Punnayurkulam
Grama Panchayat

Punnayurkulam

Punnayurkulam Grama Panchayat is situated in the Chavakkad Block of Chavakkad Taluk in the Thrissur District. Falling under the jurisdiction of Punnayurkulam village, the panchayat spans an area of 18.71 square kilometers. Divided into 19 wards, its borders are marked by the Perumpadappa Panchayat of Malappuram district to the north; Kattakampal and Vadakkekad Panchayats to the east; Punnayur and Vadakkekad Panchayats to the south; and the Arabian Sea to the west.

Once a part of the old Malabar District Board, Punnayurkulam was later split into two separate panchayats: Aattupuram and Andathode. It was in 1962 that these were unified into the single, present-day Punnayurkulam Panchayat. Initially included in the Kozhikode district and later moved to the Palakkad district after 1956, Punnayurkulam finally became a part of the Thrissur district in the 1970s.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Nalapat home (Nalapat Tharavadu) in Punnayurkulam is the ancestral hearth of Malayalam literature. Born and raised in this soil, literary icons like Nalapat Narayana Menon, Balamani Amma, and Kamala Surayya (Madhavikutty) brought global recognition to this village through their immense contributions to literature and culture. It was Nalapat Narayana Menon who translated Victor Hugo’s world-famous novel Les Misérables into Malayalam (as Pavangal). Balamani Amma, fondly revered as the "Mother of Malayalam Poetry," was honored by the nation with the Padma Bhushan. Her daughter, world-renowned under the pen names Madhavikutty and Kamala Das, carried the fame of Punnayurkulam and Kerala across the globe through her stories and poems.

The famous Cherayi Kalari, one of South Malabar’s most renowned martial arts training houses, is also located in this panchayat. Historical accounts suggest that the legendary warrior Thacholi Othenan arrived at this Kalari, managed by the Cherayi Panickers, to master advanced weaponry. After completing his basic training in his hometown, Othenan spent two years at the Kollam Cherayi Kalari for higher studies to learn rare martial techniques. This highlights how far the fame of the Cherayi Kalari had reached North Malabar centuries ago.

Additionally, Punnayurkulam is one of the leading villages in Kerala for cultivating and exporting Vetiver (Ramacham) to other states. The Uppungal region here is a vibrant habitat for numerous species of birds and serves as a major gathering ground for thousands of migratory birds.

History

Social History

The last Perumal (ruler) of the Kulasekhara dynasty, who ruled from the capital of Mahodayapuram, gifted his ancestral crown and ornaments to his nephew, a member of the Perumpadappu Swaroopam. Legend has it that the sister of the last Kulasekhara Perumal was married to a Namboothiri of Perumpadappu, and the son born to this Kshatriya-Namboothiri union founded the Perumpadappu Swaroopam. Punnayurkulam was a region that fell under Vanneri, the original seat of the Perumpadappu Swaroopam. Vanneri was the capital of the Perumpadappu kings. Fearing attacks from the Zamorin (Samutiri), the Perumpadappu kings abandoned Vanneri and shifted their capital to Thiruvanchikulam, and later to Kochi. Consequently, the Perumpadappu King came to be known as the King of Kochi, and the kingdom became the Kingdom of Cochin. Records show that at one point, Vanneri was under the control of the Thalappilly royal dynasty. A clear, definitive history of Vanneri is unavailable, and its history up to the 8th century is largely based on conjectures.

Punnayurkulam is a small village that holds a significant position in the social, cultural, and political history of Kerala. In earlier times, wayside water booths (Thanneerpanthals) and porter rests (Atthanis) were common features here. During the peak of the caste system, upper-class feudal dominance was so severe that lower-caste individuals did not even have the freedom to walk on public roads. In the absence of modern tea shops, wealthy landlords set up Thanneerpanthals to offer buttermilk to travelers and Atthanis for workers to rest their heavy loads. However, caste discrimination was brutally enforced even there. Lower-caste individuals were kept at a mandatory "polluting distance" (Theendapadakal) based on their caste. To serve them water or buttermilk without physical contact, a large areca nut tree trunk would be split in half, its inner pulp hollowed out to make a long pipe or gutter. This makeshift pipe would extend from the porch of the booth down to the distance where the lower-caste person stood, and the liquid would be poured down through it. This paints a stark picture of the caste discrimination of that era.

