Erattupetta

Erattupetta is a municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is located 29 km east of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about 133 km north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Erattupetta has a population of 34,814 people, and a population density of 1906 /sqkm.

Etymology
The "Eraaru" part in all the variation of the names arose from the geographical location, where the two rivers (aaru) merge as a single one. Erattupetta is situated in the foothills of High Ranges. 'Peta' means town in Dravidian languages. Earlier it was known as 'Erapoli' or 'Erapuzha'. It was the commercial capital of the Poonjar principality until 1949.

People
Tamil Immigrants: The most important of these were the (Rawther) Khan family Muslims who came from Madurai in Tamil Nadu in the twelfth century, along with the Poonjar royal family and their loyal servants and bodyguards. This group also includes Hindus belonging to the Chetti tribe and the Rawthers who left Tamil areas in the 14th century. They still speak Malayalam mixed with Tamil. Additionally, there are Brahmin families from Tamil Nadu who were converted to Christianity by St. Thomas, as well as many Jewish families from Tamil Nadu who converted to Christianity.

Malayali Immigrants: This group includes Christians who migrated from Kodungallur with the advent of Christianity, and from Nilakkal in the fourteenth century, Muslims who came from Edappally near Kochi after the advent of Islam, the Mehtar sect, and later Muslims from various families who came from Malappuram and Ernakulam districts. Apart from this, there is another sect with roots in Saudi Arabia, known as the Labbas, descendants of Shaikh Saeed Bawa. While the Muslims, who depended on trade, settled in Eratupetta itself, the Christians moved to the nearby hills in search of fertile farmlands. Other laborers moved to different areas depending on the availability of work. This is the reason why Eratupetta became a Muslim-majority area.

Economy
In the past, the Muthuvan people brought hill produce from the Cardamom Hills down for trade. Today, Erattupetta serves as a trading center for spices, rubber, areca nut, and other agricultural products. The hill station of Wagamon lies approximately 22 km east of Erattupetta. The town also has a significant expatriate population living in Gulf countries, particularly in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Demographics
According to the Population Census 2011, there are a total of 7,686 families residing in Erattupetta. The total population of Erattupetta is 34,814, of which 17,555 are males and 17,259 are females, resulting in an average sex ratio of 983 females per 1,000 males.

The population of children aged 0-6 years in Erattupetta is 4,474, which is 13% of the total population. There are 2,294 male children and 2,180 female children in this age group. As per the Census 2011, the child sex ratio of Erattupetta is 950, which is lower than the average sex ratio of 983.

According to the Census 2011, the literacy rate of Erattupetta is 95.5%, which is lower than the 97.2% literacy rate of Kottayam district. The male literacy rate in Erattupetta is 97.39%, while the female literacy rate is 93.51%.

Geography


Erattupetta can be easily accessed from north Kerala via the Angamaly-Muvattupuzha-Thodupuzha-Muttom route. It is also well connected to Tamil Nadu via the Kottayam-Kumali Road(KK Road) to Madurai, through the nearest town, Mundakkayam, via Parathanam, which is 27 kilometers from Erattupetta. The town has an average elevation of 36 meters (118 feet).

Politics
Erattupetta is a municipality. The current municipal chairperson is Suhara Abdul Khader. Erattupetta falls under the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency and the Poonjar assembly constituency. It is represented in the Lok Sabha by Anto Antony and in the Kerala Legislative Assembly by Sebastian Kulathunkal.

Localities

 * Aruvithura, Thekekkra, Nadackal, Aniyilappu, Kaduvamoozhi, Elppunkal, Mattakkad.