The Rice Bowl of Kerala – Palakkad
11 Jun
History
There are many views on how Palakkad (or “Palghat” the anglicised version) got its name. One view is that the word ‘Pala’ (barren land) together with ‘Kadu’ (jungle) gave the land its name. Yet others believe that it is connected with the ancient Jain temple in the town: ‘Pali’ being the sacred language of the Jains, giving the land its name as ‘Palighat’, which over the years changed to Palakkad. However, most believe that Palakkad is derived from ‘Pala’, an indigenous tree which once densely occupied the land, and hence Palakkad or “the forest of Pala trees.”
Not much is known about Palakkad’s ancient history. It dates back to the Paleolithic period, and several megalithic relics have been found in the region. At the turn of the first millenium AD, for several hundred years the Perumals ruled the land. Later their governors called Utayavars took possession of this land and divided it among themselves. William Logan, the Scottish author of the celebrated Malabar Manual, suggests that one of the hubs of the Pallavas of Kanchi who invaded Malabar in the second and third centuries was Palakkad.






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