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About

Municipality in Pathanamthitta district and headquarters of Adoor Taluk - known for Sree Parthasarathy Temple, the Adoor Gajamela elephant festival, and its place on the MC Road corridor between Thiruvananthapuram and central Travancore.

District Pathanamthitta
Country India
Timezone Asia/Kolkata
Population 1,706
Coordinates 9.20°N, 76.76°E

Heritage

History of Adoor

A fuller look at how this place grew - from early roots to the town travellers visit today.

The history of Adoor is directly connected to the history of Kollam district. During the 1st century A.D., most of the places in Kollam district were ruled by the Ay Kingdom, with their headquarters at south Travancore. It is known that during the rule of the Ay Kings, a Buddhist Monastery existed in Adoor. Some megalithic monuments like dolmens, dating back to the Neolithic period, have been discovered in the Enadimangalam village of Adoor Taluk.

Adoor was once part of Ilayidathu Dynasty and Pandalam dynasty. In 1741, Venad Maharaja Marthandavarma included Adoor to the Travancore Kingdom. King Marthanda Varma once came to Adoor to hide from Ettuvettil Pillai (a wealthy family who tried to capture King Marthandavarma and to get hold of his throne) and sought the help from Chittundayil house but it was refused and then support and shelter was provided by the grandmother of Nellimuttil family at Adoor, in the later days, after he became the King he then made revenge to the Chittundayil house and granted help to the Nellimuttil house. During the rule of Dharmaraja, a notable event was the battle against Tippu Sultan, where travancore made alliance with the East India Company. During the rule of Rani Gowri Parvathy Bayi, in 1812 A.D., pandalam was annexed to the kingdom of Travancore. The Anantharamapuram market situated at Parakkode is known to be one of the oldest, largest and busiest market during the Travancore era. After India got its independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Travancore refused to join Indian Union, but later had to agree. On 1 July 1949, Travancore and Cochin States were integrated and the Maharaja of Travancore became Rajpramukh of Travancore-Cochin State. On 1 November 1956, The State of Kerala was formed integrating the earlier regions of Travancore, Cochin and Malabar. After that, Adoor was in Kollam district until a new 13th district called, the Pathanamthitta District came into existence as a separate administrative unit on the 1 November 1982. The newly formed Adoor Taluk comprised nine Villages of Kunnathur Taluk and two villages of Mavelikkara Taluk of former Kollam and Alappuzha districts. On 1 April 1990, Adoor municipality came into existence and the area under Adoor municipality is presently known as Adoor Town.

Adoor was part of Central Travancore and was never directly under British rule. Adoor was a major town of both wealthy Hindu families and notable Saint Thomas Christian families. Adoor was never captured by King Marthanadavarma.

Adoor Dharma Hospital (now known as Adoor General Hospital) was established in the 1880s during Travancore rule.

In 1914, the first school opened in Adoor: Adoor Malayalam School, known today as Adoor Govt. UP School.

In 1934, Mahatma Gandhi visited Adoor and laid the foundation stone of the present SNDP building situated near a private bus stand. The message of khadi and charkha gained more attention during this time. During the 1940s, communism started emerging in Adoor. Both the SNDP and NSS have made great contributions to the development of Adoor.

Know the place

More about Adoor

Culture, nearby stops, and practical notes for travellers.

Overview

Adoor is a municipality in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, about 18 km southwest of Pathanamthitta town and roughly 90 km north of Thiruvananthapuram. It is the headquarters of Adoor Taluk and one of the two revenue divisions of the district, sitting at a busy road junction that links Kollam, Kayamkulam, Punalur, and the capital-region MC Road.

Culture & festivals

Sree Parthasarathy Temple is one of Kerala's oldest Krishna temples, dedicated to Krishna as Parthasarathy (charioteer of Arjuna). Its ten-day annual festival (usually January-February) culminates in Adoor Gajamela - a celebrated pageant of nine caparisoned elephants, temple percussion, and classical and folk arts. Ashtami Rohini is also marked with traditional performances.

Nearby places

Mannadi Temple (about 8 km) is linked with Velu Thampi Dalawa. Sreenarayanapuram Mahavishnu Temple is known for Dasavathara chartu observances. Pilgrim routes toward Sabarimala and district towns such as Pandalam and Pathanamthitta make Adoor a practical stop for travellers exploring Central Travancore.

Getting around

Adoor is road-based: MC Road (SH1), NH 183 / 183A corridors, and the Kayamkulam-Punalur road meet here, with KSRTC and private buses running long-distance services. Nearest major rail options include Kayamkulam Junction and Chengannur; Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is about 90 km away.

Weather & climate

Live weather

Drizzle · 93% humidity · 14 km/h wind

Now 24.8 °C
Climate Humid tropical monsoon. Heavy southwest monsoon rains (June-September); cooler, drier months from December to February.
Best season September to March

Municipality

Localities in Adoor

28 localities within Adoor.