However, this land also witnessed fierce resistance against the supremacy of upper-caste, wealthy, feudal landlords. As a region under the old Malabar district, Punnayurkulam suffered deeply under British rule, feudal landlordism (Janmiyaudatham), and upper-caste hegemony. Due to this discrimination, lower-caste children were barred from enrolling in formal schools. Before independence, the first step of education was learning the basics from traditional village tutors (Ezhuthassans) at a sand-school (Ezhuthupalli). Students went to these schools carrying coconut-shell containers filled with river sand and palm leaves. They would write the initial auspicious verses (Harisree) on the sand using their index finger, and the teacher would write down the letters on palm leaves. This was the prevalent educational system. Even within these schools, upper-caste and lower-caste children were segregated. If angered, the tutor would beat the upper-caste students on their hands with a stick, but would throw the stick at lower-caste students from a distance to avoid "pollution." Teachers practiced blatant discrimination against their own students based on caste.

The waves of the Khilafat Movement, which rose as part of the Indian national movement, also created ripples in Punnayurkulam, inspiring many locals to step forward and join the freedom struggle.

In terms of trade, Ramacham (Vetiver) is a traditional agricultural product cultivated on a commercial scale in the western parts of the panchayat and sent to other states as a raw material.

Vehicular traffic and proper roads reached Punnayurkulam only in the 1940s. Prior to this, people relied on the Canoly Canal for long-distance travel. Water transport was available through the canal towards Kozhikode and Chavakkad. Those heading towards Kunnamkulam or Thrissur would travel by boat up to Kattakampal and catch a bus from there. The initial blueprint of today’s main road was formed in 1953. Electricity first came to the panchayat on an evening in 1960 when a lightbulb was lit at the Korothayil Mosque.

The village also boasted several legendary traditional physicians (Nattuvaidyan) in the field of Ayurveda. Marar Vaidyar and Karuppunni Vaidyar, who ran a medicine shop and clinic in Puzhikkala, were highly renowned. In 1960, a Government Ayurvedic Dispensary was established in Chemmanur.

In contemporary times, the influx of Gulf money has brought massive transformations to the lives of the local population. With financial remittances flowing from Gulf countries, many families transitioned into a life of leisure funded by foreign earnings. Paradoxically, while local unemployment persists, migrant laborers from states like Tamil Nadu come here to earn high daily wages.

Along the western border facing the Arabian Sea, a vibrant fishing community lives densely packed across a 3-kilometer coastal stretch. The historic Tipu Sultan Road passes through this panchayat. Around 1,000 workers are engaged in fishing and fish vending. While the majority still depend on traditional fishing methods, a growing number of fishers have recently adopted modern technological equipment.

National Movements and Punnayurkulam

To fuel the struggle against foreign rule, Kasturba Gandhi, the wife of the Father of the Nation, visited the Ramaraja U.P. School in 1931. A massive gathering took place at Eliyangad, where women broke all barriers of age and social status to attend. At this meeting—held well before the historic Temple Entry Proclamation—a resolution demanding temple entry rights for lower-caste individuals was unanimously signed and passed. Following this, as part of the nationalist movement, spinning yarn on charkhas and handloom weaving were introduced in Punnayurkulam.

Social and political reformers like Sree Narayana Guru, K. Kelappan, and A.K. Gopalan (AKG) visited Punnayurkulam at various times to campaign against untouchability and fight for temple entry, inspiring the locals to rebel against injustice. Their presence was instrumental in raising public awareness against the upper-caste hegemony that had seeped even into national movements.

In 1956, Acharya Vinoba Bhave visited Punnayurkulam spreading the message of the Bhoodan (Land Gift) Movement. At a meeting held at the Ramaraja School, several individuals stepped forward to donate their lands.

With the onset of World War II, members of the Congress Socialist Party shifted en masse to the Communist Party. The struggle against social discrimination and the fight for land and freedom took a new, radical turn. Countless locals from Punnayurkulam participated actively in peasant uprisings. Post-independence, public movements focused primarily on land struggles. The growth of mass movements and subsequent Land Reforms completely changed the face of the region. The deeply entrenched feudal landlord system was eradicated. The Land Reform Act turned the vast majority of tenant farmers into absolute owners of their land. The rent (Pattam) that previously went to the landlord now belonged to the farmer. Having a piece of land to call their own vastly improved the bargaining power of agricultural laborers.

This drastic change in land ownership dismantled the foundations of upper-caste supremacy. In a village where 90% of the land was once concentrated in the hands of a few feudal families, it was the persistent land struggles that brought an end to the miseries of the farmers and peasants. This structural shift brought unprecedented progress in education, health, and social conditions, enabling the panchayat to achieve a massive leap in literacy. The surplus land agitation (Michabhoomi Prokshebham) targeting the lands of the Karumathazha Mana triggered pivotal socio-political shifts.

