History of Grama Panchayat
Almost all Hindu communities—such as Ezhuthachan, Thandan, Chetti, Panar, Parayar, Nairs, Mannan, Cheruman, Vadukan, Nayadi, Kushavan, Kumbalan, Vishwakarma, Kalarikaniyar, Kuruppu, Aaji, Andhras, Pandaram, and Ezhavas—along with followers of Islam, have been inhabiting this region since ancient times.
The Agrahars (settlements of Brahmins who adopted Tamil as their mother tongue) and the Tharas (traditional residential clusters of each community) have not completely disappeared even today. Unlike other parts of Kerala, a unique feature of this area was that each community lived together in distinct clusters. Every section had its own separate places of worship, ponds, and wells. Celebrations, weddings, and other rituals were conducted exclusively by each group, with no participation from other communities.
With the famous Temple Entry Proclamation of 1936, ripples of change reached Malabar as well. Cultural programs and temple entry campaigns were organized to eradicate social inequalities. Under the leadership of Paruthippulli Sreedhara Kurup, Kunjiraman Nair, and Velappan, the residents of Peringottukurissi actively participated in these agitations, choosing Thiruviolwamala Temple as their central protesting site.
The first Muslim places of worship were established at Njavalkadavu and Pilappulli. The populace here was once deeply entangled in superstitions and outdated beliefs. People believed in the dark powers of Madan, Marutha, Pe, Pretham (ghosts), Mundiyan, Odiyan, Muthan, and Muthi, believing that their favor and blessings must be sought—a belief that persists among some even today. Rituals like blowing air over a person (Oothukal) and chanting mantras over sacred threads were performed to treat cravings, limb pain, fatigue, and physical weakness, practices still continued by a few. Old traditional beliefs regarding remedies for rabies and snakebites linger as well, such as blowing into lemon juice to cure jaundice.
There are also temples dedicated to deities such as Vishnu, Devi, and Vettaikkorumakan. Mundiyan is a unique deity rarely seen in other parts of Kerala. Mundiyan Kavus (groves) involve a tradition of worshipping stone or wooden figures carved in the shape of a buffalo, placed under trees or raised platforms (Eel, Aalthara, Champakathara). People pray here for the welfare and prosperity of their farmlands and livestock, often performing animal sacrifices.
Festivals are celebrated at the beginning of the Malayalam month of Medam. Traditional figures like Kathirukala and Poykkuthira, which once saw enthusiastic participation from farmers and agricultural laborers, have today given way to brass bands and modern musical ensembles. Even now, inside temple premises, traditional temple arts are preserved, while performances like Kathaprasangam, dramas, or social ballets are rarely staged; instead, rituals like Pana, Pattu, and Bhagavathi Pattu are regularly performed.
Regarding attire, in the early days, children wore simple loincloths (Kaupinam) or single towels (Thorthu). Backward classes and Scheduled Castes were not permitted to wear clean white dhotis; quality dhotis, sarees, and blouses were reserved exclusively for forward and upper castes. Women working in the fields were forbidden from covering their upper bodies. It was only with the growth of the Freedom Movement and the national campaigns that spread alongside it that these denials of basic rights came to an end. Today, clothing preferences have evolved into various modern fashions. In earlier times, palm-leaf umbrellas (Pattakkuda) were used during rains, though that traditional industry has now collapsed completely.
Traditional folk art forms of the backward communities, such as Malamakkali, Kolkali, Aaryanmalkali, and Poothan-Thira, are currently on the decline. During temple festivals, people only occasionally get the opportunity to enjoy forms like Kathaprasangam, classical dance performances (Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam), mythologically based social-musical ballets, Ottan Thullal, and Kathakali.
During the nationwide independence movement, Kunhiraman Nair of Puthan Veedu was the first from this area to join the National Freedom Struggle in 1905. An educated man, he was the first freedom fighter from the Peringottukurissi Panchayat. Many others from this Panchayat also participated in the freedom movement, including those who joined the Indian National Army (INA). Inspired by the national movement, Kunhiraman Nair initiated the renaissance of Peringottukurissi.
The un-aided school he established in 1908 later became a Board School and currently functions as the Government L.P. School in Peringottukurissi. He served as its first teacher as well. He actively promoted a social-educational framework to counter the prevalent untouchability and social evils of that era, holding the firm belief that everyone deserved an education. Furthermore, by organizing community feasts (Samoohasadhya) inside his ancestral home (Nalukettu), he invited the wrath of the upper-caste elite. Understanding that social unity was essential to rally people behind the national movement, he took these bold steps despite the upper-caste leadership declaring an excommunication (Bhrashtu) against him.
