A large ‘ooru’beside a stream

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Once a market space, Peroorkada is now a busy township that houses many educational institutions and hospitals. According to historians and many elders, the place is known for its royal relevance. Settlements near the streams and water bodies are called ‘ooru’. There are two types of ooru or land — ‘Cheru ooru’ and ‘Peru ooru’ (small and big settlements) as mentioned in Sangam literature 2,000 years ago.

The big town area is called ‘Peroor’ and Kada- means market. “As a market or ‘Kada’ existed in this big town or ‘Peroor’, its name became Peroorkada,” explains Vellanad Ramachandran, a historian from the capital city. “There is another theory behind the name. ‘Kada’ also means boundary. As ‘Peroor’ shared boundaries with the city and village, that could be where the name came from. However, it is not confirmed yet,” he adds.

Perrorkada is situated about 6 km away from the heart of Thiruvananthapuram. It used to be a panchayat but is now part of the city corporation. Peroorkada has many government and private institutions such as Kerala Law Academy, District Collectorate office, post office, market and bus depot.

Peroorkada is also the home of Sundaram Pillai, the father of the archaeology department of Kerala. A long time ago, Swami Vivekananda set foot in Peroorkada to visit Pillai’s house in 1892. Some say the philosopher stayed there overnight. Sree Moolam Thirunal also visited his house once. The land also witnessed some battles in 1738, during the period of Marthanda Varma, as per legends.