Mal:കാഞ്ഞിരങ്ങാട് kāññiraṅṅāṭ
‘Strychnine Village’ Village, Kerala
From Mal: kāñjiram, ‘strychnine tree’, ‘snake wood tree’, ‘poison nut’ [Strychnos nux vomica]; and Tam/Mal: aṅkāṭi/aṅgaḍi/aṅṅāṭi, ‘bazaar/market’, ‘town/village’; or Mal: kāṭu, ‘wilderness’, ‘wood’.
The strychnine tree is a medium-sized deciduous tree native to the Malabar region. Although it is sometimes used in herbal medicine, the toxicity of the nut makes it popular with hunters for tipping their arrows to kill their prey and with wannabe Agatha Christie-style murderers for despatching their victims.
The name suggests a ‘wood’ of these trees which may be situated in or near a ‘market’ or ‘village’.
Kanjirangad is little more than a village with a population of just over 11,000, unlike its (possible) name twin, Kanhangad which has a population of nearly a quarter of a million.
It may be small but it is near the Makkiyad Meenmutty Water Falls.
