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Cheramala

India / Kerala / Kothamangalam / Thattekkad - Old Aluva -Munnar Road
 mountain, monument, Heritage at Risk

Cheramala (Chelamala)is supposed to be the summer palace of the erstwhile Chera Kings. The remains of the ruined steps of the palace, boundaries etc. can be seen at the hill top now also. The steps were made of 1.50m long dressed single stones which are dislocated and which goes down to the Arattu kadavu (commonly used term for Kings and Queens)where by it confirms the earlier authenticity of the place to be a Kings palace(the picture above shows the steps towards aarattu kadavu at the banks of the Periyar river).
The remains of the ancient fort is seen in the pictures attached above.
The Chera capital was believed to be at Kothamangalam.The royal temple is at Thrikkariyoor - is one among the 11 holy temples in Kerala.

Kothamangalam was even known during the Mahabaratha period (BC 1500) as the Ekachakra Gramam.

The Chera Kings used to visit cheramala during summer and is mentioned in the "Chilappathikaram,Silavaram portion" also.

The archeology department of Kerala has to engage themself in bringing the riddles of this mysterious place out to the people.A lot of Megalithic Burial Urns were found at this place around 40 years back during the nearby road constructions.

The old Kothamangalam - Munnar route was the Royal route to Madurai through Thattekkad and all the places near to this chain is historically very important.
St. Thomas had passed through chelad and preached there in the year AD 52 and the Cheladans became converted to Christianity in the 1st century AD.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   10°7'37"N   76°40'24"E

