It is believed that this place name was derived from the historical Sree Bhootnath Temple. It is believed that the name ‘Shastavinte Ur’ was derived from the name of the first deity in the temple, Shasta, and became Chathannur. Another strong opinion is that there was a Dravidian king named Chathan who ruled this region and that Chathanur came to be known as Chathanur because it was Chathan's aur (place). Chathan was used to mean one who studied science (Chathran = student).It is recorded in Prof. Ilamkulam Kunjan Pillai's book "Dark Papers in Kerala" that there must have been a famous academy that taught science here and that the name Chathannur may have come from the "Ur of the Chatrans".The ancient inscription on the wall of the Chennamathu temple is known as the Chathannur Sasanam. It is recorded in this inscription that Arya Devan Uzhuthirar performed the re-consecration in Kollavarsha 448 (AD 1273). The wall paintings in the St. George Orthodox Church, established in 1755, are of historical importance. It is also said that Ramayyan Dalava came to Chathannur in connection with the construction work of this church. The calendar containing the festival information of the East Syrian Church is in Tamil and Malayalam. It is recorded that these paintings were painted in the month of Meenam in the year 972 of the Kollam era. Christ Marthoma Church, Chathannur, Meenad, and Varinham are other churches in this area. There are many temples and shrines, both small and large, including the Kadiyathi Temple, a place of worship for the Harijans.There is a reference in the Unnuni Neeli message that Chathannur was an ancient trading center. When businessmen are having a conversation at the ‘Puthidam’ trade, they are seen asking ‘Chathannur alkadhamundu’. This means whether the prices of goods have increased. It is believed that Nedumkollam (present-day Nedungolam) was a place where trade goods were exported.Perhaps because there was a Madambitharavad Meenad who had influence in positions of power, when the first inscription was made, the entire vast area of Chathannur came to be called Meenad Pathi (village). Following the temple entry proclamation in the Travancore region, progress in the field of education, and the enthusiasm for the national freedom struggle by social reformers like Unarva, Ayyankali, and Sree Narayana Guru, led to qualitative social change in Chathannur as well. Chathannur actively participated in the protests against the Diwan rule and foreign rule. Renowned leaders like Sarvasasree Varinham Raghavan Pillai and M.G. Koshy are from this area.
