History of Vazhappally Grama Panchayat, Kottayam

Historical overview

Vazhappally is a locality in Kottayam district, Kerala, within Changanacherry taluk and the Changanassery Municipality area; the ancient Vazhappally gramam was shifted to the municipality, with parts reunited in Changanassery and the rest reconstructed as Vazhappally Gram Panchayat. [1]

Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple, located at the heart of the ancient Vazhappally, is administered by the Travancore Devaswom Board. The Vazhappally copper plate (Vazhappally Shasanam) is the oldest available Malayalam inscription, dated around AD 830–832, and records temple administration. [1][3][4]

Historically, the temple’s administration was handled by ten Brahmin families (the ten illoms) until the end of the 17th century; the temple underwent refurbishment during the reign of Chera king Rajasekhara Varma (c. AD 820–844). The Kollam Era 840 inscription (1665 CE) notes repairs; in 1975 the two dhwajastambhas were reinstalled along with a 13-day festival. [3][4][1]

Timeline

AD 832

Vazhappally Shasanam (Vazhappally copper plate) dated around AD 832; oldest Malayalam inscription, recording temple administration. [1][4]
AD 1665

Kollam Era 840 inscription notes temple repairs. [3][4]
AD 820–844

Renovation/refurbishment of the Vazhappally temple during the reign of Rajasekhara Varma (Cheraman Perumal). [3][1]
End of 17th century

Ten illoms administration of the temple lasted until the end of the 17th century. [3]
1975

Two dhwajastambhas reinstalled; old posts replaced with new ones; a 13-day festival associated with the reinstatement. [4]

Sources

[1] Vazhappally — English Wikipedia contributors
[2] വാഴപ്പള്ളി — Malayalam Wikipedia contributors
[3] Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple — English Wikipedia contributors
[4] വാഴപ്പള്ളി മഹാശിവക്ഷേത്രം — Malayalam Wikipedia contributors

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