At a glance
Chittar Grama Panchayat is a village panchayat located in the Ranni Block within the Ranni Taluk of Pathanamthitta district. The panchayat has an area of 25.9 square kilometers and consists of 14 wards.
The boundaries of the panchayat are:
- North – Ranni-Perunad Panchayat
- East – Seethathode Panchayat
- South – Thannithode Panchayat
- West – Vadasserikkara Grama Panchayat
Chittar Panchayat was formed on 30-09-1970 by bifurcating Vadasserikkara and Seethathode Panchayats. The first President of the panchayat was V.S. Nanu.
Chittar was once a peripheral region of Nilakkal, a town that existed from the 3rd century BC to the mid-13th century AD. About three-fourths of the total area of the panchayat consists of highlands and steep slopes.
Rubber cultivation occupies 56% of the total land area. Other major crops include coconut, pepper, banana, tapioca, and cashew. The main soil types found here are black soil, forest soil, red soil, and laterite soil.
Padenippara is an elevated region situated at an altitude of about 150 to 300 feet above sea level. High-altitude areas in the panchayat include Thekke Kara, Neelipilavu, Villoonni Para, Manpilavu, Therakathummann, Kulangaravali, Meenkuzhi, Benchamanpara, Aanappara, Kumaramkunnu, and Kattachira.
All the streams flowing through the panchayat join the Kakkattar River.
The present Chittar Higher Secondary School was originally established in 1940 at Pathanamthitta Puthenpeedika by Palamoottil Kathanar at Koothattukulam as a primary school.
About 70% of the agricultural produce in Chittar Panchayat is rubber. The first agricultural estate in Central Travancore, Midland Rubber Producers Company, was established in Chittar by the British.