Kottayam Tourism and Travel Guide

Kottayam (koʊttɑːjəm) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala covering an area of 55.40 square kilometres (21.39 sq mi). It is the administrative capital of Kottayam district and is located in south-central Kerala with a city population of 129,894 and UA population of 357,533 according to the 2011 census.The city is an important trading centre for spices and commercial crops, especially rubber. Major Kerala print media publications such as Malayala Manorama, Deepika and Mangalam are headquartered in this town. Also a pioneering centre of modern education in Kerala, Kottayam became India's first city to achieve 100% literacy in 1989 while the district became the first tobacco free district in India on September 28, 2008. The city is also widely known as Akshara Nagari (അക്ഷര നഗരി) (City of Alphabets) in honour of its contributions to print media and literature. It is known as the 'Land of Letters, Lakes and Latex' on account of the upsurge in literacy, the presence of a vast network of rivers and canals, which empty into the great expanse of the Vembanad lake, and the sizable volume of natural rubber produced here.Apart from being the educational hub of Kerala, Kottayam is also home to central and state government organisations including Mahatma Gandhi University, the Rubber Board, and India's Rubber Research Institute along with the Government Medical College, Kottayam. MRF Limited, the leading manufacturer of tires in India has its roots in this city, as well as a hi-tech manufacturing facility located at Vadavathoor. Kottayam. D.C. Books, the largest publisher and a leading bookseller in Kerala, is also headquartered in Kottayam.