During the reign of Maharaja Balarama Varma (r. 1798-1810) handloom weaving was first introduced at Balaramapuram, and the panchayat is named in his honour.

The Single Street with two-story buildings on either side act as an axis with the Agastya temple being the focal point.

Lack of infrastructure like levelled roads, public water supply, street drains, and sewerage are some problems faced by the community.

[1] Balaramapuram's weavers use a traditional type of throw-shuttle pit looms for the production of exclusively cotton fabrics with pure zeri.

Identical appearance of designs, including warp and weft stripes on the face, and backside, of the fabric is obtained by this technique of weaving.

The variety known as "Pudava and Kavani" (veshti and upper cloth with pure zeri) still remains as a prestigious bridal gift in marriages.

The designs with zeri or coloured yarn, using the age-old technique still has unparallel appeal which can attract even the most sophisticated customers.

Presently, a major portion of the hand loom clothes produced in this area is sold to the Handloom Development Corporation and Hantex.

Hand–loom weavers overheads are much higher than mass-producing textile factories, and it is hard for their businesses to stay afloat in the modern economy.

Varieties of woven clothes previously reserved for hand–loom weavers are now open for production on power looms, making competition next to impossible.

Nowadays, a new concept in handloom industry introduced in this area is Ayurvastra, a branch of Ayurveda, the ancient 5,000-year-old Indian system of Vedic healthcare.

Loosely translated, "Ayur" is Sanskrit for health, and "Vastra" is clothing, Ayurvastra means Healthy Fabrics, the Ayurvastra project was initiated and launched by the Directorate of Handloom, Department of Industries and Commerce and the Department of Government Ayurveda College, aimed at creating a niche for the wellness textiles.

No attempt was made to exploit the skill of such weavers, who are masters in their trade, to produce any other variety for expanding market demand.