Comments

  • georgejoyce
    0 months ago Stephen James 0 [good] [bad] [good] [bad] CHELAMALAI On the western side of the Thattekad ferry, and the southern side of the Periyar, a hill is seen. The summit of this hill stands higher than those of the surrounding seven hills, and is not of rock as in the case of the other hills seen in this region, but of earth. The northern side of the hill is steeper than the southern. At present the slopes are covered by teak plantations. This is the ‘Chelamalai’. Ruins of an old temple near Chelamalai Noteworthy features of Chelamalai are the following: i) On the southern side, the remnants of a path, around 10 feet wide, cut into the latérate, can be seen at several places. Though there are several breaks in the path due to the forest road passing through the site, it can easily be distinguished. Along the sides of the path, remains of the foundation of a wall can also be seen. ii) There are several old wells located within a 5 to 6 sq. km. area. iii) On the eastern side of Chelamalai and on the western side of the Punnekkad - Thattekad road, at the ten km milestone, the exposed portion of an underground structure, resembling a cellar, about six to eight ft. wide and ten ft. long is seen. One side of it is a laterate wall while the other three sides are granite. Only the top of the vertical stone slabs are visible, the rest being buried in the ground. In the middle of this structure, portions of granite slabs, vertically sunk in the ground, are seen. This could have been a tomb megalithic era. During a recent ditch-digging exercise by the telephone dept., the side of this road opposite to the above-mentioned structure was dug up. Exactly opposite this presumable tomb, were found several large earthen jars or pots. Called Nanangadis, these are burial containers for people, used during the BC 2000 to AD 500 period. The pots, all except for one were in pieces, the exception having been intact as the workmen had dug around it exposing only half of the jar in the ditch. The jar was around 4 feet high with an approximate mouth radius of 25 to 30 cm. The jars had overturned rims that had some sort of simple, regular design on them. This area could have been a cemetery, as the Nanangadis were found in perfect rows, of the Cheras who lived in the Chelamalai region. iv) On the north western side of Chelamalai a stone-paved path, six ft. wide, from the top of the hill to the river at the bottom, is seen. This path has steps in certain parts, and both sides are packed with uncut stones. v) From the top of the hill along the southern side, remains of a pathway, 15 to 20 ft. wide, built with stone packing on both sides is seen. Remains of this veritable road stretching for about half a km can be seen. vi) At the top of the hill, remains of large compound walls like that of a fort, surround the summit of the hill in concentric circles. Uncut sandstones lie scattered all over the hill, giving the impression of massive destruction, natural or otherwise, of the construction that was presumably here. Local people inform that several years ago this area was ploughed - using elephants- in search of treasure. In the process the ruins in the area were disturbed, most likely destroyed completely, due to the ignorance of the treasure-seeker, of the historical importance of the area. The area has undergone teak planting and several other agricultural activities. During the course of farming all the structures would have been demolished for planting teak and other intermittent crops like ginger, tapioca, paddy etc. Hence all the structures would have disappeared. The people who have farmed here have seen remains of wells, building foundations, roads etc. Chelamalai is also believed to be the “Vanchinagaram” or “Vanchi” of AD first century, which was the capital of the early Chera Kingdom. The ruins of roads, pathways, wells, fort, cemetery etc. lead towards this conclusion. The central location of Chelamalai also makes it a suitable site for a ruling capital. The ruins of several temples located within a 10 km radius of Chelamalai clearly indicate the importance of the area and the human population that once existed here. What reason can be there for the signs of such a massively populated area other than it being a centre of some sort, and coupled with the extensive fort complex on the hill it implies this region was a capital. Presently the location of Vanchi is a highly disputed question. The answers range from Karavur near the banks of the Amaravati in Tamil Nadu, to near Kodungalloor, to Thrikariyoor near Kothamangalam. The noted historian V. Kanakasabhai states that present-day Thrikariyoor is the location of Vanchi, but according to the `Pathitipathu’ (a famous anthology of Tamil poems of the Sangam age) VI.3, Vanchi is situated on the summit of a tall hill encircled by forest. In view of the above information why not Chelamalai be a viable candidate for the location of Vanchi. Moreover it is close to Thrikariyoor thus not completely denying Kanakasabhai’s theory either. A detailed investigation and study of the area is required. Each stone found in Chelamalai will probably have a story to tell of a bygone era. Stephen James
  • georgejoyce
    Dear Valued Readers Please give respect to the work all provide to make this effort a real contribution to define our country. Do not delete the works provided by others unnecessarily. One Reader.
  • Thomas Paulbabyaynattu, (guest)
    Dear george Joyce I don't know you,I don't think you know me either.My name is Thomas Paul(Aynattu House,Chenkara).I left India 1972.when I was in college 1963-1970 I used to go hunting in Chelamala.I think I know every stone,trees in that forest.All the teak woods may be big and tall now.In USA I visited almost every national parks Yellow stone,Yesmati,grand Cannyon and redwood forests of Washington State.they are very beautiful and unique in their way.But our Western Ghats Especially Munnar,Iravikulam,Thekkady with that green colour is unique.I hope our Govt.help us to preserve this region for our future generation.
  • georgejoyce
    Dear Mr. Thomas Paul I know your family very well. Joseph sir taught me in my primary school. Since 32 years I am in Abu Dhabi. I have travelled almost all Europe, China, Middle east, Egypt, Israel etc and i could not see any place more beautiful and gifted other than our own state. I am pursuing the proto-history of our state and believe it would be really mysterious ....we will communicate.
  • shajupjoseph
    We need to preserve the place. It is nice to know that people are slowly coming to appreciate the history. With good research and preservation, this place could be converted to a beautiful tourist place for history seekers, nature lovers and birders. It is high time that Keerampar village should take the steps to promote the place which in turn can bring revenue to preserve the place . Lack of immediate preservation can bring further ruin to the historic sight. The vicinity is rich of natural beauty and history. Who does not know Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary? The first rubber plantation in India was started a few miles away from the spot. What else place can be best for plantation tourism? Bhoothattankettu the name itself enough to attract the eyes and ears from near and far! Thought of tourism can only come after the right steps to preserve the place. Who else can take the initiative for this than the expatriates who are exposed to the endless possibility of such places in the other parts of the world?
  • Divya (guest)
    Sir.. your comments on the History of Cheramalai were useful. But I would like to know whether kothamangalam is the Ekachakra gramam mentioned in the Mahabaratha
  • georgejoyce
    Yes it is I believe. I am doing a research on the proto history of kerala and all informations I got even substantiates ekachakra is the ancient Kerala.
  • Divya (guest)
    Would you please provide the source for your findings? How does proto historic archaeology help in identiying kothamangalam as the ekachakra gramam?
  • Show all comments
This article was last modified 11 years ago