Kayamkulam

Kayamkulam was a medieval feudal kingdom known as Odanad(also called Onattukara) ruled by the Kayamkulam rajas. Maha Raja Marthanda Varma (1706–58) conquered Kayamkulam and annexed its territories to Travancore. The history of Kayamkulam is a saga of a kingdom that was once a military powerhouse and a commercial hub for the pepper trade, until its dramatic fall in the 18th century.

The Krishnapuram Palace, built in the 18th century, now functions as a museum. Constructed in typical Keralan-style architecture, it has the largest mural painting in Kerala.^[4] The palace museum houses the Kayamkulam double-edged sword.^[5]

The Shankar Memorial National Cartoon Museum and Art Gallery is an art museum located at Krishnapuram in Kayamkulam.^[6] Established in 2014 by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, the institution serves as a tribute to the legendary Indian cartoonist, Kesava Shankar Pillai (Shankar), who is widely regarded as the "father of political cartooning in India" and was born in the area.^[7] The museum is the first of its kind in Kerala and occupies a 15,000 square feet area, housing an extensive collection of Shankar's original works, including approximately 120 cartoons featuring prominent Indian political figures, along with his personal artifacts like his pen, brush, and easel.^[6][7] It also displays works by other notable cartoonists and hosts exhibitions and sculptures.^[6]

The Kayamkulam Boat Race^[8] is held on the fourth Saturday of August every year.^[9] Chinese fishing nets can be found on the banks of the lagoon.

According to the 2011 Census of India, Kayamkulam municipality had a population of 68,634. Males constituted 47.8% (32,784) of the population and females 52.2% (35,850). The municipality has a high sex ratio of 1,094 females per 1,000 males, which is higher than the Kerala state average of 1,084. Children under six years of age made up 10.07% (6,914) of the total population^{[citation needed]}

The average literacy rate in Kayamkulam is 94.81%, higher than the state average of 94.00%. Male literacy stands at 96.72%, while female literacy is 93.10%^{[citation needed]}

Kayamkulam Assembly Constituency is part of Alappuzha.^[12]

The Central Coconut Research Station (CCRS) was established in 1948 as a field station of the Agricultural Research Laboratory. Presently, it is a regional station of the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI).^[13]

Onattukara Regional Agricultural Research Station, Kayamkulam is located in the Kayamkulam Municipality of Alappuzha District, one kilometer east of Kayamkulam town, on the northern side of Kayamkulam - Punalur road. The station was established in the year 1937 under the erstwhile University of Travancore. It was subsequently transferred to the Department of Agriculture in 1958 and continued to function under it till it became a part of the KAU on 07.02.72. I n April, 2000, this Station was upgraded to the status of RARS (Onattukara Region).

Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC) is a theatrical movement in Kayamkulam, Kerala. It was formed in the 1950s by a group of individuals that had close ties with the leftist parties of Kerala.

In 1951 KPAC staged its first drama, Ente Makananu Sari (transl. "My Son is Right"), whose songs were written by Punaloor Balan. Its second drama Ningalenne Communistakki (transl. "You Made Me a Communist") was first performed in 1952. The success of Ningalenne Communistakki brought KPAC to the forefront of a powerful people's theatre movement in Kerala.^[14]

KPAC played a significant role in popularising the Communist Party in Kerala through its dramas, road shows and kathaprasangams (story telling).^[15]

Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant or Kayamkulam NTPC (also known as Rajiv Gandhi CCPP) is a 350 MW naphtha-based power plant which is largely idle due to high production costs, but the site is operational for other projects, most notably a 92 MW floating solar power plant.

• Thopil Bhasi – Malayalam playwright, screenwriter, and film director
• K. M. Cherian – heart surgeon; founder of Frontier Lifeline Hospital and the Dr. K M Cherian Heart Foundation
• Kambisseri Karunakaran – journalist, politician, actor, satirist and rationalist
• P. Kesavadev – novelist, writer, and social reformer
• Kayamkulam Kochunni – highwayman based in Kayamkulam, active in Central Travancore in the early 19th century
• K. P. A. C. Lalitha – National Award-winning Indian film and stage actress
• S. Guptan Nair – Malayalam writer, critic, scholar and educationist
• K. Shankar Pillai – cartoonist, founder of Shankar's Weekly
• Thachadi Prabhakaran – former Minister of Kerala
• Kayamkulam Philipose Ramban – Christian priest
• T. P. Sreenivasan - diplomat; former High Commissioner to Fiji and Kenya and Ambassador to Austria

• Pathiyoor
• Kattanam
• Charummood
• Mavelikkara
• Adoor
• Pandalam
• Chengannur
• Mannar
• Vallikunnam
• Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency
• Oachira
• Padanilam
• Chettikulangara
• Puthuppally