Kottayam, among the state’s more mountainous districts, provides some of Kerala’s finest natural scenes, sandwiched as it is between serene palm-fringed backwaters on the west and the Western Ghats on the east. Much of this beauty is laid out in all its glory along the road which winds from Kottayam to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Thekkady through plantations of rubber, tea, coffee and pepper.

                       In the past Kottayam was the seat first of the Munjunad Rajas and later, in the 12th century, of the Tekkumkur Rajas. This fact of royal history is echoed in the town’s name which is derived from the Malayalam word kottayakam which means the inside of a fort.

                       Kottayam is also an important commercial centre, thanks to its strength as a producer of cash crops. Most of India’s natural rubber originates from the acres of well-kept plantations of Kottayam, also home to the Rubber Board, one of the country’s primary commodities board.

                       As the headquarters of several ecclesiastical heads of Christian churches like those of the Syrian Christian community, Kottayam is proof of the cultural and religious plurality of Kerala. Today, as reminders of this facet can be found ancient churches like the Valia Palli, the Cheria Palli (1579) and the St. Mary’s Church at Manarcad (1585).

                       Kottayam is equally known for its cultural achievements. It was the first town in India to attain total literacy, an event which triggered a mass movement to make Kerala the country’s first totally literate state. Kottayam is also the mecca of Kerala’s publishing scene, home to dozens of Malayalam newspapers and magazines, including the state’s earliest, the Deepika (founded in 1887) as well as the country’s largest selling daily and weekly from the Malayala Manorama group. Kottayam is also the birthplace of a unique institution, the Sahitya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham, perhaps the first-ever-co-operative of writers.

                        Situated in the heart of Kottayam town, the Thirunakkara Mahadevar Siva Temple, built in the indigenous style and featuring several wall paintings, attracts a large number of devotees for its annual festival in the third week of March.

                       The Valia Palli (St. Mary’s Church) built in 1550 A.D. for the Knanaya Orthodox Syrians, is situated in Thazhathangadi, 2 km from the town centre. It is famous for its 8th century Persian cross and the Pahalavi inscription on it.

                      Located near the Valia Palli, the smaller church of Cheria Palli (St. Mary’s Church), built in 1579 A.D., has some murals and paintings of Biblical and other themes.

                       Ayyampara, 43 km from Kottayam, is a little known scenic spot of rocky plains where a 100-acre area of flat rock makes a natural granite stadium to enjoy the sunset and the view of the town below. It is a good base for trekking.

                      The town of Bharananganam is an important Christian pilgrimage centre as the place where the mortal remains of Sister Alphonsa (1916-1946) were interned in a chapel next to the St. Mary’s Church. This 1000-year old church features an attractive Grotto of Virgin Mary.

                         A Hindu pilgrimage centre, Ettumanoor, 13 km away, is famous for its legendary 16th century Shiva Temple, a good specimen of Kerala’s indigenous style of temple architecture, incorporating clear-cut wood carvings and mural paintings including an exceptional one of Shiva as Nataraja trampling under foot the spirit of evil represented by a demon. The annual 10-day festival of the temple occurs in February/March

                         A small village 12 km west of Kottayam town, on the banks of the Vembanad Lake, Kumarakom is a bird sanctuary known for local varieties like the water fowl, cuckoo, owl and the water duck as well as migratory Siberian storks. The sanctuary is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the best months to bird-watch are between June and August.

                       Within the 101 acres of beautifully wooded grounds is the Kumarakom Tourist Complex, built around the 50-year old "Baker’s Mansion", formerly a small and pretty hotel run by the KTDC, but now redone in greater style by Taj Kerala Resorts Ltd. Boats are available on hire for backwater cruises around the lake.

                         An important Syrian Christian centre, the town of Mannanam, 8 km from Kottayam, sites the St. Joseph’s Monastery, associated with the name of Fr. Kuriakose Elias of Chavara (1805-’71), one of the saintly figures of the Syrian Catholic Church of Kerala. Another renowned institution here is the St. Joseph’s Press. Established in 1844, this is one of the oldest printing presses in Kerala. It printed the Nasrani Deepika, one of Kerala’s oldest newspapers.

