Kunhimangalam
Grama Panchayat

History and Socio-Cultural Background

Kunhimangalam is a region with human habitation dating back to the prehistoric Megalithic culture, and stone-age relics can still be found in its surrounding areas. At one time, this region belonged to the Ezhimala kingdom and later came under the rule of the Kolathiri. According to the Keralolpathi, Kunhimangalam is listed as one of the 32 Tulu villages.

Local legend holds that the early rulers of this region were from the "Kunjangalam" (Kunhimangalam) illam (brahmin household). According to the story, a mother and son from this illam went to the Kaveri River to perform ancestral rituals (pindam). On their way back, they saw that the Chirakkal chieftain had conquered Kunjangalam and hoisted his flag, whereupon the mother and son committed suicide by jumping into the fire. Subsequently, inauspicious signs began appearing at the royal palace. When astrologers were consulted, they revealed that the mother had transformed into the fierce deity Veerachamundi and the son into the deity Veeran. Following this, the Chirakkal chieftain had the Melom shrine constructed in Kunhimangalam to worship Veerachamundi, and the family name "Kunhimangalam" eventually became the name of the place.

Once part of the prosperous Ezhimala kingdom described by Paranaar and Azhisshi, Kunhimangalam was closely surrounded by Kunnaru and Ramanthali. Various ritualistic traditions such as spirit worship, serpent worship, tree worship, and fertility worship thrive here, with Vedic and Dravidian cultural elements seamlessly blended into the local culture. The presiding deity of this land is Kunhimangalam-themma—who stood like a blazing flame against the tyranny of the chieftain and compelled him to make atonement. Another legend states that the Thruppaanikkara Shiva Temple was constructed by Parasurama's own hands. The Kunhimangalam Aarattu festival was once a major celebration here.

At the northern edge of the village, near the National Highway in Edat, the ruins of a dilapidated temple can still be seen—the very temple mentioned in the Thottam Pattu (ballads) of various Theyyams. The ancient load-resting stones (sumadhangikallu) and water pavilions (thanneerpanthal) here evoke the memory of a bygone culture. The Eratt Thruvakkad Bhagavathy Temple is a prominent venue for Perumkaliyattam. Associated with this sacred grove (kavku) is a temple complex that includes the Edat Kanangat, Edat Nagam, Neyyamruth Madam, and Ezhuthadu.

Agriculture and cattle rearing have been the primary traditional occupations. One of the earliest educational centers in Kunhimangalam was the Ezhuthootu in Edat. In each traditional ancestral home (tharavad) of this village, a designated space (kani kottil) was assigned to the family deity. Later, when the tharavad split, descendants from various branches would unite to build a common palliyara (shrine). Many such small shrines and tharavads exist here.

The Vishu Vilakku festival at the Malliyoot-Palott Kavu is a grand festival for the entire village. The Kolkkali performance at the Sreemanamangalam Vettakkorumakan Temple is a notable art form. Artisans of Kunhimangalam are famous for crafting objects out of brass and panchaloha. At one time, traditional woodcarvers (darushilpika) and iron smiths known across the entire old Chirakkal taluk lived in this village. Formerly, the idols of deities in temples and sacred groves across North Kerala were painted and enlivened (chaayam koduthu chaithanyappaduthuthi) by the Ktdaran community of Kunhimangalam; their traditional paint formulations retain their brightness to this day, having withstood rain and sunshine.

Kunhimangalam Theru (Street) served as a textile production center located between Aduthillam and Payyanur, supplying a vast majority of the clothing required in Kunhimangalam and surrounding areas. Theyyam is an ancient art form that remains actively practiced here. Historically, the Muslims of Kunhimangalam supplied raw materials to the weavers of the street and the bronze casters of Vadakke Kovval, and also purchased and marketed their finished products. It is said that the land for the Kunhimangalam Muslim Mosque was donated free of cost by the Kolangharath family.

Kunhimangalam was once a self-sufficient village, though caste, landlordism (janti), and feudalism dominated the early decades of the 20th century. The echoes of the national movement awakened Kunhimangalam as well. Vishnu Bharatheeyan and K. A. Keraleeyan, frontline fighters of the peasant movement in North Malabar, were heroic sons of this village, with Vishnu Bharatheeyan serving as the secretary of the Kunhimangalam Khilafat Committee.

The historic 1936 Temple Entry Proclamation also created ripples in Kunhimangalam, where a temple entry meeting was held at the time. Swami Ananda Teertha also carried out activities here. When Jayaprakash Narayan visited Kerala spreading the message of the Sarvodaya movement, he visited Kunhimangalam accompanied by Prabhavati Devi; a public meeting was held near the site of the present-day Kunhimangalam Govt. High School.

In 1944–45, agitations led by the Kisan Sabha were organized against oppressive feudal levies like Kallappara. In 1951, the first student protest took place at Gopal UP School. In 1954, led by the Communist Party and the Kisan Sabha, protests were held against the dismantling of lease deeds (marupaattam) and the eviction of peasants from agricultural land. The tenant-cultivator (kudikidappu) agitation launched on January 1, 1970, under the auspices of the Agricultural Workers Union, is particularly notable. T. P. Abdul Khader was another key figure who led popular uprisings in Kunhimangalam.

Intense struggles against landlordism continued even after independence, gradually giving rise to student and youth movements. Various land reform acts enacted between 1957 and 1971 transformed the face of the region. Educational centers that guided the land toward progress included the Board Hindu Elementary School (now Govt. Central UP School) established under the Malabar District Board, Govt. LP School, Gopal UP School, the Edat West LP School founded by Pilanku Master and his son Raghavan Master, the Edat East LP School founded by Kuthurmmal Koran Master, and the Edat UP School established under the leadership of V. V. Chindan Kutty Nayanar. Subsequently, the Kunhimangalam Govt. High School and Payyanur College were established.

Agriculture in most parts of Kunhimangalam traditionally centered around paddy and coconut cultivation. The old landscape of the village featured bushy thick and vast meadows in the northeastern sector, homesteads filled with coconut, mango, jackfruit, and other trees, and extensive paddy fields. Paddy, coconut, and black pepper were the main crops. Most fields were double-crop lands (irippoo nilam), and after harvesting single-crop fields, farmers grew pulses like black gram (uzhunnu), horse gram (muthira), cowpea (payar), sweet potato, vegetables, and in some places, bananas.

By the early decades of the 20th century, renaissance movements took root here, with the contributions of Sree Narayana Gurudevan and Chattampi Swamikal playing a major role. Christian missionaries made invaluable contributions to the educational sector. The eradication of untouchability, temperance, and the boycott of foreign goods—all facets of the national movement—also galvanized the village.

In 1952, the Edat Mahatma Granthalaya was born on two cents of land donated by Choorakkad Chavaniyan. The V. R. Nayanar Memorial Library was established in Kadamkulangara in 1952 itself, followed by the Thamban Vaidyar Memorial Library in Thekkumbatt in 1978. Arts and sports clubs subsequently flourished around these libraries and reading rooms.