Pattamali

Kannimangalam Gramam is situated in Village Nemmara, and is one of the 96 Agraharams of Palakkad District. Every gramam may have its own history- Here is Kannimangalam’s.About 250 years ago a Brahmin named Anantha Narayanan and his wife Vembu lived in Village Elavathur in Tanjavur Dist, Tamilnadu. Anantha Narayanan had no properties and no regular income, so he found it difficult to manage in the Village. Due to this and his adventurous nature the couple left the village in search of greener pastures. After wandering through many places, the couple reached Thrissur and decided to stay there.Thrissur is the cultural and spiritual capital of Kerala. The great Vaddakunathan (Shiva) temple, located in the center of the town on a small hillock, occupying an area of about 8 acres dominates the town. It is believed that the temple was consecrated by Lord Sri Ram.The temple and its vast properties were being managed by Namboodhiris. The last Trustee and Melshanthi (Head Priest) of the temple was Kotanata Namboothiri and he was called the Yogadiripad.One day Anantha Narayanan went to pray at the Vadakkunathan temple, where he happened to meet the Yogadiripad. The Yogadiripad offered him a job in the temple, which he accepted.Anantha Narayanan’s nephew, Vancheeswaran also came to Thrissur from Elavathur.When he was 18, he married his uncles daughter Parvathi who was in her teens. Anantha Narayanan worked hard with devotion and gained the complete confidence of the Yogadiripad. He was ably helped by his nephew, Vancheeswaran. When Yogadiripad, due to old age, could not manage the everything himself, he made Anantha Narayanan, the Manager of the temple and it’s vast properties with the designation “Pattamali”. After about seven years when Anantha Narayanan died, Vancheeswaran was made the Pattamali. Vancheeswaran also managed the temple and its properties efficiently. After some years when the Yogadiripad was too old, he left the complete responsibility to Vancheeswaran and also made a Will bestowing the Trusteeship on Vancheeswaran, after his death On the Yogadiripad’s death in 1804, Vancheeswaran, as the trustee took over complete management of the Temple and its vast Properties. He made the assistant priest the Melshanthi of the temple. He managed everything quite well and this was appreciated by all.However the then Maharaja of Cochin State, for some reason, issued a proclamation authorizing the State Government to take over the Trusteeship from Vancheeswaran in the year 1810. The Government took over control of the temple and all it’s properties. The Maharajah was however, kind enough to give Vancheeswaran substantial lands, most of which was in Village Nemmara (about 40 kms from Thrissur).

Vancheeswaran and family continued to stay in Thrissur, but after some years decided to move to their lands in Nemmara. He built a house and named the place Kannimangalam-may be because the family had stayed for years in Kannimangalam, a Thrissur suburb. After settling down in Kannimangalam, Vancheeswaran wanted to make it a Breahmin Agraharam and offered free land to other Brahmin families. About 50-60 families accepted the offer and built their houses there, which became Kannimangalam Gramam.The Gramam in Nemmara is located by the side of a small hillock, surrounded by fertile paddy fields. The Village Nemmara itself is a prosperous agricultural Village.There are three temples in Kannimangalam, a Shiva temple, a Devi temple and a Subramanyaswamy temple. The main village festival “Shasti Vilak” is celebrated every year on Subramania Shasti day in the month of Vrichikam. Kannimangalam villagers are a part of the Brahmin settlers who have made valuable contribution, especially in cultural and educational fields of Kerala.