Ponkunnam is the head quarters of Chirakadavu Panchayath in Kottayam Dist of Kerala. NH 220 Kollam - Theni and State Highway No1 Punalur- Moovattupuzha cross through this town. It is 30 kms east of Kottayam town. The name Ponkunnam is only 110 years old. Padmanabha Pillai, then the Kanjirappally Magistrate coined it, during the inauguration of the first market of Chirakadavu on 1st Makaram in KV 1079(AD 1895). Former name was Porunnukadu cherikal in Vadakkum Bhagom muri. During Tamil Sangam period the land was part of Natuzhinatu . Later it was part of Vempolinadu . When it was divided to Thekkumcore and Vadakkumcore, Chirakadvu was part of Thekkumcore. There was one illam (small palce) of the King in Kanjirappally .During this periods, flocks of Vellalas migrated to this fertile area from Kumbhakonam in Tamail nadu. They were agriculturists as well as traders. They built the ancient temples (Maduara Meenakshy and two Pillayar kovils) in Kanjirappally Muslims followed .Later Christians too migrated to this area.
King Marthanda Varmma captured Thekkumcore and Chirakadvu became a part of Travancore. For the help rendered in war Marthanda Varma gave the title of large fertile area including Chirakadavu, Cheruvallay and Peruvanthanam to Vanjppuzha Chief of Chenganoor without tax (karmazhivai). Till 1953 Vanjippuzha Madom owned the title of entire land.
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Both Chirakadavu and Cheruvally temples are ancient
( more than 1000 year old) and both are having large ponds equal to the size of that belongs to Sri Padmanabha temple in Trivandrum. This shows that the area was highly populated in last century. The name Chirakadavu was derived from Chira which means large pond.
The ancient Uppu Pandakasala (Storehouse for salt) was started in 1751. Kottayam -Kumali (K.K) Road was built in 1861 and Plice Ameen Court was opened in 1875. Police out-post came in 1884. In 1885 CMS LP School was started in Attickal by A.F.Painter. Govt Hospital was started in 1889 in Kanjirappally. The 3rd class magistrate court was started in 1791. Kovoor K. N. Ipe was the first Magistrate. The office of Registrar was started in 1892 .In 1910 the present Court building was built under the leadership of Punnamparabil Neelakanta Pillai. Bus service was started in 1922 by MT & AR company. Later Majappaly Ramakrishna Pillai and Dasan Antoney started motor services. In 1947, Police of then the Divan, CP. Ramaswami Ayyer in Trivandrum renamed the ground as Rajendramaidan in memory of the boy who was shot. K.K. Brahamchari started publishing The Mathideepam magazine in 1919.
In 1906 a Trust was formed under the leadership of Punnamparambil Neelakanta Pillai, which carried out development works in Ponkunnam. Later the Village committee under the leadership of Pariyarathu Kuttan Pillai (P.N. Pillai, Kamalayam) initiated many developmental projects. He built the first commercial shopping complex in Ponkunnam and the street was called Kamala Bazaar, after his first daughter Kamala .In 1923 under the Patron ship of Vanjipuzaha Thampuran, Industrial Bank was started by Joseph Puthumana. In 1928 Manajappally Ramakrishna Pillai started Kamalodayam Bank. In 1924 co-operative bank started functioning.
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