Thirunelly
Grama Panchayat

Until 1940, the panchayat was inhabited by upper caste landowners and their dependents from the Scheduled Tribes. Paddy cultivation was the main source of livelihood. The fields belonged to the Devaswom and the dry lands were under the control of the Revenue. The coffee plantations started by foreigners in the panchayat later became a model for others. In the early days, the slave labor system was in place. Migration from Travancore began in 1941. With the arrival of migrant farmers, agriculture also began on land. Thirunelli panchayat is a densely populated area surrounded by the Brahmagiri mountains and full of small hills and fields. Compared to other areas of Wayanad, the rainfall here is less. Most of the areas in the panchayat have fertile soil suitable for various crops. 72% of the total area is covered by forests. Most of this forest is part of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. 33% of the population of the panchayat belonged to Scheduled Castes. The trade union movements here played a role in the progress of the workers who were employed under the slave system to the present situation. The first rights struggle was held in 1946, demanding wool to be used to guard the paddy fields. The agricultural lands in this panchayat, which was an agricultural area, were initially in the hands of the landlords, the Devaswom and the Revenue. Agricultural land came into the hands of small farmers through land reform measures. Even today, a large part of the land remains in the hands of large estates. The agricultural sector, which was limited to paddy cultivation, expanded to cash crops with the arrival of immigrants who began in 1941. With this, the possibility of a boom in the agricultural sector increased. The work of the NES Block and the Agriculture Department has been helpful in promoting the agricultural sector. In the past, the financial needs of the farmers were fulfilled by private moneylenders in this panchayat, as in other areas. This was possible with the emergence of the present-day Thirunelli Service Cooperative Bank, which started functioning as a single currency group. In addition, the North Malabar Gramin Bank, which started functioning in 1976, is also helping in the field of agricultural credit. The present S.A.L.P. School, which was started in Thirunelli under the auspices of the Servants of India Society in connection with the national movement, is the first school in this panchayat. Then in 1932, Trinetran Hindu Boys' School was established in Thrissileri and in 1942, a school was established under the auspices of the CSI Sabha in Kattikkulam. Both these schools were later taken over by the Malabar District Board. Both of these are now government high schools. Thirunelli was once a village with sports talents who achieved fame at the national level. After the formation of Wayanad district, Thrissileri Government High School was the champion in the school sports festival for six consecutive years. The famous Thirunelli and Thrissileri temples, Bavali Makham, and Christian churches are intertwined with the history and culture of Thirunelli, both at the state and national levels.