Palakkad, also known as Palghat, is a city and municipality in the state of Kerala in India. It is spread over an area of 26.60 square kilometres (10.27 sq mi). It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. The city is situated about 350 kilometres (220 mi) north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram, 50 kilometres (31 mi) southwest of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, and 66 kilometres (41 mi) northeast of Thrissur on the Salem-Kochi National Highway NH 544. Palakkad is also known as the rice bowl of Kerala. The 18th-century Palakkad Fort has sturdy battlements, a moat, and a Hanuman temple on its grounds. North on the Kalpathy River, the 15th-century Viswanatha Swamy Temple is the main venue of the Ratholsavam chariot festival. Northeast, near Malampuzha Dam, the town of Malampuzha has a rock garden created from recycled materials.

The commonly held belief is that the name Palakkad is a fusion of two Malayalam words: Pala, which was the name given to barren land during the Sangam period, and Kadu, which means forest.

Palakkad is the gateway to Kerala due to the presence of the Palakkad Gap in the Western Ghats. Malayalam is the official language in Palakkad. The district has many small and medium rivers, which are tributaries of the Bharathapuzha River. Of the numerous dams in Palakkad district, the largest Malampuzha dam is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Palakkad city.

Palakkad has a tropical wet and dry climate. Temperatures remain moderate throughout the year, with the exception being March and April, the hottest months. A very high amount of precipitation is received in Palakkad, mainly due to the South-West monsoon. July is the wettest month, and the total annual rainfall is around 83 inches (210 cm).
Source - Wikipedia [Feb,2021]