History of Grama Panchayat
Eruthenpathy Grama Panchayath, one of the three grama panchayaths in Kozhinjampara Farka of Chittur Taluk in Palakkad district, shares its border with Tamil Nadu. The names of all 11 revenue villages in Kozhinjampara Farka end with the word "Pathi". "Pathi" means forest or woods. Human habitation was very low in these areas initially. By the beginning of the 18th century, various groups of people from the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu migrated to this region for agriculture and other purposes. Consequently, the people here became owners of a hybrid culture. Their main livelihood was agriculture and cattle rearing. In the early days, it was customary to dry and store cattle dung for fuel and agricultural activities. Dried dung is called "Eru" in Tamil. Bees from the forests of this region used to build hives in this stored dry dung (Eru). For a long time, bees built hives in this dry dung, and farmers collected honey from them. Thus, this region came to be known as 'Eruthenpathy', a word combining Eru + Then (honey) + Pathi.
The majority of the people in this panchayath area were Hindus. From the early days itself, temples like Vinayagar Kovil (Ganapathi Temple), Maariamman Kovil, and Subramanyar Kovil were established here. With the arrival of Christians, the first Christian church was started in Eruthenpathy in 1894 under the name of St. Peter and Paul. Later, a mosque was also established in Ramavarmapuram Puthoor. A section of people belonging to the Scheduled Castes worshipped the deity "Maduraveeran", which is a part of Tamil culture. Even during the period of royal rule, there was a Government Village Kacheri (office) and a primary school each in Ramavarmapuram Puthoor and Vannamada, which belong to this panchayath. The people here were very backward in terms of education. St. Peter's Upper Primary School, under the Diocese of Coimbatore, has made invaluable contributions to the primary education sector of this panchayath. It was only later that primary schools were established under government ownership in Ramavarmapuram Puthoor and Vannamada.
Eruthenpathy Panchayath is an area situated in the Palakkad Gap between the Nilgiri Hills and Anaimalai Hills of the Western Ghats, at an altitude of about 180 meters above sea level. This panchayath currently consists of two revenue villages, namely Eruthenpathy and Kozhipathy. The central parts of this panchayath have black soil suitable for cotton cultivation. A higher amount of groundwater is found in the central part. This region always experiences a dry climate with very little rainfall during the Southwest and Northeast monsoons. Eruthenpathy Panchayath comprises the revenue villages of Eruthenpathy and Kozhipathy, which fall under the Kozhinjampara Farka. Both these villages share a border with Tamil Nadu. Therefore, the people of this panchayath possess a hybrid culture. All their rituals and customs are related to Tamil culture. At least 50 percent of the people in the panchayath speak Tamil. Although the mother tongue of the people is Malayalam, the influence of Tamil is very high. There are many people here belonging to the Gounder community, which is very rare in Kerala. Their ancestors belong to Tamil Nadu.
The main livelihood of the people here is agriculture. Cultivations of sugarcane, groundnut, and cotton, which are not commonly seen in other parts of Kerala, are prominent here. This region shares the agricultural culture of Tamil Nadu. Festivals like Shooramporu, Uriyadi, and Pongal, which are unknown and not celebrated in other parts of Kerala, are enthusiastically celebrated by all the people here. The widely circulated newspapers in the panchayath are Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi, along with 'Dina Thanthi', a Tamil newspaper published from Tamil Nadu. There are two libraries in this panchayath, located at Ramavarmapuram Puthoor and Vannamada. The indigenous art forms of the people in the panchayath are Chikkattam, Mayilattam, Porattukali, etc. The main source of entertainment for the people is cinema.