THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Here is an interesting historical nugget. In the 18th century, Vazhayila, the Thiruvananthapuram locality sandwiched between northern Peroorkada and southern Karakuram, used to be en route to major ancient highways that connected Thiruvananthapuram to Chenkotta in Tamil Nadu.
What’s more interesting is how the place got its name. Historians say until a few centuries ago, the place was known as Thuruthummoola Muri. Covered in vegetation, the secluded, sprawling ground lay on the boundary area of the Nedumangad-Peroorkada stretch.
It were the merchants that used to travel to the market in Peroorkada daily to sell their agrarian products who named the place Vazhayila. “The place was earlier called Thuruthummoola as thuruth meant isolated place or land. Ponds, paddy fields and rocks dotted the landscape.
The name was changed to Vahzayila, by merging ‘Vazhiyidevakkile eela’ meaning the ‘paddy land near the path’ (In Malayalam, ‘vazhi’ means path and ‘eela’ means paddy). In those days, a majority of places in the Travancore region had paddy fields,” said historian M G Sashibhooshan.
Vazhayila is also popular for another landmark, a local tourist spot called Aduppukoottan para which has an old rock quarry that is owned by the public works department. The place got its name due to the shape of three big rocks in the area that together resemble a hearth. Even the rocks hold historical significance, says Sashibhooshan.
“While the Padmanabhaswamy temple was being renovated during the reign of Marthandavarama king, the rocks used to construct the ‘sheeveli mandapam’ were brought from Adduppukootan para. The rocks were taken to sculptors at the Peroorkada market who shaped and designed them to make them suitable for construction.
Aduppukoottan para provides a scenic view of the western ghats and the Arabian Sea from the top,” says Sashibhooshan. He adds that there is a folklore that Aduppukoottan para was used by Bheema to cook food. “However, it is less believable,” he says.
What’s in a name
Weekly column on the history of place names. Got any suggestions? Write to cityexpresskoc@newindianexpress.com