Palakkad , also known as Palghat (anglicized), is a town and a municipality in the state of Kerala in southern India . It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District . Palakkad lies near the Palghat Gap , a pass or natural depression through the Western Ghats ranges that run parallel to the west coast of India, and connects Kerala to the plains of the state of Tamil Nadu to the east. The people of Palakkad generally speak Malayalam , though Tamil is also widely spoken/understood as it is close to the Tamil Nadu border
In the 2001 census [ 1 ] , Palakkad had a population of 130,736. Males constituted 49% of the population. The average literacy rate of the area is 81%, much higher than the national average of 59.5%. Palakkad district comprises 60 agraharams - villages. Palakkad town - has 19 of them - namely : New Kalpathy, Old Kalpathy, Chatapuram, Govindarajapuram, Vaidyanathapuram, Sekharipuram, Venkateshapuram, Kumarapuram, Laaxminarayanapuram , Chokkanathapuram, Nelliserry, Vadakanthara, Pallipuram, Adityapuram, Noorani, Thondukulam, Tharakkadu, Thirunellai and Ramanathapuram. one villeg pattithara add thalakkassery kundukad juma msjid and chamundesery tamble vengassery tamble [ Moothans - The Vaisya Sect Of Palakkad(Moothanthara) ] Kerala’s one and only Karnaki Temple where goddess Karnaki is worshiped in her full Idolic-Form and divine glory. This temple is situated at palakkad town circle – Moothanthara (New Name - Karnaki Nagar), a dwelling place of Karnaki’s own people, "Moothans" believed to be descended from the neighboring state of Tamilnadu in the historic times. One of the main attractions of this temple is the way in which the traditional pooja rituals are performed in the goddess karnaki’s temple and the Visalakshi Sametha Shiva Temple (Siva-Parvathy Temple) worshipped in the same compound. For goddess Karnaki, Kerala form of pooja practices are done by Kerala Brahmins (Namboothiri's) and in Siva Temple Tamil Shaiva form of Pooja practices are carried out by Tamil Brahmin Priests. Devotees can feel and enjoy this cultural mix while they visit this temple and came out after their prayers. Unlike other Tamil speaking caste groups already present or has descended from neighboring states, moothan’s has accepted both cultures alike. Even though there are Tamil traces to their origin, they speak only the language Malayalam. This acceptance has induced a new cultural life style in and around palakkad. This unique cultural blend is one of the rarest found in the state of Kerala. This temple has emerged as one of the spacious and beautiful temples of palakkad where Tamil - Malayalam architecture mix beautifully