Ancestral neighbours

Raja Ravi Varma

Historical fiction has always fascinated me though I am yet to delve into hard core research into any story so far unlike one of my fellow blogger Maddy an engineer in USA hailing from Calicut .

Iam at present reading a book on the famous Travancore Ranis by Manu Pillai  I came across the word Parappanad !

I hail on my maternal side from Parappanangadi and have nostalgic memories of the village ,

I also knew about the Parappanad thampuran though I had never met him or any one from that family ,

their palace was just north of our ancestral house which was called Thekkepat Kovilakkam

 thekku in Malayalam is south ie south of the parappanad kovilakam !

We used to pass the vast grounds of the kovilakam itself while walking to the railway station from our house as those days there was no motor able road like now .

Parappanad royal family i learnt had  mainly two branches the northern Parappanad in Beypore near Calicut and the southern Parappanad in Neduwa Parappanangadi which incidentally is the heart and soul of my maternal native place .

Kerala Varma

The Travancore royal family like most Kerala royal clans were strictly based on matrilineal system of succession and girl children was not only favored but were a necessity to carry on the lineage ,

so when there were lack of suitable girl children in family there used to be a system of adoption of the same form other royal families and Parappanad family who hailed from the kolathiri Rajahs were a favorite

from the fifth century on when two princesses were adopted by the Travancore royal family

in the 9th century AD cheirya koil thampuran landed in Travancore

The main exodus of parappanad thampurans came in 964 Ad during Tipus invasion of Malabar and forcible conversions ,

it is at this time an exodus of parappanad kings went to their familiar kingdom with which they had an alliance of long fleeing from a  cruel enemy

The many rajahs married in kilimanoor palace and some of the offspring's like the Great Marthanda Varma and his nephew Rama Varma were all products of such alliances

kerala Varma or velliya koil thampuran famously known as kalidas of keralam for his translation of shakumtalam and the famous artist Raj Ravi Varma were all proud of their connection with the parappanad royal family

Amusingly there are snippets that would suggest the real lineage of parappanad thampurans is up from north the Rajputs themselves but I am yet to gleen facts

But its good to know more on ancestral neighbors