Socio-cultural Processes and Livelihood Patterns at Tirurangadi - CDS

The situation is different in the low-lying areas. There are possibilities of developing
roads in the flat surfaces. The loose, loamy and muddy character of the soil prevents the
development of hard surfaces that could be used as nirathth or footpath. The character of
the grain fields, as has been pointed out are one continuous expanse, and hence, the only
way of traveling is through the hedges of various strips (varambu) or though the banks of
streams and canals. Even this is impossible during rainy season when there is water-
logging The situation is not much different even after the conversion of the land mass
into paramba, as the parambas more or less maintain the natural boundaries of the fields.
Hence the only alternative is to construct artificial roads by bringing laterite soil from
other parts mostly from the nearby elevated regions. We could see such road construction
going on in several parts of the field area. Some of these roads, such as Tirurangadi-
chiramukku road, cheruppara- kaduvallur road, pantharangadi-kalanthurutti road,
chemmad-kodinji road, Parakkadavu-chuzhali road are practically serving as bridge-
roads constructed through fields. Cheruppara-kaduvallur road was originally a dried up
stream, now converted into a road. As fields are converted into parambas, and more
house-sites are coming up based on this conversion, there is pressure for more roads.
Pressure of housing in elevated areas has also increased the pressure for roads in hitherto
inaccessible areas.
Interestingly, the remains of some of the old roads are still to be found, and some of them
are being renovated. Indications of such roads are found in the frequent references to
athanis or resting places in different parts of the field area. There are at least two places,
one in Vallikkunnu and another in Kundoor, Nannambra carrying the name Athanikkal.
Vallikkunnu athani functioned as arresting place for people moving from Kadalundi
Nagaram to the south and Parappanangadi to the north. Kundoor athani indicated a road
from Venniyur to Tanur. Athanis are found in numerous places such as Velimukku,
Pappanur, Chelari, Chenakkalangadi, and Alunchodu and along the road from Tanur to