ചരിത്ര പശ്ചാത്തലം
🌿 Topography and Legends
Neezhoor Grama Panchayat is a land filled with hills, slopes, plains, paddy fields, coconut groves, banana plantations, vegetable gardens, mango trees, jackfruit trees, and areca nut palms. This village panchayat has 15 wards, with wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 12, 13, and 14 (half) situated on one side, and wards 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14 (half), and 15 on the other side.
🛕 Temple Heritage
The Sreekrishnaswamy Temple, Alummekkavu, and Kattampack Kottaram Devi Temple are part of Neezhoor's heritage. The legend surrounding Thevarthumala is remarkable: the idol envisioned by the king for installation at the Ettumanoor Temple was found here. According to the legend, when an adivasi woman was digging for tubers on the hill, her digging tool struck something and blood appeared. A Shivalinga emerged from that spot, which was discovered upon the king's instructions, worshipped at the Kottaram Devi Temple for three days, and subsequently installed in the Ettumanoor Temple. The connection between this hill in the 9th ward and the Kottaram Devi Temple forms a crucial chapter in the history of Neezhoor.
⛪ Marangoly St. Mary's Church
Established in 1918 in the 2nd ward, the history of St. Mary's Church, Marangoly, is noteworthy. When famine and smallpox plagued the land following World War I, the traditional Lenten procession (kazhuthu pradakshinam) of St. Sebastian from Elanjippally reached Marangoly. A temporary shed was erected at the current church site where an image was installed, and devotions and sermons were conducted. During the sermon, Father Poulose Pallikkaparambil stated that this hilltop was suitable for a place of worship. Subsequently, the locals purchased the land, built a shed, and the Father offered the first Holy Mass there in 1917. The shed was renovated into a church in 1924, and the magnificent church seen today was blessed and inaugurated in 1969 by Mar Sebastian Vayalil, the Bishop of Palai.
🏫 Education and Social Progress
Long before independence, the slavery and caste systems prevalent across India and particularly in the state were also strong in our villages. Missionaries operating from Kottayam purchased the Vakkad region (present-day 6th ward) in the Neezhoor Panchayat, established a church, and permitted marginalized communities to convert to Christianity and reside and cultivate land on church property. By 1900, a primary school was established centered around Vakkad (Vakkad CMS UP School). After independence, the institutions were handed over to the CSI Church, and the school continues to be known by its original name today.
🌿 Ayurveda & Notable Personalities
Vakkachan Vaidyan, Nirappel Kochuvaidyan, Padmanabha Pillai, and Ouseph Vaidyan are prominent figures in the field of indigenous medicine. K.N. Krishnan Namboothiri, Dr. C.R. Vinod Kumar, and Olympian Binoy Lukose are the pride of the land.
🎨 Art and Literature
Varghese Kanjirathunkal, author of over 50 books, and Kathakali maestro Pallippuram Raskaran Nair are among those who elevated the glory of Neezhoor in the fields of art and literature.