Punalur

Punalur (Malayalam: പുനലൂര്‍ Punalūr‍) is a city situated near the Tamil Nadu-Kerala Border in the Kollam district, in the southern State of Kerala, India. It is situated in the banks of the Kallada River, receiving its name from two Tamil words; punal, meaning "water" and ooru, meaning "town", therefore "town of water". It is about 45 km north-east of Kollam and 75 km north of Thiruvananthapuram. Punalur is the headquarters of Pathanapuram Taluk, the gateway to Western Ghats. It is also known as the " Lap of the western ghats ".