ASSIGNMENT 

THE LAND-HUMAN RELATIONSHIP

IN KUTTANAD

LIJU THOMAS

Table of Contents

Sl. No

Contents Page No.

1 Introduction 1

2 Historical Back ground of Kuttanad 1

3 Divisions 2

4 The major Villages in Kuttanad 2

5 Backwater Paddy Cultivation 3

6 Thottappili Spilway 4

7 Notable Natives and Residents 5

8 Politics 5

9 Conclusion 6

10 References 6

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Introduction

Kuttanadu is a region in the Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam Districts,

in the state of Kerala, India, well known for its picturesque vast paddy fields and its

geographical peculiarities. It's the region with the lowest altitude in India, and one of

the few places in the world where farming is carried out below sea level. It’s also one

of the historically important places in the ancient history of South India.It is the major

rice granary of Kerala, where vast stretches of verdant paddy fields are interlaced with

enchanting backwaters create some of the unforgettable sights.

Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala is all about an agrarian community, striking a

chord of harmony with its physical setting. Noted for its farming below sea level

(about 4 to 10 feet) the land of Kuttanad possesses a socio-cultural fabric of its own.

Four major rivers in Kerala viz. Pampa, Meenachil, Achankovil and Manimala flow

into the region.

Historical Background of Kuttanad

There is no recorded history on the origin of this land. But the oral history

among local people, transferred from generation to generation is a blend of myths and

legends. There is a reference to Kuttanad in the epic Mahabharata of ancient India. In

those days, Kuttanad was part of a dense forest, later destroyed by a forest fire which

is also mentioned in the epic. Thus the place was named 'Chutta'(burnt) 'nad'(place). In

the course of time Chuttanad became Kuttanad. One can still see 'kari' or coal if we

dig deep into the soil of Kuttanad, pointing to the fact that the place was once a forest,

destroyed by wild fire. In Kuttanad most of the place names end in kari. Some familiar

place names are Ramankary, Puthukkary, Oorukkary, Mithrakary, Mampuzhakary,

Kainakary, Chathurthiakary and Chennamkary. It is also said that kuttanadu was once

under the sea. The proof is the land is flourished with seashells.

During the reign of Chera dynasty that ruled over ancient Kerala, Kuttanadu

attained an important place in the history. One of the powerful kings in the

dynasty, Cheran Chenguttavan is said to have ruled his vast kingdom from Kuttanadu.

It was also a famous centre of Buddhism. Another version for the name is, a Buddhist

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centre by the name Buddhanad existed in this place, which later gave its name to the

place and thereby Kuttanadu.

Divisions

The Kuttanad region is categorised into:

Lower Kuttanad Upper Kuttanad North Kuttanad

Lower Kuttanadu comprises taluks of Ambalapuzha taluk, Kuttanadu (excluding

Edathua, Thalavady and Muttar, and the northern half of Karthikapally taluk in

Alappuzha district).

Upper Kuttanad comprises Veeyapuram village in Karthikapally taluk, Edathua,

Thalavady, Kidangara and Muttar in Kuttanad taluk; Chennithala village in

Mavelikkara, Mannar, Kuruttissery, Budhanur, Ennakkad villages in Chengannur

taluk of Alappuzha district and Parumala, Kadapra, Niranam, Pulikeezhu, Peringara,

Chathenkeri, Nedumpuram villages of Thiruvallain Pathanamthitta district.

North Kuttanad comprises Vaikom taluk, western parts of Kottayam taluk, and

western parts of Changanacherry taluk inKottayam district.

The Major Villages In Kuttanad

A few of the major villages which form Kuttanad are Kainakary, Ramankary,

Puthukkary, Chennamkary, Nedumudi, Niramom, Kaipuzha, Kumarakom, Edathua,

Mampuzhakkary, Neelamperoor, Kainady, Kavalam, Pulincunnoo, Kannady,

Veliyanadu, Veeyapuram, Vezhapra, Kunnamkary, Kumaramkary, Valady,

Kidangara, Mithrakary, Muttar, Neerattupuram, Thalavadi, Changankary,

Champakulam, Nedumudi, Moonnatummukham, Melpadom, Payippad, Karichal,

Ayaparambu, Anary, Vellamkulangara, Pilappuzha, Pandi, Edathua, Pacha,

Chekkidikad, Thakazhy, Cheruthana, Karuvatta, Chennithala, Narakathara, Venattuka

d, Kayalppuram,Mankompu, Chathurthiakary, Manalady, Koduppunna, Oorukkary,

Thayankary, Thiruvarpu, Pullangadi and payattupakka among others.

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Backwater Paddy Cultivation

The major occupation in Kuttanadu is farming. Rice is the important

agricultural product, giving Kuttanadu the moniker of "The Rice Bowl of Kerala".

Three crops are grown every year now instead of the traditional practice of two crops

per year. Large farming areas near Vembanad Lake were actually reclaimed from the

lake. The history of the paddy cultivation in Kuttanad can be traced back to centuries.

The evolution of paddy cultivation in Kuttanad was correlated to the technological

advancement and changes in the regulatory frame-work existed during the 19th and

20th centuries. In the earlier times, the reclamation was done mainly from the shallow

part of the Vembanadu Lake or from the periphery of river Pamba. These reclamations

constituted small areas of paddy fields called “Padsekharams”.The bailing out of

water from those fields were done manually using water wheels named “Chakram”.

