PALAKKAD

:: PALAKKAD

Palakkad or Palghat is one of the 14 districts of Kerala state in South India. It has Thrissur and Malappuram district of Kerala and Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu as boundaries. It is a predominantly rural district. Palakkad is the gateway to Kerala due to the presence of Palakkad Gap, in the Western Ghats.Palakkad is believed to derive its name from pala (tree) and kadu (forest). When the Zamorin of Kozhikode invaded Palakkad, the Raja of Palakkad sought the help of Hyder Ali of Mysore and forced Zamorin to retreat. Later Hyder Ali annexed all the Malabar region with his kingdom. The Hyder Ali Fort in the centre of Palakkad Town is the proof of their dominance. In the year 1872 the defeat of Tipu Sultan, son of Hyder Ali faced defeat in the hands of East Indian Company, all the territories were ceded to British. After Indian Independence, the Palakkad administrative unit was formed on January 1st 1957. Palakkad has the best irrigation system in Kerala. The irrigation projects & dams are at Malampuzha, Walayar, Chittur, and Pothundi