KUMMANAM

Kummanam is a village that lies on either side of River Meenachil. Administratively it is in Thiruvarpu and Aymanam Gramapanchayat of Kottayam district in Kerala State, India. Capital town of Kottayam District is 4 km east from here. A bridge named Thazhathangadi palam connects either area beside river. Kummanam is near the tourist road from Kumarakom to Thekkady.

Overview

Aymanam means 'the land of five forests'. Ay in Tamil is five and Vanam in Sanskrit is forest. Kummanam means 'the horrible forest'. Ku in Sanskrit means worst and Vanam is forest.

Thazhathangadi is an ancient river port in Kummanam. Thazhathe in Malayalam language means 'lower down' and angadi is 'market'.

Spice traders from pre Islamic Arabia settled in this river port.

Portuguese traders built houses here on the banks of River Meenachil and a Church dedicated to Saint George.

Thaliyil Kotta near Thazhathangadi was the seat of Thekkumkoor kings. Thali was an administrative division and kotta means fort. King Marthanda Varma annexed Thekkumkoor to Travancore. Vedipurackal is the place where Thekkumkoor kings kept gunpowder. Vanchiyathu is the place where Thekkumkoor kings kept royal canoes. There are houses still bearing these names in Thazhathangadi.

Thazathangadi hosts a boat race or Vallam Kali in August/September every year during festival of Onam. This boat race began about one hundred years ago.

Elamkavu Kaali temple is in Kummanam.

Thazhathangady Juma Masjid, third oldest mosques in India is more than 1000 years old locates beside Meenachil River. It is famous for its richness of architecture, wood carvings and the beauty.

Vedipurackal Vaidyar was ayurvedic doctor of Thekkumkoor kings. Kummanam Govindapilla was a poet who wrote an epic poem on the kings of Travancore, was a member of Sri Moolam Sahithya Sabha. Moothedath Gopala Pilla, Vakkil Ponnattu Kurian, and Valavillil Ramakrishnapilla were advoctes. Kummanam Govindapanicker and Maliekkal Kunjachan were the deliverers of aksharaslkam.

Ponnattu & Vazhakkattu is one of the prominent houses in Kummanam.

The breezes of Meenachil river whispers through the palm fringed shores of Kummanam.and also the birth place of kummanam rajasekharan.famous Hindu leader.