Venmony

Venmony occupies a strategic location on the border of the Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts. The village serves as a junction point between several major urban centers in Central Travancore.

The village is located:

• 14 km south of Thiruvalla
• 8 km east of Mavelikkara
• 13 km northwest of Pandalam
• 9 km from Chengannur

It is situated approximately 55 km east of the district headquarters at Alappuzha, 107 km from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, and 138 km from Cochin International Airport. The village is well-connected by road, and the nearest major railway stations are located in Chengannur and Mavelikkara.

The southern boundary of the village is defined by the Achenkovil river. The **Pulakadavu Bridge** spans the river, providing vital connectivity to the southern regions. The landscape of Venmony is characterized by traditional Keralite geography, featuring vast paddy fields (ela), coconut groves, and rubber plantations.

Venmony is culturally significant due to its ancient religious institutions:

• **Venmony St. Mary's Orthodox Syrian Church:** Locally known as Pazhaya Palli (Old Church), this historic monument was constructed in AD 1017 and is a center for the local Christian community.
• **Sharngakavu Devi Temple:** A notable Hindu temple in the village known for its scenic surroundings and local festivals.

The village is administered by the **Venmony Grama Panchayat**. It falls under the Chengannur Assembly constituency and the Mavelikkara Parliamentary constituency. According to the 2011 Census of India, the village has a high literacy rate of over 96%, reflecting the educational standards of the region.

The population of Venmony is 19,932, 9,073 of them are males and 10,859 are females according to the 2011 census. A total of 5,569 families reside in the village.

The population of children aged 0-6 is 1,630 that is 8.18% of total population of village. The village's average sex ratio is 1,197, that is higher than the Kerala average of 1084. Venmony's child sex ratio according to the census is 961, lower than the state average of 964.

In 2011, Venmony's literacy rate was 96.68% compared to Kerala's 94.00% . The male literacy rate was 97.67% and female literacy rate was 95.87%.^[2]

One of the most notable landmarks in Venmony is the Sharngakavu Devi Temple (Chamakkavu). Known for the monkeys thriving in its sacred grove, there is no explicit building structure for the temple, as its goddess has forbidden any construction at the site. The Vishu festival at the temple on Medam 1st usually falls on April 14 and is well known for its Kettu Kazhcha, in which huge decorated chariots and stuffed wooden horses known as Kuthiras are presented. There is also a flea market with food shacks on weekly Wednesdays for the sale and purchase of native crafts, pottery, utensils and farm products and in Vishu days with an extensive merchandise. Betel leaves produced in Venmony are sometimes referred to as "Venmoney Vettila".

Kalliyathara Junction is the city centre of Venmony.

Akshaya Center- Common Service Center- situated in Kalliyathra Junction.