Pathanapuram is a Town in Pathanapuram Taluk Kollam district, Kerala, India. Pathanapuram is a part of Grama Panchayat and Block panchayat of same name and part of Kollam District Panchayat.
History
The history of Pathanapuram goes back to Thenmala Desam, a small Principality under a local ruler. Its capital was at Pathanapuram. Later, Thenmala Desom became a part of Elayidathu Swaroopam having its capital at Kottarakkara. Pathanapuram was the capital of one of the two districts of Elayidathu Swaroopam. In 1764, King Marthanda Varma conquered Elayidathu Swaroopam and annexed it to Travancore.
Most parts of Pathanapuram taluk were inhabited since before the Indus Valley civilization, and civilization may have existed in and around Pathanapuram beginning the 1st Century.
The city's name can be translated as Ten Elephant Town.[citation needed] The name Pathanapuram may have evolved from the fact that the area had a sizeable elephant population and elephants were caught and trained to work at the local elephant camp. The old police station area used to be the elephant camp.
For a long period, Pathanapuram was surrounded by extensive forests and was a relatively undeveloped rural region. In local tradition, this older Pathanapuram is remembered as “Kattu Pathanapuram” (കാട്ടു പത്തനാപുരം) — literally, “Forest Pathanapuram.”
A significant chapter in the transformation of the region is associated with Thoma Mar Dionysius Metropolitan. In 1929, he came to Pathanapuram and established Mount Tabor Dayara, beginning a new chapter in the spiritual, educational, and social development of the area.[AI-retrieved source]
According to the tradition associated with Mount Tabor and the local community, Thoma Mar Dionysius saw great potential in a place that was then surrounded by forests and had limited development. Through his vision and efforts, the area gradually became a centre of education, religious life, social service, and community development.
Geography
Pathanapuram is spread over an area of 24.20km2 (9.34sqmi).
Demographics
As of 2011[update]census of India, Pathanapuram Panchayat had a population of 32,339. The total population constitute, 15,129 males and 17,210 females —a sex ratio of 1138 females per 1000 males. 3,052 children are in the age group of 0–6 years, of which 1,536 are boys and 1,516 are girls —a ratio of 987 per 1000. The average literacy rate stands at 92.94% with 27,218 literates.
Transport
The area is connected to the rest of the state by bus services of KSRTC and private buses. A KSRTC depot is also situated in Pathanapuram. Three state highways, namely Hill Highway, Main Eastern Highway and KP Road pass through the town. The Sabarimala bypass to Thiruvananthapuram starts at Pathanapuram and ends at Valakom.
This is a list of educational institutions in Pathanapuram.
St. Stephen's HSS, Pathanapuram
Mount Tabor Girls HSS Pathanapuram
Mount Tabor Training College Pathanapuram
Indira Gandhi Memorial Vocational Higher Secondary School
Govt.Nadukkunnu UPS
Govt. Nedumparamp LPS pathanapuram
MTLPS Pathanapuram
Mother Susan EMLPS Pathanapuram
Al-Ameen Public School Pathanapuram
St.Mary's Residential School Pathanapuram
St.Mary's Senior Secondary School Pathanapuram
St.Stephen's College
University Institute Of Technology Pathanapuram
College of engineering Pathanapuram.
NADUKKUNNU High school
Mohammaden Govt. HSS Edathara Pathanapuram.
GOVERNMENT MUSLIM LOWER PRIMARY SCHOOL KUNDAYA
Technology
India's first rural information technology park to be wholly owned by a startup was established came up at Pathanapuram. The facility was founded under the banner of Corporate 360 a Singapore-registered company.
The park is specialised in Big data solutions, positioning Pathanapuram as a notable destination for technology-driven development in rural India.
As of 27 November 2025, Barun Chandran Balachandren was declared bankrupt by the Supreme Court of Singapore, as published in the Republic of Singapore Government Gazette (No. 5889, 5 December 2025). Corporate 360 Pte. Ltd., the Singapore-registered parent company, has since been closed.
