Aymanam (original) (raw)

Village in Kerala, India

Aymanam Ayemenem
Village
Aymanam is located in KeralaAymanamAymanamLocation in Kerala, IndiaShow map of KeralaAymanam is located in IndiaAymanamAymanamAymanam (India)Show map of India
Coordinates: 9°37′29″N 76°29′06″E / 9.6246600°N 76.4851070°E / 9.6246600; 76.4851070
Country India
State Kerala
District Kottayam
Area
• Total 30 km2 (10 sq mi)
Population
• Total 35,562
• Density 1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
Languages
• Official Malayalam, English
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN 686017
Vehicle registration KL-05
Climate tropical (Köppen)

Aymanam is a village in the Kottayam District of Kerala, India. It is about 4 km from the railway station in Kottayam along the road to Parippu, and 85 km from the Cochin International Airport. Aymanam is the setting for Arundhati Roy's 1997 novel The God of Small Things.

As of 2001[update] India census, Aimanam had a population of 34,985 with 17,268 males and 17,717 females.[1]

Ay means "five" in and Vanam means "forest" in Malayalam. Hence, Aymanam means "five forests", which, according to tradition, were Vattakkadu, Thuruthikkadu, Vallyakadu, Moolakkadu and Mekkadu. They survive today only as "snake groves", where fertility idols, in the form of snakes, were worshiped under the trees. Families depute Brahmin once a year for ritualistic offering.

Lake Vembanad lies to the west of the village, near Kumarakom, with the Meenachil River providing its water supply, which often floods from June to August due to regular monsoons. Consequently, two-thirds of the village are paddy fields.

The borders of the village are mostly delineated by rivers or canals, and include the villages of Arpookara, Kumara Nallooru, Thiruvarpu and Kumarakom, and the municipality of Kottayam.

  1. ^ "Census of India : Villages with population 5000 & above". Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2008.