Pooyappally
Grama Panchayat

Pooyappally Grama Panchayat is an area of ​​22.28 sq. km in Kottarakkara Taluk, Kottarakkara Block Panchayat, Kollam District. Although the reasons for the name Pooyappally for this land are not in the written records, the ancients say through the knowledge passed down through the generations that the place name Pooyappally was formed in connection with Buddhism. It is mentioned in the historical documents Kerala Vigyan Kosam and the books “Annate Kerala Samskaratinne Nazhikakallukal” written by Sriman Ilamkulam Kunjanpinalla that Buddhism was once popular in the southern areas of Kerala, namely Kottarakkara and Chirayankeezhu Taluks. It became popular as a part of Buddhism when it was popular. The Edupkuthirakettu in the temples of Kerala is also mentioned in these documents. It is recorded that Buddhism gave great importance to education and Ayurveda. Considering these facts, it must be assumed that Buddhism was once popular in the land of Pooyappally too. Moreover, the fact that most of the temples here had a horse-drawn carriage until recent times can be seen as evidence that Buddhist believers were also present in this panchayat area. .
The word palli has the meanings of Buddhist monastery, writing house, and church building. According to this, the names Pooyappally and Maruthamanpathally may have come into existence in connection with Buddhism. Another opinion is also prevalent at present. The reason for this is that Buddhist believers used to organize people and educate them on the days of Pooyam star and from that the name Pooyappally was obtained in this area.
The word marutham means a flat agricultural land. The ancients say that the name Maruthamon Palli was derived from the fact that Buddhist monasteries or churches existed in this flat agricultural land. The flat area in this panchayat is also Maruthamonpanally.
It is seen that Sriman Ilamkulam Kunjanpillai has recorded that a kingdom called Veliyam existed between Chungathara near Oyoor to the south and Chungathara north of Odanavattom to the north, and that this land was ruled by a ruler named Veliyan, and that this area got the name Veliyam. It is said that Pooyappally was within the administrative boundaries of this kingdom.

Socio-cultural and historical background

According to the ancients, the body of the brave Veluthampi Dalava, who led the army against the British, was taken from Mannadi to Thiruvananthapuram and was placed at the place where the present Pooyappally Police Station is located. The Kinkaras rested there and showed the locals who came as spectators the head of Veluthampi Dalava on a stake.
The Makriyilla pond in the Maruthampally ward of Pooyappally panchayat is one of the legendary ponds. The legend behind the name of this pond is that the Chamakris do not live in this pond. Legend has it that Namboothiri, who was meditating in the pond for the evening salutation, was disturbed by the crying of the macri and cursed that there would be no more macri in this pond, and since then, the macri have not ruled this pond. It is necessary to examine whether there is any scientific basis for the non-reign of the macri in this pond.
The people of this panchayat area have played their own active role in the national freedom struggle, responsible governance and the struggle against feudalism. Twelve people, led by a man named Idikula, who was called Kunjukunju, the son of the doctor in Pooyappally Thottathil, T.K. Koshi Vaidyan from Pooyappally, Gopalan, Paramu, Raman and Gopalan from Chakkantayazikam in Mailode, Neelakandan from Pooyappally Plavila house in Mailode, Chacko from Kalluvila house in Mailode, participated in the freedom struggle and protest led by Akkamma Cherian in Thiruvananthapuram, in which Idikula was trampled by the cavalry and later died of illness.
The struggle against feudalism in this panchayat is noteworthy. The areas of Kottara and Maruthamanpally in this panchayat belonged to Akavoormarana Namboodiri, the first feudal lord of Travancore. The Akavoor Manakas were then exempted from paying taxes to the king and had two landowners, Kottara and Maruthamanpalli, who were established on 600 land roads. The land in this area was currently held by the farmers as tenants and was being paid taxes to the Akavoor Manaka. The fruits of the labor of the tenants, who were the real owners, were exploited in the form of rent and rent. The landlord had the freedom to evict the tenants from the land whenever he felt like it. The owners did not have the right to cut trees or even break branches from the property. Against this, a tenant agitation had started in this panchayat even before independence. This agitation was led by Veliyam Sri.G. Krishna Pillai, later known by the alias Chhakarshamkand. In the Kottara and Maruthamanpajalli areas, many marches and demonstrations were held under the leadership of Mr. Veliyam Krishna Pillai against landlordism. Mr. P. Janardhan, who was the first president of this panchayat, was at the forefront as an assistant to Mr. Krishna Pillai. To give leadership to the struggles of the tenants' rights, a bimonthly magazine named Kudiyan was first published under the leadership of Mr. G. Krishna Pillai and later a magazine named Karshashakan was published. The name of the protest organization formed as part of this struggle was Kudiyan Sangam. The landlords of that time called it Mudiyan Sangam and criticized it. The book Makriyillakulam, written by Mr. Krishna Pillai and published in 1968, is the history of the struggle of the tenants' movement. Inspired by Mr. Karshalakan Krishna Pillai, the struggle against feudalism continued under the leadership of peasant groups and as a result of this, the government led by Mr. EMS who came to power in 1957 passed and implemented the feudalism prohibition bill and as a result, all the tenant farmers got full ownership of their properties. Many prominent people in the field of Ayurveda medicine lived in Munkamalam in this panchayat. In it, Mr. Kochukunju Vaidyan, who was associated with the palace doctors of Chavarkodu, passed away. The doctors of the palace of Pandalam, Nalaksavala Chirakkal, also passed away recently. Mr. The doctors of Kaipalliyiliyakkam up to Mani Vaidyan are also part of the lineage of doctors of this panchayat. Panayathuputhanveetil Sree. Gopalakurup Vaidyan, who was famous for treating cattle, passed away recently.
Another notable event has taken place in this panchayat. Rev. K.M. Jacob, a member of the Kottara, Cherukarakunnil family, known as Kottara Achan, has been listed in the 1986 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for serving as the longest-serving priest in the world. He was born in 1981 and passed away at the age of 103. He became the world record holder for serving as a priest in the Marthoma Church for the longest period of 86 years.
            Late Shri.TK. Koshy Vaidyan was an active participant in the freedom struggle and was also a well-known leader of the Congress in this area who worked selflessly for the development of Pooyappally Panchayat in many fields. Shri. Koshy Vaidyan took the initiative to establish many public institutions like Pooyappally Police Station, High School, Sub-Registrar Office.
        The name of Shri. Shankaran Acharya of Mileode Ilavamkonam, who was a master in carpentry and flew a wooden airplane at an altitude of 50 crores, is worth mentioning. He showed extraordinary intelligence in making spinning horses, moving sculptures and working machines out of wood. His son, Artist Shri. CS Vishwam, is world famous today. The ivory statues of Nehru and Gandhi exhibited at the Gorky Recreation Center in Moscow, the ivory statue of 'Vishuvasht Karma Matavum Unni Mishihayum' exhibited at the Vatican Museum, the ivory statue of Mahalakshmi kept in the London Museum. "Court of Arms" at the London Temple Stan Museum, the Buddha statue at the UNO, and the Newspaper Boy exhibited at the Reader's Digest Magazine office in New York are some of the world-famous works of Shri. Vishwamitra.