Vedimara: Tipu's cannons, temple fireworks & a police revolver

LOCATED in North Paravoor, where narrow roads lead to sleepy little junctions and the backwaters that never seem far away, Vedimara is more than just a dot on the map. The place name carries some firepower.

- VISWAJITH MENON

It is a name that makes people pause, chuckle, speculate, and, sometimes, reflect. Ask local residents where the name comes from, and you are likely to hear a story. Or five.

Vedimara municipal councillor Jahangir T Y starts off with an amusing tale. "I hail from the Rowther Muslim community. There were just five to ten Rowther families living here at one time," he says.

"Our elders say the name 'Vedimara' came from an action-packed moment that no one from their generation could forget. Once some of them were playing cards near the water-body behind the Panikkarachan's temple.

"On spotting a police patrol team, the men ran helter-skelter. In panic, one of the men fastened a rope around his waist and jumped into the water. The story goes that an officer shot the rope with his revolver, and the man was forced to come up. So the name evolved from gunshot (vedi) and hiding (mara)."