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Kottayam history
Kottayam was ruled by the Rajas of the independent little kingdom of Thekkumkoor ruled from Thazhathangady till the mid-18th century. At that time, Marthanda Varma, the king of Travancore annexed Thekkumcore and surrounding areas of Kottayam to the Kingdom of Travancore. During the British rule of India, Kottayam continued to be ruled under the Princely State of Travancore.
Earlier, the Travancore State consisted of two revenue divisions viz., the southern and northern divisions, under the administrative control of a 'Diwan Peshkar' for each. Later in 1868 two more divisions Quilon (Kollam) and Kottayam were constituted. A fifth division, Devikulam existed for a short period but was then added to Kottayam. At the time of the integration of the State of Travancore and Cochin in 1949, these revenue divisions were renamed as districts and the Diwan Peshkars gave way to District Collectors. Thus Kottayam district came into being in July 1949. Later it became a part of Kerala, and the headquarters of the district bearing the same name when the state was formed in 1957.
The citizens of Kottayam played an important in the early social struggles in Kerala. In 1891 a protest movement, known as the 'Malayali Memorial Agitation', took place seeking a better representation for Travancoreans, compared to outsiders, in the Travancore civil service. It is believed to have started in Kottayam. This movement had a big influence in beginning the modern political movements of Kerala[citation needed]. During the 'Nivarthana struggle' which took place in the 1930s in Kerala seeking the representation of Hindus of the lower castes, Christians and Muslims in the Travancore Legislature, Kottayam played a major role. The famous Vaikom Satyagraha of 1924 against untouchability, led by Mahatma Gandhi, took place in Vaikom near Kottayam. It was the first systematically organized agitation in Kerala against orthodoxy to secure the rights of the depressed classes.
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