Punalur

Punalur is a Municipality in Kollam district of Kerala State in India. It is the headquarter of the Punalur Taluk and Punalur Revenue Division. It's situated in the eastern part of Kollam district of Kerala, on the banks of the Kallada River and foothills of the western ghats. It is about 45 kilometres north-east of Kollam and 68 kilometres north of Thiruvananthapuram.Punalur is also Known as Mini Pamba, Lap of the Western Ghat, and Gateway of Sabarimala.

It is the second-largest city in Kollam District after Kollam and is also one of the biggest and oldest Municipal towns in Kerala, home to a paper industry with the Punalur Paper Mills, established in the 1850s, one of the first industries in Kerala and a pioneer in the industrial revolution of the state. Punalur is also known as the "Pepper City of Kerala".