Aymanam
Encyclopedia
Aymanam is a village in Kottayam District
, Kerala
, India
, the setting of Arundhati Roy
's 1997 novel The God of Small Things
.
means 'five' and Vanam in Sanskrit
means 'forests': Ayvanam, or Aymanam, is the land of five forests (these are Vattakkadu, Thuruthikkadu, Vallyakadu, Moolakkadu, and Mekkadu). No forest exists now except few snake grooves. Kummanam
was the horrible among forests.
The village borders Lake Vembanad on the west, near Kumarakom
. Two-thirds of Aymanam consists of ricefields, two meters below sea level; the river Meenachil
provides water for the village. Low-lying areas flood from June to August.
Aymanam is about 4 km on Kottayam
- Parippu road. The nearest railway station, 4 km, is Kottayam Railway Station. Aymanam is 85 km from Cochin International Airport
.
, Kallumkathara, is situated nearby. St.Mark's C.S.I CHURCH,OLESSA has a good old history.The Hermon Marthoma Church,Aymanam has been an old place of worship for the marthomites which has an old history. Ancient Syrian Christian families like the Kollenkeril family,the Kallumkatharas, the Thondukuzhy-Mateethras, the Parambil Tharakans, the Kottaparambils and the Pulickaparambils have their ancient Tharawads in Aymanam.
Kudamaloor is more popular as the head quarters of erstwhile Chembakassery kings. The place where the palace of kings once stood is now stands Valiyamadom Nalukettu, the present residence of the royal family. The village is dotted with many old Nalukettu structures and mansions. Near Eraveeswaram temple the remains of the fort of the kings are still visible. Raised platforms and canon holes in the wall have survived the onslaught of the climate for years.
Kudamaloor is a well known village on many counts. In art and architecture the village is always in forefront. The birth place of renowned Kathakali exponent is Kudamaloor. Many sons of the village are reckoned stalwarts in Kerrida art forms and folklore arts. Call the experts in Sopanasangeetham, Kalamezhuthu and Kalamezhuthu Pattu, Kalaripayattu, Mudiyettu etc.the village is ready to supply them.
Two prominent institutions, Kathakali Yogam and Sopanam Kalavedi & Research Center, rooted here promote folklore arts and Kathakali.
The village has ten temples. Vasudevapuram temple (is accredited for mural paintings), Ayyappan Kavu , Karukulangara Sri Bhadrakali Temple (Tiyattu,Garudan Parava and Thookam are the novelties of the temple festival), Eraveeswaram Mahadava temple, Pandavam Sri Dharma Shastha Temple, Pandavam Sri Subrahmanya Swami Temple etc are very ancient.
Unheard anywhere else, a church known as St Mary’s Church was built and promoted by a Hindu king. The offering in the Church is of typical nature. It is a traditional water bag and rope used for drawing the water from the well.
's Booker prize-winning novel The God of Small Things
was set at Aymanam. An excerpt from the book describing Aymanam (spelled as Ayemenem in the book) reads as follows
- The main character in American-Malayali sitcom "Akkara kazhchakal
", George Thekkummoottil is supposed to be from Aymanam.
- Ajaykumar (known as Undapakru or Guinness Pakru), is a popular Malayalam comedy actor who hails from Aymanam. He has made an entry into the Guinness Book of Records for being the shortest actor (86 cm height) to play a full length character in a film.
- N.N. Pillai a popular drama and cinema artist who is from Aymanam, Olassa.
- Vijayaraghavan (Son of N.N. Pillai) who is a famous Malayalam movie actor is from Aymanam, olassa.
Kottayam
Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative capital of the Kottayam district. Kottayam Kottayam (Malayalam: കോട്ടയം) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the setting of Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy is an Indian novelist. She won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel, The God of Small Things, and has also written two screenplays and several collections of essays...
's 1997 novel The God of Small Things
The God of Small Things
The God of Small Things is the debut novel of Indian author Arundhati Roy. It is a story about the childhood experiences of fraternal twins whose lives are destroyed by the "Love Laws" that lay down "who should be loved, and how. And how much." The book is a description of how the small things in...
.
Overview
Ay in the Tamil languageTamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
means 'five' and Vanam in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
means 'forests': Ayvanam, or Aymanam, is the land of five forests (these are Vattakkadu, Thuruthikkadu, Vallyakadu, Moolakkadu, and Mekkadu). No forest exists now except few snake grooves. Kummanam
Kummanam
Kummanam is a village that lies on either side of River Meenachil. Administratively it is in Thiruvarpu and Aymanam Gramapanchayat of Kottayam district in Kerala State, India. Capital town of Kottayam District is 4 km east from here. A bridge named Thazhathangadi palam connects either areas...
was the horrible among forests.
The village borders Lake Vembanad on the west, near Kumarakom
Kumarakom
Kumarakom is a popular tourism destination located near the city of Kottayam , in Kerala, India, famous for its backwater tourism. It is set in the backdrop of the Vembanad Lake which is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Kerala.-Environment:...
