Kadanad

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Kadanad, Malayalam: കടനാട്, Kaḍanāḍŭ, is a Panchayat and village in Meenachil taluk of Kottayam district in Kerala, India. It lies north of Pala and is part of the Lalam Block. The area features misty mountains and valleys and is well suited for growing coffee, rubber and pepper. The Kadanad River flows through the area, rising in the Melukavu Hills, joining the Ezhachery River, and continuing as part of the Pala Meenachil River. Nearby Valikulam, about 1 km away, has a St. Mary chapel.

Key places include St. Augustine's Forane Church, where the St. Sebastian festival is held on January 15–16; Perumattom Sastha Temple; and St. Sebastian's Higher Secondary School (classes 5–12). St. Mathew's Lower Primary School and a Pre-Primary School are also in the village. In front of the church there is a bridge, a river and a dam.

Postal code is 686653; telephone code 04822; vehicle registration KL-35 (Pala). As of the 2011 census, Kadanad had a population of 14,692 (7,312 males and 7,380 females) with literacy rates of 97.62% for men and 96.37% for women. Kadanad is also known as the birthplace of Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar, author of Varthamanappusthakam (1790), the first travelogue in an Indian language. The town is on the way to Thodupuzha and is connected by road to Ramapuram, Uzhavoor, Meenachil and Erattupetta; the nearest major railway station is in Kottayam.