In the past, Kottayam was the seat first of the Munjunad, This fact of royal history is echoed in the town's name, which is derived from the Malayalam word `kottayakam’, which means the hold of a fort.
Kottayam, among the state's more mountainous districts, provides some of Kerala's finest natural sceneries, sandwiched as it is between serene palm-fringed backwaters on the west and the Western Ghats on the east. Much of this beauty is laid out in all its glory along the road which winds from Kottayam to the Periyar (/periyaaR/) Wildlife Sanctuary in Thekkady through plantations of rubber, tea, coffee, and pepper.
Kottayam is also an important commercial center, thanks to its strength as a producer of cash crops. Most of India's natural rubber originates from the well-kept plantations of Kottayam, also home to the Rubber Board, one of the country's primary commodity boards.
Ayyampara 43 km from Kottayam, is a little-known scenic spot of rocky plains where a 100-acre area of flat rock makes a natural granite stadium to enjoy the sunset and the view of the town below. It is a good base for trekking expeditions.
The town of Bharananganam is an important Christian pilgrimage center as the site of the internment of Sister Alphonsa (1916 - '46) in a chapel next to the St. Mary's Church. This millennium-old church features an attractive grotto of Virgin Mary.
A Hindu pilgrimage center, Ettumanoor 13 km away, is famous for its legendary 16th c. Shiva temple, a specimen of Kerala's indigenous style of temple architecture, incorporating clear-cut wood carvings and murals, including an exceptionally striking one of Shiva as Nataraja trampling underfoot the spirit of evil represented by a demon. The annual 10-day festival of the temple occurs in February/March.
A small village 12-km west of Kottayam town, on the banks of the Vembanad Lake, Kumarakom is bird sanctuary known for local varieties of waterfowl, cuckoo, and water ducks, as well as for migrating Siberian storks. Within the 101 acres of beautifully wooded grounds is the Kumarakom Tourist Complex, built around the 50-year old `Baker's Mansion', formerly a small and pretty hotel run by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, but now redone in grander style by Taj Kerala Resorts Ltd. Boats are available for cruises on the backwaters.
An important Syrian Christian center, the town of Mannanam 8 km from Kottayam, contains the St. Joseph's Monastery, associated with the name of Fr. Kuriakose Elias of Chavara (1805 - 1871), one of the saintly figures of the Syrian Catholic Church of Kerala. Another renowned institution here is the St. Joseph's Press. Established in 1844, this is one of the oldest printing presses in Kerala. It printed the Nasrani Deepika (/nasRaaNi dheepika/), one of Kerala's oldest newspapers.
Vaikom 40 km from Kottayam, is famed for the Shiva temple which, according to legend, was constructed by Parasurama, the mythical creator of Kerala.
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