Ezhome
Grama Panchayat

History of the Gram Panchayat

Communal History

Located between the famous Taliparamba Shiva Temple established by the Ezhimala King Shatha Soman and the family temple of the Kolathiri kings, Madaikkavu (Thiruvarkattu Kavu), this village was home to the Udayamangalam Kovilakam and Pallikovilakam, the headquarters of the Kolathiri dynasty. Therefore, this area has witnessed many important historical events. Ezhimala was the headquarters of the dynasty known as the Kolavamsam and the Mooshikavansam. The Kolathiri dynasty is the continuation of this dynasty. The village included in this village later became an important headquarters of the said dynasty. In ancient times, the Udayamangalam Kovilakam and Pallikovilakam were the headquarters of the kingdom. Historical texts describe that after the 13th century, the importance of Ezhimala, which was the seat of the monarchy, gradually declined, and the neighboring temples gradually rose to prominence. Madayi and the neighboring temples are places that are so close together that they cannot be separated by a single line. Madayikotta, Madayikadavu, and the neighboring temples complement each other. The place name Ezhom itself is associated with Ezhimala temple. According to tradition, the ministerial post of Kolathiri belonged to the Murukankarri family, the military commandership to the Chitottu Kuruks, and the financial affairs to the Mavila Nambiar. The headquarters of all three tharavads are in the same place. There were about ten landowners in this area, including the neighboring temples, which were the seat of the Ezhoth Kolathiri dynasty. The villagers here can be divided into five groups: the landlord families who were the landlords, the small landlords who acquired their land from them, the middlemen who took over the land from the landlords in bulk and handed it over to the poor according to verbal agreements and reaped huge profits, the tenants who took over the agricultural land from the landlords and the middlemen, and the agricultural laborers who did not even own a piece of land. Their organized resistance against injustice began in Malabar, especially in Chirakkal taluk, in the late 1930s. Its ripples were felt in this village at that time as well. In addition to economic exploitation, the lower caste people, who were victims of the caste system, had to suffer terrible oppression from the upper caste. A clear example of this was the Ezom Sree Kurumbakkavu incident in 1933. The Naduvazhi Kovilakams were the prominent landlords of the nearby area. The land in the Chengalmoola area belonged to Thiruvarkat Devaswom (Madayikavu). The prominent landlords of the Ezom area did not have Mallissery in their ancestral home called Ilayidot. They were ready to start employment institutions in the first decade of the twentieth century. They were the founders of the heating company in Kottakkal and the weaving company in Illamparambi. The enthusiasm of the peasant movement in Chirakkal taluk against the imperial rule and the exploitation of the landlords and Naduvazhi also reverberated in this village. Freedom fighters Vishnubharatheyan, Keraleeyan, K.P.R. Gopalan, and K.V. Narayanan Nambiar often came here to organize the farmers. The farmers here declared that they would not pay the violent levies such as vasi and nuri. Narayanan Maniyani, Ittammalkoran, T.P. Kunhiraman and T. Shankarawarrier took the initiative to convene a farmers' meeting and organize the activities. Narayanan and Maniyani had earlier challenged the local landlord. A school was established in Narikatte in the 1930s. Maniyani and Shankarawarrier used the school for farmers' organization activities. One night, the school was burned down. Years later, the locals took the initiative and later established the school. The construction of the Chemmeen Bund was a historically important form of struggle carried out by the farmers to obtain their rights under the Land Reforms Act. Ezhom was once an area known as Nellara in Kannur district. In ancient times, this area was known as Akyab in Chirakkal taluk. Coconut, kavung and pepper are cultivated on the cashew hills, and paddy is still cultivated on the riverbanks and in the plains between the hills.

Cultural History

Ezom village has a rich tradition in the field of art and culture. Theyyam, a ritual art form related to the worship of God, has been popular in Ezom village since ancient times. After the 10th day of the month of Thulam, the place becomes joyful with the colorful Theyyams and the melodiousness of the musical ensembles. In the past, the Kaliyatt celebrations, which were the driving force behind the worship of God and customs, were the highlight of the village festivals. The folk arts of Poorakalli and Kolakalli also complement the Theyyam and Thira festivals. The music for the prominent Theyyam artists