: Kottayam

Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. This place is also known as "Akshara Nagari" or Land of Letters , with a population of 357,302 according to the 2011 census. It is believed that the name Kottayam is derived from a combination of the Malayalam words ‘kotta’ which means fort and ‘akam’ which means inside combining it become kottakkakam. As per 2001 India census, Kottayam had a population of 172,878. Kottayam District is ranked 1st in literacy with a percentage of 95.9 compared to 90.92% for Kerala State and 65.38% for India. Kottayam is a major trading centre of natural rubber, tourism is also a major contributor to the economy.