Vallikunnu

Vallikkunnu is a village in Tirurangadi Taluk of Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India with an area of 25 km². It is located 5 km north of Parappanangadi town and comes under the jurisdiction of Parappanangadi Police Station and Parappanangadi Judicial First Class Magistrate Court. Its latitude and longitude are 11'07" N and 7'51"E respectively. Vallikkunnu was awarded the best panchayath of Kerala in 1997. Vallikunnu is situated on Tirur-Kadalundi Road. Vallikkunnu is also a part of the Oldest Railway Line of Kerala laid in 1861 from Tirur to Chaliyam via Tanur, Parappanangadi, Vallikkunnu, and Kadalundi.


Vallikkunnu lies on the bank of Kadalundi River. Kadalundi River joins with Arabian Sea at the estuary (''Azhimukham'') in Kadalundi Nagaram beach of Vallikkunnu Grama Panchayat. Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary and Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve are located here.

Demographics

India census, Vallikkunnu had a population of 22853 with 11057 males and 11796 females.
It comes under Thirurangadi thaluk. The northern boundary is Kadalundi river and southern side with Parappanangadi Municipality. The village has a coastline of 8 kilometers with arabian sea in the west. The east is covered with Chelembra, Tenhipalam and Moonniyoor Panchayaths.

History

Vallikkunnu-Kadalundi-Chaliyam-Beypore had trade relations with foreign countries like Rome and Arabia since the era of king Solomon. Tyndis, which was a major center of trade, next only to Muziris, between the Cheras and the Roman Empire, is identified with Kadalundi.Coastal Histories: Society and Ecology in Pre-modern India, Yogesh Sharma, Primus Books 2010 Pliny the Elder (1st century CE) states that the port of ''Tyndis'' was located at the northwestern border of ''Keprobotos'' ( Chera dynasty).Gurukkal, R., & Whittaker, D. (2001). In search of Muziris. ''Journal of Roman Archaeology,'' ''14'', 334-350. The North Malabar region, which lies north of the port at ''Tyndis'', was ruled by the kingdom of Ezhimala during Sangam period.A. Shreedhara Menon, A Survey of Kerala History According to the ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'', a region known as ''Limyrike'' began at '' Naura'' and ''Tyndis''. However the Ptolemy mentions only ''Tyndis'' as the ''Limyrikes starting point. The region probably ended at Kanyakumari; it thus roughly corresponds to the present-day Malabar Coast. The value of Rome's annual trade with the region was estimated at around 50,000,000 sesterces. Pliny the Elder mentioned that ''Limyrike'' was prone by pirates. The Cosmas Indicopleustes mentioned that the ''Limyrike'' was a source of peppers.

According to the Legend of Cheraman Perumals, the first Indian mosque was built in 624 AD at Kodungallur with the mandate of the last the ruler (the Cheraman Perumal) of Chera dynasty, who converted to Islam during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (c. 570–632). According to ''Qissat Shakarwati Farmad'', the ''Masjids'' at Kodungallur, Kollam, Madayi, Barkur, Mangalore, Kasaragod, Kannur, Dharmadam, Panthalayini, and Chaliyam (just opposite to Vallikkunnu), were built during the era of Malik Dinar, and they are among the oldest ''Masjid''s in the Indian subcontinent. It is believed that Malik Dinar died at Thalangara in Kasaragod town.Pg 58, Cultural heritage of Kerala: an introduction, A. Sreedhara Menon, East-West Publications, 1978

After the breakdown of the Chera Kingdom dynasty rooted in Kadalundi, Parappanad Kovilakam of Parappanangadi became the rulers of Vallikkunnu. Parappanad royal family is a cousin dynasty of the Travancore royal family. They gave permission for the Dutch to build a fort at Kadalundi. Even though the fort collapsed after a war with Zamorins, we can see the remnants in Mulla. Later the British became the rulers of Vallikkunnu and they built railway lines from Tirur up to Chaliyam for the purpose of business. Later it was extended to Shoranur. Marthanda Varma, the founder of Travancore, belongs to Parappanad royal family.

Thundi is an ancient seaport and harbor-town north of Muziris (Muchiri) in the Chera Kingdom (Keprobotos), modern day India on the Malabar Coast. The exact location of the port is still unknown, modernday Kadalundi Nagaram, Ponnani, Tanur, and Pantalayani Kollam are often identified as Tyndis located in the Sangam age Tamil kingdom of the Cheras. Tyndis was a major center of trade, next only to Muziris, between the Cheras and the Roman Empire in the early centuries of the Christian era. A branch of the Chera royal family is also said to have established itself at Tyndis. It is also speculated that Tyndis (along with ports such as Naura, Bakare and Nelkynda) operated as a satellite feeding port to Muziris.

Wards of Vallikkunnu

Vallikkunnu Grama Panchayat is composed of the following 23 wards:

See also

* Parappanangadi
* Chelari
* Tenhipalam
* Chelembra
* Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary
* Kadalundi–Vallikkunnu Community Reserve
* Chaliyar

External links

References

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{{Malappuram district
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Villages in Malappuram district
Populated coastal places in India
Parappanangadi area