                        Vaikom, 40 km from Kottayam, is famed for the Siva temple which, so goes legend, was constructed by Parasurama, the mythical creator of Kerala. The 12-day Ashtami festival in November/December is renowned for its elephant processions, religious discourses and performances of traditional dance and music. In contemporary history, Vaikom’s prominence derives from the satyagraha of 1925, blessed by Mahatma Gandhi and aimed at throwing open the temple’s doors to Harijans.

                   Kottayam is linked by rail to most major Indian cities. The railway station is 2 km from the town centre. Motorable roads connect Kottayam to important south Indian cities. There are two bus stations – the central KSRTC station which operates most long-distance services, and the private bus station near the railway station. The main ferry station is about 3 km from the railway station and offers ferry services that pass through scenic backwaters to Alleppey, Mannar, Champakulam, Kavalam, Mankombu and Ambalapuzha. The nearest airport is the Cochin airport. For local transport there are buses, tourist taxis and autorickshaws.

History

           Kottayam is a compound word – Kotta + Akam which means the interior of a fort. Rulers of Munjanad and Thekkumkur had their head quarters at Thazhathangadi in the present Kottayam town. Marthanda Varma of Travancore attacked Thekkumkur and destroyed the palace and the Thaliyil fort. The remnants of palaces and forts are still seen here.

Short History

           The present district of Kottayam was previously a part of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore. Earlier, the Travancore State consisted of two revenue divisions viz. The Southern and Northern division, under the administrative control of a ‘Diwan Peshkar’ for each. Later, in 1868, two more divisions, Quilon and Kottayam, were constituted. The fifth division; -Devikulam, came next but for a short period, which in course of time, was added to Kottayam.

           At the time of the integration of the State of Travancore and Cochin in 1949, these revenue divisions were renamed as districts and the Diwan Peshkars gave way to District Collectors, marking the birth of the Kottayam District.

           The beginning of the 9th century A.D. is the age of the Kulasekharas. At that time, Kottayam was a part of the Vempolinad, which belonged to the Kulasekhara Empire (1090-1102 A.D.). The Vembanad Lake itself, derives its name from Vempolinad.The kingdom of Vempolinad, split itself into the kingdoms of Thekkumkur and Vadakkumkur by about 1100 A.D. and later these two kingdoms were annexed by Marthanda Varma of Travancore (between 1749 and 1754).

           The Portuguese and the Dutch had their business relations with both Thekkumkur and Vadakkumkur kingdoms, pepper and other spices, being the main attractions.

            In addition to Thekkumkur and Vadakkumkur, Marthanda Varma brought two more petty principalities in Kottayam under his control. These were Poonjar and Meenachil.

            After Marthanda Varma, Dharma Raja (1758-1798) placed Kottayam in a key position in the new defence strategy against Haider Ali and Tippu Sultan of Mysore. Apart from this, Kottayam afforded asylum to a number of refugee princes who left Malabar in the wake of Mysore invasions.

            Kottayam occupied a pre-eminent position in the cultural life of the Travancore princely court, the main reason being the migration of Ramapurathu Warrier, the famous poet of Vadakkumkur, to Thiruvananthapuram, following the annexation Kottayam by Marthanda Varma.

           Kottayam has placed its role in all the political agitations of modern times. The "Malayali Memorial" agitation may be said to have had its origin in Kottayam. The Malayali Memorial sought to secure better representation for educated Travancoreans in the Travancore civil service against persons from outside. The Memorial, which was presented to the       Maharaja Sri. Mulam Thirunal (1891) was drafted at a public meeting held in the Kottayam Public Library. The event marked the beginning of the modern political movement in the state.

            It was here that the famous Vaikom Satyagraha, (1924-25) an epic struggle for eradication of untouchability, took place. Scheduled castesand other backward classes in Travancore were not only denied entry into temples, but also access to temple roads. Vaikom, the seat of a celebrated Siva Temple, was the venue of the symbolic satyagraha. It is of immense historic significance that national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, C. Rajagopalachari, Acharya Vinoba Bhave and E.V.Ramaswami Naykar, associated with this struggle.

           The ‘Nivarthana’ agitation of the early thirties, to secure adequate representation for the non-caste Hindus, Christians and Muslims in the State Legislature, enjoyed considerable support from this district.

           The district was also a centre of the agitation led by the State Congress for responsible Government in Travancore. The agitation had a triumphant end, with the overthrow of Sir. C.P. Ramaswami Iyer, the then Dewam of Travancore.