Irinjalakuda

Irinjalakuda is a Municipal town in Thrissur district, Kerala, India.Irinjalakuda is headquarters of Mukundapuram Taluk.

History

According to Hindu mythology, Irinjalakuda was created by sage Parasurama. According to Keralolpatthi, out of the 64 gramas (villages) established in Kerala( Out of these 32 Malayala Gramas & one Thulu grama viz.Manjeswaram are in the present Kerala and 31 Thulu Gramas in the coastal Karnataka.), Irinjalakuda was the head of 10 of them. Irinjalakuda was one of the most prominent among these villages. Like the other villages this 'Grama' also followed the 'Chathurvarnia' system of society with some Kerala model variations which lay upon caste system based on the 'Manusmruthi'.

The name Irinjalakuda has been derived from "Iru" and "Chaal", meaning two streams. According to another legend, the origin of the name Irinjalakuda came from 'Irinjalikoodal'. 'Koodal' simply means merge, merging of two rivers. Two streams that start, one from Kurmalipuzha and move through Konthipulam at North whereas the other from Kudapuzha, that belongs to Chalakudypuzha,and move through, in between Chalakudy and Potta,South of Aloor desom,Thazhekkad,in between Avittathur and Pullur,Velukara at South. Then these two streams merge in the West. So it shows that Irinjalakuda may have gradually developed, from 'Irinjalikoodal', that derived from 'Inangikoodal', means merge. At present there is no river in Irinjalakuda, only the myth of river.