Aymanam

Aymanam
—  village  —
Aymanam Location of Aymanam in Kerala and India
Coordinates	9°37′29″N 76°29′06″E
Country	India
State	Kerala
District(s)	Kottayam
Nearest city	Kottayam
Population • Density	35,562 • 1,185 /km2 (3,069 /sq mi)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area	30 square kilometres (12 sq mi)
Codes • Pincode • 686015 • Vehicle • KL-

Aymanam is a village in Kottayam District, Kerala, India, the setting of Arundhati Roy's 1997 novel The God of Small Things.

Overview

Ay in the Tamil language means 'five' and Vanam in Sanskrit means 'forests': Ayvanam, or Aymanam, is the land of five forests (these are Vattakkadu, Thuruthikkadu, Vallyakadu, Moolakkadu, and Mekkadu). No forest exists now except few snake grooves. Kummanam was the horrible among forests.^{[citation needed]}

The village borders Lake Vembanad on the west, near Kumarakom. Two-thirds of Aymanam consists of ricefields, two meters below sea level; the river Meenachil provides water for the village. Low-lying areas flood from June to August.

Aymanam is about 4 km on Kottayam- Parippu road. The nearest railway station, 4 km, is Kottayam Railway Station. Aymanam is 85 km from Cochin International Airport.

Houses of worship

Sree Narasimha Swamy temple is located in the heart of Aymanam. Pandavam Sree Darmashasta temple is famed for its murals. The St George Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, Kallumkathara, is situated nearby. St.Mark's C.S.I CHURCH,OLESSA has a good old history.The Hermon Marthoma Church,Aymanam has been an old place of worship for the marthomites which has an old history. Ancient Syrian Christian families like the Kollenkeril family,the Kallumkatharas, the Thondukuzhy-Mateethras, the Parambil Tharakans, the Kottaparambils ,the Pannackals and the Pulickaparambils have their ancient Tharawads in Aymanam.

Kudamaloor

Located very near to Kottayam town and Kumarakom, Kudamaloor is on the banks of Meenachil River. The village is a fine example of typical Kerala rural ambience.Kudamaloor is in Aymanam Panchayat, the home town of the booker prize winner Arundhathi Roy. The novelist has woven her famed novel ‘The God of Small Things’around this theme village.there is one of the old house parampattu is located near PJM UP school.

Kudamaloor is more popular as the head quarters of erstwhile Chembakassery kings. The place where the palace of kings once stood is now stands Valiyamadom Nalukettu, the present residence of the royal family. The village is dotted with many old Nalukettu structures and mansions. Near Eraveeswaram temple the remains of the fort of the kings are still visible. Raised platforms and canon holes in the wall have survived the onslaught of the climate for years.

Kudamaloor is a well known village on many counts. In art and architecture the village is always in forefront. The birth place of renowned Kathakali exponent is Kudamaloor. Many sons of the village are reckoned stalwarts in Kerrida art forms and folklore arts. Call the experts in Sopanasangeetham, Kalamezhuthu and Kalamezhuthu Pattu, Kalaripayattu, Mudiyettu etc.the village is ready to supply them.

Two prominent institutions, Kathakali Yogam and Sopanam Kalavedi & Research Center, rooted here promote folklore arts and Kathakali.

The village has ten temples. Vasudevapuram temple (is accredited for mural paintings), Ayyappan Kavu , Karukulangara Sri Bhadrakali Temple (Tiyattu,Garudan Parava and Thookam are the novelties of the temple festival), Eraveeswaram Mahadava temple, Pandavam Sri Dharma Shastha Temple, Pandavam Sri Subrahmanya Swami Temple etc are very ancient.

Unheard anywhere else, a church known as St Mary’s Church was built and promoted by a Hindu king. The offering in the Church is of typical nature. It is a traditional water bag and rope used for drawing the water from the well.

In popular culture

Arundhati Roy's Booker prize-winning novel The God of Small Things was set at Aymanam. An excerpt from the book describing Aymanam (spelled as Ayemenem in the book) reads as follows

“

May in Ayemenem is a hot, brooding month. The days are long and humid. The river shrinks and black crows gorge on bright mangoes in still, dustgreen trees. Red bananas ripen. Jackfruits burst. Dissolute bluebottles hum vacuously in the fruity air. Then they stun themselves against clear windowpanes and die, fatly baffled in the sun. The nights are clear, but suffused with sloth and sullen expectation. But by early June the southwest monsoon breaks and there are three months of wind and water with short spells of sharp, glittering sunshine that thrilled children snatch to play with. The countryside turns an immodest green. Boundaries blur as tapioca fences take root and bloom. Brick walls turn mossgreen. Pepper vines snake up electric poles. Wild creepers burst through laterite banks and spill across the flooded roads. Boats ply in the bazaars. And small fish appear in the puddles that fill the PWD potholes on the highways.

”

- The main character in American-Malayali sitcom "Akkara kazhchakal", George Thekkummoottil is supposed to be from Aymanam.

- Ajaykumar (known as Undapakru or Guinness Pakru), is a popular Malayalam comedy actor who hails from Aymanam. He has made an entry into the Guinness Book of Records for being the shortest actor (86 cm height) to play a full length character in a film.

- N.N. Pillai a popular drama and cinema artist who is from Aymanam, Olassa.

- Vijayaraghavan (Son of N.N. Pillai) who is a famous Malayalam movie actor is from Aymanam, olassa.