Rāmankari

Alappuzha Back Waters

Ramankary is a village in the Kuttanad region of India. It is 9 km away from Changanacherry town and 17 km from Alappuzha city. It is one of the villages in Alapuzha on the bank of the Manimala River with picturesque vast paddy fields.

Geography

The villages bordering Ramankary include Veliyanau on the north, Mampuzhakkary on the east, Manalady on west and Vezhapra on south.

History

There is no recorded history on the origin of this land. But the oral history among local people, transferred from generation to generation is a blend of myths and legends. There is reference to Kuttanad in the epic Mahabharata of ancient India. During their exile, the five Pandava princes are said to have traveled through this land. In those days, Kuttanad was part of a dense forest, later destroyed by a forest fire which is also mentioned in the epic. Thus came the place name Chuttanad or the burnt place. In course of time Chuttanad became Kuttanad. One can still see 'kari' or coal if we dig deep into the soil of Kuttanad, pointing to the fact that the place was once a forest, destroyed by wild fire. Ramankary is one of the places latter renamed to end with 'kari' which refers the Malayalam word for charcoal .

During the reign of Chera dynasty that ruled over ancient Kerala, Kuttanad attained an important place in history. One of the powerful kings in the dynasty: Cheran Chenguttavan is said to have ruled his vast kingdom from Kuttanad, when it was also a famous centre of Buddhism.

Ramankary also has a Dharmashasta (Ayyappa) temple.