The old Aattupuram Market (which no longer exists) was once a silent witness to many such political and social upheavals. It was in this market that feudal lords tied a man named Ayamu to a coconut tree and brutally assaulted him for questioning the feudal system. The market played a historic role in nurturing both the nationalist and progressive movements of the region.

Educational and Agricultural History

As mentioned earlier, before the advent of modern schooling, education began under village tutors (Ezhuthassans) in sand-schools, marked by strict caste segregation and primitive, discriminatory punishments.

Modern education made its official debut in Punnayurkulam in 1892. The socio-political reform movements and the struggle for independence deeply influenced the educational landscape. The Public Rural Library (Janakeeya Grameena Vayanashala), which operated out of Aattupuram, contributed heavily to informal education. In 1892, the Hindu Elementary School was established in Puzhikkala, marking the first school in the panchayat. This institution was later taken over by the Raja of Eliyangad and renamed the Ramaraja School. Over time, the number of educational institutions grew. Thanks to the efforts of the Malabar District Board, schools like the Parur Elementary School, the primary school still functioning in Chammanur, the Punnayurkulam G.M.L.P.S., and the primary school in Kadikkad were all established before independence. In 1993, the Government High School in Kadikkad came into existence.

At the beginning of the 20th century, agriculture was the primary means of livelihood here. The terrain consists of a coastal belt bordering the Arabian Sea and adjacent flat plains. The main crops were coconut and paddy, alongside intercrops like tubers, bananas, and vegetables. In the past, cashew trees were extensively cultivated in the coastal regions, but over the last few decades, Ramacham (Vetiver) cultivation expanded rapidly, reducing cashew farming to a bare minimum. Areca nut cultivation flourished in the Chammanur and Uppungal areas years ago. Paddy was once the dominant crop, with old records indicating that more than half of the total land consisted of paddy fields. Even today, paddy cultivation continues in 11 wards of the panchayat (excluding the eastern border).

The eastern border of the panchayat comprises the Kole wetlands. Kole cultivation is carried out across 329.6 hectares divided between two major wetland fields: the Parur Kolepadavu and the Uppungal Vadakkepadavu. Paddy fields in other parts of the panchayat are double-crop (Iruppu) lands, and some farmers even manage a triple-crop (Moonnupoo) cycle. However, the reclamation of paddy fields to convert them into residential plots began in the 1970s, a trend heavily accelerated by the influx of Gulf money. Today, there is an ongoing race to replace agricultural lands with concrete structures.

The western parts of the panchayat continue to cultivate Ramacham commercially. This Ayurvedic roots-based raw material is sent to other states, processed into aromatic mattresses and hand fans, and brought back to be sold in Kerala’s own markets.

Cultural History

The village of Punnayurkulam is the cradle of many great writers and cultural icons. As noted, the Nalapat house is synonymous with the heritage of Malayalam literature. Nalapat Narayana Menon, Balamani Amma, and Kamala Surayya (Madhavikutty) put this village on the global literary map. Additionally, Jnanpith Award-winning author M.T. Vasudevan Nair shares a deep, unbreakable bond with the soil of Punnayurkulam.

The ritual art form of Sangham Kali once enjoyed great popularity in Punnayurkulam. However, following social reforms within the Namboothiri community, its practice declined, and performance stages eventually disappeared.

As a premier center for martial arts in South Malabar, the Cherayi Panickers' training house boasted a massive 42-foot Kalari. The historic remnants of its foundation platform (Patharam) can still be seen in Cherayi today.

Another revered martial arts expert of the region was Muhammadunni Gurukkal from the Mavinchuvadu area. Under his leadership, a troupe named the Mavinchuvadu Navajeevan Kalari Sangham operated actively, drawing enthusiasts from as far as foreign countries to learn Kalarippayattu.

The Valiyangattu Kovilakam (palace) was once a grand hub for classical performing arts. Art forms like Kathakali and Chakyar Koothu were staged there with immense royal splendor. Kathakali maestros like Guru Kunchu Kurup and Pattikkamthodi Ramunni Menon frequently visited the palace to perform.

Pulluvan Pattu, a ritualistic song art form associated with serpent worship, survives as another traditional art form in this locality, though it faces the threat of extinction. The village was also a vibrant hub for Thiruvathirakkali, a dance form that is slowly fading from modern lifestyles. Meanwhile, ancient traditional art forms like Arabanamuttu and Kolkali are still preserved and practiced in certain parts of the panchayat today.