About Malappuram in , Malappuram

Malappuram is a city in the southern Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 33.61sqkm. The first municipality in the district formed in 1970, Malappuram serves as the administrative headquarters of Malappuram district. Divided into 40 electoral wards, the city has a population density of 2,083/sqkm. As per the 2011 census Malappuram Urban Agglomeration is the fourth largest urban agglomeration in Kerala state with a total population of 1,698,645. Malappuram is situated 54 km southeast of Calicut and 90 km northwest of Palghat.EtymologyThe name Malappuram means "terraced place atop the hills" or simply "hilltop", derived from the general geographical characteristics of the city.HistoryMalappuram was a military headquarters from ancient times though the ancient history of the city is hardly seen recorded. However, there are some pre-historic relics, particularly Rock-cut caves found in some parts of the city like Oorakam, Melmuri, Ponmala, Vengara etc. manifesting the inhabitancy. Locality named like Valiyangadi, Kootilangadi, Pallipuram etc points to the Jain - Buddhist history of Malappuram. Notably, the 1500 year old Jain Temple above 2000 ft sea level at Oorakam Hill of Malappuram undoubtedly proves the same. During the Sangam period, Eranadan Malappuram was under the Chera Empire. Places like Pattar Kadav, Panakkad etc are possibly evolved out of Pattars and Panars having lived there. But no further details are available about the life and culture of the people either during the Sangam age or in the post-Sangam age. Archeological relics found in Malappuram also include the remnants of palaces of the eastern branch of the Zamorin reign. Details of the rulers of erstwhile Malappuram, who were the ancestors of later Zamorins, figure in the Jewish copper plates of Bhaskara Ravi Varman (1000 AD) and in the Kottayam copper plates of Veera Raghava Chakravarthy (1225 AD). The later history of the city is interwoven with the history of Zamorin's rule.