Pathiramanal is a beautiful island in the Vembanad Lake. It lies between Kumarakom and Muhamma and comes in the Thannermukkom south village of Cherthala Taluk in Alappuzha District(E76o 23′ and 76o 24′longitude and N 9o 37′ and 9o 38′ latitude). The island covers an area of 68 hectares. There is a legendary story regarding the creation of Pathiramanal Island. Vilwamangalathu Swamiar, a famous Brahmin who possessed supernatural powers was travelling through Vembanad Lake in a country boat. During the travel the Brahmin wanted to attend to the first call of nature. But passing urine in the lake water was considered a sin. So with his magical power he created an island called Pathiramanal (mid-night sand) in the lake.
This island Pathiramanal was owned by a big landlord Parayi Tharakan. He used the land for cultivation of coconut during early times. Later a Gujarathi trader of Cochin, Bheemji Devji, purchased the land from them. During the early last century Bheemji Devji Trust of Cochin sold the Island to one Mr. ACA Anthraper who was also a member of Parayi Tharakan family. Around 1,00,000 coconuts were gathered from the island in a single crop at that time. Fourteen families of workers stayed on the island.
Following the Land Reforms Act, the island was taken over by the government as surplus land in 1979. Later it was handed over to the Tourism Department after re-settling the families residing on the island in Muhamma panchayat. It was with the Tourism Department till 30.4.2000 when the Government leased it out to a private hotel group with the proposal to construct a modern hotel as a joint venture. But there was vehement opposition against this move from Muhamma Village Panchayat and environmental groups, which made the proposal a non-starter.
The undisturbed atmosphere of the island provides a favored breeding ground of Smooth Indian Otters (Lutra lutra).
Fish and mussels available in the surrounding area provide plenty of food items to Otters. The island is known for generations as a roosting place for a number of water birds. As the island was cleared of the inhabitants, the disturbances were practically nil and it has became a haven for the water birds. The roosting water birds are mainly of the Cormorant family, including Darter, Little Cormorant, Indian Shag and Large Cormorant, Purple Heron, Pound Heron, Night Heron, Black Bittern, Chestnut Bittern and Yellow Bittern. Little Egret, Median Egret, Large Egret, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron are also seen during daytime. Two pairs of Redwattled Lapwings appear to be residents of the Island.
The Pathiramanal Island has its own unique flora with rare plants like Crocodile apple. Another plant named Aponogeton appendiculatus; endemic to Alappuzha district of Kerala is seen only in the backwaters surrounding the Pathiramanal Island. It is described as a threatened species in the Red Data Book of Indian Plants published by The Botanical Survey of India.The other rare plants found in the island are shown below.
1. Macuna gigantea: A climber found in isolated localities of Maharastra, Kerala and West Bengal.
2. Flagellaria indica: Known in a few coastal localities along the western and eastern coasts and facing threat.
4. Mangrove species like Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Soniratia apetala and Exoecaria agallocha are few in numbers.
The following well known medicinal plants are also avilable.
Calophyllum inophyllum, Tylophora indica, Senna alata, Abrus precatarius, Hygrophila quadrivalvis, Centella asiatica, Holigrana arnottana, Cynodon dactyton, Ixora coccinea etc.
The flora of Pathiramanal Island is listed at the end of this Chapter.
The shallow water close to the island is the only place where new mussel colonies (Villorita sp.) are growing in the Vembanad Lake. This shallow swampy area is the breeding ground of a number of fishes and crustaceans.
Prof. K.K. Neelakantan, Kerala’s famous ornithologist has noted that the backwater between the island and Kavanattinkara is the place where the migratory ducks from Siberia and Europe used to sleep during daytime.
Vembanad Water Bird Count 2004 shows a reduction in the number of birds found on the island. The number of birds here was increasing from 254 in 1993; to 1154 in 2001 and to 2078 in 2002.But in 2003 the number drastically dwindled to 310 and continued the trend showing the bird count in 2004 as 217 only. The number of Little Cormorants was increased from 36 in 2003 to 90 in 2004. 10 Brahmini Kites were seen there instead of 8 in 2003. The Number of Pond Herons was also fell from 18 to 14. There was a congregation of about 150 crows on the island which gathered around the visitors landing on the island expecting the waste items thrown around by them.
