Sooranad facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sooranad North
Village
Wild grass found in Sooranad
Country	India
State	Kerala
District	Kollam
Government
• Body	Gram panchayat
Population  (2011)
• Total	27,959
Languages
• Official	Malayalam, English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	690561 (Sooranad North P.O), 690522 (Sooranad P.O)
Telephone code	0476
Vehicle registration	KL-61
Nearest city	Karunagappally
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Kunnathur
Climate	moderate (Köppen)

Sooranad North is a village in the Kollam district of Kerala, a state in southwest India. People believe the village got its name from an old ruler called King Sooran.

This village is part of the Kunnathur area, which is in Kerala's Kollam District. It is located where the Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Alappuzha Districts meet. Sooranad North and Sooranad South are often called just Sooranad. Both have their own local governments, known as panchayats. Sooranad North covers about 22.67 square kilometres (8.75 sq mi). It is 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from Sasthamcotta, 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Kollam, and 90 kilometres (56 mi) from Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The closest city, Karunagappalli, is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) away. The postal code for Sooranad North is 690561.

Discover the Geography of Sooranad North

A small branch of the Kallada River flows through Sooranad North. The Pallikkal River also runs through the village. There is a dam on this river that helps water about 200 acres (81 ha) of paddy fields and other summer crops. Sooranad has several markets, including Kannamath chandha, Vayyankara chantha, and Parakkadavu chantha.

Schools and Education in Sooranad North

Sooranad North has many schools for students of all ages.

High Schools in Sooranad North

There are three Higher Secondary schools in the village:

• The Government High School of Sooranadu (GHSS Sooranad)
• The Santhinikethan Model High School
• T.D.B Central School

GHSS Sooranad is the main school, with around 1500 students. It has many classes from primary to secondary levels. The school also has various clubs and organizations. It is known for doing well in science fairs and school cultural festivals. Famous people like Sooranad Nelson studied here. The school's main sports are football and athletics, and it has a stadium. It has been updated to be a high-tech school.

Other Schools in Sooranad North

Other schools include:

• R.K.U.P. (Upper Primary School)
• Govt. L.P.S Anayadi (Lower Primary School)
• Chakkuvally Government School

These schools provide basic education to local students and those from nearby areas.

Economy and Jobs in Sooranad North

The main job for many people in Sooranad North is processing cashew nuts. Several factories in the village do this work. Some people also make tiles and special "country burnt" bricks. Others work as casual laborers, meaning they do different jobs as needed. Recently, many people in Sooranad have started their own businesses. Some have returned to farming, while others have moved to different fields.

Banks in Sooranad North

Kerala Gramin Bank

The Anayadi Branch of Kerala Gramin Bank (KGB) is located here. KGB is India’s largest Regional Rural Bank. It is based in Malappuram, Kerala. The bank is owned by both the Central and State Governments and supported by Canara Bank. Its address is Vilayil Kesava Kurup Memorial Building, Kollam-Theni Highway.

Co-operative Bank

The Sooranad Gramodhaarana Service Co-operative Bank 3947 is a major financial group. It started way back on March 28, 1956.

Nationalized Banks

Other important banks in Sooranad include:

• State Bank of India
• Central Bank of India

Notable People from Sooranad North

Many talented people have come from Sooranad North:

• Dr. Sooranad Kunjan Pillai was a famous poet, writer, and language expert. He created the Malayalam Lexicon (a dictionary).
• Barrister N. Padmanabha Pillai was a member of the Sreemoolam Assembly. He was also the Municipal Chairman of Kollam when the clock tower in Kollam was built.
• Sri. Thennala Balakrishnapillai was a former president of KPCC.
• Sri. Gangadharakurup was a former chairman of PSC.
• Sri R Chandrasekharan is the INTUC president and an ILO member.
• Sri. Jomon Sooranad is a well-known international chef. He appears on many cooking shows.
• Late Vaiankara Madhusoodanan was a music professor and a recognized classical music singer.
• Vayyankara Raghavakurup was an activist who helped start the Gramodharana Service Co-op. bank, Gramodharana Grandha sala, Anayadi post office, and the Vaiankara cattle market.
• Nelson Sooranad is a stand-up comedian and actor. He is famous in Malayalam films and TV shows. He has 23 years of experience in mimicry. He has acted in movies like ‘Small Family’, ‘Spanish Masala’, ‘Romans’, and ‘Adu Oru Bheekara Jeeviyaanu’.
• Soumya Sadanandan is a director and actress.
• Sooranad Ravi (1943-2018) was a children's literature writer and translator. He wrote over a hundred works in Malayalam, including stories, poems, and translations.
• Rajesh Babu K Sooranad is an HR Professional who became a Film Producer. He has worked on nearly twenty movies as a Music Director. He produced films like "Perfume- Her Fragrance", "Binary", and "Zha, The incessant rain".

Culture and Traditions in Sooranad North

Temples in Sooranad North

Sooranad North is home to many beautiful temples:

• Komalavalleeswaram temple
• Anayadi Narasimhaswamy temple
• Azhakiyakavu Kurumbakalee temple
• Puthiyakavu Temple
• Kalarivathukkal temple
• Sreenarayanapuram Mahadeva temple
• Puthiyidam Sreekrishnaswami temple
• Kunniradathu Malanada temple
• Ponal Kalari Shree Bhuvaneswari Temple
• Veetinal Devi temple (near Parakkadavu, by the Pallikkal River)

The Anayadi Pazhayidam Narasimhamoorthi temple and Anayadi Puthiyidam Sreekrishnaswami temple are managed together. The Narasimhamoorthi temple is famous for "Anayadi pooram," a festival with many elephants. The Ennasheri Malanada Temple, where Dussasana (from the Mahabharata story) is believed to be the god, is in Thekkemuri. There are also temples dedicated to Shani Dev in Sooranad. Vaishnodevi Saneeswara Devasthanam is thought to be an ancient temple from the Mahabharata period.

Festivals in Sooranad North

The Anayadi Gajamela is a huge elephant festival held at the Anayadi Narasimha Moorthy Temple. This ten-day festival happens every year on the Thiruvonam day in the month of Makaram. It features about one hundred caparisoned (decorated) elephants lined up with traditional music. Devotees offer 250–300 elephants almost every year. The main god of the temple is Narasimha, who is a lion-headed form of Lord Vishnu. The Anayadi Gajamela is very popular with local people and has become a well-known tourist event.

The Anayadi Narasimha Moorthy Temple is on the northern edge of the Kollam district. It is also close to the borders of Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts. You can reach it from Adoor by taking a turn at Pazhakulam or Nooranad. It is also accessible from Sasthamcotta via Bharanikavu and Chakkuvally. This road is now part of the 'Kollam-Theni' State Highway.

Villages in Kunnathur Taluk

Sooranad North is one of several villages that make up the Kunnathur Taluk. Other villages in this area include:

• Kunnathur
• Sasthamcottah
• West Kallada
• Poruvazhy
• Sooranad South
• Mynagappally