Kanam (Kerala)

Kanam is a small place in Kottayam district of Kerala. It is approximately 25 km from Kottayam Town on the way to Kumily road, 2 km from Kodungoor Junction (Vazhoor).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Kanam had a population of 3400. Males constitute 47% of the population and females 53%. Kanam has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 75%. In Kanam, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Story of Kanam

Originally Kanam kara of Kangazha muri, Vazhoor village of Changanacherry taluk in Kottayam Dist, Kerala, belonged to Edappally Swaroopam. There was a Bhagavathy (Mother goddess) temple in Kanam. Edappally Thampuran had a consort in the Payikad Kaimal’s family and when Thampuran died, she returned to Kanam with the documents relating to the properties. Therefore, the Edappally Swaroopam, the family of the Thampuran, never cared to look after the Bhagavathy temple and the properties. The temple was in a dilapidated condition. The ruins of the temple were removed by the newly came Christians and they settled in the Southern parts of Kanam. The temple tank, known as “Amrutham Chira”, which was used to irrigate the nearby paddy fields was filled up and converted into paddy field. The northern and western parts of Kanam were bought from the Kutaluvally Namboothiri by the aristocratic Vellala family of Thundathil.

Kerala

Kerala (/ˈkɛrələ/), historically known as Keralam, is a state in South India on the Malabar coast. It was formed on 1 November 1956 following the States Reorganisation Act by combining Malayalam-speaking regions. Spread over 38,863 km² (15,005 sq mi), it is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west. With 33,387,677 inhabitants as per the 2011 Census, Kerala is the thirteenth largest state by population and is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken and the official language of the state.

The region was a prominent spice exporter since 3000 BCE. The Chera Dynasty was the first prominent kingdom based in Kerala, though it frequently struggled against attacks by the neighbouring Cholas and Pandyas. In the 15th century, the spice trade attracted Portuguese traders to Kerala, and paved the way for the European colonisation of India. After independence, Travancore and Cochin joined the Republic of India and Travancore-Cochin was given the status of a state in 1949. In 1956, Kerala state was formed by merging Malabar district, Travancore-Cochin (excluding four southern taluks), and the taluk of Kasargod, South Kanara.

Kerala (moth)

Kerala is a genus of moths of the Nolidae family.

Species

References

Kerala Kingdom

Keralas or Udra Keralas are a mythical dynasty mentioned in Sanskrit epics of ancient India. In Mahabharata, the Keralas rule over a kingdom which took part in the Kurukshetra War on the side of the Pandavas. According to the Puranas, the navigators and survivors of the Yadavas of Dwaraka also settled in Kerala later, resulting in the cult of Krishna worship. And some remnants of the Sinhalas of Sri Lanka and of the Naga culture are also found here.

This Kerala Kingdom has been identified with the Chera kingdom, which existed from the 5th century BC to the 12th century AD in present-day Kerala state and Tamil Nadu in South India. The Pandyas, Cheras and the Cholas were mentioned in Tamil literature (consisting of Silappatikaram, Tirukkural etc.), complementing their mention in the existing Sanskrit literature (constituted by the Puranas, Vedas, Ramayana and the Mahabharata).

Legend of King Mahabali

Remembrance of King Mahabali

The modern people of Kerala, a Southern state of India, celebrate the legend of King Mahabali who it is believed, was the Emperor of Bharatavarsha in pre-ancient times, several eons ago. The biggest festival of Kerala is Onam, celebrated in the remembrance of King Mahabali. Mahabali was described in ancient Indian texts as belonging to the Asura clan of Kings.