Niranam is famous on account of St. Mary's Orthodox Old Christian Church, believed to have been founded by Apostle St. Thomas in 52 A.D., one of the seven and a half churches originally established by St. Thomas in Kerala. This church displays a marked influence of ancient temple architecture.

Niranam is also famous as the birth place of a band of 14th century poets known as the Niranam Kavikal or Kannassa Panikkaranmar. They were renowned for their many translations from Sanskrit to Malayalam, the most illustrious being 'Kannassaramayanam', a translation of the epic Ramayana.