| Vennimala | |
| Nickname: | Vijayadri |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Kerala, India |
| Coordinates: | 9.5686°N 76.6027°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kerala |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kottayam |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Malayalam, English |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Postal Code Type: | PIN |
| Postal Code: | 686516 |
| Area Code Type: | Telephone code |
| Area Code: | 0481 |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Climate |
| Blank1 Info Sec2: | Tropical monsoon (Köppen) |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Avg. summer temperature |
| Blank2 Info Sec2: | 28°C |
| Blank3 Name Sec2: | Avg. winter temperature |
| Blank3 Info Sec2: | 16°C |
Vennimala is a small village located in Puthuppally Grama Panchayath of the Kottayam district in Kerala.[1] Vennimala is 16km (10miles) east of Kottayam.[2] It lies between the towns of Western Kerala and the mountains of the Western Ghats. Vennimala was once a dense forest.
In Hindu mythology, Lord Rama and Lakshman visited this place in Treta Yuga and, Lakshman killed many demons (asuras) who threatened and harassed the local sages. Laxman's victory was celebrated in the village's name Vijayadri (successful place in Sanskrit) (Vennimala in Malayalam).[3] [4] [5]
There is a temple on the hill built by Bhaskaravarman. The present building may be of a later date, but the temple is believed to be about 1,000 years old. The main idol is Lakshmana Perumal. The state of Kerala has declared Vennimala in the Sri Rama-Lakshmana Swamy temple as a protected monument.[6] Vennimala is the initial headquarters of the Thekkumkur dynasty[7]
Unnuneli Sandesam, famous sandesa kavyam (message poem),[8] in 14th century CE is describes the capital cities of Thekkumkur, Vennimala and Manikandapuram. The poem also talk about the Thekkumkur king Raja and developments in the country. Humans settled here about 1,000 years ago.