THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The name Neyyattinkara came from the river Neyyar, one of the principal rivers in the district. Neyyar river originates from the Agastya Mala and meets the Arabian Sea at Poovar. There are many stories about how Neyyattinkara got its name. However, a majority of them surround the river.
It is also the hometown of many prominent personalities, including veteran poet and writer V Madhusoodanan Nair and actor Jagadish. Madhusoodanan has always praised his hometown and the beauty of the Neyyar river. He once said the water of the river was like pure ghee.
Neyyattinkara was once a battlefield where the King Marthanda Varma fought with the Ettuveetil Pillas. The place was famous for a giant jackfruit tree called ‘Ammachi Plavu.’ “During the war, the king was surrounded by enemies from all sides. To rescue himself from the attack, the king took refuge in a hole of Ammachi Plaavu,” says the historian Naduvattam Gopalakrishnan.
Talking about another famous landmark, the Sree Krishna Swamy temple, he added, “There is a belief that a small boy, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, helped the king find the safe place. In gratitude, the king built the temple in the heart of Neyyattinkara.” Neyyattinkara is the land that upholds the great history of freedom struggle. The famous revolutionary Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai was born in Neyyattinkara.
He was one of the loudest voices against Sir C P Ramaswami Iyer’s administration in Travancore. He also criticised the British rule and its atrocities. In 1910, Pillai was arrested and exiled from Travancore.
“The State Congress under the leadership of N K Padmanabha Pillai initiated a strike against Sir C P’s dictatorship as a diwan. They demanded a proper administration with elected representatives under the king. Sir C P tried to suppress the strike using armed force, which resulted in the death of Neyyattinkara Raghavan,” says Gopalakrishnan.