A slice of Idukki’s farming history

The name of a place sometimes shed light on the yesteryear life there. Though generations have lived and died there, the name of the place remains immortalised.

There are place names that end with tholu such as Anyartholu, Kuzhitholu, and Nettitholu, denoting places once used for rearing cattle. Mundierumatholu and Putadytholu later shortened to Mundierma and Puttady.

Nagamarettumettu Thozhu is another place name connected to cattle rearing. Thozu in Tamil means cattle stall and is connected to cattle rearing – the main vocation of Tamil people here under erstwhile Travancore rulers. Licences were issued to those from Tamil Nadu for rearing cattle on grasslands and a fee was collected.

According to records, ameendar (village officer) was in charge of identifying grasslands and distributing them for cattle rearing.  Most of these places are in the present Karunapuram village now under cardamom, pepper, areca, and coconut cultivation.

There are families of Tamil origin still living there. They might be the only population of Tamil origin who engage in farming other than those settled as workers in tea and cardamom plantations.

According to T. Ragesh, who wrote Idukki Charithrarekhakal (Documents of Idukki History), proof of cattle rearing and issuing of passes are available at Vandanmedu village office, which has many such documents relating to the Raj era.

Mattukatta is also a name connected to cattle rearing and it was Madukatta then. The area has a vast grassland on the banks of the Periyar and was adjacent to the old trade route from Keezhmalanadu (presently Arakkulam village) to Madurai.

With revenue settlements in 1910s, a ban on cattle-trespassing came in to effect. Slowly small-scale farmers reached there and engaged in farming.

Mr. Rajesh says the new settlers were credited with planting saplings in these areas as it was needed for providing shade to cardamom cultivation, which is evident from the tree species and their age.

For cattle rearing and cultivation, water was essential and rivers such as the Anyar and the Koottar provided it. Though the new settlers had been criticised for clearing forests in Idukki, the story of cultivated land which was once grazing land is different.