Kuttanad KERALA

Kuttanadu is a region in the Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam Districts, in the state of Kerala, India, well known for its picturesque vast paddy fields and its geographical peculiarities. It's the region with the lowest altitude in India, and one of the few places in the world where farming is carried out below sea level. It’s also one of the historically important places in the ancient history of South India.It is the major rice granary of Kerala, where vast stretches of verdant paddy fields are interlaced with enchanting backwaters create some of the unforgettable sights.

It is noted for its farming below sea level (about 4 to 10 feet). Four major rivers in Kerala viz. Pampa, Meenachil, Achankovil and Manimala flow into the region

HISTORY

The name Kuttanad is from the Karumadikuttan (Malayalam: കരുമാടിക്കുട്ടൻ) which is the endearing name of Buddha. It was known as the land of Karumadikuttan. The land was full of water bodies and the lands were flooded during the monsoon. So the places are named after the banks of the water bodies like Mavelikkara (Mahabalikkarai), Puthukkary, Amichakary, Oorukkary, Mithrakary, Mampuzhakary, Kainakary, Chathurthiakary and Chennamkary where "kary" or "karai" means bank of a water body. During the reign of Chera dynasty that ruled over ancient Kerala, Kuttanadu attained an important place in the history. One of the powerful kings in the dynasty, Cheran Chenguttavan is said to have ruled his vast kingdom from Kuttanadu. It was also a famous centre of Buddhism. Another version for the name is, a Buddhist centre by the name Buddhanad existed in this place, which later gave its name to the place and thereby Kuttanadu.

Backwater paddy cultivation (kayal cultivation)

The major occupation in Kuttanadu is farming, with rice the most important agricultural product. This activity gives the area its moniker of "The Rice Bowl of Kerala". Three crops are grown every year now instead of the traditional practice of two crops per year. Large farming areas near Vembanad Lake were reclaimed from the lake. The history of paddy cultivation in Kuttanad can be traced back centuries. The evolution of paddy cultivation correlated with technological advancement and changes in the regulatory framework that existed during the 19th and 20th centuries. In earlier times, reclamation was carried out mainly from the shallow part of the Vembanad Lake or from the periphery of the Pamba River. These reclamations constituted small areas of paddy fields called padsekharams. Bailing out of water from the fields were done manually using water wheels called chakram. Gradually the manual method used for bailing out of water gave way to steam engines.

In 1912, the Madras Government approved a proposal from the Travancore Government for further reclamations in three stages. Under this scheme kayal land was notified for reclamation in blocks each named with a letter of the English alphabet. Out of the total area of 19,500 acres of kayal land, 12,000 acres were reclaimed between 1913 and 1920. After the removal of the ban in 1913, Pallithanam Luca Matthai along with some other prominent families in Kuttanadu, reclaimed E-Block Kayal measuring a total area 2,400 acres. This is the biggest kayal nilam in Kuttanadu. C.J. Kurian, Ex MLC and Mr. John Illikalam were his main partners in this venture. The reclamations between 1914 and 1920, known as the new reclamations, were carried out in three periods. In the first period Blocks A to G measuring an 6300 Acres were reclaimed. C Block, D Block(Attumukham Aarayiram (Attumuttu Kayal), Thekke Aarayiram and Vadakke Aarayiram) and E Block (Erupathinalayiram Kayal) F Block (Judge's Aarayiram Kayal) and G Block (Kochu Kayal) are the major Kayal nilams reclaimed during this period.

During the second period of new reclamation, blocks H to N covering an area of 3600 acres were reclaimed under the leadership of Pallithanam Luca Matthai, Cunnumpurathu Kurien, Vachaparampil Mathen, Pazhayaparmpil Chacko and Kannathusseril Peious. During the third period of new reclamation, R Block Kayal covering 1,400 acres was reclaimed by the joint efforts of eight families led by Pallithanam Luca Matthai, Vachaparampil Mathen and Pazhayaparmpil Chacko.

