The Malabar rebellion of 1921 led to riots in Karuvarakundu. On 20 August 1921 the news that the British had fired at a mosque in Tirurangadi spread in Karuvarakundu, and protests against the British began. On the next day, a mob attacked the police station and seized weapons, leaving the police station and the tourist Bungalow on fire. The British army subsequently came to Karuvarakundu to suppress the rioters. The army barracks were first situated at Chembankunnu and later moved to Cambinkunnu, the current location of the Karuvarakundu Government Higher Secondary School.