Kuttanad History

History of Kuttanad

There is no recorded history on the origin of this land. But the oral history among local people, transferred from generation to generation is a blend of myths and legends.Kuttanadu has a long history and it is an important site in the history of South India.There is reference to Kuttanad in the epic Mahabharata of ancient India. During their exile, the five Pandava princes are said to have traveled through this land. In those days, Kuttanad was part of a kandavavanam which was later destroyed by a forest fire there by getting the name chuttanadu .It is said that in course of time Chuttanad became Kuttanad.Kari or coal can still be seen in the paddy field if we dig deep into the soil , pointing to the fact that the place was once a forest, destroyed by wild fire. While digging paddy field , well etc. people still gets burnt woods which are locally known as ‘kaandaa maram’. In Kuttanad most of the place names end in kary. For instance a place in kutanadu called pandankary got it from pandava and kari.Some familiar Ramankary, Thayankari, Puthukkary, Oorukkary, Mitrakkary, changamkery, Mampuzhakkary.

Some say the word Kuttanadu derived from the malayalam phrase ” Kuttan Kuthia nadu”. kuthuka means digging the soil and kuttan is the person who digs it.Kuttanadu is the land made by Kuttans, who formed the land by digging the soil below the surface of water .It is said that about 23,105 ha land has been reclaimed from the lake and was converted into vast paddy fields .The Pallava Kings were the primary rulers of the place for many years. During the reign of Chera dynasty that ruled over ancient Kerala, Kuttanad attained an important place in history. One of the powerful kings in the dynasty Cheran Chenguttavan is said to have ruled his vast kingdom from Kuttanad, when it was also a famous centre of Buddhism. here is another version for its place name.The Buddhist Centre Buddhanad later became Kuttanad.