From 1920 to 1940 reclamation activity came to a halt because of a steep drop in the price of rice.

Pallithanam Luca Matthai, who had served as member of Maharajah Moolam Thirunal's Praja Sabha (Popular Assembly) was considered as the pioneer of cooperative agricultural movement in Kuttanadu. His life marked the beginning of the epoch of first generation Kayal Raja's of Kuttanad (Kayal Raja is the term generally used to refer to the prominent kayal cultivators in the Kuttanadu region). In 1931, in order to strengthen the farming community in Kuttanadu, he founded Kuttandu Karshaka Sangham (Kuttanadu Agricultural Association). From the beginning of his farming career in his teens (he was eighteen when he reclaimed the cherukara kayal), he brought together like minded people and successfully led the reclamation activity from 1898 to 1940.

Due to the steep decline in the price of rice between 1920 and 1940 reclamation activities slowed down, but they gained momentum again in the early 1940s. During this period, in order to increase agricultural output, a government initiated "Grow More Food" campaiagn and the provision of incentives encouraged new reclamations. The advent of electric motors made reclamation relatively easier, cheaper and less risky as compared to in earlier periods. The last tract of the reclamations namely Q, S and T block were made during this period by Thomman Joseph Murickummoottil (Muricken Outhachan). He did cultivation in a very large extent of reclaimed area and achieved such a success that he was crowned as "Krishi Rajan" (farmer king) by the then prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. The prominent families in Kuttanadu who were involved in the backwater paddy cultivation are Pallithanam, Vallickadu, Vachaparampil, Pazhayaparmpil, Thottukadavil, Chalayil, Chirayil, Vettathu, Cunnumpurathu, Illikalam, Akkara, Ettuparayil, Mangalapallil, Paruthickal, Meledom, Murukkummootil, Kunnathusseril, Pattasseril etc.

As farming in the area increased, farmers felt themselves constrained by the two cycles a year for rice cultivation. The reason for which is the limited availability of potable water in Kuttanadu. During the monsoon seasons, the water from the mountains flow through the rivers to the sea, bringing potable water to Kuttanadu. But during summer, due to the low level of the region seawater enters Kuttanadu, significantly increasing the salinity of the water and making it unpotable.

KUTTANAD BACK WATERS

Kuttanad is a favorite Kerala backwater destination on Kerala backwater tours. Kuttanad is also known as the "Rice Bowl of Kerala" and is characterized by its green landscape. Travel to Kuttanad and see the scenic beauty of this Kerala backwater destination on Kerala tours with Kerala Backwater.

Kuttanad is crisscrossed with waterways that run alongside fields of cassava, banana and yam, as well as emerald green fields of paddy. A unique feature of Kuttanad is that many of these fields are below sea level. The fields are surrounded by earthen bunds and crops are grown on the low-lying ground. This is similar to the polder regions of the Netherlands where land is reclaimed from the sea and crops are grown. You can see the amazing below-sea level fields of Kuttanad, while on Kerala tours with Kerala Backwater.

Kuttanad is a backwater paradise and an ideal destination for a backwater cruise in Kerala. Its innumerable streams, channels, waterways and lakes make it possible to drift along in a houseboat and enjoy the scenic view of the Kerala countryside. Have a memorable holiday while on Kerala tours in Kuttanad with Kerala Backwater.

Your Kerala Backwater tours of Kuttanad are sure to leave you with unforgettable memories. Your houseboat will be trailed by flocks of ducks, coir workers processing coir look up from their tasks and wave as you pass by, otters and water birds can be seen on the edges of the waterways, and the sound of rippling water is a soothing lullaby as you sail along on a houseboat through the backwaters of Kuttanad. Gather a host of unforgettable memories while on Kerala tours in Kuttanad with Kerala Backwater.

FOODS OF KUTTANAD