Overview

Sree poorna Pushkalambal Sametha Sri Dharmasastha

Location

History

Deities

Photo Gallery

Utsavams

Vahanas

Adimakkavu

Other Agraharam Information

Contact Information

Well Known Elders from the Agraharam

Food and Catering

Hall for functions and Lodging

Bank Accounts for sending Kanikkai, donation or vazhipadu

Author's Notes

Vilayannur Gramam - 100 Agraharams Project

Though this place including many we have covered so far are in the Rice Bowl, Palakkad had had it difficult days with availability of rice.

Palakkad district covers about 4,400 square kilometers, with around 1,400 square kilometers under forest cover. In the 1970s, approximately 1,850 square kilometers were dedicated to paddy cultivation. I gathered this information from some online case studies. It made me wonder if the area under paddy cultivation in the 1800s might have been even larger. If we assume a rice yield of 2 tons per hectare in the pre-1900s, the total rice production would have been enormous. My calculations may not be entirely accurate, but they offer an interesting perspective.

I have heard about the famine after the Burma war. Let me copy lines from "A forgotten famine of ’43? Travancore’s muffled ‘cry of distress’" 

"A serious food scarcity problem emerged after the fall of Burma to the Japanese in March 1942. This left Travancore, with 250,000 tons of annual rice output, some 367,000 tons short of requirements. Originally, the Madras presidency pledged 176,000 tons to meet the shortfall. Unfortunately, over the next year, the Madras and Bombay presidencies, as well as the nearby princely states of Cochin and Mysore, began to suffer shortages of their own...travancore moved from selective rationing in March 1943 to universal rationing a year later. Originally, officials would ‘dole out small quantities to the most deserving’ and government workers. Rationing was first limited to urban areas, later expanding to rural areas during the course of the year. The needs-based approach to rationing created problems of bureaucratic discretion over who got how much. Further, the double ration given to government servants led to bitter resentment in the populace. So, from August 1943, a blanket ration of 8 ounces (3 ounces of rice and 5 ounces of other grains) was announced for everyone."

The agraharam folks have taken pains to gather as much information to share with the viewers on for example, the origin of the name bamboo - Mulaiyannur to Vilayannur, the earlier location of the agraharam north of its current position, the travails, the current administration etc.

I am happy to hear the Dhyana Slokam of the lord sreemad sankara nandanamhari sudam kawmara maragragamchapam pushpa saranidhimmadagaja roodamsurakthambarambhootha,preta,pisacha vanthitha padamsmasru swayalankrithamparswe pushkala poorna kaminiyuthamsasthara meesam bhaje

Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa

Radhe Krishna

Sriram(Hari)

100-Agraharams Project

Rama Bhagavathar Charitable Trust

October 21, 2024