Kalakad

Kalakkad is a Panchayat town in Tirunelveli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Currently, the Chairman of the Town Panchayat is Mr. PC Rajan, who hails from the nearby village called Manjuvilai. The town is centred on the Sathya Vageeswarar Temple.DemographicsIndia census, Kalakkad had a population of 30,921. Males constitute 48.9% of the population and females 51.1%. Kalakkad has an average literacy rate of 78.93%, higher than the national average of 72.99%: male literacy is 82.8%, and female literacy is 75.21%. In Kalakkad, 10.18% of the population is under 6 years of age.HistoryAs per popular folklore, the name Kalakkad was due to one of the following: The place was a forest full of 'kaLaa' களா tree; It was a battlefield or 'kaLam'களம் ; It was the capital of 'kaLapirars' who ruled Tamil Nadu from this place. In History of Travancore from the Earliest Times, P. A. Sankunny Menon mentions Kalacaud instead of Kalakkad. A few battles between the Travancore Kings and the British at this place are recorded. Joannes de Lannoy, the only son of Eustachius De Lannoy, was killed in battle of Kalakkad on 14 September 1765 at the age of twenty.Kalkkad was a scene of frequent struggles from in late 1750s during the Polygar revolt led by the Puli Thevar and changed hands several times.The village was the capital of Pandya kings briefly. A rest house constructed by the British is still there at Sengaltheri in the nearby mountains.