Kulasekaram
| Kulasekharam குலசேகரம் കുലശേകരം | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Kanyakumari |
| Elevation | 280 m (920 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | >20,000 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 629161 |
| Telephone code | 91-4651 |
| Vehicle registration | TN-75 |
| Sex ratio | 1000:1012 ♂/♀ |
| Literacy | 79% |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Nagercoil |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Padmanapapuram |
| Climate | Moderate (Köppen) |
Kulasekharam is a town located in the district of Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the most important business centres in the district, after Marthandam. It is assumed that the overall money exchange within Kulasekharam is more than 25 million.
Kulasekharam has many rubber plantations that yield high quality latex, which is the town's major revenue source. The town is making inroads and valuable contribution in the field of healthcare, by providing impeccable medical facilities to the semi-rural crowd from nearby places. Kulasekharam has three medical colleges for medical sciences, Homeopathy and Naturopathy. Kulasekharam has a mix of Hindu, Christian and Muslim communities and has historically been a peaceful town. Malayalees and Tamilians form the majority of the population.
Etymology
Kulasekhara is the name of a dynasty that ruled over Kerala, from which the name may have been derived.
Administration
Kulasekharam is a town panchayat located in Kanyakumari district, and comes under kalkulam taluk. It has 18 wards in the panchayat. The elected Councilors are responsible for the development of their wards. Drainage facilities, local roads, and water facilities are maintained by them.
Police station
The Kulasekharam Police station is located at Arasumoodu.
Fire control
The Fire Control Station is located in Mamoodu.
Tourism
Kulasekharam is named for its scenic views, but it doesn't have any scenic view spots within the city limits. It serves as a key place to reach various tourist destinations in Kanyakumari district, such as Thiruparappu, Mathur Aqueduct, Pechiparai dam, perunchani reservoir, and Kothaiyar dam. The Thripparappu waterfalls and Pechippara Dam are the main tourist attractions in the state.kothayar have a hydroelectric powerplant and which is a forest area with nice and very much natural look
Education
Kulasekaram holds a prominent place in the educational map of Tamil Nadu, especially in medical studies. The town is home to three medical colleges, four nursing colleges, and other colleges and schools.
Medical colleges
- Sree RamaKrishna Medical College of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences
- Sree Mookaambika Institute of Medical Sciences (SMIMS)
- Sarada Krishna Homeopathic Medical College
Dental colleges
- Sree Mookaambika Institute of Dental Sciences
Arts & science
- Sri Ramakrishna College of Education
There are also more than 20 private education institutions in Kulasekaram, which offer education in various fields.
Location and significance
Kulasekharam is located 50 km south of the Trivandrum Metropolitan Region and 30 km from Nagercoil the nearest city. Kulasekaram is only 12 km away from the commercial towns of Marthandam, 18 km from Thuckalay, Kaliyikkavilai and 22 km from Monday Market. The younger generations of Kulasekharam either migrated or commute to Trivandrum due to its proximity to Kerala's state capital. Two major motorways connect kulasekaram to Trivandrum; the National Highway 66 and the Vizhinjam Harbour - Beach Road. The Hill Road which runs through Nedumangadu is also used by some commuters due to heavy traffic congestion in the 2 main roads particularly during peak hours.
Medical facilities
Kulasekharam has one government hospital, 3 medical college hospitals and more than 15 hospitals, which serve people in almost all kind of treatments. There is also a government veterinary hospital located within Kulasekharam. People also depend heavily on the superior medical facilities available in Trivandrum including Trivandrum Medical College, General Hospital, SUT, SCT, RCC, Kerala Institute of Medical Science, NIMS, Credence Hospital, Cosmopolitan Hospital, PRS, Lord's Hospital, Aster Medicity, etc.
