History of Poonjar Grama Panchayat, Kottayam

Historical overview

Poonjar is a historically significant town in the north-eastern part of Kottayam district, at the foothills of the Western Ghats, which served as the capital of the Poonjar dynasty that ruled the region for several centuries. [1]

The Poonjar dynasty traces its origins to Pandya kings of Madurai; its founder Manavikrama Kulasekara Perumal moved from Madurai to the region in 1152 CE and brought one of the Meenakshi idols, installed on the Meenachil River at Poonjar. [1][3]

At its height, the Poonjar kingdom extended over large parts of central Travancore, including lands now in present-day Kerala (parts of Idukki, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta) and in Tamil Nadu, with Erattupetta as the commercial center of the Poonjar domain. [1]

Poonjar palace sits on the banks of the Meenachil River; the palace is about six centuries old (built around AD 1400) and is preserved as a heritage site. Geographically, Poonjar is divided into three villages: Poonjar Thekkekara, Poonjar Vadakkekara, and Poonjar Nadubhagam. [1][3]

Timeline

1152 CE

Manavikrama Kulasekara Perumal, founder of the Poonjar dynasty, moved from Madurai to the region in 1152 CE and brought one of the Meenakshi idols, later installed on the Meenachil River. [1][3]
AD 1400

Poonjar palace, about six centuries old, was built around AD 1400 on the banks of the Meenachil River as part of the Poonjar landscape. [1][3]
1425 CE

By 1425 CE, the area of the Poonjar kingdom was about 4,000 km2. [3]
July 1877

In July 1877, the Kannan Devan Hills lease (128,000 acres for 99 years) was granted to a British planter named Thomas Munro. [1]
24 September 1899

Travancore's suzerainty over Poonjar was proclaimed by royal proclamation on 24 September 1899. [1]
1625 CE

After 1625 CE, there were no inheritors in the Poonjar royal family. [3]

Sources

[1] Poonjar — English Wikipedia contributors
[2] പൂഞ്ഞാർ — Malayalam Wikipedia contributors
[3] Poonjar dynasty — English Wikipedia contributors

One-time source review completed 2026-09-29. This page is not automatically rewritten.