Tathamangalam

Chittur
Town
Chittur Municipal Office
Coordinates: 10°42′N 76°45′E / 10.70°N 76.75°E / 10.70; 76.75Coordinates: 10°42′N 76°45′E / 10.70°N 76.75°E / 10.70; 76.75
Country	India
State	Kerala
District	Palakkad
Government
• Type	Panchayati raj (India)
• Body	Gram Panchayat
Area
• Total	1,155.10 km2 (445.99 sq mi)
Elevation	131 m (430 ft)
Languages
• Official	Malayalam
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Vehicle registration	KL-70

Chittur is a town in Palakkad district of Kerala, South India. It is the headquarters of Chittur taluk, situated 13 km away from Palakkad towards the south-east, on the banks of Kannadipuzha, a major headstream of Bharathapuzha, the second longest river in Kerala. It was once part of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin.

Chittur Thathamangalam town consists of the famous Chittur Bhagavathi temple, which is under the Cochin Devaswom board. The other major temples are the Pazhayannur Bhagavathi temple, Durga temple, and Sivakshethram (in Lankeswaram agraharam). The municipality consists of Chittur, Thathamangalam, Pallimokku, Kannanthara, Puzhampalam, Kacherimedu, Anicode, Thekkegramam and Kadambidi. Chittur's M.L.A is K. Krishnan Kutty of Janata Dal(Secular).

Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. The town is home to some of the major Menon Tharavads of Kerala. There are also many agraharams (settlement of Iyers) and Moothan tharas.

The Sokanashini river flows through Chittur, and it is on the banks of this river that Thunjathu Ramanujan Ezuthachan, the father of Malayalam language, spent his last days. His final resting place is famous for Vidyarambham celebrations, where young children are initiated into the world of words and knowledge.

Chittur was formerly a military cantonment.

Music is a part of the lifestyle of the people here, with the Government College training students towards higher degrees in music. 'Kongan pada' is the main celebration of Chittur and it is celebrated in the month of March. Sooranporu, Niramala and Ayyappan vilakku are also celebrated here. Others include Onam, Pongal, Vishu, Deepavali and Navarathri. At the time of Vishu, Vishu vela is also celebrated. There are music concerts in Chittur Kavu at the time of Navarathri and Konganpada. Other than these, there comes a main event at Lankeswaram village which is called Ardra Dharsanam (Thiruvathira Radholsavam) at the end of December or first of January month every year.