Manikandapuram was the capital of the

Kingdom of Thekkumkur Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchic state or realm ruled by a king or queen. ** A monarchic chiefdom, represented or governed by a king or queen. * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and me ...

(now part of India). Manikandapuram is a part of Vakathanam Gramam in the Changanassery Taluk of

Kottayam District Kottayam () is one of List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Kerala, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettu ...

. At the beginning of the Thekkumkur princely state, the nearest place,

Vennimala Vennimala is a small village located in Puthuppally Grama Panchayath of the Kottayam district in Kerala. Vennimala is east of Kottayam. It lies between the towns of Western Kerala and the mountains of the Western Ghats. Vennimala was once a de ...

was established as the headquarters. Vennimala was the most secure place for the enemy. The forests were cut down and developed into habitable areas and the administration is strengthened by the capital city of Manikandapuram.

Manikandapuram Temple

The Manikandapuram Sreekrishna Temple was built in the 12th century by

Thekkumkur The Kingdom of Thekkumkur () (also transliterated as ''Thekkumkoor'' or ''Thekkumcore'') was an independent kingdom in the southern part of Kerala in India from 1103 CE until 1750 CE.P. Shungoonny Menon - A HISTORY OF TRAVANCORE - First edition ...

king Eravi Manikanda Varman (reign: 1150 - 1180 C.E). The construction of the temple and the installation of the idol of Lord Krishna took place on the 25th day of Malayalam month Medam ( Meṣa) in

Kollam Era The Malayalam Calendar, or the Kollam Era (), is a sidereal solar calendar used in Kerala. The origin of the calendar has been dated to 825 CE, commemorating the establishment of Kollam. There are many theories regarding the origin of ...

325 (1150 C.E). The king would take part in the annual festival of

Vennimala Sree Rama Lakshmana Swamy Temple Vennimala is a small village located in Puthuppally Grama Panchayath of the Kottayam district in Kerala. Vennimala is east of Kottayam. It lies between the towns of Western Kerala and the mountains of the Western Ghats. Vennimala was once a de ...

. During the royal hunting (Pallivetta) in the temple, the king Eravi Manikandan shot an animal he saw, but it was a cow. The Manikandapuram Temple was built by King Manikandan for his atonement, knowing that he killed a cow. There is evidence that the fort and the tunnels were at Manikandapuram, as were the later headquarters of the Thekkumkur monarchy at

Changanassery Changanassery, () formerly Changanacherry, is a municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is located south of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 ...

and Thaliyanthanapuram (Kottayam). The temple was very popular in the Thekkumkur dynasty. References to this temple are found in

Aithihyamala Aithihyamala or Ithihyamala () (''Garland of Legends'') is a collection of century-old stories from Kerala that cover a vast spectrum of life, famous persons and events. It is a collection of legends numbering over a hundred, about magicians and ...

Kottarathil Sankunni Kottarathil Sankunni (born Vasudevan, 1855–1937) was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. Best known as the author of Aithihyamala, an eight-volume compilation of century-old legends about Kerala, Sankunni's writings cover prose and poet ...

and ''

Unnuneeli Sandesam ''Uli Sandam'' is among the oldest works in Malayalam language. It is a '' sandesa kavyam'' (message poem), a message written in poetry, on the lines of the famous ''Meghadūta'' of Kalidasa. In the case of this work, it is a message written by ...

'', the classics of Malayalam Literature.

''Unnuneeli Sandesam''

The Malayalam poem ''

'' describes the ancient Manikandapuram and Sreekrishna temple. In this poem, the temple and the underground passages connecting Venimala and Manikandapuram are explicit. There is depression in Manikandapuram, which looks like the entrance to a tunnel. The temple has huge acres of paddy fields in revenue records to feed hundreds of people every day.Book Title: Unnuneeli Sandesam Edited By: Elamkulam P N Kunjan Pillai Publisher: National Book Stall Malayalam Poems

References

{{Reflist Kingdom of Thekkumkur Changanassery Historical Indian regions Former capital cities in India Culture of Kerala History of Changanassery