 The district borders the Kerala districts of Pathanamthitta to the south, Kottayam to the southeast, Ernakulam to the northeast and Thrissur to the north and Coimbature, Dindigul and Theni District s in Tamil Nadu to the east.The District headquarters -Civil Station is situated at Kuyilimala, Painavu.Kuyilimala literally translates to the Cuckoo ('Kuyil')hills ('mala').