Chengara

Chengara is a small village situated in the Pathanamthitta district in Kerala, India. It is known for its natural environment, hills and climate, and was found to have the cleanest air, in terms of concentration of dust particles. Chengara is surrounded on three sides by Harrisons Malayalam Limited, a rubber plantation company. Chengara is approximately from the district headquarters, from Kochi, and just over from Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The nearest towns to Chengara are Konni and Pathanamthitta, at about . Konni medical college is from the village. The village has a tropical climate with three distinct seasons: a humid summer, monsoon, and a moderate winter. The warmest month is April. The village often experiences heavy thundershowers in May, during which humidity remains high. The monsoon season is from June to August with most of the heavy rainfall in June and July, June being the wettest month of the year. Chengara has a population of just above 1,500. The literacy rate of the village is 99%. G.C.S.L.P. school is the only school in Chengara. The school is owned by the Chengara Service Co-operative Society Ltd. It covers a standard of I-V. The nearest higher secondary school is St. George Vocational Higher Secondary School in Attachackal. Students from Chengara also go to schools in nearby towns, such as Pathanamthitta and Kozhencherry. Those who study technical courses attend the technical institutes around Pathanamthitta. The economy of Chengara is primarily based in agriculture. Rubber plantations are a major source of income for the local population. Chengara is among the largest rubber-producing places in Kerala, due to its hilly terrain, high humidity and rainfall. Other major crops are cocoa, coconut, tapioca and pepper. Chengara has a large number of non-residents. Major political parties in Chengara are Indian National Congress (INC) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI [M]). K. U. Jenish Kumar (CPI [M]) is the present () of Konni which includes Chengara and Anto Antony is the present MP of Pathanamthitta constituency which includes Chengara.