Palakkad District, in the southeastern part of the former Malabar district, is one of the 14districts of the South Indianstate of Kerala. Also, it is the largest district in Kerala from 2006. The city of Palakkad is the district headquarters. Palakkad is bordered on the northwest by the Malappuram District, on the southwest by the Thrissur District, on the northeast by The Nilgiris District, and on the east by Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. The district is 24.4% urbanized according to the census of 2011.The district is nicknamed "". Palakkad is the gateway to Kerala due to the presence of the Palakkad Gap, in the Western Ghats. The total area of the district is which is 11.5% of the state's area which makes it the largest district of Kerala. Out of the total area of, about of land is covered by forests. Most parts of the district fall in the midland region, except the Nelliampathy-Parambikulam area in the Chittur taluk in the south and Attappadi-Malampuzha area in the north, which are hilly and fall in the highland region. The climate is pleasant for most parts of the year, the exception is the summer months. There is sufficient rainfall and it receives more rainfall than the extreme southern districts of Kerala. The district is blessed with many small and medium rivers, which are tributaries of the Bharathapuzha River. A number of dams have been built across these rivers, the largest being the Malampuzhadam. The largest in volume capacity is the Parambikulam Dam
Etymology
In earlier times, Palakkad was also known as Palakkattussery.Many concluded that Palakkad is derived from 'Pala', an indigenous tree which once densely occupied the land; and hence Palakkad or "the forest of Pala trees".Some believe, connecting the ancient Jain Temple in the town, that the sacred languagePali gave the name. In 1757, to check the invasion of the Zamorin of Calicut, the Palakkad Raja sought the help of Hyder Ali of Mysore. Later his son Tipu Sultan became the ruler.
Under the amended Indian Constitution, decentralized planning has been implemented in the state. The headquarters of the District Panchayat is at Palakkad Municipal town. The District Panchayat office building is near the Civil Station.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Palakkad district has a population of 2,809,934, roughly equal to the nation of Jamaica or the state Utah in the U.S. so it a ranking of 138th in India. The district has a population density of. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 7.39%. Palakkad has a sex ratio of 1067 females for every 1000 males,.The literacy rate of Palakkad district is 89.49%, which is the lowest in Kerala.However, Palakkad city has a higher literacy rate of 94.20%