Gradually the manual method used for bailing out of water gave way to steam

engines. there were robbery in kuttanadu at earlier days. it was prohibited by sree

moolam thirunal. Three distinct stages can be identified in the reclamation of kayal

lands from the Vembanad Lake. In the first stage it was carried out by private

entrepreneurs without any financial support from the part of the government. The

‘Pattom Proclamation’ made by the Travencore Kingdom in the year 1865, gave a

great fillip to the reclamation activities between 1865 to 1890.During this period de-

watering of the polders were done manually using waterwheels Chakram) restricting

large-scale reclamations. Only about 250 hectares of land were reclaimed during this

period. Venadu kayal and Madathil Kayal that were reclaimed during this period are

considered as the first ‘Kayal Nilams’ which were reclaimed from the Vembanadu

Lake. These pioneering reclamation activity of kayal cultivation was made by two

brothers Mathai Luka Pallithanam and Ouseph Luka Pallithanambelonging to Kainady

village in Kuttanadu. The period between 1865 and 1890 is usually considered as the

first phase of kayal cultivation.

As the farming in the area increased farmers felt themselves constrained by the

two cycles a year for rice cultivation. The reason for which is the limited availability

of potable water in Kuttanadu. During the monsoon seasons, the water from the

mountains flow through the rivers to the sea, bringing potable water to Kuttanadu. But

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during summer, due to the low level of the region, seawater enters Kuttanadu and

makes the salt content of the water high making it unpotable.

Thottappilli Spillway

This project was designed as a permanent solution to the flood situation in

Kuttanad. This programme was envisaged in such a way that flooded waters from

Pamba, Manimalayar and Achankovil were diverted to the sea before it reached

Vembanad lake. The construction of the Spillway ended by 1959.

In 1968, the government of India proposed that a bund (Dam) be made across

the river so that seawater would not be allowed to come inside Kuttanad during

summer, allowing farmers to cultivate an extra crop per year. The project was planned

in three phases, the south side, the north side and another phase to join the two

sections. The project was delayed and by the time the first two phases were complete

the entire money allotted for the project ran out and left the final phase in limbo. The

farmers who were expecting lots of financial benefits after the completion of the

project decided to take matters into their own hands and one night in 1972, a large

group of farmers filled the gap between the north and the south side with earth. To this

day, the earth embankment between the two sections of the bund remains. With this, it

was possible to close the regulator of shutters during December–June when the saline

water enters, and then open it during monsoon. Once the Thanneermukkam bund and

spillway became operational two crops were possible in Kuttanad.that are chambavu

and karutha charu.

Even though the bund has improved the quality of life of the farmers, the bund

is alleged to have caused severe environmental problems. The backwaters which were

abundant with fish and part of the staple food of the people of the region require a

small amount of salt water for its breeding. The bund has caused deterioration of fish

varieties in the region and the fishermen opposed to the bund as of 2005. The bund

has also disrupted the harmony of the sea with the backwaters and has caused

problems not foreseen before the bund like the omniprescence of the water weeds.

Earlier the salt water tends to cleanse the backwaters but this does not happen any

more leading to the pollution of the backwaters and the entire land nearby.

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Notable Natives And Residents

Pallithanam Luca Matthai - Former member of Sree Moolam Popular Assembly

and pioneer of kayal cultivation in Kuttanad.

John Abraham - Film director

Kunchacko Boban - Film actor and director

Dr. I C Chacko - Physicist and geologist, State Geologist of Travancore State from

1906 to 1921

Thomas Chandy - MLA, politician

Fr. Kuriakose Elias Chavara

Ramesh Chennithala - Politician

Guru Gopinath - Indian classical danceer

Dr.K C Joseph - Ex MLA,

Kunchacko - Film producer and director

Mar Thomas Kurialacherry - Former archbishop

Prof.Oommen Mathew - Ex MLA, politician

Venu Nagavally - Film actor and director

Mankompu Sivasankara Pillai - Kathakali artist of the classical dance-drama's

southern style

Dr. K. Ayyappa Panikkar

Prof. Kavalam Narayana Panikkar

Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai - Novelist, Jnanpith scholar

Nedumudi Venu - Film actor

Vinayan - Film director.

Joseph Pallithanam - Botanist

Thomas Pallithanam - Social activist

Politics

Kuttanad assembly constituency was a part of Alappuzha. After the

Lok Sabha delimitation in 2008, it now belongs to the Mavelikkara constituency.

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Conclusion

Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala is all about an agrarian community, striking a

chord of harmony with its physical setting. Noted for its farming below sea level

(about 4 to 10 feet) the land of Kuttanad possesses a socio-cultural fabric of its own.

Kuttanad has been a centre of attraction for tourist because of the backwaters, the

facilities for boating, the migratory birds, the geographical peculiarities etc. Through

this assignment we can get a clear picture of the Land-Human relationship in

Kuttanad.

References

1. M.S. Swaminathan,FRS (May 2013). "The Kuttanadu Below Sea Level

Farming System, India". FAO Website. p. 8. Retrieved 8 Oct 2013.

2. G S Unnikrishanan Nair (Sep 2013). "Kuttanad; Our Heritage Our

wealth". KERALA CALLING. pp. 16–20. Retrieved 26 Sep 2013.

3. "Assembly Constituencies - Corresponding Districts and Parliamentary

Constituencies". Kerala. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 2008-10-20.