Rajakumari may not be a ‘princess’ in Idukki and Senapathi not the ‘leader of a force’. The names of these places in the high range, however, have got a connection to the period prior to the arrival of the present settlers. So is Rajakkad, Rajapara, Khajanapara and Chathurangapara.
According to T. Rajesh, who documented the history of early settlements in the district in Idukki Charithrarekhakal, the Thondamankotta near Rajakkad has a man-made ‘earthen fort,’ which points to a ruler and his subjects who had lived there.
Thondaimans are chieftains who ruled the region around Puthukkottai in Tamil Nadu from the 17th to the 20th century. The Puthukottai State was under the Thondaman dynasty for one year even after the Independence.
In the census of 1887, there were only 2,000 people in the high ranges. The accessibility through the eastern side of the Western Ghats from Tamil Nadu might have led to the development of a small ‘kingdom’ under a chieftain or a ruler. Or a defeated ruler could have moved to the area and the names connected to his reign could have remained there, he says.
The Panniyar river flowing through Rajakumari and Senapathi provided a lifeline for the early settlements.
Historical evidence
There are also other historical evidence of settlements, in the form of burial urns found widely on the Western Ghats in the district. However, serious studies on the subject have not taken place. The remains of Thondamankotta is still there. “It is a man-made earthen structure aptly created to prevent easy movement of enemies,’‘ he says, adding that unlike the nearby areas, the downhill of the Thondamankotta is free of extreme wind.
According to P.J. Cherian, who was instrumental in conducting Pattanam excavation which threw light on the early trade of spices from the hinterland of the high range to the world outside, the evidence collected needed to be studied separately. He said that a civilised society in the hinterland had not been studied much. It would bring interesting evidence on the rich history of the high range during the early period.
The history of the high range should be studied dividing it into the life before the plantations and after the arrival of settlers as part of plantation life. Due to the topography, the access to the high range was mainly from Tamil Nadu. Cumbom Medu and Bodimettu are entry points to Idukki from Cumbom and Bodinaykanur in Tamil Nadu. These are links connected to the early period of life in Idukki, Mr. Rajesh says.
