Thodupuzha is a little, picturesque town situated on the banks of the Thodupuzha river.The name Thodupuzha might have been derived from of two Malayalam words, "Thodu" (which means canal) and "puzha" (which means river). The conjecture is that a canal eventually became a river and that this town is close to it. There is yet another version that the word "Thodu" also means "touching' and "puzha" means "river", which makes it a place that touches a river. It is an ancient town with a history dating back to many centuries ago. It is a neat, quiet town and the cradle of religious harmony and peaceful co-existence., Christian churches, Hindu temples and Muslim mosques abound in Thodupuzha and co-exist next to each other. The people of Thodupuzha are hard working in nature. By sheer dint of hard work, they have converted the hilly terrains into prosperous plantations of Cardamom,Rubber ,Ginger, Bananas, Coco, Tapioca, Pepper, etc. This has enabled them to live a prosperous and contended life. Which has also provided the momentum for their social and cultural attainments.

The Buddhest and Jain religions which made their first inroads into kerala in 300 B.C. have left thier impact on Thodupuzha and neighbouring areas. The Buddhist religious relics found at Karikodu is ample proof of this surmise. In 100 A.D. kerala was divided for administrative reasons into several provinces such as Venad, Otanad, Nanvushainad, Munjunad, Vempolinad and Keezhmalainad. Thodupuzha and Muvattupuzha were in Keezhmalainad which had its headquartes at Karicodu. Keezhmalainad was in existence till 1600 A.D. In that year, it lost a battle with Vadakkumcoor and became part of it. The kings of Vadakkumcoor used to live at Karicodu for several years. At the time of king Marthandavarma, Vadakkumcoor became a part of the State of Travancore. The relics of a fort is still there at Karicodu. The Annamalai Temple which carries the traits of Tamil architecture is at Karicodu. At this temple, one can see many statues and lamps made out of stone and metals believed to have been made in the 14th century.