Palakkad previously known as Palghat, is a large town and municipality in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km and is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is the seventh most populous town in Kerala and lies near the Palghat Gap, a pass or natural depression through the Western Ghats ranges, and connects Kerala to the plains of the state of Tamil Nadu to the east.Malayalam is the generally spoken language in Palakkad but Tamil is also widely spoken and understood, as it is very close to the Tamil Nadu border. The town is situated about 350 kilometres (217 mi) (342.1 km to be precise; Source Google Map) north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram and 49 kilometres (30 mi) south west of Coimbatore, on the Coimbatore-Cochin National Highway NH 47.
Kerala would have an IIT in Palakkad under the 12th five-year plan. The land belonging to the Instrumentation Limited in Palakkad was finally chosen for the project. Since the IITs are set up by an act of Parliament, the whole process is the centre's prerogative, and the state government has only a limited role