Table. 6 Flora of Pathiramanal Island
Compiled by: S.V. Pradeep & P.K. Padmakumar (2003)
Kerala Sastra Sahithya Parishad, Kottayam
Family Name of the Species
Annonaceae Annona glabra (Kattatha)
Nymphaeaceae Nymphaea nauchali (Amphel)
Cabombaceae Cabomba aquatica
Moraceae Artocarpus hirsutus (Anjily)
Ficus benghalensis (Payrral)
Ficus religiosa (Arayal)
Ficus talbotii
Ficus tinctoria (Ethy)
Ficus gibbosa
Amarantheceae Alternanthera sessilis (Menaghanni)
Polygonaceae Polygonum barbatum
Clusiaceae Calophyllum inophyllum (Punna)
Sterculiaceae Melochia corchorifolia
Tiliaceae Triumfetta rhomboidea
Malvaceae Kydia calycina (Vellachadachi)
Sida cordifolia (Kuruthotti)
Sida rhomboidea (Kuruthotti)
Urena lobata (Urppam)
Lecythidaceae Barringtonia racemosa
Passifloraceae Passiflora foetida
Cucurbitaceae Mukia mederaspatana
Myrsinaceae Ardisia littoralis
Mimosaceae Albizzia sp. (Vaka)
Mimosa pudica (Thottavadi)
Caesalpiniaceae Senna alata
Papilionaceae Aeschynomene aspera
Aeschynomene indica
Abrus precatorius (Kunni)
Canavalia cathartica
Burseraceae Garuga pinnata
Anacardiaceae Holigarna arnottiana (Charreh)
Lannea coromandelica (Uthi)
Simaroubaceae Samadera indica (Karighotta)
Apocynaceae Cerebera odollam (Othalam)
Asclepiadaceae Calotropis gigantea (Errike)
Tylophora indica (Palvally)
Wattakkaka volubilis (Vattakakkakody)
Convolvulaceae Ipomoea aquatica
Ipomoea cairica
Ipomoea pes-capre
Ipomoea biloba
Merremia aegyptica
Menyanthaceae Nymphoides indica
Verbanaceae Clerodendrum inerme (Perinjallam)
Clerodendrum siphonanthus
Clerodendrum viscosum
Premna serratifolia (Munja)
Lamiaceae Hyptis capitata
Leucas aspera (Thumbha)
Oleaceae Olea dioica (Eddana)
Scrophulariaceae Adenosma bilabiatum
Acanthaceae Acanthus ilicifolius
Hygrophila quadrivalvis
Campanulaceae Lobelia alsinoides
Apiaceae Centella asiatica (Kodanjal)
Rubiaceae Ixora coccinea (Chathi)
Knoxia mollis
Mytracarpus verticillatus
Morinda tomentosa (Manjappavatta)
Spermacoce hispida
Asteraceae Blumea membranacea
Chromolaena odorata (Cammunist Pacha)
Emilia sonchifolia (Muyalchaviyen)
Mikania cordata
Weddelia chinensis
Aponogetonaceae Aponogeton appendiculatus
Hydrocharitaceae Vallisnaria spiralis (Kayippu)
Arecaceae Caryota urens (Chuddapanna)
Pandanaceae Pandanus odoratissimus (Thazhakaitha)
Araceae Colocasia esculenta (Chemphe)
Cryptocoryne spiralis
Pistia stratiotus
Pothos scandens
Commelinaceae Commelina benghalensis
Murdannia spirata
Eriocaulaceae Eriocaulon cinerum
Eriocaulon quinquangulare
Flagellariaceae Flagellaria indica
Cyperaceae Cyperus pangori
Pycerus flavidus
Rhynchospora corymbosa
Schoenoplectus articulatus (Chally)
Poaceae Brachiaria mutica
Cynodon dactylon (Karuka)
Dactyloctenium aegypticum
Ischaemum indicum
Ischaemum Muticum
Phragmites karaka
Sacciolepis indica
Pontederiaceae Eichhornca crassipes
Monochoria Vaginalis (Karikuvalam)
Liliaceae Crinum defixum
Orchidaceae Acampe praemorsa
Pteridophytes (Ferns)
Ceratopteris thalictorides
Lygodium fllexuosum
Adiantum latifolium
Acrostichum aureum (Mangrove Fern)
Stenochlaena palustris
Drynaria quercifolia
Lepisorus nudus
Salvinia cucullata
Azolla sp:
An unidentified Fern.
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