Before the formation of modern Kerala, the Meenachil region was a sovereign principality ruled by local chieftains known as the Meenachil Karthas (also called Njavakkatt Karthas). These rulers were known for their military prowess and maintained a relatively independent fiefdom in the foothills of the Western Ghats. In 1754, the ambitious King Marthanda Varma annexed Meenachil, integrating it into the expanding Kingdom of Travancore.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Meenachil evolved into a crucial agrarian hub. The introduction of commercial rubber cultivation by British planters, which was subsequently adopted enthusiastically by local farmers, transformed the local economy.
Post-Indian independence in 1947 and the linguistic reorganization of states that created Kerala in 1956, Meenachil was established as a taluk within the Kottayam district. The latter half of the 20th century saw significant migration from this region to the Malabar region of northern Kerala (the Malabar Migration), as well as a massive wave of emigration to the Persian Gulf, Europe, and North America, which brought considerable wealth and modernization back to the area.