Places to visit at Poonjar

Poonjar : Places to Visit

History

                       Poonjar Palace

Poonjar is a small town located in the educational capital of Kerala state, the Kottayam district. This town is situated amongst the foothills of the Western Ghats. It is a historically significant place, as it was the capital of the Poonjar Kingdom, ruled by the Poonjar dynasty, which has descended from the Pandyan kings. As in the state of Kerala, the main languages spoken in Poonjar are Malayalam and English. Poonjar has a typical Kerala climate and the best time to visit the town would be from September to March. Poonjar is well-connected through road with the rest of the parts of Kerala state.

Only at a distance of 80 kilometers from the capital city Cochin, Poonjar is home to several traditional Kerala buildings that display simplicity and elegance. It is a secular town like India, where temples, churches and mosques co-exist and people from various distinct backgrounds live together. Poonjar is divided into three villages viz. Poonjar Thekkekara, Poonjar Vadakkekkara and Poonjar Nadubhagam. The S.M.V High School is the oldest school in Poonjar founded in the year 1913 and was the only school in the region for decades. Several important dignitaries hailing from Poonjar have had their schooling from this historical educational institution.

The following are the main attractions of the Poonjar village:

Poonjar Palace

This ancient palace is situated on the Pala-Erattupetta route and is dedicated to Sree Dharma Shastha. It is a 600 year old palace and is made almost entirely of wood and the wooden carpentry is such that the furniture was usually made of a single piece of wood! There is a museum housed in the palace which has a display of several ancient sculptures and other artifacts. The palace has a unique collection of antiques, rock-cut lamps, exquisite furniture, statues and weapons. A distinct conch is taken out of the palace once every year as a ritual. This palace is located on the banks of the river Meenachil.

Madurai Meenakshi Temple

A replica of the Madurai Meenakshi Temple is stationed near the Poonjar Palace on the banks of the river Meenachil. The walls of the temple recite stories from the Puranas. The main attraction of the temple is Chuttuvilakku which is a row of lamps that are carved out of the stonewalls of the Sastha Temple that is also located nearby. Rock-cut lamps are very rarely available in India.

There are several other ancient institutions in Poonjar such as the ATM Library established in the year 1939 and the St. Joseph’s Church. Being a part of the Kottayam educational hub, Poonjar supports several schools and engineering colleges that have various streams of subjects for the students to choose from. The popular Christian pilgrim centers of Bharananganam and Aruvithura are very close to the Poonjar town. Kaipally is the hilly region of Poonjar, which has a fantastic breath-taking view of the nature surrounding the town. There are several waterfalls and rivulets in the region which provide for an ideal picnic spot both for the natives and the tourists.