Meenachil is a
taluk in the north-eastern part of
Kottayam District of
Kerala. It occupies about 692.87 sq. km of area. Out of these, 30,000 hectares of land is utilized for rubber plantation. This region accounts for about 14 % of the total rubber production in India.
Pala is the administrative headquarters of Meenachil taluk. The Meenachil River originates from the hills in this region. In the ancient times, this region was under the control of chieftains called Meenachil Karthas.
The Kartha chieftains were great devotees of Goddess Meenakshi, the presiding deity of Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai. It is believed that they had built a temple for the goddess. The place therefore came to be known as Meenachil, meaning ‘the abode of Meenakshi’. The chieftains allotted lands for the Christian traders to develop a market at Pala. This huge market still exists today.
Meenachil was later captured by Marthanda Varma, the ruler of the Travancore kingdom.
