Malabar Migration refers to the large-scale migration of

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 ...

who existed in Southern and Central

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 ...

for most of its history to Northern Kerala ( Malabar) in the 20th century.

History

Knanaya Malabar Migration( Rajapuram & Madampam)

The migration started from early decades of the 20th century and continued well into the 1970s and 1980s. The first organized migration to Malabar was envisaged by the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Kottayam, Knanaya Catholic under the direction of the then Bishop Mar Alexander Chulaparambil in 1943. Two settlements or colonies were started. The first was to Rajapuram Colony in the present Kasargod District on February 2, 1943. A group of 72 selected families from Kidangoor, Koodalloor, Punnathura and Pala came by train to Kanhangad and proceeded to their destinations at Chullikara, Rajapuram, Kallar and Malakkallu. The second settlement was to Madampam, 30 Kilometers East of Kannur on March 8, 1943. 100 families mostly from Meenachil Taluk traveled by train to Kannur and settled at Madampam and Payyavoor. The settlement was named after the bishop, Alexnagar colony, in the present Kannur District. The idea of organized migration was envisaged and presented to the Bishop by Professor Joseph Kandoth, who was then a professor at the St. Alosius College in Manglore. This migration had a significant demographic and social impact as the Christian population of Malabar increased 15-fold from 31,191 in 1931 to 442,510 in 1971.

After effects

Central Travancore had experienced a steep increase in population in the early 20th century and pressure on arable land increased. At the same time people realized the potential in the large uncultivated lands in the northern regions called Malabar which was then part of Madras Province under British Rule. Migration initially started in trickles. Land was bought from the local rulers and plantations were set up. Against many odds, the community thrived, thereby attracting more migrants and by the 1950s had reached its peak.

Communities that migrated

The vast majority of the migrants were Syrian Christians, mainly ( Syrian Malabar Nasrani) from erstwhile Travancore state. The migrants were mostly from present day Kottayam district, Idukki district and Ernakulam district regions such as Pala,

Changanasserry Changanassery, () Renaming of cities in India, formerly Changanacherry, is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is located south of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about north of th ...

, Kanjirapally, Kuravilangad,

Thodupuzha Thodupuzha () is a municipality and taluk in the Idukki district of Kerala, India. It is located west of the district headquarters in Painavu and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Thodupu ...

, Kothamangalam,

Muvattupuzha Muvattupuzha () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipalityhttps://lsgkerala.gov.in/system/files/2017-10/localbodies.pdf in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is located east of the district headquarters in Thrikkakara and a ...

etc. Settlements were established in various hill areas of Malabar region (north Kerala) including in the following districts of current Kerala (Some key migration centres also mentioned): *

Kasargod Kasaragod () is a municipal town and the administrative headquarters of the Kasaragod district in the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1966, Kasaragod was the first municipal town in the district. It is the northernmost district of Ker ...

- Rajapuram, Kolichal, Panathady, Panathur, Malakkallu, Malom, Chittarikkal, Balal, Vellarikund *

Kannur Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the maj ...

- Alakode, Manakadavu, Udayagiri, Madampam, Payyavoor, Chemperi, Chempanthotty, Cherupuzha, Kudianmala,

Iritty Iritty is a municipality and taluk in Kannur district of Kerala state, India. The town is the main market place for the farmer communities in the surrounding regions. Iritty is at a distance of from Kannur International Airport and one among ...

, Ulikkal, Manikkadavu,

Peravoor Peravoor is a town and grama panchayat in Kannur district of Kerala state in India. It is located east of Kannur and north east of Thalassery. Iritty, the nearest municipality, is north of Peravoor. Peravoor is situated in the Western Ghat ...

, Kanichar, Kelakam *

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

Thiruvambady Thiruvambady is a historic hill town in Kozhikode district in Kerala, India. Thiruvambady is a Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act 1996, Panchayat headquarters, and a legislative assembly constituency, situated from west of Kozhikode. ...

Kodenchery Kodanchery is a town in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. The town is a Panchayat headquarters. Nearby towns are Thamarassery, Thiruvambady, Nellipoyil, and Thusharagiri Falls. Kodanchery falls under Thiruvambadi Assembly C ...

Kuttiyadi, Maruthonkara, Koorachundu,

Thottumukkam Thottumukkam is a border village in the districts of Kozhikode and Malappuram Kerala, India, under the administration of Kodiyathur Gram Panchayat on the banks of Thottumukkampuzha, a major tributary of Chaliyar. It is bordered by Karassery ...

. *

Wayanad Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of the Indian state of Kerala, with its administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, ...

- Perikkallur, Thettamala,

Pulpally Pulpally is a mid-sized town in the Wayanad District of Kerala, India. Pulpally is also known as 'The land of black gold'. It is also renowned for its pure wild Wayanad honey. The famous Seetha Devi temple in Kerala is located in Pulpally. Geo ...

Mananthavady Mananthavady is the Grade 3 municipality in the Wayanad district of Kerala, India. The municipal boundaries are defined by Tirunelli Panchayat to the north, Kabani River to the east and south, and Thavinhal Panchayat to the west. Mananthavady i ...

, Nadavayal *

Malappuram Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a municipality and town in Kerala and the headquarters of the Malappuram district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Kerala, 4th largest urban agglomeration in Kerala and ...

Nilambur Taluk Nilambur () is a major town, a municipality and a Taluk in the Malappuram district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is located close to the Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River. This place is also known as 'T ...

(

Nilambur Nilambur () is a major town, a municipality and a Taluk in the Malappuram district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is located close to the Nilgiri Mountains, Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River. This place is ...

and its surrounding places) *

Palakkad Palakkad (), Renaming of cities in India, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of P ...

- Mannarkkad, Vadakkenchery *

Thrissur Thrissur (, ), Renaming of cities in India, formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Ke ...

- especially in the hill tracts near Vellikulangara Huge tracts of uncultivated forest and waste land were converted into farms and plantations during this period. The supportive role of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is well acknowledged as they supported this young community with churches, schools, hospitals and other infrastructure. The migration has resulted in hundreds of thousands of people moving to these lands. As a result, the demography of Malabar has been altered significantly especially in the eastern hill region. The share of Christians which was insignificant in the 1920s grew to substantial share by the 1970s in the settlement area.

References

* Malabar Migration. There was a second immigration. It was into the North Malabar Region in search of virgin land to cultivate and to get relief from the poverty and financial ...

External links