Cherpu
Grama Panchayat

HISTORY

SOCIAL HISTORY

In the early period, the name of the Panchayat was Urakam Panchayat. It came to be known as Cherpu due to the influence of the Chittoor Mana family. The Cherpu Panchayat was formed in 1953, and its first President was M. K. Menon.

Cherpu Grama Panchayat is situated about 8 kilometres south of Thrissur city. The Thrissur–Triprayar and Thrissur–Kodungallur roads pass through this Panchayat. The Poochinnippadam–Ollur road, which connects Cherpu with the National Highway, passes through the eastern part of the Panchayat.

The area to the west of Peruvanam Temple is known as Cherpu, and the Panchayat also received its name from this place. Today, the western part of this Panchayat is largely a paddy-growing area filled with canals and water bodies. In ancient times, this paddy field and the areas to its west were covered with water. Scholars believe that the name Cherpu originated because the area was a combination of backwaters and hills.

Another important place in this Panchayat is Urakam, which has witnessed many significant events in history. The history of Cherpu Panchayat can be considered a collection of the historical events of Peruvanam, Cherpu, Chovvoor, Thevar Road, Ettumuna, Padinjattumuri, Parakkovil (a Jain centre), and Urakam.

The village of Peruvanam held a prominent position among the 64 villages of ancient Kerala. According to legend, Purur Maharshi performed penance here, and therefore the place was called Puruvanam or Peruvanam. Another legend says that while Purur Maharshi was performing penance, the Saptarishis showered flowers, and the places where the flowers fell came to be known as Poochinnippadam.

It is considered more reasonable that the name Peruvanam became popular because most of the area was covered by a large forest. This region was formerly known as Peruvanam Kottam. Historians believe that the word “Kottam” indicates that it may once have been a Jain temple. Historical indications suggest that after the spread of Hinduism, the word “Kottam” disappeared from the name of the temple.

In ancient times, this extensive village was known as a land protected by Kodungallur Oozhathu Sastha in the south, Akamala Sastha in the north, Kuthiranmudi Ayyappan in the east, and Edathiruthy Ayyappan in the west. It is said that the village then consisted of 42 desams.

The deity installed at Peruvanam Temple, Iratayappan, was worshipped by people of all castes. The temple owned agricultural lands divided into 21 Cherikkals within the village, from which an annual rent of four lakh paras of paddy was collected. The administration of the village was carried out jointly by the Oorazhmakars and Namboothiri Yogakkars.

The prominent landlords who controlled most of the land in this region belonged to the Chittoor Avanavu, Vallachira, Avanavu, and Kuravattavanavu families. They were also the Ooralans of that period.

A 28-day festival was held at the temple. During this festival, 108 deities from various temples across Kerala were brought in procession. For unknown reasons, this spring festival came to an end about 1,500 years ago.

The festival was later revived as Pooram, based on the decision that the flag-hoisting should take place at Thiruvullakkavu Sastha Temple, the Valiyavilakku at Peruvanam Temple, and the Arattu ceremony at Arattupuzha, located in Vallachira.

When the Deva Mela began at Arattupuzha, importance was given to Arattupuzha Sastha, the host deity; Thriprayar Thevar, who held the leading position in the Deva Mela; Urakam Ammathiruvadi; and Cherpu Bhagavathi.

The route through which Thriprayar Thevar travelled to participate in the Arattupuzha Deva Mela is still known as Thevar Road. There is also a paddy field named after Thevar.

Over time, due to disputes and rivalry among the Ooralans, several deities stopped being brought to Arattupuzha. Later, Sakthan Thampuran, who ruled the Kingdom of Cochin, encouraged and supported the beginning of the Thrissur Pooram, including the deities from the Thrissur region. Subsequently, Poorams were organised in several other places in central Kerala.

The festival that was held in Peruvanam in ancient times became the source of the Poorams that are still celebrated in various places in Thrissur district.

Even during the period of royal rule after the Perumal period, this village and its temple continued to have an important place in history. The local kings and the landlord nobles who supported them considered participation in the administration of the temple and its properties a matter of prestige.

Until the 18th century, the Zamorin's threat of war continuously affected Cochin. Around 1750, the Zamorin occupied most of the present-day Thrissur district, including the Peruvanam region. Thus, the administration of Peruvanam Temple came under the Zamorin.

The Zamorin repaired and renovated the Sreekovil. Later, with the help of Travancore, the King of Cochin defeated the Zamorin. As a reward, the temple properties that had been under the control of the Paravur King, who had administered the temple, came under the Travancore King. Peruvanam Temple subsequently came under the joint administration of the Cochin and Travancore Kings.

Today, the name Peruvanam has been restricted mainly to the temple and the area surrounding it.

Urakam, situated south of Peruvanam, was once a centre of urban development. Since it was probably the most important area at that time, it may have received its name from the term meaning “the elevated village” or “the inner part of the village.” Historical records indicate that Urakam was older and had a richer tradition than the nearby villages of Peruvanam and Cherpu.

