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History of Edappal

History

Edappal was one of the oldest market centres in the Malabar region. It served as a major trading centre as well as a collection and processing hub for agricultural produce and hill products. The availability of boat transportation through the backwaters, which made it convenient to reach Edappal by water, was another factor that contributed significantly to the growth of trade. Edappal is a region with a rich heritage and a reputation preserved through generations of oral traditions.

According to one local legend concerning the origin of the place name, Edappal derived its name from a place situated between or amidst Palayams. The word Palayam is believed to refer to a military camp or a settlement/town. The Thali Temple, Vishnu Temple (Kodalil Ambalam), and Bhagavathi Temple (Kulankara) are located in association with Kottakunnu, which is believed to have possibly served as a military camp. The famous Sukapuram Temple and the Chambramanam Temple, which had traditional rights of management associated with the ruling families, are also located nearby.

The region was once a vibrant centre for traditional festivals and ancient performing arts. Community-based traditional art forms such as Thira, Poothan, Nayadikali, Kari Neeliyattam, and Pambuthullal were widely practised here. Various traditional folk songs, which reflected the social life and customs of earlier times, were also prevalent in the region.

Edappal was another hill situated between Manoorkunnu and Mookolakkunnu. A large territorial area known as Kunnathunad and a ruling family associated with it existed in this region. In the old traditions and legends of Valluvanad, which included the regions of Ponnani, Tirur, and Perinthalmanna, Edappal is referred to as one of the Palayams.

Edappal also witnessed the Brahmin uprising associated with the village of Chovvara (Sukapuram). Although Sukapuram is now part of Vattamkulam Grama Panchayat, it continues to have historical and cultural connections with Edappal.

It is said that Edappal had considerable commercial importance even before Ponnani developed into a major port. The presence of backwaters and hills transformed Edappal into a distinctive pattern of human settlement. In the early stages, settlements in Edappal developed as isolated tharas and karas, before the establishment of proper roads and major thoroughfares.

Over time, settlements such as Eliyathu Thara, Polpakkara, Puthukkara, Udinikkara Kunnu, Ponkunnu, Cheringal Kunnu, and Kodalil Kunnu (Kottakunnu and Venginikkara) emerged. Later, when administrative authority shifted to the Brahmins, Brahmin settlements such as Chovvara, along with temples and settlements that developed around them, came into existence. This marked the emergence of traditional institutions such as ooru, ooralars, sabhas, Brahmaswam, and Devaswam.

The Ponnani–Palakkad Road, which came into existence many years ago, was an important road that gave considerable impetus to the development activities of the Panchayat. Modern transportation in the region began in the mid-1930s, when a coal-powered bus travelled from Ponnani through Edappal market.

During the 1950s, tonnes of copra arrived at Thalamunda in Edappal Panchayat from the Vannari and Ponnani areas. From the Vannari side, coconuts and copra were transported by boats through the Kannem backwaters. The first oil mill in the Panchayat was the Ganesh Oil Mill, established by Kunchambiswamy.

From the 1970s onwards, Edappal became one of the prominent arecanut trading and processing centres in Kerala. Large-scale collection and processing of arecanuts are carried out in the Ayilakkad area of the Panchayat.