SHAFEEQ KP (Asst. Professor, Department of History, Malabar College of Advanced Studies, Vengara)
History portrays the society, culture and people of its times. In this regard, it is closely connected to different disciplines like geography, folklore, literature, sociology etc. among them folklore has its own space in the historiography and archaeological studies. The study of folklore includes mythology, stories, legends, tales, oral culture and literature. As the folklore studies project the life of the rustic people, it is influenced by geographical features like climate, weather, seasons, soil, flora and fauna of area. This paper tries to analyze the influence of geography in the folk tradition of palakkad district of Kerala. Folklore and folk arts have close relationship with the nature. It expresses the beauty of nature and environment. The land of palakkad is known for her geographical beauty. The economic, social and cultural tradition of palakkad is being influenced by her geography.
Palakkad or Palghat is one of the fourteen revenue districts of Kerala, which is situated in the middle part of Kerala state. Its geographical position, historical background, rural nature, educational scenario, travel and tourism and above all, the developmental activities are wide and varied. Unlike other nearby districts, palakkad doesn’t have coastal line even though it is located in the middle part of Kerala. Palakkad district is situated in the middle part of Kerala. The district is bordered by Malappuram and Nilagiri district on the north, Coimbatore district on the east, Trichur district on the south and Malappuram and Trichur district on the west. It has an area of 4, 48059 kms and fourth rank in Kerala state in regard of area. The 32 to 40 km wide Palakkad pass in the 960 km long Western Ghats is of immense geographic importance. On either side of this natural gap are the vast Nilgiri Hills and the colossal Anamalai ranges. Dense reserve forests are found in the Palakkad and Chittur taluks of the district. Palakkad division is further divided into Mannarkkad East Range, Mannarkkad West Range, Olavakkode Range and Palakkad Range. The highest peak is the 2386.14 m high Anjinad. The other major peaks include Karimala, Karimala Gopuram, Kalladikkode, Nellikkotta or Padagiri and Vellachimudi.
Bharathapuzha (Nila), Bhavani, Kannadi, Kollengode, Kalpathy, Thuthapuzha, Shiruvani, and Gayatri are the major rivers in the district, which has some key irrigation projects and dams at Malampuzha, Mangalam, Walayar, Gayatri, Chittur, Meenkara, Pothundi and Kanhirapuzha. Malampuzha Dam irrigates over 20,000 hectares of farming land while Chittur Irrigation Project covers over 18,000 hectares and Kanhirapuzha project waters over 10,000 hectares.
Besides this Palakkad district has fertile plains where substantial quantities of rice are produced by scientific cultivation methods and as a result, the district is labelled as the rice bowl of Kerala. Coconut, black gram, banana, ragi, cotton pepper, cashew, groundnut, sugarcane and pea are the other major crops here. Sugar Cane is grown extensively in the Chittur taluk. It is worth noting here that around 284 lakh hectares of the district is used for farming and some key agricultural institutions of Kerala including Regional Agricultural Research Station, Soil Testing Laboratory, Fertilizer Quality Control Laboratory, Mushroom Laboratory and Agricultural Engineering Workshop are located at Palakkad.
The deep geographical study of the district shows that it opens the State to the rest of the country through the Palakkad gap. This 32 to 42 km. wide natural gap in the 960 km. long Western Ghats is perhaps the most influential factor for the unique characteristics of the district such as climate, commercial as well as cultural exchanges between the State and the rest of the country. Moreover Palakkad has witnessed invasions of historical importance that have left indelible impressions on the history of the state. Another pertinent geographical features of the district is the origin and the flowing of Bharathapuzha, the longest river in Kerala. Bharathapuzha starts form the highlands and flows through the entire district. Forests, numerous streams, several dams and the gardens have also made this district a typical part of the god’s own country.
The close observation of the economy of palakkad shows that agricultural sector is the primary source of employment and income of the district. Agriculture engages more than 65 per cent of the workers engaged in agriculture and 88.9 per cent of the district’s population is rural in nature. The proximity and easy approach to Tamil Nadu have created a mixture of Malayalam and Tamil culture in palakkad. This is also an impact of the economic and geographical features of the district.
As we have already noted the culture of a group of people is influenced and shaped by the features of the area and the land. In the respect many a folklorists have made effective use of the characteristics of the soil in their studies and narration of different folk cultures. This is relevant in the case of the present study too. The soil of Palakkad district is mainly of four types, namely, peaty (kari), laterite, forest and black.
