Pothanikkad

Pothanikkad
village
Pothanikkad Location in Kerala, India
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Kerala
District	Ernakulam
Population (2001)
• Total	17,563
Languages
• Official	Malayalam, English
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	686671
Telephone code	91-485-
Vehicle registration	KL 17 for muvaattupuzha, 44 for kothamangalam
Literacy	100%

Pothanikkad or Pothanicad is a village in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It's also the first village to achieve 100% literacy in India. The name derives from the Malayalam words poth, meaning buffalo, anaa, meaning elephant, and kaddu, meaning forest, as it was originally a forest with wild buffalos and elephants. Now, this small village has developed into one of the most educated and culturally advanced villages in Kerala. St. Mary's High School is the oldest high school in Pothanicad, where very prominent people in the society and many local politicians have been educated. St. John's Higher Secondary school Pulinthanam is a pioneering educational institution in the village. A government Lower Primary school and two other private Senior Secondary High schools, following CBSE curriculum, also provides better educational opportunities for the young community.

Pothanikkad is 16 km away from Thommankuthu water falls [1], the nearest tourist location and approximately 22 km from well known Thattekad Bird Sanctuary near Kothamangalam. It is also known for churches like Pothanicad St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Church, Pothanicad Ummanikkunnu St. Mary's Orthodox Church and St Xavier's Catholic Church.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Pothanikkad had a population of 17563 with 8764 males and 8799 females.