Alathur is a town, taluk and gram panchayat in Palakkad District, Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Alathur Taluk and is situated about 24 km from the district headquarters Palakkad through National Highway 544.Gayathripuzha River ,one of the tributary of Bharathapuzha,flows through Alathur. Alathur is one among the 29 Parliamentary Constituencies in Kerala. It is also famous for its tasty chips made from SNR chips,a bakery located in the town itself. A Mini Civil Station is also located here which provides government related services. Economy The main occupation in this area is agriculture. Rubber is grown on hilly land and rice paddies are located on the plains. Coconut, Ginger, banana, pumpkin, bitter gourd and eggplant are also grown. There is very little industry in Alathur Taluk. Alathur town was once well known for its beedi cottage industry but production has declined due to anti-smoking efforts. Agarbatti is also produced by the cottage industry. Recently some industrial development such as steel smelting has arisen near Manjalur in Erimayur Panchayat. Historically there were a number of rice mills in the area but their numbers have declined. Demographics As of 2011 Census, Alathur had a population of 26,720 with 12,808 males and 13,912 females. Alathur census town has an area of with 6,096 families residing in it. 11% of the population was under 6 years of age. Alathur had an average literacy of 89.95% higher than the national average of 74.04% and lower than state average of 94.00%; male literacy was 95.14% and female literacy was 85.27%. Educational institutions There are a number of schools up to the higher secondary level within Alathur Taluk. There are two colleges for arts and science and one engineering college. Sree Narayana College, Alathur BSS B.Ed College, Alathur A S Mohammed Kutty Sahib Memorial High Secondary School (A S M M H S S) is a public institution that has been operating in the area for over a century. The school also houses a very old Gandhiji statue which has become a landmark. The school was established by the Nellikkalidam Family (Swaroopm), and the School used to be called N.E. High School (NEHS), until being bought by Mr. Mohammad Kutty; later since the land reforms act, the swaroopam suffered financially and the school was bought by Mr. Mohammad Kutty, who has since then been running a Beedi rolling business BSS Gurukulam Higher Secondary School,