An inscription found on a ‘Chumaduthangi’ at Anandeswaram in the district has served to spark interest in the forgotten local histories of the Sreekaryam-Chempazhanthy-Chenkottukonam region and the hinterland trade routes that once criss-crossed it.
The simplest of stone structures — a long, flat, shoulder-high slab of granite placed atop two upright ones — Chumaduthangis were once a common sight in Kerala, used by travellers to ‘rest’ heavy loads while they took a break. They have all but vanished today. The few that remain owe their existence to curiosity value or, ironically, to the fact they stand in out-of-the-way spots.
Rare occurence
A.S. Vysakh, assistant professor, Department of History, Sree Narayana College, Chempazhanthy, has identified and deciphered an inscription on a Chumaduthangi, which he says is rarely found in similar structures here.
The structure stands in Anandeswaram near Aniyoor, serving as a marker to the thoroughfares, hinterland trade routes, and lifestyles of a bygone era in the Sreekaryam-Chempazhanthy-Chenkottukonam region, said Mr. Vysakh, who encountered the inscription amid his research into the region’s history.
“The inscription is in Malayalam and states that the structure was erected by Kaithara Veetil Narayanan Krishnan in the month of Dhanu. The same family had also erected a Vazhiyambalam (rest house) that was torn down for widening the road a few years ago,” Mr. Vysakh said.
A merchant now in his 90s remembers that the Vazhiyambalam used to serve as night-time refuge for travellers from Pothencode to Thiruvananthapuram, Mr. Vysakh said. “At daybreak, they would resume their journey via Chempazhanthy. Sreekaryam too was a bustling market place, its proximity to the Parvathy Puthanar aiding inland trade,” he said.
The eastern regions of the district, Nedumangad, Karette, Kallara, and Pothencode included, were major production centres of pepper and other commodities from very early days and during the times of the Portuguese, Dutch, and the English.
Chumaduthangis, though irrelevant to modern lifestyle, should be preserved as relics of a former way of life, Mr. Vysakh said.
