THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “Naadu vazhuka, nagaram vaazhuka, veedu vaazhuka, vithuram vazhuka....”
So goes a line often used in Theyyam. The word ‘vithuram’ here suggests something related to a location or settlement.
It is believed Vithura, located near Ponmudi, also implies a settlement with unique characteristics, rather than a ‘faraway land’ as ‘vidooram’ means in Malayalam.
“Vithura is an extremely scenic place, surrounded by verdant hills, but its historical relevance is also equally significant. It was a strategic spot that witnessed migrations of Veerashaivas from Karnataka, the Jains, and also shows a strong presence of Brahmin settlements. Even now, there is a spot in Vithura called Pottikunnu. Potti in the local tongue means Brahmin, and kunnu means an elevated place,” says Vellanad Ramachandran, an expert in local history.
As an allegory, Vithura could also mean a settlement or home of ‘vid’ or learning, again suggesting a settlement of learned people, as Brahmins of yore were considered to be.
There are also remnants of a strong Jain presence in Vithura, Ramachandran notes.
“There is a place called Makki in Vithura, en route to Bonacaud. The word ‘makki’ is a corrupted form of ‘margi’, or those converted from Hinduism to either Jainism or Buddhism,” he explains.
“There was a shrine in Vithura, similar to those found in forests across Kerala where worship was held. A Jain statue of the Digambara sect can still be found a few kilometres towards Bonacaud from Vithura. A stream flowing near the spot is also called Makkithodu. All these show that the area was home to settlements of educated people.”
There are also strong indicators that the place had links to Tamil Nadu and was a prominent route for trade and transactions. “Ten kilometres from Kallar is a place called Pandipattu, where wild buffaloes are aplenty. Beyond this, you reach Tamil Nadu, and the road to Tirunelveli can be seen. The border route and places like Aryanad were once frequently used by people from Tamil Nadu for trade, particularly for pepper, which grows in abundance in several places in Nedumangad taluk, like Kottur, Vithura, Aryanad, Vellanad, Kuttichal, Peringamala, etc.,” Ramachandran says.
In this context, too, Vithura gains importance as a place where learned people had established themselves, he adds.
There isn’t just one settlement called Vithura, he highlights. “We can say that the Vithura in Nedumangad taluk is the most prominent. But there is another Vithura in Thiruvananthapuram district, on the Pallichal-Vizhinjam route. Here, too, we can see remnants of settlements of people from the upper social strata. It needs to be explored if both these Vithuras have any ethnic connection,” he says.
So, Vithura doesn’t mean a remote, locale as etymology might suggest; rather, it refers to a place that was once home to a culture of learning, trade, and progressive thinking. In all likelihood, it is older than Nedumangad taluk, which itself was known for cosmopolitan ties. “The historical remnants still strongly suggest this,” says Ramachandran.
What’s in a name
Weekly column on the history of place names. Got any suggestions? Write to cityexpresskoc@newindianexpress.com