CENSUS OF INDIA, 1951 (TRAV ANCORE... COCHIN) DISTRICT CENSUS HANDBOOK TRICHUR U. SIV ARAMAN NAIR M. A., Ph. D.. F. A. Sc., F. N, I., . Superintendent of Census Operations" TRIVANDRUlIrI : PRINTED BY THE S. G. P." AT THE GOVERNMENT CENTRAL PRESS 1952 MAP OF TRICHUR "DISTRICT Scale 1 Ineh=8 Miln • Municipal ttlW1'll Sherthala ~lnk 9U1LON DISTRICT PREFACE The Registrar-General, India, :Fecommended to State Governments, the publication of District Census Handbooks containing 1951 Census data for the districts and such other information as may be of general interest. The Government of Travancore-Cochin accepted the recommenda­ tion and sanctioned in Government Order No. RM.3-34£81RD dated 23-5-1951 the publication of four District Census Handbooks for the State. The present volume is published in pursuance of this order. The Handbook is divided into three parts: Part I contains a short sketch of the district and the people. Part II embodies the Census Tables for the district. For purposes of comparative study, three of the most important State Tables-A 1. Area, Houses and Population, A 2. Variation in Population during 50 years (1901-1951) and Economic Table-Livelihood Classes-have been placed at the beginning of this part. Each Table is preceded by a short note explaining its contents. Part III devoted to·Village Statistics is the result of an attempt made to bring together the main details relating to villages in this district. An index of place-names has been appended to this part to facilitate ready reference. It is hoped that the Handbook will serve as a frame for future studies and that its scope and coverage will be increased from time to time. This work would not have been possible but for the co-operation and assistance of the State Government at every stage of its preparation. Almost all departments have helped me with their contributions. I wish to record my acknowledgment in particular to the departments of Agricul­ ture, Public Health, Labour, Public Instruction, Electricity, Telephones, Forest and Geology. The Tahsildars and Municipal Commissioners in the State have borne the brunt of the work involved in the collection of facts and figures contained in the Handbook. To them, I tender my special thanks.' . Other agencies who have been of great assistance are the Travancore Devaswom Board, Indian Central Cocoanut Committee, Indian Rubber Board and Cochin Ha;rbour Administration. It is a pleasure to acknowledge my thankfulness to them. The printing of the Handbook was done by the Government Central Press, Trivaridrum, at a time when the Press was working at full pressure on other urgent and voluminous items of print­ ing for Government. It is therefore, with very great pleasure, that I place on record my apprecia­ tion of the untiring efforts of ahe Superintendent and his assistants in bringing out the Handbook. It is only fair that I add a word about my office staff who were patiently at work evolving step by step ;,the Tables from the large ;lllass of data collected at the Census. Checking and cross­ chec.king of the Tables has been a difficult task; so also has been the typing of the Tables. I wish to express my feelings of gratefulness to on e and all of my assistants for their devoted labours in this behalf. I must single out my Personal Assistant, Sri K. Paramaswara Menon, M. A., for the unfail­ ing help he gave me at each stage of the work. He unstintedly shared with me the responsibility in producing the Handbook and I wish to express my app:r:eciation of the work done by ~im. I shall be failing in my duty if I do not place on record my gratefulness to Sri R. A. Gopala­ swami, I. c. s., Registrar-General, for the guidance and the stimulating suggestions received from him in this work. U. SIVAIlAMAN NAIR. Office of the Superintendent of Census Operations~ Trivandrum, 18th October 1952. CONTENTS Page number-­ Map of Trichur district (below title page). PART I A. short sketch i A District and people i B Population- analytical summary xviii C Gazetteer! xxvii PART II Census data General Tables-Scheme of Census Tables .. ·. ". 1 A I Area, houses and population 3 A II Variation in population during fifty yea~ 1901-1951 ·. 7 B Economic Tables-Livelihood classes 11 District Tables-Census tracts in Trichur district 19 AI Area, houses and population . , 20 All Variation in population duririg thirty years (1921-1951) .. 25 A III Towns and villages classified by population 28 AIV Towns classified by population with variation since 1901 .. .35 . AV Towns arranged territorially with population by livelihood classes .•••• 41 BJ Livelihood classes and sub-classes 44 BII Secondary means of livelihood 53 B III Employers, employees and independent workers in industries and services .. 