Kallooppara is a census village located in Kallooppara Gram Panchayat, within Mallapally Taluk in

Pathanamthitta Pathanamthitta (), is a municipality, city in southern Kerala, India, spread over an area of . It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The town has a population of 37,538 (as of 2011 census). The Hindu pilgrim centre Sab ...

district,

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. As of the 2011 census, it had a population of 16,837.

History of Kallooppara

The land of Kallooppara was previously known as "Perum Para Nadu" because of its large number of rocks. Later, the region was renamed Perumbranadu. According to a local tradition of the

Saint Thomas Christians The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an Ethnoreligious group, ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Ker ...

, four prominent

Namboothiri The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Namboothiri, Namboodri, Namboori, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of th ...

families who were converted to Christianity by St. Thomas between AD 52 and AD 72 were Kali, Kalikavu, Pakalomattom, and Sankarapuri. Due to religious discrimination, these families moved to southern Kerala by the end of the 2nd century. While Christian devotees in Kallooppara trace their roots to the first century, historical records indicate their arrival and settlement in Kallooppara from the 9th century onwards. Many migrated from Christian centers like

Kuravilangad Kuravilangad is an Indian town located in the northern part of the Kottayam district in Kerala. It is situated in the Meenachil taluk, about 22 km north of the district capital Kottayam and 17 km west of the municipal town Pala. Ku ...

Vaikom Vaikom () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala. It is located north of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about north of the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, V ...

, and Kadambanad. Their lineages are known by family names such as Valiyaveedu, Melepeedika, Kallarakkal, Aalummud, Adangapurathu, Kurunthayil, Thazhepeedika, Mangalathu, Pallikkal, Chamathil, Pandakasalayil, Kanamoottil, Peralummootil, Vattasseril, Kochumannil, Karimbil, Moothedathu, Mundupalathingal, and Pallimalayil.

The Kalari and the fort

In 1100, the historical region of Vemolinad was divided into "Vadakumkoor" and "Thekkumkoor." Thekkumkoor included areas such as

Kottayam Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...

, Chenganacherry,

Thiruvalla Thiruvalla, () also spelled Tiruvalla, is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of and has a population of 52,883 people, down from 56,837 in 2001. It is also the H ...

, Kanjirapally, and parts of the high range. Kallooppara, under Thekkumkoor, had a

Kalari A kalari is a gymnasium or training space primarily associated with the martial art of Kalaripayattu. The word ''kalari'' comes from Tamil. In the past, village schools in Tamilnadu, typically run by the traditional astrologer families, were k ...

(

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

training center) and a fort, which remained significant until recently. This served as a strategic base for the Thekkumkoor army. The King reportedly had strong ties with Kallooppara residents, especially the influential Old Nair lord family in Koipuram, Eraviperoor. This family advised the king and helped transfer the Kallooppara sub-division to the Edappally dynasty after the decline of Thekkumkoor. Kallooppara then came under the Edappally dynasty (Elangalloor Swaroopam), whose founder was reportedly a priest from the Thrikkakara temple.

Modern Kallooppara

Kallooppara was once part of Thiruvalla taluka, but with the formation of the

district in 1983, a new

taluka A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ...

was created, and Kallooppara became part of it.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Indian census, Kallooppara had a population of 16,837. The

sex ratio A sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. However, many species deviate from an even sex ratio, ei ...

was 1,127 females per 1,000 males. Children under 6 constituted 7.58% of the population. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 11.34% and 0.30% of the population, respectively. The literacy rate was 97.81% (98.05% for males and 97.60% for females), higher than the state average of 94% and the national average of 74.04%.

References

{{Pathanamthitta district Villages in Pathanamthitta district Villages in Thiruvalla taluk