Institutional history
Kozhuvanal is one of the first panchayats formed in Travancore. When the panchayat was formed in 1953, it had 7 wards. Fr. C.M. Mathew Choorakkal was the one who took the lead in starting the panchayat with Kozhuvanal as its headquarters. The panchayat headquarters building is located on the land donated by him. The first president of Kozhuvanal panchayat was George V. Nedumpuram. Kozhuvanal grama panchayat holds a very prominent place in the history of Kerala.
The Meenachil region of the Thekkumkur kingdom was under the control and self-government of the Meenachil lords, who were known as Njavakkattu “Simhar”. One of their headquarters was in Mevada, which is located in this panchayat.
When Maharaja Marthanda Varma captured Thekkumkur, the Meenachil region became part of Travancore. The first market was established in the Kadappattur area of Palayil due to the efforts of Itti Cheriya, a minister of the Meenachil lords. The promotion of Khadi was carried out very well in this region. 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. The Kunnapilliles, Ayilyakunnu, Nedumangad, Thenammakkals, etc. were the dominant families here. There was also a practice of the landlord families, when they divided their movable and immovable properties, also dividing the land among the people who worked on the land.
During the 1940s and 1950s, many farming families from this panchayat migrated to the high range areas and Malabar regions. With the enactment of the Kerala Land Reforms Act, revolutionary changes took place in the society.
Until about fifty years ago, the main crops in this panchayat were paddy, sugarcane, pepper and kamuk. At that time, paddy cultivation was given more importance than other crops. To prepare land for paddy cultivation, it was said to “plough”. 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, copra, etc. were transported from here. Kettuvallas were used for this. Cherpungal was an important boat market of those days. 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 were the main boat markets and trading centers on this route. Goods were transported by land to various places in bulk.
The granite stone load-bearing pillars that provided comfort to the porters still stand tall in various parts of the panchayat as historical monuments.
The bullock cart was the first vehicle to enter the scene. Bullock carts were also used for human transportation. A type of bullock cart known as “Villuvandi” was a symbol of the splendor of the wealthy. The first road in this panchayat is the Puliyannur Vazhoor Road.
The only centuries-old Ettukettu in the panchayat is in Mevada. This Ettukettu belongs to the Kizhakkedathu Karthakkans, descendants of the Njavakkattu Karthakkans. Kozhuvanal is a village that has been famous for its traditional Ayurvedic treatment since ancient times.
The Kottayil Vaidyan in Kezhuvankulam, Thedakkur Vaidyan in Vakappulam and Thampan Vaidyan in Mevada were famous. The first allopathic medical center in the panchayat was Kozhuvanal Fathima Mission Hospital.
In the field of education, after the era of Kalari Aasans and Kudipallikkudams, a government-run primary school was established in Kezhuvankulam in 1905. Old-timers say that a Sanskrit school was functioning in Kezhuvankulam even before the establishment of these schools.