Kottayam

Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-west Kerala. Kottayam is located in the basin of the Meenachil River at an average elevation of 3 metres (9.8 ft) above sea level, and has a moderate climate. It is located 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city is known for its trade in natural rubber, and the national Rubber Board is headquartered in the city, as is the Plantation Corporation of Kerala. Kottayam Port is India's first multi-modal inland container depot. The headquarters of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, called the Catholicate Aramana (Catholicate palace), is situated at nearby Devalokam.[not verified in body] Kottayam is home to one of the first English schools in India, and is a leader in literacy, known as Akshara Nagari (English: land of letters). Many of the first Malayalam daily newspapers, like Deepika, Malayala Manorama, and Mangalam, were started and are headquartered in Kottayam, as a number of publishing houses.

Etymology

The royal house of the Thekkumkur ruler was protected by a fort called Thaliyilkotta. It is believed that the name Kottayam is derived from a combination of the Malayalam words kotta which means "fort" (Thalitilkotta) and akam which means "inside". The combined form, Kottaykkakam (കോട്ടയ്ക്കകം), can be translated as "inside the fort".

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