P. Varghese was the first elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Muvattupuzha Assembly Constituency, who defeated Manjunatha Prabhu of the Communist Party. Later, K. M. George, founder of Kerala Congress, represented Muvattupuzha. The first member of parliament (MP) of Muvattupuzha (as a Lok Sabha constituency) was George Thomas Kottukapally. The first block panchayat president of Muvattupuzha was Shyson P Manguzha in 1995 from the Arakuzha block panchayat division. St. Thomas, the apostle who introduced Christianity to India, is believed to have visited this region. The Marth Mariam Syro-Malabar Catholic Church of Arakuzha has a recorded history of over 1,000 years, making it one of the oldest Syrian churches in Kerala. It is known for its paintings and sculptures. Muvattupuzha was also known as Arakuzha Pakuthi (meaning half of Arakuzha). Demographics As of 2011 Census, Muvattupuzha had a population of 30,397, of which 15,010 were males and 15,387 females. Muvattupuzha Municipality have an area of with 7,414 families residing in it. The sub-population of children aged 0–6 was 2,945, which was 9.69% of total population of Muvattupuzha. The literacy rate in Muvattupuzha town was 96.11%, higher than the state average of 94.00%. In Muvattupuzha, male literacy was around 97.20% while female literacy rate was 95.07%. Religion The region has Hindus, Syrian Christians, and Muslims. Kavumpady Road in the town center contains major agraharam of Kerala Iyers. Konkanis are also present in fewer numbers. Hindus are the majority in the region with castes like Nair, Ezhava, Namboodiri, and Pulayar present around the taluka. Syrian Christians include a majority of Syro-Malabar Catholics and Jacobites. There are Orthodox, Syro-Malankara Catholics, Marthomites and Pentecostal. Muvattupuzha is the seat of the Muvattupuzha diocese of Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church and the Kandanad East diocese. There is a small Latin Catholic community also in Muvattupuzha whose church was established in 1925, situated in Vazhappilly. Mappila Muslims comprise most of the Muslim population. The Kothamangalam-Muvattupuzha region is an important center for Mappila Muslims. Perumattam Juma Masjid, the first mosque in the eastern part of the district, is located in Muvattupuzha Taluk. Thottathikulam, Chakungal, Panakkal and Cherukappilly are the four traditional Muslim families who founded the centuries-old Perumattam Masjid. Geography The town and western parts of the region are mainly plains and is culturally similar to Ernakulam, whereas the eastern parts are mainly highlands. The regions of Thodupuzha, Muvattupuzha, and Kothamangalam are called sub-high ranges or keezhmalanad