Karavaloor is a village in Kollam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is mainly known for the famous Peedika Bhagavathi Temple and its Meena-Thiruvathira Festival, as it is one of the well-known festivals in Kollam District. Thousands of people gather here every year for this very reason regardless of their caste or faith.
Geography
It sits approximately 65km from the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram[1] and approximately 5km from Punalur on the Punalur-Thiruvananthapuram road.
Nearby villages include Poikayil, Ayanikode, Neelammal, Venchempu, and Mathra, where the Panchayath administrative office is located.
Karavaloor can also be written as Karavalur. The name is derived from the legend of Shri Peedika Bhagavathy, the Goddess of Karavaloor, who appeared to the village with a Karaval ( കരവാള്, Sword in Dravidian Etymology) after she was called for their protection. The suffix Uru is Proto-Dravidian for "village".
It was once part of the Venad Kingdoms which laid the foundation for the later Chera kingdom. It developed trade links with Kollam Port and traded in spices and herbs as was common in the period.[2]
The population of the village is 23,947, 11,288 of them are males and 12,659 of them are females according to 2011 Indian Census.[3]
The literacy rate of the village is higher compared to Kerala. In 2011, the village's literacy rate of was 95.37% compared to Kerala's 94.00%. Male literacy was
Karavaloor features the Karavaloor Peedika Bhagavathy Goddess Temple, where Bhadrakali is the presiding deity. The annual festival of this temple is known for its processions.
Active temples include Padinjattinkara Shiva Temple, Paanayam Shiva Temple, Mathra Shiva Temple, and Murikolilkavu Parvathy Temple. They are worship sites, along with almost a dozen sacred groves that denote nature.
Churches are present, such as Karavaloor Bethel Marthoma Church (attracting more than 500 families), Kereeth Marthoma Church, St. Benedict Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, St. George Orthodox Church and Nithya Sahaya Matha Church.
Key aspects of the local economy are rubber harvesting, banking, and remittances from migrant workers.
Education
The village has two secondary schools, Karavaloor (AMMHS, established under the patronage of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church) which was first established by the Koipuram Family and Venchempu higher secondary school (NGPMHS). Neelammal is a government-run school for lower primary students. Private schools include the Oxford Central school and Carmel Central School.
Politics
Karavaloor is part of the Punalur constituency and is home to many state ministers and leaders.
P.C Baby was the first panchayath president. The village is governed by a UDF majority committee. R.Lathikamma is the panchayath president.
