The old Naduvannur region comprised Naduvannur, Kakkanchery, Koyakkad, Mandankavu, and Aynikkad. Later, Koyakkad and Kakkanchery were integrated into Ulliyeri, and Kavunthara amsham—consisting of Elankamal, Kavil, and Karuvannur—was added. During the British rule, historical records show that this place served as the headquarters of Kurumpranad taluk in Malabar district, featuring a police station, a gallows, a Huzoor Kacheri, and a registrar office. Following the Third Anglo-Mysore War, Francis Buchanan, a key member of the commission appointed by the East India Company to study the conditions in Malabar, documented his visit here from Thamarassery. William Logan details the weekly market of Naduvannur in his famous Malabar Manual. Merchants crowded the areas stretching from Vellottu to the Kavunthara road, with people arriving for trade from Feroke, Vadakara, and Thalassery.

Another amsham of Naduvannur, Kavil, also possesses a glorious historical heritage. High reverence was given to spiritual gurus. A large temple and a four-and-a-half-cent banyan tree platform (althara) were situated nearby. This platform served as the venue for public assemblies, where military gatherings (padakkootttam) and village meetings (nattukootttam) were held. Royal messages were also proclaimed here. Megalithic urns (nantharkudangal) and rock-cut chambers (chengallarakal) are abundant here. An epigraphic stone slab recording the fourth regnal year of the Kulasekhara king Kotha Kotha Kerala Kesari was also discovered here. It is presumed that the king known by the coronation title Kerala Kesari traveled here from Kodungallur. The stone inscriptions found here are currently a subject of research for history students, as they provide information about temple complexes dating back 2,000 years.

The Nanthassery Temple played a crucial role in the history of Naduvannur. Kerala Brahmins, acting as Uralars, oversaw the lands divided into Devaswom and Brahmaswom across the 32 legendary villages and sub-villages established in Kerala. An economic structure developed in these villages, comprising Namboodiri Uraima and Nair Karaima under the landlord system, tenant systems (Kudiyayma) for Thiyyas (Ezhavas), Vellalars, Thachans (carpenters), and Mannans, and serfdom (Adiyayma) for Pulayas. The tradition of a collective community standing in the middle to amicably resolve disputes—acting as a mediator (naduvan oor)—is what gave this region the name Naduvannur.

The Kannampalatheru Devi Temple festival attracts tens of thousands of devotees. The Kizhakottu Kadavu mosque is an ancient Muslim place of worship, which also includes a cemetery. The history of Naduvannur is intertwined with various legends.

The tremors of the Vaikom Satyagraha were felt in Naduvannur as well. Parameshwaran Moosad and his younger brother Kochunni Moosad of Nanthassery led the movement. They sparked a social revolution by dipping Harijan children into the temple pond, which had previously been restricted to upper-caste Hindus. Edavanappurathu Sankaran Nair was a leader who participated in the Salt Satyagraha. As part of the Quit India Movement in 1942, the registrar office established in 1871 was burned down; E. Anandan Nair was one of the leaders behind this act. In connection with the Indian independence movement, K. Kelappan was a regular visitor to Naduvannur, and A.K. Gopalan (A.K.G.) stayed overnight at Nanthassery.

The Land Reforms Act brought revolutionary changes to socio-economic life. Through the dedicated efforts of a group of education-minded individuals, the Naduvannur High School in Vakayad was established in 1950, providing facilities for high school education.

In the latter half of the 19th century, about six traditional primary schools (ezhuthupallikal) operated in this panchayat, which was then the headquarters of the old Kurumpranad taluk. These ezhuthupallikal were single-teacher schools where the 51 letters of the Malayalam alphabet were first taught using sand spread on a board (ariyilum manalilum). Only after thoroughly mastering these letters was a student qualified to sit on a bench.

It was with the Mundassery Education Bill of 1957 that schools at the lower primary and upper primary levels were organized in their modern form in this panchayat. Previously, many people in Naduvannur relied primarily on the Higher Elementary School in the neighboring Kottoor panchayat for primary education. For secondary education, they depended mainly on Koyilandy Govt. High School and Perambra High School until Naduvannur High School in Vakayad was established in 1950, enabling students from Naduvannur and Kottoor panchayats to complete their secondary education locally.

Started in 1948 in a small shop room in Kavunthara, the Gandhi Smaraka Vayanasala was the first library in this area. In the 1970s, the Upasana Film Society operated in Naduvannur, helping screen films of high artistic value. The play Liberilinte Samudayam won the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award.

The Naduvannur market used to offer agricultural and industrial products from various parts of the panchayat, along with everyday household essentials produced across the taluk—such as mats, coir, coconut scrapers, knives, clay pots, and textiles—either individually or collectively. The bustling trade scenes stretching from Vellottu to the Kavunthara road now remain only as memories of Naduvannur's lost glory. Centuries ago, the quality of Naduvannur's handloom mundu, veshti, and clay pots was renowned. By the 20th century, the number of families engaged in beating and twisting coir increased.

Before road transport became widespread in its current form, the people of the panchayat prioritized water transport. A boat service operated along the waterway from Theruvath Kadavu to Elathur. Similarly, travelers heading towards Koyilandy relied on the Ramappuzha river. Aside from the Ulliyeri-Perambra State Highway, the oldest road passing through the panchayat is the one running via Naduvannur and Kavunthara, which was historically used to connect with Vadakara for trade and other travel needs.