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Keezhukara, a small village in Pathanamthitta district, is about 135 km from Thiruvanandapuram, capital city of Kerala, India. It is on latitude 9.349 N and longitude 76.705 E. Pampa River is on the north and west. Kozhencherry is in the south and Melukara in the east. The Interior is hilly but the riverine land is flat, fertile and arable. The population of Keezhukara in 2008 was 1211 in 292 households.〔Kozhencherry Panchayat Reports〕 ==History== In olden days, Keezhukara was a jungle where wild animals roamed freely around. The last wild animal to leave was the jackals whose howling could be heard even in the fifties of the last century. There had been no permanent settlements. A foot path parallel to the river went all the way from Niranam to Nilakkal. Remnants of that path are still visible in Keezhukara. This path had been used to bring jungle produce to the riverside for transporting by country crafts to Niranam, the nearest port of trade at that time. The common items brought for trade were pepper, Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, sandalwood, teak, rosewood, peacocks, Ape, parrot, snakes and ivory. Before eighteenth century, there were no proper roads in Kerala. The only route connecting various places was the rivers and the mode of travel was by country boats. At ''Madathil Kadavu'' (Madathil ghat), the river is very wide. Here the river that flows from the east to west turns ninety degrees and flows to the south. During summer season a very large area of dry sand-bed would surface. So it was a very convenient place for boats-men to land and lodge. Temporary thatched sheds for resting spots and eating shops would sprout up along the river bank to cater for the weary travelers and merchants. Till the middle of twentieth century, such coffee shops were a common sight at Madathil Kadavu. By the eighteenth century, Keezhukara was a well settled peaceful village. They were hardworking middle-class people, who lived a simple life close to nature and earned their living mostly by subsistence farming and small trade. The people were either Hindus or Saint Thomas Christians. They respected each other and considered others as equals. There is a Hindu temple on the top of ''Iruppakattu para'' (Iruppakattu rock). Christians were worshipping at Niranam church till they had their own church at nearby Kozhencherry. This village was under a Brahmin Illam (house). Every year taxes were to be paid to Thirumeni, head of the Illam, in kind, usually the produce of the land like paddy, coconuts etc. This tax collection continued till the 1950s. Kureekattil is a very influential family in the area. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Keezhukara」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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