The Pre-colonial and Colonial - Political, Social and

Legal History of Kottayam

-Athira Mathew

Kottayam is a town in the southern part of Kerala, India. It is situated near Vembanad Lake
at the mouth of the Minachil River, south-southeast of Kochi (Cochin). The name Kottayam
is a combination of the words "kotta" and "akam" in the local language of Malayalam,
meaning "interior of a fort". The town is a centre of the Syrian Christian community, which
traces its origin to the apostle St. Thomas, who is believed to have visited Kerala in 53 CE
and to have established seven churches on the Malabar Coast. Kottayam developed into an
important market centre in the early 20th century after tea and rubber plantations were
established in the nearby Anaimalai Hills. It is also an educational and cultural centre, with
several schools and professional colleges. Kottayam became India's first town with 100%
literacy in 1989.

From the beginning of the ninth century AD, the history of Thekkumkur and of Kottayam are
virtually indistinguishable. Kottayam was then a part of Vempolinad, an area in the
Kulashekara Empire (800–1102 AD). By about 1100, the Kingdom of Vempolinad had split
into the Kingdoms of Thekkumkur and Vadakkumkur, and the latter became a vassal of
Cochin. The royal house had originally been situated in Vennimala in Kottayam. It was
protected by a fort known as Thaliyilkotta and, as a result, the locality came to be known by
the same name as the fort. Afterward, Thekkumkur kings shifted their capital to Nattassery
near Kumaranallore at the outskirts of Kottayam town. It is believed that the Thekkumkur
dynasty ruled Kottayam from Thazhathangadi. Rulers of Munjanad and Thekkumkur had
their headquarters at Thazhathangadi in the present Kottayam town.
After the subjugation of the Dutch East India Company by the Kingdom of Travancore in
1742, military operations of Marthanda Varma progressed against the northern neighboring
kingdoms, including Thekkumkur. Though Thekkumkur allied with Chempakassery and
Vadakkumkoor to protect the kingdom, all of them were finally annexed to Travancore in
1753.
For mere administrative purpose Kottayam was distinctly divided into two revenue divisions
in the Kingdom of Travancore, namely the northern and the southern division. Each of these
divisions were managed and headed by a ‘Diwan Peshkar’. Two more divisions of Kollam
and Kottayam were established in the year 1868. The fifth division of Devikulum was
annexed to Kottayam. The district court at Kottayam was established in 1910 during the
period of Sree Moolam Thirunal Maharaja of Tranvancore.
During the British rule in India, Kottayam remained a part of the Princely State of
Travancore.
During the reign of the British, Kottayam, being strategically placed played a strong role in
carrying out several protest movements which focused mostly on carrying out guerrilla
tactics so that the British could be routed out permanently.
Malayali Memorial Agitation was one such protest movement. This movement began in
1891 when the Travancore state sought representation in the Civil Services. The agitation
started because people from outside were recruited into the Travancore Civil Service. This
enraged educated Travancoreans who wanted a fair share of representation in the civil
service sector.
The Malabar Rebellion or the Mapilla Riots of 1921 was another such protest movement.
The protest started as a resistance against the British colonial rule in Malabar region of
Kerala. the popular uprising was also against the prevailing feudal system controlled by elite
Hindus. During the uprising, the rebels attacked various symbols and institutions of the
colonial state, such as telegraph lines, train stations, courts and post offices. The fight for
equality and protests against discrimination were the hall mark of all the Mapilla Kottayam
agitations and protests.
The Vaikon Satyagraha, on the other hand, was a massive non-cooperation movement that
took place in 1924. It was targeted against the social misery of ‘untouchability’. It was one of
the worst faces presented by an otherwise socio-culturally rich society. Thus, Kottayam was
amongst the first to raise its voice to fight against this centuries old blemish on society. It
was a massive movement. It was led by the charismatic and dynamic ‘Father of the Nation’,
Mahatma Gandhi. This became a spearheading movement that protected the downtrodden
sections against the constraints of the caste system as well as the restrictive bindings of
privative customs and mind which was commonly prevalent in almost all parts of the
country.
The famous Nivartana (abstention) movement was started in protest against the
inadequacy of the Constitutional reforms of 1932 as the Ezhavas, the Christians and the
Muslims who constituted 70 per cent of the population, apprehended that the new reforms,
owing to the provisions for restricted franchise on the basis of the area of possession of
property and other qualifications, would secure for them only a few number of seats in the
enlarged legislature than the Nayars. Hence, they demanded apportioning of the seats on
the basis of population. When the Government turned a deaf ear to the voice of protest,
they organized a Joint Political Congress and exhorted the voters to abstain from voting. The
Government at last conceded their demands to a certain extent by introducing communal
reservation in appointments to the public service.
Therefore, the citizens of Kottayam have exhibited advanced, learned and open-minded
thinking and decision-making abilities for giving their consent to such broad-based
agitations. They have been seen to give their collective voice to their opinion which has
made for them a place in history.
Finally, the year 1949, witnessed the unification of the State of Travancore and Cochin and
the revenue divisions were converted into districts, and were later on controlled by the
respective District Collectors.

Hence, history of Kottayam is a tale of the various battles fought and several unifications
and reunifications. The city is a silent witness to many political upheavals, which have
shaped the social and political structure of Kottayam. Probably because of the trends of
slavery witnessed in earlier times, Kottayam has always emerged vociferous against any
community being discriminated against. To conclude, it is apparent that Kottayam has had a
very vibrant political, legal and social history.