Palakkad History

History of Palakkad

In earlier times Palakkad was also known as Palakkattuchery. The word “Palakkad” from the word Palai nilam, which means “dry lands”. The name has two fusion of Malayalam Words Pala means a tree Alstonia scholar is that is found abundantly in Palakkad and second one is Kadu which means forest. Previously Palakkad along with most parts of Kerala were under the rule of the Chera kings or Perumals. With the decline of Chera dynasty, parts of this district were ruled by Palakkad Rajas who were believed to be a branch of Zamorins (Samudiri Rajavamsam) of Calicut who later declared independence. Some parts were under Kollengode Rajas of Vengunad and the Valluvanad part of the district was ruled by Valluvakonathiris . For a brief period, some areas of the district near Chittur came under the attack of the nearby Kongu king when the local people resisted the Kongu invasion successfully. Until 1947 , Palakkad was a part of the Malabar District of Madras Presidency during the British Raj . From 1947 to 1956 Palakkad came under the princely state of Cochin and Madras state. In the year 1956 , It was made a separate district of Kerala when the state was formed .The history Palakkad Fort dates back to 1766 and it was constructed by Hyder Ali, the father of Tipu Sultan. It still remains the landmark of this city. It is one of the best preserved forts in India, this medieval era granite fort situated right at the heart of the city could well be your first stopover