Kunhimangalam  Kunhimangalam ("കുഞ്ഞിമംഗലം") is a village situated in the northern coastal part of Kannur District in Kerala state on the outskirt of Payyanur. The population in 2011 was around 19,000 including Christians, Hindu and Muslim residents. The village lies in an agricultural region. The local myth of the origin of Kunhimangalam is that a Namboodiri family known as "Kunhaangalam Taravadu" were the village leaders. They ruled the village in an acceptable manner but over the time the family line ended, there was only a mother and son left. One day, the mother and son went to the Kaveri river to pray for their deceased relatives. On their way back to the village, they saw from the Gadikuzhi hills some soldiers of the ruler of Chirakkal town taking Kunhimangalam. The mother and son ended their life in fire. The mother emerged as the Goddess "Veeracha mundi" and the son as the God "Veeran". The local people built a temple, the "Kunhimangalam Molom" at the site of the "tharavad" (ancestral home). An early ruler in the area of Kunhimangalam was Ezhimannan of Ezhimala. In Sangam literature, the area was called "Ezhil Malai" meaning "high hillock". Other terms have included "Elimala", "Mooshika Sailam", "Sapta Sailam", "Mount Eli" and "Mount the Eli". From the 6th century CE to the 11th century CE, Kunhimangalam lay in the lands of the Mushika Kingdom. The Ezhimala hills were known for their rare medicinal herbs that had with mythological significance. Carved stone pillars, prehistoric stone forms, burial chambers, caves and granite platforms are visible at the foot of the hills. Sailors came to Ezhimala for the beach and views from the hills. A lighthouse was built at nearby Mount Dili. The western approach to Kunhimangalam is called "Changoorichal" after a Chinese ship, the "Changu" which visited the area in the 12th century CE. The 13th century CE merchant traveler, Marco Polo (1254 - 1324) recorded the place name "Ezhimala".