Aranmula Ponnamma

Aranmula Ponnamma (8 April 1914 – 21 February 2011) was a National Award winning Malayalam film actress known for her roles as mother of the protagonist in numerous films. She was widely described as a mother figure in Malayalam cinema.

Early life

Ponnamma was born as one of five children of Malethu Kesava Pillai and Parukutty Amma in Aranmula, Pathanamthitta, Travancore. She has four siblings, Ramakrishna Pilla, Pankiyamma, Bhaskara Pilla, Thankamma. She started her career at the age of 12 as a Carnatic music vocalist. She began by singing before meetings organised by the Hindu Mahamandal on the banks of the Pampa river. At the age of 15, she was appointed as a music teacher in a primary school in Pala, before starting to teach in the senior classes. Later she joined the first batch of students at the Swati Tirunal Music Academy. After the course, she was appointed as the music teacher in Cotton Hill Girls' High School in Trivandrum.

Family

She is married to Late Kochu Krishna Pilla. The couple have a son, Rajashekharan and a daughter, Rajamma.

Aranmula

Aranmula is a temple village in the state of Kerala, India. At a distance of around 116 km from Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala, it is situated on the banks of the holy river Pampa. A centre of pilgrimage from time immemorial and a trade post of eminence, when the river was the chief means of transport, it is near Kozhenchery in Pathanamthitta District. Famous for the famous tourist attraction 'Vallam Kali', boat pageantry, Aranmula is a global heritage site enlisted by the United Nations. It is a sacred site for the Hindus and comprises the central temple of Lord Parthasarathi with a network of temples and sacred groves around. Boat race is part of the temple festival here. Fertile wetlands, locally called Puncha, rich biodiversity and a soothing climate make Aranmula an apex model of the ecofriendly culture of Kerala. The region, as remote sensing maps show, has a rich stock of ground water which feeds the river Pampa and the estuaries like Vembanad. The rice producing belts like Kuttanad downstream benefit from the water cycle. Nearby important towns are Chengannur (10 km), Pathanamthitta (15 km), Pandalam (14 km). The nearest railway station is at Chengannur and airports are in Kochi, India and Thiruvananthapuram. The annual snake boat race on the Pampa river attracts devotees and also national and international tourists. Fifty two Karas, from ancient chieftains, own the snake boats that take part in the boat races and these are considered as the vehicles of the Lord. Aranmula is also famous for its metal mirrors, known as Aranmula kannadi. The palace at Aranmula ( Aranmula Kottaram) built mostly in wood is an architectural marvel and has a history of around 200 years. It was here that the 'Thiru Abharanam', ornaments of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala, were originally kept and it still is a stop over of the annual procession from Pandalam.