94 CI Household size and composition. 135 ell Livelihood classes by age groups 137 C III Age and civil condition . 141 C IV Age and literacy 144 DI (i) Languages-Mother-tongue 145 (ii) Bilingualism 149 D2II Religion 167 D III Scheduled Castes and Scheduled I Tribes 170 D IV Migrants 175 DVI Non-Indian nationals 178 D_VII Livelihood classes by educational standards 181 PART III VilJase Statistics 193 Cochin-Kanayannur Taluk 193 Kunnathunad Taluk 222 Parur Taluk 266· Cranganur Taluk ·. 302 Mukundapuram Taluk •• ·. ·, 306 Trichur Taluk ·, ·, 326 Talappilly Taluk .. ,. •• 350 Chittuf Taluk .. .. 370 Index ·. 383 DISTRICT CENSUS HANDBOOK TRICHUR Part I A SHORT SKETCH A, DISTRICT AND PEOPLE I, INTRODUCTORY Trichur, the northern-mo;t district in the State has been formed by addition of the tal~ of Kunnathunad a:l.d Pdrur form~rly belonging to th.e Koltayam district in Travancore, to the er-st­ while Cochin State immediately after the integration of the two States in July, 1949, The area of the district is 1,968'4 square miles, forming 21'5 per cent of the total area of the State. Out of this, towns eo..,er an area of 45'3 square miles, and the rural area covers 1923'1 square miles. The head­ quarters of the district is Triehur. The district is divided into eight taluks, The names, headquarters, and relative areas and population of these taluks are as follows :- Name of taluk H earl quarters Percentage Area Population Cochin-Kanayannur Ernaku',am 8'06 22'29 Kunnathunad Perumbavoor 18'43 13'87 Parur Parur 5'73 10'50 Cranganur Cranganur 0'89 2'34 Mukundapuram Irinjalakkuda 26'16 16'62 Trichur Trichul' 12'60 16'23 Talappilly Vadakkancheri 13'13 11'93 Chittur Thattamangahm 15'00 6'22 The Chittur taluk consists of two di3connected p3rts the smaller of which, comprising an area of 105 square miles, lie3 on th~ eastern sid~ of the Western Ghats encircled by the Madras State, The population of the district according to the 1951 Census is 2,315,640; this forms a little less than one-fourth of the State ::>opulation, 2, PHYSICAL FEATURES The physical configuration of the district shows the same diversity as that of the other districts in the State. From the forest-clad Western Ghats in the east the land slopes to the west and presents a series of hills and valleys traversed east to west by several rivers, the waters of which arrested by the peculiar action of the Arabian Sea spread thE:mselves out in numerous lakes or lagoons along the coast. The Western Ghats are co:nposed of a succession of bluff ridges and conical peaks and present in general a very irregular outline. The chief ranges of hills that form the Mounta'ns chain are (i) the Nelliampathi and Pothundi in Trichur taluk, (ii) the Maehad in Talappllly, (iii) the Parava1tani in Chittur, (ii)the Palappilly, Kodassery and Adirapilli in Mukundapuram and (i) the Malayattur in Kunnathunad. These ranges vary in height from a few hundred feet to about 5,000 feet above sea level and among the labyrinth of these ranges are some elevated table lands, the chief of wllich is the Nelliampathi plateau with an average elevation of 3,000 ft, Karimalagopuram in the Nellit;mpathi range and Vellani in the Paravattani range are less exten:;ive plateaus but the former has an average elevation exceeding 4,000 feet, Besides these mountain ranges, there are several isolated hills of varying elevation that lie dotted here and there over the later ate plains, Ne11ikotta or Padagiri on the Nelliampathi, 5,200 ft, high, is the loftiest peak in the district and Karimalagopuram is also nearly of the same altitude. Among the oth~r Peakl peaks are Vellachimudi, Valiyavana Ridge, Myanmudi, Valavachan, Mulan- kunnu, Kuvayali. Vimpalakavala, each a little over 4,000 feet in height, and Pannimudi, Nadukani, Sherunelli, Valiyalavara, Tottivara, Kantalpara, eaeh over 3,000 feet high. The chief peaks of Paravattani are Vellani, Thirumani and Ponmudi; of Maehad, Kodikuttiakunnu; of Kodassery, KodasserYkoomban, and Kumbitanmudi; of Palappilly, Pandimudi, Kumpancheri and Irulumala; and of Malayattur, Kurusumudi. About a third of the district is mountainous, covered with forests containing valuable species of timber and abounding in a large variety of game. Plantations crops like rubber, tea, coHee and cardamom 3re grown on the highlands and the slope!S of mountains, II Owing to the shortness of the-distance between the mountains and the sea, most of the rivers are small. The chief rivers are the Periyar, (or Alwaye) the Chalakkudi, Rivers the Karivannur, the Ponnaoi (or Bharathapuzha) and the Chittur. The Periyar (length 142 miles) rises in and flows for the most pa ~t of its length through the Kottayam District; but in its lower reaches when the river is both broad and deep it traverses the Trichur Distri::t.