History of Cherai

Vypeen Island was formed after the great floods of 1341. The Island is 25 Kilometers long and has an average width of 2 kilometers. Pallipuram Panchayat, in which Cherai is included, is at the northern end of Vypeen. Cherai and Munambam are the two parts of Pallipuram Village, which were parts of Kochi and Travancore States prior to the merger of the states. For a land which has a history of less than 700 years since formation, Cherai boasts of a rich cultural heritage with monuments which stand out prominently in India's history. This land has a story of invasion by many foreign regimes. The Portuguese, the Dutch and the British who ruled Munambam area left marks which remain even now. The hexagonal fort built by the Portuguese in 1503 still stands as one of the oldest European Monuments in India
A little South of this fort, by the lakeside, the Portuguese had built a theological school called "Vyikotta Seminary". The printing press built at this School in 1577 is claimed to be the first printing press in Kerala by some historians. In 1661, the Dutch defeated the Portuguese, as a result of which the Seminary, which was under Jesuit priests, was transferred along with the press to Chendamangalam. The Dutch converted the Seminary in to a Leprosy centre.
In 1728, the Dutch sold Pallipuram to the King of Travancore. However, the Leprosy Centre and some adjoining buildings were excluded from this sale and continued to be with the Dutch. These properties came under British authority eventually, when the British defeated the Dutch in 1795. Till recently, this area was known as "British". As per the agreement between the Dutch and British, the leprosy centre continued to be run till 1921. Afterwards, they were handed over to missionaries to establish a Nunnery and School, which are still functioning.These invasions,however, have not only left a few historic monuments for the generations to remember. They have left their longstanding impact on the culture and social life of Cherai. The schools founded by the marauding foreigners did help many in the field of education. But, they were not enough to elevate the poor and downtrodden masses. The caste system prevalent in Kerala forbid the lower caste people from being treated equal, of which Cherai was no exception