Pazhayangadi

Pazhayangadi
Payangadi
Town

Madayi Kavu, Pazhayangadi
Pazhayangadi

Location in Kerala, India

Coordinates: 12°1′0″N 75°15′35″E / 12.01667°N 75.25972°E / 12.01667; 75.25972Coordinates: 12°1′0″N 75°15′35″E / 12.01667°N 75.25972°E / 12.01667; 75.25972
Country  India
State Kerala
District Kannur
Government
 • Type Panchayath
 • Body Madayi Grama Panchayath,Ezhome Grama panchayath
Languages
 • Official Malayalam
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 670358,670303
Telephone code 0497
Vehicle registration KL-13 KL-59
Nearest Towns Kannur Payyanur Taliparamba
Lok Sabha constituency Kasaragod
Pazhayangadi Bus Station

Pazhayangadi (aka Pazhayangadi, Malayalam: പഴയങ്ങാടി) is a small township, approximately 22 kilometers north of Kannur town, in the South Indian state of Kerala. In the local language of Malayalam it literally means "Old Market". The town is bounded by the Madayi Hills (Madayipara) on the west and by the Pazhayangadi River on the south. Ezhimala, a range of hills, that is believed to be home to a variety of medical herbs, and a very ancient recorded history, is situated nearly 8km west of Pazhayangadi. Pazhayangadi town is spread over Madayi and Ezhome Panchayaths. Madayi Hill offers a splendid scene of Ezhimala which means a chain of seven mountains, where the Indian Naval Academy is situated.

Known History

From before the period of known history, some chapters of the Ramayana and local Hindu legends associate the Ezhimala Hills with the famous epic, in particular with Lord Hanuman.[1][2]

Ezhimala, Pazhayangadi, and several villages and towns in this region find plenty of mention in the extant Tamil Sangam Period's literature (500 BC to 300 AD). Pazhayangadi is the present corrupted form of its ancient name of Pazhi. Pazhi is mentioned as the ancient capital of King Udayan Venmon Nannan (known as Nannan or Nandan) of the Mushika or Kolathiri Royal Family. Though the Dynasty of Nannans was a cousin or sister dynasty of the Cheras and Pandyas and Cholas, warfare among them was nearly consistent, and the period of Nannan was no exception.[3][4][5][6] There are texts that speak of Nannan fighting heroic battles at Pazhi against the Chera Kings who invaded his kingdom (Kolathunadu). Eventually, Nannan was killed in battle by the Chera king, Narmudi Cheral. Like the other kings of the then Tamilakam cultural polity, Narmudi Cheral was a great patron of scholars and poets, and he once gifted his court-poet, Kappiyattu Kappiyanar with 40 lakhs gold coins, as a token of his poetic genius.

Extant Tamil Sangam texts describe the glory and wealth of the ancient Pazhi in the highest terms.[7] Sangam Era poets, as well as Classical Tamil poets of later centuries, like Paranar speak of the wealth of Pazhi in the greatest degree. One of the Sangam pieces, Akam 173 speaks of "Nannan's great mountain slopes where gold fields abound, and long bamboos dried in the Sun burst and released the unfinished pearls."[8] Noted scholar, Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai states that "It is from Kottayam (of North Malabar) and Cannanore regions of old Ezhimalainad that innumerable Roman (gold) coins have been excavated. On one (single) occasion (gold) coins that could be carried by six porters were obtained. These coins were found to belong to the period down to 491 AD".[9]

The Mooshaka Vamsam, written on the Mushika (Kolathiri) family of Nannan in the Eleventh Century, also mentions Pazhayangadi several times.

Pazhayangadi is just 8 kilometers away from Ezhimalai (Ezhimala) which was the later Capital of the Kolathiri Dynasty. Pazhayangadi is famous for the Madayi Kavu which was a temple associated with the Kolathiris (Mushika Kings). The Madayi village which includes Pazhayangadi, is mentioned as Marahi in extant ancient texts, which was a famous port of the ancient times. Pazhayangadi has a lot of temples, such as the Vadakunda Shiva Templ at Madayi Para, and the Eripuram Sree Krishna Temple. The Tharapuram Sree Durgambika Temple is also a well-known temple at Pazhayangadi; and is well-known for its Kalampattu; the name Tharapuram itself derived from the name of the Goddess Thara (Uchulikadavathu Bagavathi). Sree Durga, along with Yakshiyamma is worshiped here. The recorded history of Pazhayangadi and nearby places which belonged to the Kolathunadu, is described in the book 'Kolathupuzha', written by MP Kumaran.

Economy

Most of the people living in township has a booming presence of commercial activities.

Environmental Movements

Pazhayangadi is well known for environmental movements like Mangrove Conservation and Movement against Sand Mining. Noted environmentalist Kallen Pokkudan is from Pazhayangadi. A woman from Pazhayangadi called Jazeera appeared in a BBC report in 2013 [10] because of her lone fight against Sand Mining in Kerala.

Educational Institutions

Madayi co operative college

Cresent B-pharm college

College of applied sciences (IHRD)

Cresent college of nursing.

Govt ITI Madayi

Madayi Govt boys HSS

Madayi Govt girls HSS

Wadihuda English medium HSS

MECA English medium school.

Fazal e omar public school

Peace public school

Banks

State bank of India

State bank of travancore

Canara bank

Syndicate bank

Punjab national bank

Federal bank

South Indian bank

Vijaya bank

Kerala grameen bank

Kannur district co operative Bank

Pazhayangadi urban co operative bank

Madayi co operative rural bank

Madayi service co operative Bank

Ezhome service co operative bank

Government Institutions

Police station

Sub Treasury

Sub Registrar Office

Sub district Educational Office

Govt Taluk Hospital

KSEB Office

Post Office

Govt Rest House

KSFE


See Also

References

  1. ↑ Ramunny, Murkot (1993-01-01). Ezhimala: The Abode of the Naval Academy. Northern Book Centre. ISBN 9788172110529.
  2. ↑ (India), Kerala; Kareem, C. K. (1976-01-01). Kerala District Gazetteers: Palghat. printed by the Superintendent of Govt. Presses.
  3. ↑ Indian History. Allied Publishers. ISBN 9788184245684.
  4. ↑ Devi, R. Leela (1986-01-01). History of Kerala. Vidyarthi Mithram Press & Book Depot.
  5. ↑ Congress, Indian History (1981-01-01). Proceedings of the Indian History Congress.
  6. ↑ Kal̲akam, Tañcai Tamil̲p Palkalaik (1994-01-01). Glimpses of Tamil civilization: articles from the university quarterly, Tamil civilization. Tamil University.
  7. ↑ Ramunny, Murkot (1993-01-01). Ezhimala: The Abode of the Naval Academy. Northern Book Centre. ISBN 9788172110529.
  8. ↑ Ramunny, Murkot (1993-01-01). Ezhimala: The Abode of the Naval Academy. Northern Book Centre. ISBN 9788172110529.
  9. ↑ Ramunny, Murkot (1993-01-01). Ezhimala: The Abode of the Naval Academy. Northern Book Centre. ISBN 9788172110529.
  10. ↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-24803097
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