Shopping
Kulasekharam Market is one of the important shopping centres for the people in Kulasekharam and the nearby towns. Some 8000-10000 people gather there daily to buy their basic needs. Several colleges, schools, hospitals, and shops are also located nearby, adding to its busy traffic. From 4-6pm it reaches maximum traffic. Several supermarkets have also opened in recent years. Major shopping activities are usually done in the nearby Trivandrum city which houses some of country's largest malls like Lulu TVM Mall, Taurus Mall, Mall of Travancore, Pothys Mall, etc.
Climate
Kulasekharam has a pleasant, though humid, climate for a majority of the year. The maximum temperature during the summer hovers around 86 °F (30 °C) or 30 °C, with extremely high humidity at times. Kulasekharam receives both the north-east monsoon and the south-west monsoon. It rains more often in Kanyakumari district than in any other part of Tamil Nadu, with the exception of the Nilgiris.
Culture and religion
Tamil and Malayalam are spoken by the people. Tamil language along with English is used as a medium of teaching in all major schools. The Tamil spoken here is a mix of Malayalam and Tamil, sometimes unintelligible to the people of North Tamil Nadu.
The culture is a mixture of Tamil and Malayalam culture and traditions. Christianity,Hinduism and Islam are the major religions in the Kulasekaram. Food prepared here is also a mix of Kerala/Tamil Nadu traditions. Idly, Dosa, Puttu, Appam, and Idiappam are popular food items, and so are rice murukku and achu-murukku. Curries here are made with coconut and coconut oil which is now considered Kerala style cooking.
Festivals
Some of the festivals celebrated here are Pongal, Onam, Deepavali, Easter, Christmas, New Year's, Ramzan (Eid ul fitr) and Bakrid (Eid ul alha)
Transport
Road
The only mode of transport in Kulasekharam is by road. SH90 & SH45 pass through Kulasekaram from major spots like Aralvaimozhi and Marthandam. SETC is operating a bus to Chennai daily at 3:00pm in the afternoon. It is also connected with Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari, Nedumangadu, and Thiruchendoor. In Thumpacode there is a bus stand that serves the public.
Auto rickshaws, private cars, vans, and mini buses are the other modes of transport.
Train
The nearest railway station from Kulasekharam is Kuzhithurai(KZT) which is just 10 km away. Several trains to Trivandrum, Nagercoil, Chennai, Madurai, and Mumbai are operated. One must reach Nagercoil(NCJ) or Trivandrum(TVC)for getting long distance train and the trains which don't have halt in Kuzhithurai.
Air
Kulasekaram is served by Trivandrum International Airport which is approximately 45 km away. Kulasekaram Town is only 16 km away from the southern border of Trivandrum Metropolitan Region and hence considered one of its suburbs even though it lies across the state border. Both Kerala and Tamil Nadu government operates several bus services between the two cities apart from numerous private bus and taxi operators.
Communication
Telecommunication
State owned BSNL is offering land line, mobile, wireless and wired internet facility. Private companies include Airtel, Aircel, Docomo, Idea, Vodafone, and [[Reli Communications|Reliance]]. Airtel is offering their 3G services in Kulasekharam from September 2011 & BSNL 3G from November 2013, vodafone 3G and Aircel 3G has launched around May 2015, Reliance Jio 4G services are also available.
Postal
Kulasekaram head post office is in Arasumoodu Jn. Various services like postal, speed post, parcel service, and banking service are also offered here. The Postal Index Number for Kulasekharam post office is 629161.
Commerce
Banks
- Canara Bank
- Indian Overseas bank
- City Union Bank
- Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank
- Federal bank
- State bank of India
- Vijaya bank
ATM
- Canara Bank
- Indian overseas bank
- City Union Bank
- Federal Bank
- HDFC
- Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank
- State Bank of India
- Muthoot ATM
- Indi Cash
Standard of Living
Like Trivandum/Kerala, Kulasekharam has high standards of living, top quality medical/educational facilities, low corruption rates and a very stable economy without industrialisation activities. Remittances from the Middle East / North Africa / Europe / Singapore and Malaysia add to the steady economy of the region. Rubber plantations and trade constitute the majority of the business in Kulasekharam. Almost everyone deals with rubber in their day-to-day life, as either planters or workers.
