Lahai, Kerala

Lahai
ളാഹ
Gateway to Sabarimala poongavanam
Village
Lahai
Lahai

Location in Kerala, India

Coordinates: 9°22′7″N 76°54′25″E / 9.36861°N 76.90694°E / 9.36861; 76.90694Coordinates: 9°22′7″N 76°54′25″E / 9.36861°N 76.90694°E / 9.36861; 76.90694
Country  India
State Kerala
District Pathanamthitta
Government
  Type Panchayath
  Body Perunad panchayath
Elevation 910 m (2,990 ft)
Languages
  Official Malayalam, English
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 689662
Area code(s) 04735
Vehicle registration KL-62, KL-03

Lahai (Malayalam: ളാഹ), also spelt Laha is a remote settlement located in the north eastern part of Pathanamthitta district, Kerala state, India. This is the place from which the sacred grove (Poongavanam) of lord Ayyappa begins.

Geography

Lahai lies about 3,000 ft (910 m) above mean sea level,predominantly a hilly region or Malanad. The place is covered by thick forests of Ranni division.[1]

Demographics

The average population is about 3000 people. The major revenue is from Lahai Rubber estate which was established by British in early 1900s with 10,000 acres (40 km2) of land.

Climate

Lahai experiences a tropical climate as in many parts of Kerala. Significant amount of rainfall occurs during the months of June, July and August. Humidity is comparatively less here with an average annual temperature of about 29.37°C. The average annual precipitation is 2407mm. The months of January and February receives low rainfall. Temperature falls in December and January to 20°C. March, April and May are the hottest months in the year.

Climate data for Lahai, Kerala
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 29.0
(84.2)
30.0
(86)
31.2
(88.2)
31.4
(88.5)
31.1
(88)
29.0
(84.2)
28.2
(82.8)
28.4
(83.1)
28.9
(84)
28.6
(83.5)
28.1
(82.6)
28.5
(83.3)
29.37
(84.87)
Average low °C (°F) 20.2
(68.4)
21.0
(69.8)
22.3
(72.1)
23.3
(73.9)
23.5
(74.3)
22.5
(72.5)
22.0
(71.6)
22.1
(71.8)
22.0
(71.6)
21.9
(71.4)
21.5
(70.7)
20.5
(68.9)
21.9
(71.42)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 24
(0.94)
38
(1.5)
70
(2.76)
152
(5.98)
220
(8.66)
406
(15.98)
433
(17.05)
282
(11.1)
208
(8.19)
298
(11.73)
208
(8.19)
68
(2.68)
2,407
(94.76)
Source: Climate-Data.org[2]

Location

Lahai is blessed with naturally beautiful landscapes and with tropical rain forests of Ranni forest division. The Sabarimala forest (Poongavanam) begins from Lahai. Most important fact is that the uphill road to Sabarimala ends at Lahai and become level road all the way to Sabarimala.

The famous Sabarigiri Hydro electric Project in 1960s had built heavy equipment transportation road to Moozhiyar Power House. This road now exclusively used by pilgrims to Sabarimala.

Lahai is a historical place in many regards. The Sabarimala Thiruvabharanam procession comes to Lahai forest Bungalow, stays overnight and continues to Sabarimala temple. The famous St. Thomas Pilgrim Church at Nilakkal is 10 miles (16 km) away from Lahai Junction.

Nearby places

References

  1. "Lahai Estate Manager'S Bungalow (Laha)". Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  2. "CLIMATE: LAHA", Climate-Data.org. Web: .


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/29/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.