KOCHI: A two-kilometre detour from the Kochi-Salem highway in Angamaly leads one to a small town called Puliyanam. This quaint area is popular for its green cover dominated by tamarind trees.
“The area once had a canopy of tamarind trees (puli maram) and was gradually called ‘Pulivanam.’ Later the term got colloquialised to Puliyanam,” says T C Alias, a resident.
The locals also cite another reason for the origin of the name Puliyanam. As narrated by them, the area was inhabited by leopards (puli) once. “Thus, Puli-vanam. Vanam in Malayalam means forest. Alongside the eastern border of Puliyanam, in a place called Peechanikad, lies the Puliyanam rubber producers’ society. Nearby, there is a lanky rock which is 20 meters long and equally wide. There are stories of people spotting a leopard and its cubs inside a small cavern beneath the rock.
“People started to refer to this rock as Pulikkallu, which eventually transitioned into Pulivanam or leopard’s forest,” says Alias. He also highlights that the places around Puliyanam also got their name due to the presence of animals.
“Take Peechanikad for example, it facilitated the habitat of elephants earlier. Elephants are fond of thickets called Eachakkad. This is believed to have led to the formation of Peechanikad. Mayiladumpara and Pannithadam are the other names,” he says.
Puliyanam is popular for the production of granite. Rocks were abundantly present in regions such as Puliyanam and Mambra. It is generally referred to as Puliyanam Kallu, and was widely used in the making of temples and idols of deities. There used to be about 50 quarries functioning here once. “Once people realised that minerals were much more profitable than paddy cultivation, quarries mushroomed. However, over time, their number became fewer. Now, there’s barely one or two left,” Alias adds.
Besides the quarry, the people of Puliyanam relied majorly on areca nuts as well. “It was an important source of income. Back then, the nuts were dried in centres in Puliyanam, Vattapparambu, and Elavoor. After the drying process, these were transported via bullock carts to prominent areca nut markets in Thrissur and Kunnamkulam,” says entrepreneur and Puliyanam citizen Joby Melappilly.
Notable landmarks
Chirakkal Mahadeva temple and Bhadrakali Mattappilly temple are the significant landmarks of Puliyanam. The latter is believed to be among the 108 temples built by Parasuram. Initially, the place belonged to Mattappilly Mana but later, the ownership was transferred to Travancore Devaswom Board.
“Mattappilly family is said to be one of the earliest residents of Puliyanam. In 1947, the elder of Mattappilly, Devan Vasudevan Nambudirippad, set up a primary school which later became the Government HSS Puliyanam,” says drama artist Puliyanam Poulose.
What’s in a name
Weekly column on the history of place names. Got any suggestions? Write to xpresskochi@gmail.com