Chathamangalam (Kannur)


Chathamangalam is a hill station village in Kannur district, Kerala, India alongside the Coorgvalley in the neighbouring Karnataka state. It is in the border of Cherupuzha, Alakode and Udayagiri Grama Panchayats. Chathamangalam is situated almost 58 kilometers away from the district headquarters. Nearby major towns namely Thaliparamba and Payyannur and are at a distance of 35 and 40 kilometers respectively from Chathamangalam.Two major mountains in the region namely Theruvamala and Thevarkunnumala have an altitude of approximately 2500 meters from sea level.

Life & Culture

Most of the inhabitants of the village are farmers. Rubber, coconut, ramboottan, cashew, cocoa, areca nut, pepper, nutmeg and vegetables are cultivated here in abundance.
People here are very much active in politics and religious activities. Political parties with good number of supporters include the Indian National Congress, CPI and Kerala Congress. Most of the villagers belong to Syro-Malabar Catholic Church followed by Malankara Catholicism and Hinduism. The most celebrated festivities are Christmas, Onam, Easter and Vishu.

Places in Chathamangalam

The famine after World War II and the misrule of Sir. C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer incited a large scale migration of people from Travancore to this area. The migration continued well into the 1970s and 80s. A vast majority of these migrants were Christians who had a completely different social and agricultural background. These hard working people brought new agricultural practices to this area. They introduced cash crops like rubber and daily staples like tapioca to the region.
The migrants also brought a new attitude to the region, one that challenged the established Janmi-Kudian feudal system. The migrants bought large tracts of land outright from the Janmis and put down permanent crops heralding an era of prosperity for the area. The immigrants, despite their cultural and social difference, soon became an integral part of social fabric.

Early farming methods K.S. MATHEW, MAHAVIR SINGH, JOY VERKEY. ''MIGRATION IN SOUTH INDIA''. Shipra Publications, 2005, First edition.

Until the early 1950s, this region used outdated agricultural practices and depended on the Indian monsoons for its irrigation needs. Agricultural land lay fallow after harvest. At the beginning of the next growing season, the bushes that cover the land would be cleared and the plant material burned to prepare the land for the next cycle of rice cultivation. This method, known as 'punam krishi' allowed people to grow staples like rice and black gram.

Places of Worship

St.Jude's Chapel, Chathamangalam

St. Jude's Chapel is situated at the convergence of Theruvamala and Thevarkunnumala and is the combined worship place of Syro-Malankara and Syro-Malabar Christians residing in the area. Novena to St.Jude conducted in the church attract good number of pilgrims.

Road Connectivity