Vellamunda is a town and Grama Panchayat in Wayanad district, in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located approximately 12 km from Mananthavady and is one of the prominent settlements and administrative centres in North Malabar.
Etymology
Vellamunda 10th Mile It is exactly 10 miles away from Mananthavady
Vellamunda Pazhanjana Vellamunda Pazhanjana or Pazhanjana means Vellamunda the Old Settlement. Pazhanjana is the Oldest Settlement in Vellamunda.
Vellamunda 8/4 Ettenalu means "8/4" in Malayalam (Ettu = 8, Nalu = 4). It got its name because it is exactly 8 miles and 4 furlongs away from the town of Mananthavady.
History
The areas that constitute the present-day Vellamunda were ruled by the Puliya Kingdom before the days of Pazhassi Raja. The Puliyan Nair clan, which inherited control of these areas, were not very popular among the commons. This led to unrests from the Naduvazhis (Lords) of sub-divisions of the place, namely, Mangalassery, Vattathod, Cherukara, Karingari, and Tharuvana, who approached Pazhassi Raja with a request to overthrow the Puliya Clan. Pazhassi duly obliged and defeated them, subsequently adding the area to The Kingdom of Kottayam.
Pazhanjana is the oldest settlement in Vellamunda. It is one of the earliest inhabited areas in the region.
It is believed that Mangalassery Hills served as one of the bases for his guerilla warfare against the British.
In 1950, Chondarnad (Present-day Thondarnad) and Vellamunda villages were merged to form Vellamunda Grama Panchayat, which was reorganized in 1961 by removing Thondarnad and adding Porunnannur.
Location and Connectivity Vellamunda is located on the Mananthavady-Kuttiyady route, and is well connected to nearby towns by roads. Kozhikode (83 km away) is accessible via the Kuttiyady Churam while the district capital Kalpetta, which is at a distance of approximately 30 km, can be reached via Padinjarathara.
Tourism
Vellamunda Grama Panchayat has several natural and scenic attractions. The major tourist attractions include:
Pulinjal Mala Waterfalls Banasura Hills Mangalassery Hill Chirapullu Peak Narangachal Makkiyad Meenmutty
Demographics Vellamunda, similar to other areas in Wayanad, is a not-so-densely populated village. The salient features from the 2011 India Census data are given below. +DemographicsSl No.SpecificationDetails1Population304982Population (Male)154103Population (Female)150884Population Density4735Sex Ratio9796Literacy Rate81.847Literacy Rate (Male)89.138Literacy Rate (Female)74.42
Administration The Vellamunda grama panchayat is governed as per the Panchayati Raj act and is administrated by the democratically elected Village Head (Panchayat President) and the council of elected Panchayat members. P. K. Ahmed Haji served as the first President after the panchayat was reorganized in 1961. P. Thankamani of the Indian Union Muslim League, whose term started in 2015, is the incumbent Panchayat President. The details of the council of members are as follows.
+ Election Details (2025)Ward No.Ward NameMemberPolitical PartyReservation1KandathuvayalSumesh P M IUMLST2Vellamunda 10th MileAbdul Salam P K IUMLGeneral3PazhanjanaLeela Ganeshan IUMLST Woman4PulinjalAthikka Bai M IUMLWoman5Vellamunda 8/4Ramla Muhammed IUMLWoman6KattayadKhamar Laila IUMLPresident7KokkadavuAbdullah Kaniyankandi CPI(M)General8PariyaramukkuSumayyaIUMLGeneral9TharuvanaMammootty Madani IUMLGeneral10PeechamcodeEzhuthan Mammotty IUMLGeneral11KaringariUnnachi MoiduCPIMGeneral12KappumkunnuBibina Babu CPI(M)General Woman13KellurShameer Thuruthiyil IUMLGeneral14KommayadBlessy Thomas CPI(M)Woman15PaliyanaRakeshCPI(M)General16MazhuvannurNasar Saavan IUMLGeneral17PulikkaduSoudha Koduvery IUMLWoman18CherukaraBushara Kombi IUMLWoman19OzhukkanmmoolaLathika INCWoman20ManiyilGeethaIUMLST Women21MothakkaraShimna CPI(M)Woman22VarambettaSudhakaran K CINCST23NarokkadavuSuresh CPIMGeneral24MangalasserymalaShyji ShibuIndependentGeneral
See also Mananthavady Thondernad Nalloornad Payyampally Thavinjal Vimalanager Anjukunnu Panamaram Tharuvana Kallody Oorpally Valat Thrissilery
References