Aymanam

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Aymanam
Time zone: IST (UTC+5:30)
Area	30 km² (12 sq mi)
Nearest city	Kottayam
District(s)	Kottayam
Population • Density	35,562 • 1,185 /km2 (3,069 /sq mi)
Codes • Pincode • 686015 • Vehicle • KL-

Aymanam is a village in Kottayam District, Kerala, India, made famous by Arundhati Roy's novel The God of Small Things.

[edit] Overview

Ay in the Tamil language means 'five' and Vanam in Sanskrit means 'forests': Ayvanam, or Aymanam, is the land of five forests (these are Vattakkadu, Thuruthikkadu, Vallyakadu, Moolakkadu, and Mekkadu).^{[citation needed]}

The village borders Lake Vembanad on the west, near Kumarakom. Two-thirds of Aymanam consists of ricefields, two meters below sea level; the river Meenachil provides water for the village. Low-lying areas flood from June to August.

By road, Aymanam is about 8 km on the Kottayam-Chunkam route. The nearest railway station is Kottayam Railway Station. Aymanam is 85 km from Cochin International Airport.

[edit] Houses of Worship

Sree Narasimha Swamy temple is located in the heart of Aymanam. The famous temple Pandavam Sree Darmashasta temple is located in this place. It is believed that this temple build by The "Pandavas". The St George Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, Kallumkathara, is situated nearby. Ancient Syrian Christian families like the Kallumkatharas, the Parambil Tharakans, and the Pulikkaparambils have their ancient Tharawads in Aymanam.

[edit] In Popular Culture

Arundhati Roy's Booker prize winning novel The God of Small Things was set at Aymanam. An excerpt from the book describing Aymanam (spelled as Ayemenem in the book) reads as follows

“

May in Ayemenem is a hot, brooding month. The days are long and humid. The river shrinks and black crows gorge on bright mangoes in still, dustgreen trees. Red bananas ripen. Jackfruits burst. Dissolute bluebottles hum vacuously in the fruity air. Then they stun themselves against clear windowpanes and die, fatly baffled in the sun. The nights are clear, but suffused with sloth and sullen expectation. But by early June the southwest monsoon breaks and there are three months of wind and water with short spells of sharp, glittering sunshine that thrilled children snatch to play with. The countryside turns an immodest green. Boundaries blur as tapioca fences take root and bloom. Brick walls turn mossgreen. Pepper vines snake up electric poles. Wild creepers burst through laterite banks and spill across the flooded roads. Boats ply in the bazaars. And small fish appear in the puddles that fill the PWD potholes on the highways.

”