About Mayyanad

Mayyanad is a beautiful village situated in Kollam district of Kerala and is about 10 kilometers south of Kollam city. Mayyanad can be reached by frequent buses from Kollam and Kottiyam and by local train from Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. Mayyanad is situated on the banks of the Paravur lake. Mayyanad's costal line along the Arabian sea is famous for its fishing. This village is the birth place of well known personalities like C V Kunjuraman, C Kesavan and K Sukumaran.

Mayyanad village comprises of three different geographical categories.

• Land, surrounded by lake, owned by the Government to the south of ‘Pazhayar’ and ‘Vellappil Kakkakadavu’.

• Land belonging to the Lord of ‘Umayanallor’, located to the north of the above one, comprising of eleven provinces.

• Land in ‘Kottiyam’ area, unclaimed by the Government.

There was a time when owning of a piece of land was a burden due to taxation. On those days, people were forced to take ownership of land, if they make rivalry with Government officials like ‘Classiper’. Many of such cases are noted in Mayyanad.

The Alappuzha-Thiruvananthapuram canal route of the Travancore state was cutting across this village. The National High way and the Railway also pass through this village.

During the latter half of the nineteenth century itself, the people of Mayyanad had become a Village community. Cast system was not in vogue. The only land lord was the ‘Umayanallor Thevar’. Paddy fields and many other lands were owned by this Lord. Many other Hindu temples were also there.

Several temples and shrines are there in Mayyanad. The shrine is said to have been consecrated by the great Hindu philosopher Sree Sankaracharya of Kaladi. Famous temple Valiyavila Madan Nada is situated in Mayyanad. The village also has churches and mosques.

One of the leading Malayalam newspapers Kerala Kaumudi started publication from Mayyanad in 1911.

Mayyanad village is made up of several localities including Mayyanad, Vellamanal, Koottikkada, Kakkottumoola, Pullichara, Umayanelloor, Mukkom, Thattamala, etc. The sole spoken (and written) language is Malayalam.

Etymology of ‘Mayyanad’
‘Mayyam’ is described as ‘middle’ in the Gundert Dictionary. It is interpreted that ‘Mayyanad’ is the land located in the middle of ‘Venad’ state which spreads from ‘Kollam’ to ‘Paravur Thekkumbhagom’.

Another version claims that the name is originated from the ‘Mayyanad Ellam’ who governed this land during the eighteenth century and thus the land was later known after their name.