He also promoted adult education. Children who had previously studied in informal village schools (Kudippallikoodam) under traditional tutors (Nilathezuthashans) began enrolling in formal schools from 1908 onwards. In 1909, Subrahmanya Iyer (popularly known as Chippamani Iyer) of Mepadam Koottala Matham started the first school in Choolanoor. Tharoor Unnalachan was one of its early teachers. His relative, Tharoor Konikkal Edathil T.E. Kunjukombi Achan—who was also a freedom fighter—purchased the school, replaced its thatched-roof structure with a tiled building with the support of locals, and personally visited households to enroll and teach children. Choolanoor K.A.N.U.P. School was the first in this Panchayat to be upgraded to an Upper Primary School. It was also through the efforts of T.E. Kunjukombi Achan that a post office was established here.
In 1913, Balakrishnan Nair of Odungatt Puthan Veedu started a single-teacher school in Paruthippulli, which is today's A.L.P. School Paruthippulli. After 1915, the Thottakkara A.L.P. School was founded by Tholanur Kuttikrishna Kurup, who also served as its first teacher. Gopalan Master and Appunni Master later relocated the school to another site. When that school was destroyed in a fire, it was restarted in a tiled building at its present location.
In the 1940s, numerous people from this Panchayat participated in the Anti-Imperialism Day called by the Congress party. Alongside the national movement, farmers and agricultural workers began organizing in this Panchayat during the 1940s. The agitation initially launched by female farmworkers for the right to cover their upper bodies eventually grew into a broader resistance against feudalism and landlordism, adding strength to the Indian independence struggle.
In response to Mahatma Gandhi's call, Kunjiraman Nair and Velappan from this Panchayat participated in temple entry movements. Agitations were also organized locally to secure rights for Scheduled Castes and backward communities to walk on public roads, draw water from public wells, bathe in public ponds, and worship in temples. The local populace actively participated in countless struggles inspired by the ideals of Sree Narayana Guru, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Chattampi Swamikal.
The efforts of the Desamangalam Mana in the local cultural and artistic domain are highly commendable. They organized Kathakali, Koodiyattam, Ottan Thullal, and dance performances for the general public, and even established an art center (Kalakshetram) in their own courtyard to help common people learn these arts. While these initiatives were warmly embraced with great enthusiasm in the early days, they gradually faded away over time.
In 1957, with the passage of legislation preventing land evictions as a precursor to abolishing the leasehold system (Patta), the slogan "Land to the Tiller" began to take permanent root. Between 1957 and 1971, various legal reforms in Kerala—notably the Education Bill and the Agrarian Land Reforms Bill—brought significant transformations to social life. Consequently, children from underprivileged communities, who had previously been excluded, began flowing enthusiastically into formal schools. Today, Government High Schools, two Upper Primary schools, three Lower Primary schools, and several Pre-Primary schools operate within this Panchayat.
In the realm of healthcare, traditional medicine was historically predominant in this Panchayat, featuring practices in Ayurveda, Homeopathy, and Visha Vaidyam (toxicology/snakebite treatment). The first Allopathic hospital in the Panchayat was established through the dedicated efforts of the Kairali Kala Samithi.
Regarding transport, the only early facility available was the railway system, with people relying on the nearby Mangkara railway station for travel. In 1946, the Palakkad-Peringottusseri charcoal/diesel bus service (Kari Bus) began operating. Bull-drawn carts and horse carriages—the primary early modes of transit—were gradually replaced by petrol and diesel vehicles. KSRTC buses started running through Peringottukurissi around 1970.
The primary school established in 1908 was the earliest school in this locality. Gradually, facilities were arranged for boys and girls to sit separately, and the institution was later upgraded to an Upper Primary School. As noted, formal schooling in Choolanoor commenced in 1909. Schools regularly organized literary societies (Sahithya Samajam), sports and arts competitions, and annual day celebrations. Children from all communities studied together in the classrooms. In the early days, mats and benches were used for seating, and the majority of students belonged to upper castes, though this slowly changed over time. Early primary education lacked the modern network of nurseries, Gurukulam systems, or traditional Ashan Kalaris. Education during that era was mostly accessible to higher communities, while lower castes were primarily engaged in grazing livestock, transporting manure to fields, and other manual labor, with their children naturally joining their parents' occupations.