Peaty soil is found only in Thrithala of Ottapalam taluk. Laterite is seen in the major portions of all taluks. Forest soil is confined to Mannarghat and Ottapalam taluks, the narrow strip of land along the western boundaries of Palakkad and Alathur taluks and along the southern boundary of Chittur taluk. Black soil is seen mostly in the eastern sector of Chittur taluk and a small portion of Palakkad Taluk. Different types of soils have much importance in cultivation activities. The way of cultivation, its nurture and harvest are varied according to the nature of soils. During such occasions the farmers engage in serious activities as well as merry making which culturally rooted and historically important. For instance we can see the origin of “Katta Thalli Ppattu”, which is sung during the farmers break the soil cakes after the ploughing in the palakkad region.
The climate has also an unavoidable role in the history of the folk tradition of palakkad. Palakkad has a humid climate with a very hot season extending from March to June in the Western Part of the district whereas it is less humid in the Eastern sector. The most important rainy season is during South West Monsoon which sets the second week of June and extends up to September. About 75 per cent of the annual rain is received during the south west monsoon period. During the period December to May, practically no rain is received. The temperature of the district ranges from 20’C to 45’C. The maximum temperature recorded at Palakkad was 43’C. Just like in any other folk tradition there are plenty of proverbs and idioms related to the climate changes in palakkad also. As the climate as very important rule in the cultivation and harvesting, there are many folksong refering climate changes on the cultivation. Uzhuthumarippattu are some of them “ there is no vishu after the summer” is the one of the important proverbs in the palakkad’s folk tradition regarding the climate change.
It is relevent to note here the influence of flora and fauna in the folk tradition of palakkad district.The flora of Palakkad district is characteristically tropical, owing to the seasonal rainfall, moderate temperature and the mountainous eastern border. Major portion of the district comes under the midland region and is under cultivation. Some of the dominant trees in the region are Eppothi (Macaranga Indica), Parangimavu (Ancardium Occidentale), Mavu (Mangifera), Elavu (Cieba Pentandra), Ezhilampala (Astomia Scholoris), Urakkam Thoongi (Enterolobium Saman), Pilavu (Atocarpus Integriofolia), Mullumurikku (Erythrina Indica) and Aranamaram (Polyalthia Longifolia). Intermingled with these are other trees like Osboekia Ostandra, Lantana Sculeata, etc. Rubber and Teak plantations are common in the hills. The midland region gradually merges with the hilly forests. No animal can be mentioned peculiar to this district. Elephants are common in almost all parts of the forest. Tiger, leopard, gaur, etc., are sometimes found in the thick forests. Sambar and spotted deer are seen in large numbers. Nilgiri langur, bonnet monkey, slender loris, jungle cat, different types of mongoose, jackals, squirrels, hares, etc. are found in the forest. Birds found in the jungle are crow, king crow, mynah, wood peckers, sunbird, king fishers, skylark, paradise fly catchers, parrots, peacocks, pigeons etc. Poisonous and non-poisonous snakes are common in the district. The Silent Valley, 40 kms from Mannarghat town has the distinction of being a rain forest, very rare in the world. It spread over an area about 9000 hectares. This thick forest is rich in some of the rare species of plants and animals.
The land of palakkad is known for her agricultural tradition. The agricultural sector of palakkad is associated with a number of folk arts. The rural life of the regions is reflected in her folk tradition. It is really a communication between men and nature.
The traditional people produce local sounds recording to their physical movement. Today even though folk traditions are oral in nature it can be used for reconstructions our cultural past. The history of the common people of palakkad can be assessed with the help of oral songs. It in inevitable to fill the gap in history.
Most of the folk songs are the expression of man’s fight with nature and his lords. They are generally considered as the root of village culture. The common emotion of a society can be noticed in folk tradition. The folk traditions are generally considered as the creation of a society. But it is a fact that the occurred change and variations in society and her tradition.
Palakkad had variety of songs on different farming occasions. As the granary of Kerala, its geographical and agrarian structure influences her folk tradition and culture. As agriculture is the backbone of Palakkad from the very early period onwards, there are wide varieties of agricultural songs. It is a fact that most of the agricultural workers are illiterate and are working hard to earn some income for their survival. Agricultural cultivation is a long process and it passes through different stage. Sowing the seeds, picking weeds, giving fertilizers etc are associated with agricultural activity. Men and women, especially from the lower section of the society are engaged in agricultural activities. Like the agricultural songs of other region, such songs of Palakkad also shed lights on various stages of the life of working class. Most of the songs are for getting and increase in agricultural products. But there are also some songs which speak about the pathetic condition of the working class.
The land of Palakkad is known for her geographical beauty. The socio cultural tradition of Palakkad is being influenced by her geography. As agriculture was the back born of Kerala, Palakkad served as an important producer of agricultural products. Agriculture was the basis of the society. In that sense geography of Palakkad helped a lot in shaping a unique culture. The geographical factors and environment helped a lot in framing the folk songs of different varieties.