The Bhagavathi Temple here is very ancient. It is mentioned in ancient works such as Kokila Sandesam by Uddanda Sastrikal. There is evidence that the temple was not merely a place of worship but also served as a resting place and meeting place for travellers.

Later, when conflicts increased among the Namboothiris who controlled the temple administration, it is said that one group brought the Bhagavathi deity to Cherpu and installed it there. This is believed to be the origin of the Cherpu Bhagavathi Temple.

The major government offices in Cherpu, including the Panchayat Office, Village Office and Police Station, were situated at Urakam until 1940. During the following decade, all of them were shifted to the northern side of Thayamkulangara, west of Peruvanam Temple.

Thus, the areas of Peruvanam, Urakam and Cherpu, which experienced the changes from Perumal rule to royal rule, gradually became famous as an agricultural region.

On the lands controlled by landlords such as Chittoor Mana and Kirangattumana, the agricultural fields known as Tarasham were created through the hard labour of tenant workers who were formerly treated as slaves. The wetlands of Chenam became kole lands. These paddy fields extended westward from Cherpu up to Pazhuvil.

Thus, Cherpu became known as a rice-producing region.

There were several progressive-minded people in Cherpu who believed in Gandhian principles and participated in the freedom struggle. Mahatma Gandhi spoke at the temple grounds at Cherpu Mekkavu on 17 January 1934. From then onwards, the ground came to be known as Mahatma Maidanam.

Later, in 1948, the Gandhi Mandapam was constructed at the place where Gandhi had delivered his speech.

During the period when Shanmukham Chetty was the Diwan of Cochin, Dr. A. R. Menon became a minister in 1938 as a representative of the Cochin Congress. Considering the cultural traditions and public needs of Cherpu, he provided the necessary assistance to establish a Village Development Centre at Perumpillissery.

Various cottage industries such as spinning, khadi weaving, soap making, paper making and beekeeping were established at this centre. Thus, Cherpu became known as the Wardha of the Cochin Kingdom.

After independence, a primary school and a teacher-training school were started there as the beginning of vocational education. The teacher-training programme was later discontinued by the government. The present Government High School was established afterwards.

When the Cochin Rajya Praja Mandalam was formed in 1939 under the leadership of V. R. Krishnan Ezhuthachan, many people from Cherpu joined and worked in the organisation.

Under the Panchayat Reorganisation Act of 1951, Panchayat elections were held in 1953, and M. K. Menon, who had been a Praja Mandalam worker, became the President.

When general elections were held in Travancore-Cochin in 1954, the Cherpu area was known as Urakam Constituency. Joseph Mundassery won from this constituency.

After the formation of Kerala, in the 1957 election, the Cherpu area was included in the Manalur Constituency. Mundassery won that election as well and became the Education Minister when the first Communist Ministry came to power.

It was only with the 1972 election that the constituency containing Cherpu Panchayat received the name Cherpu.

The Land Reforms Act permanently removed the system of landlords and intermediaries from Kerala. When the law came into effect, conflicts arose between landlords and tenants in many parts of Kerala, requiring intervention by the police and courts.

Cherpu also had landlords who controlled large areas of land, forced tenants to perform slave labour, and considered this a symbol of their status. Police intervention and conflicts also occurred here.

Most of the agricultural land in this area was under the control of the families of Cheruvathur, Chittoor, Kirangatt, Thekkedath, Mazhamangalath, Tharananelloor and Karipperimana.

CULTURAL HISTORY

The Thiruvullakkavu Sastha Temple, which has been praised for centuries as a centre of learning, is famous. It is said that the great poet Changampuzha began his literary journey here.

Even today, on Vidyaramabha Day, thousands of children are brought here to write their first letters.

Parol Kavu, known as Parakkovil, was once a Jain centre filled with rocky formations and caves. Although it has now become a busy residential area, remnants of its past can still be seen.

In ancient times, Mithranandapuram Temple, west of Perumpillissery, was a centre for the study of the Vedas.

The Thayamkulangara Temple, together with the houses on both sides in front of it, is evidence of Cherpu's ancient civilisation. The Pooya festival held at this temple is one of the oldest Pooya celebrations in central Kerala.

At the Koothambalam of Peruvanam Temple, which is closely connected with the history of Cherpu, ancient art forms such as Koothu and Koodiyattam have been performed for centuries.

Cherpu is also a land of artists who are skilled in playing temple instruments such as Idakka, Chenda and Maddalam.

There are two old Christian churches in Cherpu: St. Xavier's Church in the Chovvoor area and St. Antony's Church in Cherpu.

There is also a church in Perinchery, which was established in 1906 after separating from Ollur Church.

The Juma-ath Mosque in the Cheruchennam area is a very old Muslim place of worship. It is more than a century old.

There are Muslim places of worship at Pottuchira, two places in Urakam, and Ettumuna.

A rural library was established at Urakam in 1937.

The period from 1950 to 1965 was a time when folk-art organisations flourished in Kerala. During this period, several folk-art organisations were also formed in Cherpu.