broken by a local temple or Church festival or the odd election. With its direct access to the backwaters, a few of the locals fish and live of the water. Trade connected with fishing and paddy cultivation was the major occupation in the past. The possibility of floods due to large monsoon downpours used to bother the residents of the lower lying areas.
This is indeed an early centre for education pioneered by the British Missionaries. CMS Middle School (The present day CMS Higher Secondary School is the successor) was probably the first English school in Travancore. Buchanan Girls' school was the pioneer in Girls education.
The major religions are Christianity and Hinduism. St. Paul's Orthodox Syrian Church (Mundakathil Pally), St. Ignatius JSO Church (Kallooparamb pally), St. John the Baptist CSI Syrian Church and St. Andrew's CSI Syrian Church are the churches in this area. The Sastha temple at Pakkil is an ancient one and is considered to have been consecrated by Parasurama himself (as per Kottarathil Shankunni's famed tome "Aeithiha Mala" he ordered the idol to stay (in Malayalam "Parku") and hence name of the locality).
The local Jolly Toddy Shop (Karumpumkala) was very popular across Kerala for its fabulous food. It is still continuing in the form of a family enterprise. The Toddy parlour is relocated towards Kottayam. There is a local palace which was built by the Travancore Raja for the chieftains who sought refuge in Travancore during the Tippu's invasion of Malabar. The arrival of the Syrian Christian Community may have also started along with the establishment of the Palace. There are quite a few Syrian Christian families belonging to the Orthodox and CSI sects here and most of them are related by blood. This include mainly the Edathumpadickal family, kannampuram family Parekadavil family who claim to be in the lineage of one among the first four Brahmin families who embraced Christianity through Thomas the disciple of Lord Jesus Christ. The Rama temple inside the Palace is popular among devotees. The Cheruvallikavu Devi Temple near the Rama Temple may be older than the latter. SNDP Yogam has a large place of worship and other establishments here. However Muslims are few in number.
When the Travancore state set up a generating station at Pallivasal, the power sub-station was set up at Pallom.