Pullur
Periya Grama Panchayat

According to the Panchayat Act of 1960, the Local Bodies Department was divided into the Panchayat Department and the Municipal Department. Based on this reorganization, the Panchayat Department came into existence on 19 January 1962. Consequently, several village panchayats were merged into single administrative units, leading to the formation of the present-day Pullur Periya Grama Panchayat. Until then, the two village panchayats had separate governing bodies.

The present Kasaragod district was once part of the South Canara district under the Madras State during British India. Village panchayats were not formed simultaneously everywhere under a common law; rather, they were established according to the needs of the people and government decisions taken from time to time.

The Pullur Village Panchayat was formed in 1944, while the Periya Village Panchayat came into existence in 1952. During that period, presidents were directly elected by the people, but not through secret ballots or universal adult franchise as practiced today. Voting rights were limited to those who paid land revenue to the government — mainly landlords, their representatives, and prominent local citizens.

The Patelar (equivalent to today’s Village Officer) would convene the taxpayers, and candidates for the post of president were proposed and seconded publicly. If more than one candidate contested, voting was conducted openly by raising hands.

The first President of Pullur Village Panchayat was Shri Peralath Chandu Nair (1944–46), followed by Kodavalath Kunhirama Variyar (1946–48), Vadakkekara Raman Nair (1948), Thari Valappil Kannan Nair (1949–52), and B. Vasantha Shenoy (1952–62).

The President of Periya Village Panchayat was Shri P. Damodaran Nair, who served two terms. Panchayat presidents at that time possessed executive powers, including tax collection and appointing assistants for administrative and clerical work. Many such appointees later became regular Panchayat employees.

Under the Madras Panchayat Act, Panchayat Boards also functioned as Panchayat Courts. Minor promissory note disputes up to Rs. 8 and petty assault cases were heard monthly. Authorized agents, popularly called “Para Vakils,” could represent parties. Appeals against Panchayat Court judgments were filed before the Munsiff Court.

The primary income sources of village panchayats were building tax, profession tax, and vehicle tax. Since there were very few large buildings, vehicles, or taxable professions, panchayat income was minimal. Panchayats with annual revenues below Rs. 900 relied heavily on government grants through Local Development Funds and Settlement Schemes for carrying out minor development works, with beneficiaries contributing the remaining share.

British Bungalows were constructed in Periya and Iriya for the accommodation of British officials visiting the region. These were maintained by the Patelar, who was usually selected from influential landlord families trusted by the British administration.

With the implementation of the Panchayat Act of 1960, integrated Grama Panchayats came into existence across the state on 19 January 1962. Shri P. Damodaran Nair of Periya became the first President of the newly formed Pullur Periya Grama Panchayat. The Panchayat office was initially established in Pullur in a building owned by Shri Keshava Kartha, later shifted to the library building at Udayanagar. The current Panchayat office at Chalingal stands on land generously donated by Shri V. Ambukkan.

Pullur was historically a settlement of Brahmin families, and even today several traditional Brahmin households (Illams) remain there. Since sacred darbha grass used for rituals was cultivated extensively in the area, the name “Pullur” is believed to have originated from the phrase meaning “the land of grass.”

The name “Periya” is associated with a Nair family that reportedly migrated from Kottayam in present-day Wayanad around 400 years ago following political unrest. Over time, their family name became identified with the region itself.

The Panchayat also witnessed the traditional Janmi landlord system, caste-based occupations, and feudal social structures. Social reform movements, nationalist struggles, and peasant agitations gradually transformed society. Activities such as spinning khadi, picketing toddy shops, and participating in freedom struggles were common forms of protest. Freedom fighters including V.P. Krishnan Nair (“Gandhi Krishnan Nair”), Keshavji, V. Kunhiraman, and K. Krishna Variyar actively participated in the independence movement and endured imprisonment and police brutality.

Following World War II, severe food shortages led to peasant movements demanding fair distribution of paddy stored by landlords. Farmers’ organizations conducted protests and distributed seized grain among the public. Volunteer camps organized by peasant unions were active in Periya and neighboring regions.

Education in the Panchayat began through traditional village schools conducted by local teachers. Over time, institutions such as Periya L.P. School (established in 1913), higher elementary schools, vocational schools, Government Polytechnic College Periya, Government ITI Pullur, and various nursing and higher educational institutions emerged.

The Panchayat is also home to numerous ancient temples connected with the region’s cultural heritage, particularly Vishnu temples such as Vishnumangalam Temple, Pullur Mahavishnu Temple, Keloth Mahavishnu Temple, and Kodavalam Mahavishnu Temple. Other important shrines, churches, mosques, and religious centers reflect the communal harmony prevailing in the region.

Agriculture has traditionally been the backbone of the Panchayat economy. Paddy cultivation, coconut, arecanut, vegetables, rubber, pepper, cashew, and tobacco were widely cultivated. However, declining rainfall, labor shortages, rising cultivation costs, and lack of irrigation have adversely affected agriculture in recent decades.

Cattle rearing once formed an integral part of agriculture, with farmers maintaining indigenous cows and oxen for farming purposes. Modern mechanization and the introduction of hybrid cattle gradually reduced traditional livestock farming.

The Panchayat today has cooperative societies, dairy cooperatives, Kudumbashree units, self-help groups, and agricultural committees that contribute to local development. Small-scale industries, granite quarries, beedi-making units, and private enterprises also provide employment opportunities.

Public health infrastructure includes a Community Health Centre at Periya, sub-centres, Ayurveda dispensaries, and a Homeopathy hospital. Special attention is given to public health due to the presence of migrant workers and the region’s vulnerability to diseases such as malaria, dengue, and leptospirosis.

Education remains one of the Panchayat’s strongest sectors. The Panchayat has lower primary schools, upper primary schools, higher secondary schools, vocational higher secondary schools, Navodaya Vidyalaya, Government Polytechnic College, Government ITI, nursing colleges, and the prestigious Central University of Kerala located at Tejaswini Hills in Periya.

Women’s empowerment through Kudumbashree, environmental conservation, water conservation, green initiatives, digital governance, healthcare services, and decentralized local governance continue to shape the modern development of Pullur Periya Grama Panchayat.

Today, the Panchayat consists of 19 wards and continues to progress as a model local self-government institution committed to inclusive growth, sustainable development, and social harmony.