Vayalar is a historical place, located 3 km north of
Cherthala, in
Alappuzha District. Punnapra-Vayalar struggle of 1946 against Sir C P Ramaswamy Iyer, Diwan of Tranvacore, took place here. The struggle, led by the communist party, ended in the martyrdom of hundreds of people.
A monument called Raktha Sakshi Mandapam was erected at the spot where this tragic incident happened. Today, Vayalar is a center of political pilgrimage for the communists of Kerala.
Vayalar is also famous as the birthplace of Vayalar Ramavarma, the most popular poet of modern
Malayalam literature. St Francis Xavier’s Church, established in 1936, is a major shrine at Vayalar.
