History of

Cherupuzha

This article does not cite any sources.

Learn more

Cherupuzha and its surrounding areas was

ruled by many royal dynasties in the past,
including the Mooshika dynasty of
Ezhimala, Chirakkal Dynasty of
Kolathunadu, Tipu Sultan of the Kingdom
of Mysore, before it became a part of the
British Raj. The original inhabitants of the
area were primarily Hindus. Later on this
region gained a sizable Christian and
Muslim population. The economy was
agrarian with strong feudal system -
Janmi-Kudiyan system - permeating
everyday life.

Feudal overloads or Janmies owned much

of the land, which was leased by the
farmers or Kudians who paid a portion
(normally 2/10th) of their produce as
"pattam" for the 'privilege' of working the
land. Generally the lease was for a period
of 12–16 years. Farmers were not allowed
to cultivate permanent crops, dig wells or
cut down the trees on the land. If any
permanent crop such as pepper was
planted on the land, the income from the
crop went to the landlord after six years,
depriving farmers of any income from
such cash crops. Janmies gave 10 cents
of land to farmers to build a house.

This region also has a sizable number of

people belonging to tribal communities
such as Mavilar, Pulayar, and Vettuvar who
lived by hunting animals and collecting
edible roots and fruits from the plentiful
forests in the area. Under the Janmi-
Kudiyan feudal system, tribals were
treated much like slaves.