Kozhimala Raja

Kozhimala makes for an exciting and interesting place to visit in Kattapana. Kozhimala still houses a tribal community that follows their natural lifestyle of surviving on the local produce and the forest products. Least impacted or influenced by modernization the Mannan tribe in Kozhimala has managed to continuously live a simple and content life.

The Mannan tribe

The Manan tribe has earned a lot of fame. They’ve certainly evolved and have considered education but not everything about the tribal way of leading life is lost. In the recent visit made by well-known and famous Malayalam actor, Mamooty with the Manan tribal king placed this tribe in limelight.

Kozhimala is a small hamlet in the commercial town of Kattapana. Kozhimala falls under the Kanchiyar Panchayat and is located at a twenty two kilometer distance towards south from Painavu.

Kovilmala Raja ( Raja Mannan)

Kozhimala raja “Raman Raja Mannan”, the ruling King of the Mannan community in South India, host at Kovilmala settlement  of  Idukki district. Only two tribal communities of India are having their kings , one in Tripura and the in other Kovilmala region of Ayyappancoil Kerala. The Mannantribe has been a prime reason for why the few eco friendly tourists feel that Kozhimala has a lot to offer in terms of a natural ambience, the simplicity and humble lifestyle of the tribal and their interesting way of leading life.

Reaching Kozhimala is not easy and that’s what makes it an interesting place to visit for adventure travelers. The nearest railways station is sixty two kilometers away, which is the major Kottayam railway station. The only mode of transportation to Kozhimala is through a jeep, bike or hired cab. It is these reasons that make the serene surroundings of Kozhimala a favorite with bikers, four wheel drivers and jeep safari lovers.

Falling under the Kachiyar panchayat Boarder to Ayyappancoil grama panchayath, many visitors who come to witness the undisturbed terrain of Kozhimala also make a stopover at the Ayyappankovil temple complex and offer their prayers to the temple that hold a history as old as four lakh years. The temple also holds a history of being demolished seven times. It is for its history and the surrounding beauty that attracts many nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts to extend their outdoor trip from Kozhimala to the Ayyappankovil area.

Following the traditional kingship and depending on the forest for livelihood, the Mannan tribe is indeed a primitive tribe that has managed to survive the test of time in Idukki. The Kozhimala King Mannan took the first step to gethim some English education to set an example for the rest of his tribal community when a new education programme named “Village School”at Infant Jesus School in Kattapana started.

The programmes aimed at providing education to the education and English deprived residents of Kozhimala especially the Mannan tribe. Jojo Abraham the principal of the infant Jesus school brought to light in an exclusive interview given to IBN about the various classes that the tribal students would receive on the weekend including the Mannan tribal King.

Kozhimala is a picturesque and beautiful village offering an exciting setting for a nature walk, village tour, eco trip and more. Even though the Mannan tribe is receiving English classes their lifestyle and education programmes are in lines with means of better survival from the forest products helping retain most of their original tribal lifestyle.