History of Grama Panchayat
The Meenachil region became part of Travancore after Maharaja Marthanda Varma captured Thekkumkur. The first market was established in the Kadappattur area of Palayil due to the efforts of Itty Cheriya , a minister of the Meenachil lords. The promotion of Khadi was carried out very well in this area. The Swadeshi movement, as per the call of Gandhiji, also spread here. Handlooms for making clothes were operating in Kozhuvan, Kezhuvankulam and Mevada. In the early
20th century, most of the land here belonged to the devaswoms of Kidangoor and Poovaran and a few Namboothiri and Nair landlord families. Kunnapilliil , Ayilyakkunnu , Nedumangad and Thenammakkal were the prominent families here. There was also a practice of dividing the land among the landowner families when they divided their movable and immovable properties. During the 1940s and 1950s, many farming families from this panchayat migrated to the high range areas and Malabar areas. With the enactment of the Kerala Land Reforms Act, revolutionary changes took place in the society. Until about fifty years ago, paddy , sugarcane , pepper and kamuk were the main crops in this panchayat. At that time, paddy cultivation was given more importance than other crops. It was said to “ plough ” to prepare the land for paddy cultivation . Mutira , dal and a grain called varak were widely cultivated at that time. The nearest trading center and port was Punnathura. From there, paddy and other daily necessities were brought to the panchayat by water through the Meenachil river , and pepper, cloves , and copra from here were transported. Boats were used for this. Cherpungal was an important boat port at that time. Also, during the rainy season, boats used to reach Valiyakottaram, which is in the eastern part of the panchayat, through the Meenachil stream. Parakkattu Kadavu , Mulethundi Kadavu , Maliyekkal Kadavu , Muloparambil Kadavu , Mannani Kadavu , Kochukottaram Kadavu , and Kongola Kadavu on this route were the main boat ports and trading centers. Goods were transported by land to various places in bulk. The granite humps made of stone, which provided comfort to the porters, still stand tall in various parts of the panchayat as historical monuments.
