Palakkad , previously known as Palghat, is a large town and municipality in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2 and is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is the seventh most populous town in Kerala and lies near the Palghat Gap, a pass or natural depression through the Western Ghats ranges, and connects Kerala to the plains of the state of Tamil Nadu to the east. The town is situated about 350 kilometres (217 mi) north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram and 49 kilometres (30 mi) south west of Coimbatore.