Background:  With changes in life styles occurring, non–communicable diseases are on the rise.Hypertension  has now evolved as a leading cause of mortality and morbidity because of  complications associated with it. Objective: To find out the prevalence  and factors associated with  hypertension in adults aged over 18 years in a rural area of Peruvambapanchayath in Palakkad district in Kerala. Methods: A population based cross sectional study was conducted among 145 adults over 18 years with semi–structured questionnaire and measurement of blood pressure using mercury Sphygmomanometre. The data were analysed using SPSS 17 and results were expressed as prevalence measured as proportion and association tested using chi–square. Results and conclusion : Prevalence of  hypertension  in the present study is 58.6% . 47% of the hypertensives  identified were newly diagnosed cases. Of the previously diagnosed cases only 64.4% were taking medication  and only 10.4%  were under control. Of the various factors tested for association, hypertension was found to be significantly associated with age,socioeconomic status, co existence of diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia.