THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If Renaissance in Kerala is considered a religion, then ‘Chempazhanthy’ would undoubtedly be one of its nerve centres. It’s the birthplace of Sree Narayana Guru, one of the torchbearers of the social reform movement in the state.
According to historian and author Vellanad Ramachandran, the clues on how the name ‘Chempazhanthy’ came into existence lie in the Paliyam copper plates issued by issued Ay king Vikramaditya Varagunan. The plates that say about the donation of land made by Ay King Vikramaditya Varagunan to the Buddhist vihara Sri Mulavasam date back to the end of the 9th century.
The inscription mentions places like ‘Korpullipazhunji’ and ‘Mandayarpazhunji’ while describing the borders of the donated land, and Ramachandran believes it has strong links with ‘Chempazhanthy’. “I believe Chempazhanthy was earlier known as Chempazhunji,” says Ramachandran. The word ‘Pazhunji’ roughly refers to fermented rice porridge (pazham Kanji), and it could be seen in several place names even now. It probably indicated the land was rich in rice cultivation, he adds.
“The prefix ‘Chem’ might have come from the word ‘chemmal’, which denotes the high-yielding or water-rich feature of the land,” he adds. “I believe ‘Chemmal-pazhanji’ later became ‘Chempazhunji’, and over time, ended up becoming Chempazanthy.”
The regions of Kadinamkulam and Chempazhanthy might have been the centre of the erstwhile Ay kingdom, with the possibility of a harbour around them. The harbour might have lost its prominence after one of the floods that might have significantly altered the geography of the area, he says. “Chempazhanthy might have been a hub of agriculture blessed with the features suitable for it.”
“Undoubtedly, the Chempazhanthy region is one of those places where water is easily available for people’s use, and when it comes to the nomenclature of places, the major aspect to be analysed is the geography, that is, the topographical features of that particular land,” he says. Ramachandran’s take on the Chempazhanthy opens up the possibilities of studying more about Ay kings and the significance of the place in terms of agriculture.