. Two-thirds of Aymanam consists of ricefields, two meters below sea level; the river Meenachil
Meenachil
Meenachil is the name of the north-eastern region of Kottayam district in Kerala, south India. The name originates from Meenakshi the Dravidian goddess. Palai is the main town in Meenachil. The arterial river of the district is also named Meenachil...
provides water for the village. Low-lying areas flood from June to August.
Aymanam is about 4 km on Kottayam
Kottayam
Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative capital of the Kottayam district. Kottayam Kottayam (Malayalam: കോട്ടയം) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative...
- Parippu road. The nearest railway station, 4 km, is Kottayam Railway Station. Aymanam is 85 km from Cochin International Airport
Cochin International Airport
Cochin International Airport is an international airport located in Nedumbassery, a suburb on the outskirts of the city of Kochi about northeast of downtown Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. It is the busiest and largest airport in the state of Kerala...
.
Houses of worship
Sree Narasimha Swamy temple is located in the heart of Aymanam. Pandavam Sree Darmashasta temple is famed for its murals. The St George Jacobite Syrian Christian ChurchJacobite Syrian Christian Church
The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church is part of the Syriac Orthodox Church, located in Kerala, India. It recognizes the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, currently Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, as its supreme head. It functions as a largely autonomous archdiocese within the church, under the authority...
, Kallumkathara, is situated nearby. St.Mark's C.S.I CHURCH,OLESSA has a good old history.The Hermon Marthoma Church,Aymanam has been an old place of worship for the marthomites which has an old history. Ancient Syrian Christian families like the Kollenkeril family,the Kallumkatharas, the Thondukuzhy-Mateethras, the Parambil Tharakans, the Kottaparambils and the Pulickaparambils have their ancient Tharawads in Aymanam.
Kudamaloor
Located very near to Kottayam town and Kumarakom, Kudamaloor is on the banks of Meenachil River. The village is a fine example of typical Kerala rural ambience.Kudamaloor is in Aymanam Panchayat, the home town of the booker prize winner Arundhathi Roy. The novelist has woven her famed novel ‘The God of Small Things’around this theme village.there is one of the old house parampattu is located near PJM UP school.Kudamaloor is more popular as the head quarters of erstwhile Chembakassery kings. The place where the palace of kings once stood is now stands Valiyamadom Nalukettu, the present residence of the royal family. The village is dotted with many old Nalukettu structures and mansions. Near Eraveeswaram temple the remains of the fort of the kings are still visible. Raised platforms and canon holes in the wall have survived the onslaught of the climate for years.
Kudamaloor is a well known village on many counts. In art and architecture the village is always in forefront. The birth place of renowned Kathakali exponent is Kudamaloor. Many sons of the village are reckoned stalwarts in Kerrida art forms and folklore arts. Call the experts in Sopanasangeetham, Kalamezhuthu and Kalamezhuthu Pattu, Kalaripayattu, Mudiyettu etc.the village is ready to supply them.
Two prominent institutions, Kathakali Yogam and Sopanam Kalavedi & Research Center, rooted here promote folklore arts and Kathakali.
The village has ten temples. Vasudevapuram temple (is accredited for mural paintings), Ayyappan Kavu , Karukulangara Sri Bhadrakali Temple (Tiyattu,Garudan Parava and Thookam are the novelties of the temple festival), Eraveeswaram Mahadava temple, Pandavam Sri Dharma Shastha Temple, Pandavam Sri Subrahmanya Swami Temple etc are very ancient.
Unheard anywhere else, a church known as St Mary’s Church was built and promoted by a Hindu king. The offering in the Church is of typical nature. It is a traditional water bag and rope used for drawing the water from the well.
In popular culture
Arundhati RoyArundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy is an Indian novelist. She won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel, The God of Small Things, and has also written two screenplays and several collections of essays...
's Booker prize-winning novel The God of Small Things
The God of Small Things
The God of Small Things is the debut novel of Indian author Arundhati Roy. It is a story about the childhood experiences of fraternal twins whose lives are destroyed by the "Love Laws" that lay down "who should be loved, and how. And how much." The book is a description of how the small things in...
was set at Aymanam. An excerpt from the book describing Aymanam (spelled as Ayemenem in the book) reads as follows
- The main character in American-Malayali sitcom "Akkara kazhchakal
Akkara Kazhchakal
Akkara Kazchakal is a Malayalam sitcom about a middle-class Malayali-American family. The series premiered on Kairali TV at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on February 16, 2008. The show gained huge popularity among the Malayali community residing in the United States. The producers regularly...
", George Thekkummoottil is supposed to be from Aymanam.
- Ajaykumar (known as Undapakru or Guinness Pakru), is a popular Malayalam comedy actor who hails from Aymanam. He has made an entry into the Guinness Book of Records for being the shortest actor (86 cm height) to play a full length character in a film.
- N.N. Pillai a popular drama and cinema artist who is from Aymanam, Olassa.
- Vijayaraghavan (Son of N.N. Pillai) who is a famous Malayalam movie actor is from Aymanam, olassa.