Manjummel: Church, River and the Manjummel Boys

Ashraf Gents Hostel

Key facts

The Carmelite monastery of the Immaculate Conception at Manjummel was inaugurated on 16 April 1874 by Archbishop Leonardo Mellano of Verapoly.
The Immaculate Conception Church at Manjummel was blessed on 4 December 1892, consecrated on 18 April 1893 and became a parish in 1911.
St. Joseph’s Hospital, Manjummel dates from 1886 according to Eloor Municipality, or 1887 according to Wikipedia.
On 3 September 2006 Subhash Chandran, 19, from Manjummel, fell into the Guna Caves in Kodaikanal and was rescued by his friend Siju David (Kuttan), according to Wikipedia.
The film Manjummel Boys, directed by Chidambaram, was released on 22 February 2024 and grossed about ₹242 crore worldwide, according to Wikipedia.

St. George’s Forane Church, Edappally, with its white facade. Photo: Vachan5678 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Name and river

Wikipedia derives the name from the Malayalam *Manjumala*, “snowy mountain”, which it links to fog-covered hills on a once-uninhabited site. It says references to the place go back to the 15th century. It also reports that a Travancore ruler built a fort at Kottakkunnu against Tipu Sultan’s attacks, though it gives no date. Manjummel lies on the Periyar, and Wikipedia notes that its farm produce once went to Ernakulam by boat. River pollution later left land barren and pushed many families out of farming. Today it is part of the Eloor area, with a branch post office under Udyogamandal (PIN 683501).

The Carmelites and the church

Manjummel’s best-documented history is religious. Its roots go back to 1857, when a Carmelite community began at Koonammavu with the approval of the Vicar Apostolic of Verapoly. That community did not last. About 17 years later an offshoot was founded at Manjummel as a monastery dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. It was inaugurated on 16 April 1874 by Archbishop Leonardo Mellano of Verapoly. The parish website calls it the first indigenous religious congregation in the state.

Families settled around the monastery. The foundation stone of a church was laid on 29 September 1876. The church was blessed on 4 December 1892 and consecrated on 18 April 1893, and it became a parish in 1911. Its grotto was blessed on 11 February 1959 by Cardinal Valerian Gracias and renovated in 2016. The feast falls on 8 December. The church belongs to the Archdiocese of Verapoly and is the mother house of the St. Pius X Manjummel Province of Discalced Carmelites. It is also the parent parish of Fathima Matha Church at Muttar and of St. Joseph’s Church and St. Sebastian’s Shrine in Eloor.

Our topic list called this the history of “St Joseph’s Church”. The main Manjummel church is in fact Our Lady of Immaculate Conception. St. Joseph’s is the name of the nearby hospital and of a daughter parish in Eloor.

St. Joseph’s Hospital

The Carmelite presence also brought medicine. St. Joseph’s Hospital, Manjummel is described by Eloor Municipality as Kerala’s first private hospital, opened in 1886. Wikipedia’s Manjummel entry calls it the first mission hospital in Kerala, built in 1887. The two sources disagree on the year and we cannot settle it, so both are given.

Timeline

Date	What happened	Source
1857	Carmelite community begins at Koonammavu	Manjummel church website
16 April 1874	Monastery of the Immaculate Conception inaugurated at Manjummel	Wikipedia; Manjummel church website
29 September 1876	Church foundation stone laid	Wikipedia
1886 or 1887	St. Joseph’s Hospital opens (sources differ)	Eloor Municipality; Wikipedia
4 December 1892	Church blessed	Wikipedia; church website
18 April 1893	Church consecrated	Wikipedia; church website
1911	Church becomes a parish	Wikipedia; church website
11 February 1959	Grotto blessed by Cardinal Valerian Gracias	Wikipedia
3 September 2006	Guna Caves rescue in Kodaikanal	Wikipedia: Guna Caves rescue
2008	Siju David (Kuttan) receives the Jeevan Raksha Padak	Wikipedia: Guna Caves rescue
22 February 2024	Manjummel Boys released in cinemas	Wikipedia: Manjummel Boys

2006: the Guna Caves rescue

In September 2006, during the Onam holidays, nine members of a Manjummel club called Darshana visited Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu. On 3 September 2006, according to Wikipedia, Subhash Chandran, a 19-year-old painter, fell into a deep chasm at the Guna Caves. Locals call the area the Devil’s Kitchen, and it was marked as prohibited by a Tamil sign the group could not read. Firefighters and a forest officer came. His friend Siju David, known as Kuttan, went down on ropes, found Subhash alive on a ledge and was pulled up with him. Subhash took months to recover. The group was fined ₹2,500 for entering a prohibited area. In 2008 Kuttan received the Jeevan Raksha Padak from President Pratibha Patil.

The story became the film Manjummel Boys, written and directed by Chidambaram and released on 22 February 2024. Wikipedia says it was the first Malayalam film to gross over ₹200 crore, with about ₹242.3 crore worldwide, and that it did especially well in Tamil Nadu. How the film changed the locality’s profile is covered in Manjummel Boys (2024): how a film put a Kochi suburb on the map.

Why this history matters near the NAD signal

Manjummel is a short trip from the NAD side, over the river towards Eloor. Its church and the old hospital are among the oldest dated institutions in the area. Ashraf Gents Hostel, a men-only hostel and PG at Ashraf house, NAD Road, Kalamassery, can be a base for exploring them. Its photos show twin-sharing rooms and a balcony, and it is best to confirm rent on the call. For today’s neighbourhood see Manjummel and Pathalam, for the island’s past Eloor’s history, and for films shot locally Malayalam films around Kalamassery. The full archive is at Kalamassery history archive.

Frequently asked questions

How old is the Manjummel church?

The Carmelite monastery was inaugurated on 16 April 1874. The church was blessed on 4 December 1892, consecrated on 18 April 1893 and made a parish in 1911.

Who were the real Manjummel Boys?

Members of a Manjummel club called Darshana. On 3 September 2006 their friend Subhash Chandran fell into the Guna Caves in Kodaikanal and was rescued by Siju David (Kuttan), according to Wikipedia.

When was Manjummel Boys released?

On 22 February 2024. It was directed by Chidambaram.

What does Manjummel mean?

Wikipedia derives it from Manjumala, “snowy mountain”, after fog-covered hills.

Is Manjummel part of Eloor?

It is in the Eloor area, and its branch post office comes under Udyogamandal (PIN 683501). Wikipedia calls it a satellite town of Eloor.

Sources

Facts about Ashraf Gents Hostel come from the hostel’s own profile and photos; rates are indicative and confirmed on the call. Last reviewed 8 October 2026. How we write these guides: editorial notes. Map embeds © Google.

Cite this guide: Ashraf Gents Hostel. “Manjummel: Church, River and the Manjummel Boys.” Published 8 October 2026. https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/manjummel-history/ Plain-text (Markdown) version · quoting with a link back is welcome.