Kerala’s 1st Music Village Kept Its Songs Alive for 2200+ Years

On most evenings in Valmutty, long before the streetlights flicker on, music drifts through the narrow lanes of this small village in Palakkad district. Children gather in little groups outside their homes, humming familiar film melodies, their voices rising and falling in easy rhythm.

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A few metres away, older women settle near the ancient Vishnu temple, their devotional songs floating through the warm air. These Thuyilunarthu Paattu — traditional wake-up songs offered to deities like Lord Shiva and Krishna — are sung just as they were generations ago. There are no written notes and no formal training. Only memory, devotion and inheritance.

For Valmutty, music is not a performance. It is a habit, a heritage, a pulse. And now, for the first time, Kerala has officially recognised it.

In a historic decision, the Chittur–Thathamangalam Municipality declared Valmutty the state’s first ‘Pattu Gramam’ or Music Village.

A historic community with a 2,200-year-old musical bloodline

What makes Valmutty’s new name meaningful is not just the songs sung today, but the deep ancestry of the community itself. The Paanars, who make up most of the village, are mentioned in nearly 2,000-year-old Sangam literature as accomplished musicians.

Anthropologist Bhaktavatsala Bharathi, author of Paanar Ethnography, explains, “The Paanars were the communicators of early Tamil society. They preserved tradition, transmitted news and shaped cultural memory. They travelled across ancient Tamil kingdoms, performing in royal courts, narrating stories, praising kings, describing landscapes and singing devotional hymns.”

“They carried culture at a time when there were no newspapers, no social media and no documentation — just voices and instruments. What we see in Valmutty today is a living continuation of this heritage.”

Over centuries, the instruments changed — from the ancient Yaazh and Kuzhal to guitars and drums. But the essence remained untouched. There were no notation books and no formal classrooms. Just the belief that music lives best when shared.

A village where every household holds a song

Valmutty has just 54 houses, but each home nurtures musicians across generations. Children grow up hearing devotional songs before they learn to write their names.

Festival nights often stretch into dawn, with families gathering at the Vishnu–Mookan Saathan Temple to sing, dance and play traditional instruments. Even visitors sense it instantly — this is a place where music binds people together more deeply than anything else.

Among the village’s most respected figures is Thathamma, a 72-year-old folk singer honoured with the State Award of the Kerala Folklore Academy in 2021. Despite her lifelong contribution, she speaks humbly.

“Everyone here is a musician. Our ancestors earned their living by singing these sacred songs during temple festivals. Watching them perform inspired us to follow in their footsteps. We simply carry on what they built. We learnt it, lived it and continue to live with it.”

Another elder, 75-year-old Deivanai, received the same state award in 2020 for traditional Thuyilunarthu Paattu. She remembers learning music not through lessons, but by listening — often from a corner of the room while her uncles practised.

“I never went to a music class in my life,” she says. “But from the time I was 10, singing became part of who I am. I’ve been singing for over 60 years.”

These women represent an era of Valmutty that kept its traditions alive through sheer dedication, even when society refused to recognise the value of their art.

Megha, a young musician with a bachelor’s degree in music, says, “I grew up surrounded by music in this village, and now I want to become a music teacher and pass this legacy on.”

Her sister Sajina, who completed her master’s degree in music from Chittur Government Arts College and now trains children in the village, sees the new name as an opening rather than just an honour.

“Becoming a music teacher has always been my dream. Growing up in a home filled with song and music gave me the confidence to choose this path,” she says.

A municipality that chose recognition over neglect

The decision to declare Valmutty a Music Village came after years of the community’s talent being overlooked.

Chittur–Thathamangalam Municipality Vice Chairman Sivakumar says the village deserved formal recognition long ago. “This village has many state award winners, trained singers, folk musicians and even people who have sung in films. Yet they continued to face social and economic barriers. Declaring them Kerala’s first ‘Pattu Gramam’ is our way of lifting them up,” he says.

The decision has sparked wider conversations around cultural preservation, heritage mapping and the need to support communities that sustain art forms without institutional backing.

A new generation ready to carry the tradition forward

While the elders preserve tradition, the younger generation brings ambition.

Local musician Nitheesh, who works at a bank by day and teaches children in the evenings, says the Music Village identity has sparked fresh enthusiasm.

“We have talent. Our village has won state awards and we’ve had small opportunities in cinema. But we lacked instruments, training spaces and financial support,” he says. “With this recognition, we hope the Government and private groups will help us grow.”

He dreams of a community music centre where children can learn multiple instruments, record their songs and collaborate with artists from outside the village.

For all their brilliance, Valmutty’s residents still face challenges. Many families live modestly. Instruments are borrowed or shared. Practice sessions often take place under the open sky because there are no dedicated spaces.

Younger musicians frequently worry more about family income than performance opportunities.

The title of ‘Pattu Gramam’ has brought pride. Now, the community hopes it will also bring resources — funding, workshops, cultural tourism initiatives or scholarships for children.

The title is a rewriting of a narrative. It acknowledges resilience, honours centuries of devotion and restores dignity to a community that has given Kerala one of its oldest living musical traditions. This is not just their story. It is the story of a community reclaiming its identity through the one thing that was always truly theirs — music.