Idukki
—  district  —
Idukki Location of Idukki in Kerala and India
Coordinates	9°51′N 76°56′E / 9.85°N 76.94°E / 9.85; 76.94Coordinates: 9°51′N 76°56′E / 9.85°N 76.94°E / 9.85; 76.94
Country	India
State	Kerala
Headquarters	Painavu
Collector	E. Devadasan
Population • Density	1,129,221 (2011[update]) • 259 /km2 (671 /sq mi)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	5105.22 km2 (1971 sq mi) • 1,200 metres (3,900 ft)
ISO 3166-2	IN-KL-IDU
Website	www.idukki.nic.in/

Idukki is one of the 14 districts of Kerala state, India. The district headquarters is located at Kuyilimala in Painavu.

Etymology[link]

The name of the district is derived from the Malayalam word Idukki, meaning narrow gorge.

Geography[link]

Anamudi peak

Idukki has an area of 4,479 km² (1,729 sq mi) and is the second largest District of Kerala (the largest being Palakkad). Rugged mountains and forests cover about 97 percent of the total area of the District. The district borders the Kerala districts of Pathanamthitta to the south, Kottayam to the southwest, Ernakulam to the northwest and Thrissur to the north and Coimbature, Dindigul and Theni Districts in Tamilnadu to the east.^[1]

Anamudi, the highest peak in India south of Himalayas, is in the Kuttampuzha Panchayat of Adimali Block, in the Kannan Devan Hills Village of Devikulam taluk. Thirteen other peaks in the district exceed a height of 2,000 m (6,600 ft). The Periyar, Thodupuzhayar and Thalayar are the important rivers of the district.

Divisions[link]

Idukki Inauguration by Dr. D. Babu Paul

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

The four taluks (subdistricts) in the district are Devikulam, Udumbanchola, Peerumade and Thodupuzha. The taluks contain 65 villages between them.

Thodupuzha is the only municipal town in the district. Munnar is a census town.

The largest village is Kannan Devan Hills of Devikulam taluk with an area of 557 km², and Kudayathoor of Thodupuzha taluk is the smallest village with an area of 21 km².

There are eight community development Blocks: Devikulam, Adimali, Nedumkandom, Azhutha, Kattappana, Idukki, Elamdesom and Thodupuzha. There are 51 Panchayaths in the district. Thodupuzha is the only Municipality and Idukki is the only township in the district. Munnar panchayat of Devikulam block is the largest in the district with an area of 557 km² and Karimkunnam in Thodupuzha block is the smallest panchayat of the district with an area of only 22 km². The district headquarters were originally located at Kottayam and moved to Painavu in June 1976. Developmental activities are co-ordinated by the District Rural Development Agency.

Transport[link]

There are six state highways passing through the district. National Highway 49 connects Cochin - Madura - Rameswaram. The railway does not pass through the district, and the nearest railway stations are Ernakulam, Kottayam and Alwaye.

The nearest ports are Cochin Port and Nedumbassery.

The International Airport is near the northern boundary of the district. A survey for a mini airport is in progress at Anakkara, near Kumaly.

Demographics[link]

According to the 2011 census Idukki district has a population of 1,107,453.^[2] This ranks it as 416th among the 640 districts of India.^[2] The district has a population density of 254 inhabitants per square kilometre (660 /sq mi).^[2] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was -1.93%.^[2] Idukki has a sex ratio of 1006 females for every 1000 males,^[2] and a literacy rate of 92.2 per cent.^[2]

Notable people from Idukki district include K.M. Beenamol, Shiny Wilson , Asif Ali and P.J. Joseph.

There are 11,516 Scheduled tribal families in the district, including Malayarayan, Mannan, Muthuvan, Oorali, Paliyan, Hilpulayan, Malapandaram, Ulladan and Malayan.^{[citation needed]}

Flora and fauna[link]

Protected areas[link]

This district has several protected areas including: Periyar Tiger Reserve in the south, Kurinjimala Sanctuary to the east, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary to the northeast, Eravikulam National Park and Anamudi Shola National Park to the north, Pampadum Shola National Park to the south and Thattekad Bird Sanctuary in the west. These protected areas are well known for several threatened and endemic species including Tiger, Nilgiri Tahr, Grizzled Giant Squirrel, Nilgiri Wood-pigeon, Elephant, Gaur, Sambar Deer, Purple Frog and Neelakurinji.^[3][4]

Idukki is known for its green mountains, streams and spices.^{[citation needed]} It is one of the a main tourist destinations in Kerala^{[citation needed]} with its hill stations, Devikulam and Munnar, surrounded by lush hills, tea plantations and valleys. Mattupetty, is the headquarters of the Indo-Swiss Cattle Project, about 11 km away from Munnar.^{[citation needed]}

Education[link]

The main Colleges in Idukki District are^[5]

• Government college, Kattappana
• Government College, Munnar
• M.E.S College, Nedumkandam
• Marian College Kuttikkanam
• N.S.S. College, Rajakumari
• Newman College, Thodupuzha
• Mar Baselious College Adimali
• St. Joseph College Moolamattam
• Pavanathma College Muricassery
• Muslim Educational Society College, Idukki
• Government College, Munnar
• Government College, Kattappana
• Al-Azhar Dental College, Thodupuzha
• D.C. School of Management and Technology, Vagamon
• D.C.S. MAT. Business School D.C. County, Vgamon
• Marian College , Peermade
• Santhigiri College of Computer Sciences, Thodupuzha
• Government Polytechnic (Nodal Polytechnic), Muttom
• Government Polytechnic, Kumaly
• Government Polytechnic, Nedumkantam
• Government Polytechnic, Purappuzha
• Mahatma Gandhi University College of Teacher Education, Idukki
• Mahatma Gandhi University College of Teacher Education, Idukki
• Mahatma Gandhi University College of Teacher Education, Kumilly
• Al-Azhar Teacher Training Institute, Thodupuzha
• Jai-Bharath Training College, Cochin
• John Paul Memorial B.Ed. College, Kattanppana
• S.N.D.P. Yogam Training College, Adimali
• St. Thomas B.Ed. Training College , Thodupuzha

The main engineering colleges located in the district are^[5]

• Government Engineering College, Painavu
• University College of Engineering, Thodupuzha
• Mar Baselios Christian College of Engineering and Technology
• College of Engineering, Munnar

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Idukki

• Official Idukki District website
• Human Development Index (HDI) and Gender Development Index (GDI)
• Idukki district at the Open Directory Project

	Ernakulam district	Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu	Tiruppur district, Tamil Nadu Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu
	Kottayam district		Theni district, Tamil Nadu
		Idukki district    East
		Pathanamthitta district	Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu