History of Grama Panchayat
Social History
This panchayat was originally a part of the Kootamangalam village. Between 1933 and 1935, during the tenure of Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer and based on the recommendation of the then-MNC Thariath Kunjithommen, 3,000 acres of land within the boundaries of present-day Mannamkandam Panchayat were auctioned off. The Palai Central Bank and several wealthy individuals acquired various plots through this auction.
Agriculture was first introduced here in March 1934, and during that initial period, only autumn paddy (Virippu Nellu) was cultivated. Around the same time, 200 acres of land within the panchayat limits (the area known today as '200 Acre') and another 1,000 acres at a place then called Idakkanam (known today as Chatrooppara) were allocated for the Harijan community. An area of 14 acres in what is now Adimaly town was set aside for public utilities. Following this, the institutions and individuals who won the land auctions leased out plots to other farmers under tenancy agreements, leading to the widespread cultivation of tapioca and lemongrass.
In 1949, during the administration of P.S. Rao, the region faced a severe food shortage. Under the "Grow More Food" program, land adjacent to the initially auctioned plots was leased out to farmers on a fixed-term basis strictly for food crop cultivation. Along with paddy, farmers began cultivating tapioca, but forest officials uprooted the crops. This led to farmers organizing themselves and forming a farmers' union between 1954 and 1955. At that time, all property deeds registered in these regions noted that the land belonged to the Poonjar royals and was subject to ongoing litigation with the government.
It was only after the popular government came to power in 1957 that permission was granted to cultivate cash crops and tubers like tapioca. The efforts of Thariath Kunjithommen in helping the local farmers secure land titles (pattayam) were highly commendable. Back then, a levy system was in place which mandated that half of the agricultural produce had to be given as a levy. The farmers' union led powerful agitations against this system.
The first organized colony in this panchayat was the Deviyar Colony. When colonies were being established across different parts of the district to combat food scarcity, the colony originally set up in Marayoor was relocated here due to water scarcity. There were 79 families in this colony. The Deviyar Government L.P. School was established as part of this colony scheme, and it was upgraded to a high school in 1976. Deviyar Colony stood as a symbol of communal harmony and co-operation; local families from the Brahmin Iyer community (such as Mani Iyer) and the Dalit community (Pulayar) solemnized inter-caste marriages, wedding their sons and daughters across communities (including the Ullada and Paraya communities).
After 1957, permission was also granted to cultivate lemongrass on these leased lands. During that period, landowners collected two and a half bottles of lemongrass oil per acre annually from the farmers as rent. Gradually, other crops began popping up here and there. Because it was an area predominantly inhabited by the Mannan tribe, the place got the name Mannamkandam. When the panchayat system was established in 1955, the area consisting of Kuttampuzha and Mannamkandam was the 6th ward of Kavalangad Panchayat. In 1960, it took shape as an independent entity under the name Mannamkandam Panchayat. Following heavy financial losses in lemongrass farming in the 1960s, farmers began widespread cultivation of areca nut trees on titled lands as well as revenue-leased lands. Alongside it, coconut, black pepper, coffee, cardamom, jackfruit, and mango trees became the prominent early cash crops.