Paippad
Grama Panchayat

Payippad village is located within the Madappally administrative block. It is bounded by Changanassery to the northwest, Thiruvalla to the southwest, Mallappally to the east and Chengannur to the extreme south.

Demographics

As of the 2011 Census of India, Payippad had a population of 21,338, including 10,321 males and 11,017 females. Children under the age of six constituted about 9.2% of the population. The town has a high literacy rate of 97.7%, much higher than the state average.

Administration

This area is part of the Payippad Grama Panchayat under Madappally Block and Changanassery Taluk. The Grama Panchayat is responsible for managing the basic amenities, water supply, sanitation and local development of the citizens. This area is located in Kottayam Lok Sabha constituency Legislative Assembly constituency: Changanassery Assembly constituency

History

The panchayat came into existence in 1953 by merging the areas of Thrikkodithanam and Payippad, which were part of Madappally Half Village in Changanassery Taluk.

It is believed that Changanassery and its surrounding areas were under the sea in prehistoric times. The conclusion regarding this place name is that the large seashore eventually became Perunna, the slum near the sea became Chenga (Chenga = water) Changanassery and the backwater near the lake became Payippad. Since the dry land was also called Payattupada, there is a possibility that the half-field gradually became Payipada. It is believed that the half-field, which is about half of the area and half of the land, became Payipada due to erosion, or that the natural beauty of the place called everyone to it and became Payipada over time.

Aboriginal people

The original inhabitants of this area were Cheramars, Sambavars, and Varnavars. The shrines of their worshipped deities, yakshis, and Bhadra, the embodiment of Shakti, are still present in many parts of the village. In a way that indicates that this place was once a dense forest, there were easily visible kandamarams at a depth of about ten feet everywhere in the fields here. At the same level, the stumps and thick roots of huge trees were seen. The vast ponds with stone walls cut into them at intervals of every kilometer from one end of Payippad to the other are a testament to the antiquity of this village.

There is a mention of the Nalu Kodi in this panchayat in the Unnuni Neeli Sandesh. Since the writing period of the Unnuni Neeli Sandesh is 1373-1374 AD, Nalu Kodi had already gained fame before the 14th century. The royal road, which extends from the capital Thiruvananthapuram to the Ettumanoor palaces of Mavelikkara to the Tripunithara palace, the capital of Cochin, passes through the Nalu Kodi intersection in Payippad. This road connected the Sreevallabhakshetram and the Thrikkodithanam Mahakshetram. There was also a wide road from the Payippad intersection to the town of Changanassery in ancient times. The ancient Kollapuram Street was the road from Nalu Kodi to the south to Kallu Kadavu Bridge. The Chettis, centered around the present-day Convent Junction in the middle, were able to develop a centuries-old industrial culture in this country. They were worshippers of Shaiva and had temples and temple ponds. There is a large pond called Valiyakulam on the east side of the Convent Junction. This pond, which was two acres in size, was surrounded by old stone structures and the ruins of the city. Legend has it that when some geological change, political upheaval, or power imbalance forced them to leave the country, they left by burying their coins and gold ornaments there in the hope of returning at a later date.

The national inscriptions containing the geographical features of Payippad in the possession of some Chettis, and the fact that Chettis kept coming from Chettinad every year to present their offerings at the Payippad and Thrikkodithanam temples, are testimony to this culture. The area where the Chettis lived became Chettichery, and the area where the Pandis lived became Pandichery. Following the retreat of the Chettis, Payippat was completely occupied by Brahmins and Hindus. Illatheparmbu Illathuparambu, Illathupuram Illathupuram, the slums of Manakkal Manechary (Manayathussery), the property of Padikkal (Illathupuram), the house where the temple stood became Ambalaparmbu, and the pond of the deity became Kuryankulam. The Hindu temples and ponds, serpent pits, stone mounds, stone pillars, and idols that were scattered here and there on this land and are now almost extinct, confirm the Hindu presence. Even in the middle of the holy fields, there are stone pillars, stone pillars, stone pillars, and idols. Kali Puja is performed on such pillars for the prosperity of agriculture