Originally posted 2010-05-21 09:17:54. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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Kottayam, among the State’s more mountainous districts, provides some of Kerala’s finest natural scenes sandwiched between serene palm-fringed backwaters on the west and the Western ghats on the east. Much of this beauty is laid out in all its glory along the road which winds from Kottayam to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Thekkady through plantations of rubber, tea, coffee and pepper.
Kottayam is an important commercial centre of Kerala, India, thanks to its strength as a producer of cash crops. Most of India’s natural rubber originates from the acres of well-kept plantations of Kottayam, also home to the Rubber Board, One of the country’s primary commodities board.
Kottayam came into limelight when it was declared the first fully literate municipal town of India, an event that triggered a mass movement to make Kerala the country’s only state to achieve total literacy. Kottayam is also the birthplace of the state’s publishing industry, and is home to a number of globally renowned newspapers and magazines including Malayala Manorama (India’s largest circulated daily), The Week, Mathrubhumi, and Deepika
Accessing Kottayam
By Air: The nearest airport is at Cochin (Kochi) located 76 km from Kottayam. Another airport is at Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) 160 km away.
By Rail: Kottayam is well connected with the major towns in and outside Kerala by an extensive rail network. The railway station is situated just 2 km away from the central bus station. There are regular trains from Kottayam to Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam (165 km), and Ernakulam (65 km).
By Road: Kottayam is connected to major cities of South India by good motorable roads. There are two bus stations, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus station on T.B. Road and a private bus stand near the railway station. Buses to major centres operate from the KSRTC bus station.
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