Cheriyanad Grama Panchayat
Documented local history
Alappuzha district
Historical overview
1746: The western half of Cheriyanad lay on the boundary of the Kayamkulam Raja's territory and the eastern half on the boundary of Pandalam Raja's territory; in that year it was annexed to Travancore. [1]
Cheriyanad historically comprised nine original karas: Athimanchery, Edavankadu, Mandapariyaram, Thuruthimel, Moolikode, Edamuri, Mampra, Arayinnurshery, and Alakode (cheruvalloor & Kollakadavu); for administration it was subdivided into 14 karas; the Padanilam battlefield, also known as Shastham Kunnu, is used by the Cheriyanad temple for festivals. [1]
Cheriyanad is known for temple festivals, including the Kavadiyattam during Thaipusam at the Cheriyanad Sri Bala Subrahmanya Swami Temple and the Pallivilakku procession. [1]
Timeline
- 1746
Cheriyanad was annexed to Travancore along with the rest of the Kayamkulam and Pandalam kingdoms. [1]
- 1954-01-01
Cheriyanad Panchayat was constituted; the first president was G. Narayanan Unnithanan. [1]
- 1956
Cheriyanad railway station existed since 1956; rail arrived in the area although passenger services were not initially operated. [2]
- 1988-2003
Between 1988 and 2003, 1124 cases were resolved as part of the process toward the panchayat's 'complete law literacy' status. [2]
- 2008-11-08
On 8 November 2008, the Supreme Court Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan announced Cheriyanad as India's first 'complete law-literate' panchayat. [2]
Sources
- [1] Cheriyanad — English Wikipedia contributors
- [2] ചെറിയനാട് — Malayalam Wikipedia contributors
One-time source review completed 2026-09-27. This page is not automatically rewritten.