Chettikulangara
Grama Panchayat

Before the formation of the Panchayat in 1962, the areas of Chettikulangara Panchayat were part of Eerezha Village. The Panchayat, which was constituted in 1962, was initially administered by a Special Officer until 1963. In the general election held in December 1963, the first governing committee came to power, and Adv. Kalathil K. Padmanabhan Nair became its President.

In earlier times, the Achan Kovil River and Karippuzha Canal were the major waterways of this region. Through the water route from Achan Kovil River to Kayamkulam, essential commodities were once transported and traded by boats to the Kayamkulam and Karippuzha areas.After the formation of Alappuzha Revenue District, the District Delimitation Committee appointed in 1958 proposed the formation of Chettikulangara Panchayat. Even before the elected Panchayat Committees came into existence in the Thiru-Kochi State in 1951, two local self-government institutions had already been functioning from 1946 onwards. These were the Eerezha Village Union, formed by including parts of the present-day Peringala Village under Chettikulangara Grama Panchayat, and the Kannamangalam Village Union, formed by including parts of Kannamangalam Village. Records also show that, in addition to these, a people’s committee named “Perungala-Kannamangalam Uplift” functioned until 1948 to lead the development activities of Peringala and Kannamangalam villages.

In 1951, the Eerezha Village Union was renamed as Perungala Panchayat, and the Kannamangalam Village Union was renamed as Kannamangalam Panchayat. Shri Kokkattu G. Madhavan Pillai, who had been the President of the Eerezha Village Union, continued as the first President of Perungala Panchayat. In the subsequent election, a governing body headed by Shri S. Govinda Kurup came into power and continued administration until 1961. At the same time, Shri M.C. Alexander of Meenathetthil assumed office as the President of the newly formed Kannamangalam Panchayat. After his resignation, Shri P.R. Narayana Panicker of Malayil served as Acting President until 1961.

After the formation of Chettikulangara Grama Panchayat in 1962, the administration functioned under the supervision of a Special Officer until 1963.

Following the general election held in December 1963, the first governing body headed by Adv. Kalathil K. Padmanabhan Nair assumed office on 23-12-1963 and remained in power for a long period of 16 years. In the 1979 election, a governing body headed by Adv. Kannimel Narayanan came to power. Following his resignation from the post of President on 31-01-1984, Shri K. Raghavan Nair of Puthenpurackal was elected President and continued in office until 28-09-1984. For the subsequent 40 months, the Panchayat administration functioned under the supervision of a Special Officer as per Government orders. In January 1988, general elections were held again, and on 06-02-1988, a governing body headed by Shri C. Chandrasekharan Pillai assumed office and continued until 03-10-1995.

Before independence, a major portion of the land was owned by a few landlord families. In the early days, farmers mainly focused on paddy cultivation. The major varieties of paddy cultivated during that period were Champavu, Kochuvithu, Mundakan, and Njavara. For irrigation, canals and ponds were protected by constructing bunds and planting screw pine along the boundaries. A traditional method of irrigation was practiced in the paddy fields, where water was lifted and drained using manually operated water wheels.

In the fallow paddy fields, crops such as sesame, green gram, and horse gram were cultivated as intercrops. The farmers of this region also showed great interest in cultivating medicinal plants.

The Chettikulangara Bharani Market is a famous marketplace in the area. Chettikulangara Temple, Sreenarayanapuram Temple, Vadakkan Kovil Devi Temple, Orthodox Syrian Church, Kannamangalam St. Andrews Mar Thoma Church, Karippuzha Salem Mar Thoma Church, and Karippuzha St. George Orthodox Church are some of the ancient Christian places of worship in the region.Geography and Resources

Most parts of the Panchayat consist of clay mixed soil, while the eastern regions have sandy alluvial soil. Seasonal flooding in the puncha fields located in the western part of the Panchayat helps in the deposition of alluvial soil. In general, the village has fertile soil. The area experiences both southwest and northeast monsoon climatic conditions. The rainfall received through the Edavapathi and Thulavarsham monsoons is higher than the state average. The region is mostly plain land. Coconut, paddy, banana, arecanut, pepper, tapioca, pulses, and vegetables are the major crops cultivated here.

The Panchayat experiences the southwest monsoon during June, July, and August; the northeast monsoon during September, October, and November; moderate climate during December, January, and February; and hot weather during March, April, and May. The landscape mainly consists of paddy fields and homesteads. Although the village is not situated on the seashore, the sound of waves from the Arabian Sea can sometimes be heard during the silence of late nights, similar to nearby Panchayats. Water for drinking and bathing is abundantly available here. The region is generally free from extreme floods and droughts.

Based on the geographical features, the Panchayat area can be divided into three categories: coastal plain homesteads, low-lying paddy fields, and puncha lands. Most areas contain sandy soil with good drainage, while other regions have sandy clay and loamy soils. In general, two types of soil are found in the Panchayat: sandy soil and clay soil.

Basic Sectors

One of the major industries in Chettikulangara Panchayat is brick manufacturing. Several of the prominent brick manufacturing centers in Alappuzha district are located here. A study of the history of land ownership in the Panchayat shows that, in earlier times, most of the landlords were agriculturists. The major share of agricultural land was under their ownership, and a large portion of the total land area consisted of paddy fields.

Traditional coconut varieties were cultivated in earlier days. The paddy fields were mainly owned by landlords. Over time, paddy cultivation became less profitable. The Kayamkulam–Thattarambalam Road and the Thattarambalam–Harippad Road are the main roads in the Panchayat with bus services. The Kayamkulam–Kottayam railway line and the Kayamkulam–Alappuzha railway line also pass through this Panchayat.