Ranni
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Ranni റാന്നി Ranny |
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| Town/Taluk | |
The dilapidated old bridge and new bridge at Ranni
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 Ranni
 Ranni
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| Coordinates: 9°22′0″N 76°46′0″E / 9.36667°N 76.76667°ECoordinates: 9°22′0″N 76°46′0″E / 9.36667°N 76.76667°E | |
| Country |
 India
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| State | Kerala |
| District | Pathanamthitta |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,004 km2 (388 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 331 m (1,086 ft) |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 207,782 |
| • Density | 207/km2 (540/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, English |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 689673 |
| Telephone code | 04735 |
| Vehicle registration | KL-62 |
| Nearest city | Pathanamthitta |
| Sex ratio | 47:50 ♂/♀ |
| Literacy | 95% |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Pathanamthitta |
Ranni (Malayalam: റാന്നി) sometimes spelled Ranny, is one of the 5 Taluks in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, in India. According to the Census of India 2001, the population was 207,782. The taluk headquarters is a small township on both sides of the Pamba River. Ranni is also one of the largest taluks in Kerala. The renowned Hindu temple of Sabarimala is in this taluk, situated approximately 66 km from the main town, Ittiappara. Ranni is known for its natural beauty, forests, hills, river and good climate. King Krishnabrahma of Ranny's son, Ameeth, was rumored to attend the University of Florida and is an active booster.
Ranni is derived from similar word in malayalam which means "Queen" or "Rani". Ranni is known as "The Queen of the Eastern Hill Lands".
The history of Ranni can be traced 5000 years back to the early settlement activity of Adi Dravidans around Sabarimala and Nilakkal. The temple at Sabarimala is an early temple of Kerala, dating back to around 2000 years. The deity's sitting posture and resemblance of the prayer 'Sharanam vili' to "Buddham Sharanam / Sangam Sharanam" points to the Buddhist past. Buddhist hermits always prefer to stay in interior jungles for solitary contemplation to attain Nirvana. The word 'Ayya' is a Buddhist Pali word means Lord/God. A church at Nilackal is believed to be one of the seven churches founded by St. Thomas in AD 54. There was an ancient trade route passed through Nilackal between Kerala and Pandian kingdom.
The former rulers of Ranni was known as Ranni Kartha or Karthkal of Ranni they were the "Samanthas" and blood related family of Thekkamamkoor Raja.18th Century Anizham Thirunal Marthandavarma of Vennad annexed Thekkamkoor kingdom and confiscated all the lands belongs to the former rulers. Ranni Karthas Kioyikal (Palace) were stand at a place called Areekkal.
In the 18th century, Knanaya Christians migrated to Ranni from Kallissery and later established the church, St. Thomas Church of Ranni. A significant number of Malankara Orthodox Christians & Mar Thomites also migrated from surrounding areas. In the early 19th century, Dr. Claudius Buchanan visited Ranni and was presented an old hand written Syriac Bible, from Ranni St. Thomas church.
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Wikipedia