History of Grama Panchayat
The historical importance of this panchayat has been recorded in the book Selected Essays by Chirakkal Balakrishnan Nair, also known as Perum Perumayum. The ruling dynasty of Kolathunadu was called the Mooshika dynasty or Kolaswarupam. The ancient dynasty was founded by a king named Iramakutamoovar (Ramagata Mooshikan in Sanskrit) with Ramanthali as its capital and influenced Kolathunadu. The titles of the kings of the Mooshika dynasty were Rama or Iraman. In addition to Ramanthali, the dynasty also had a sub-capital called Iramam. Iramam is known as Eraman in the course of time.Adjacent to this was the fort of Iramapuram. Although the said fort has been destroyed due to age or other reasons, the area is still known as Ramapuram. This panchayat is home to ancient temples, mosques and kavs. There are 28 temples like Mutukat Kav, Meengkulam Sri Krishna Temple, Vellora Chuzhali Bhagavathy Temple, Karipal Naga, Matamangalam Tripannikunn Shiva Temple, 11 Muslim mosques including Eramam Katekara Muslim Palli, and 4 Christian churches including 40 places of worship. Being the land of the descendants of an ancient people, the regions of Erumam, Kuttur and Vellora have a long cultural heritage. In general, there was division of labor on the basis of caste.Different caste communities lived in groups. Each community was centered around temples and strengthened its social ties. Many such temples can be found in most parts of this panchayat. The historically famous Kadekkarapalli is said to be the holy place where one of the scholars who came from Arabia as religious prophets rests. It is a tradition to light a Neyvilakku here, which is known as a symbol of religious harmony. The sculptures carved with stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata in the Eramam, Muthukattu Kavu temple are attractive to anyone. The tea pots used in these forms, built centuries ago, still exist unfading. During the freedom struggle, the activities of the Congress gained strength here as part of the Indian national movement. The then president of the Chirakkal Taluk Congress Committee was Kuppadakan Kunhiraman Nambiar, a native of Kakkara in this panchayat. Under the leadership of the Yuvak Sangh formed in Kakkara, a public well was dug for people of all castes and religions to draw water and drink. It was completed in 1935 on the occasion of the Congress Golden Jubilee celebrations. In 1936, the hunger march led by A.K.G. to Madras returned and was given a grand reception in Kakkara. In 1937, the Chirakkal Taluk Farmers' Union was formed. The leadership role played by the agrarian movement uplifted the oppressed people of this place.At the same time, it was an anti-caste struggle and a struggle against violent practices like vashi, nushi, vechukanal, kanganipanam, and odikuthal. The community dinner and farmers' meeting held in Eramam, Arayakeel, Kuttur, and Puthiyavayal against casteism and untouchability are unforgettable events in the history of the panchayat. The struggle against the eviction of the families of the Eramam farmers was an event that completely excited the then Payyannur Farkana. This is the land of Kotillon Ram and Vannathan Ram, who fought against the tyranny of the overlord Nayanar in Kuttur Venga, even as individuals, and finally succumbed to feudal intrigues and died. The struggle they waged is a blazing chapter in the history of courageous struggles against feudalism. A.K.G. tells about this incident in his autobiography. Two brave farmers in Kuttoor challenged the tyranny of feudalism. Vannathan Raman and Kotillon Raman. Vannathan Raman did not hesitate to stand up to the landlord and say that if you insult the women of the peasant families, the women in your house will also have no salvation. Neither the landlord nor the landlord's steward had the courage to confront Ram. Finally, he was caught by trickery, beaten, taken to the hospital, and a doctor was hired to cut the tendon in his leg, making him lame. While Kotillon Raman was working on his own farm, he tricked him into taking his knife, knocked him down, and hit his head on a stone. The resistance and subsequent brutal repression that took place in 1946 against the then Purchasing and Rationing Inspector to disrupt the community-ordered meal prepared at the house of Ram, a member of the Vaniya community in Kottilakizhake, Eramat, is a history that no one can forget. When World War II was wreaking havoc across the world, food shortages were rampant in 1948. At that time, there were incidents in Kuttoor and Eramat where the starving people took out the paddy stored in the granaries of the landlords and distributed it. Subsequently, many families had to endure severe suffering, repression and abuse. When panchayats came into existence in Malabar under the Madras Village Panchayat Act, the Kuttoor Village Panchayat with 8 members came into existence in April 1955 and the Eram Village Panchayat with 9 members came into existence in April 1956. The system of voting by show of hands was in force at that time. The people directly elected the president. At that time, the elected members of both the panchayats started the functioning of the panchayats by borrowing money themselves. Paddy cultivation in the hilly areas, known as Punamkrishi, was the main crop in the villages of Kuttoor and Vellora. Pepper cultivation was the main crop among the plantation crops. The panchayat was able to develop a unique culture in the traditional crafts of clay pot making, payan weaving, oil spinning and basket weaving. There was a huge demand for clay papers made of coir even at the taluka level. Stone carving, khadi spinning, woodworking, tailoring, and beedi weaving are the small-scale enterprises scattered here and there in the panchayat.