The eight barons
or the Ettuveetar
In the previous article, we talked about Abhirami and her
children. We read very briefly about the succession struggles between her sons
and Marthanda Varma. This one will hover above the succession struggle and
cover the role of the Madampies and the baronial Pillas and the usage Ettuveetil
Pillamar. Reading through various sources and accounts, one could assume that
there were two opinions about the matter regarding the Pillamar - that they
became a legend starting with the fictional story about Marthanda Varma by CV
Raman Pillai and the second being that they were real and existed even before
CV Raman Pillai alluded to them in his novel.
It was particularly interesting for me because I lived in
Kazhakootam, an area supposedly controlled by one of these 8 barons, for over a
decade but at that time I had little interest in such matters. And since I get involved
with Travancore history only rarely, I had quite a bit of reading to do before
I could make some conclusions. Thus, armed with the two versions of Travancore history,
by Aiyya and Shungoony Menon (I could not access Velu Pillai’s version), KVK
Iyer’s history of Kerala, Shreedhara Menon’s Survey, KM Panikkar’s and
Alexander’s accounts of the Dutch and so on, I got down to the task. I then read
Marthanda Varma, the novel by Pillai, Leena More’s studies around Attingal
& Travancore and Ibrahim Kunju’s detailed study on Varma. All this could be
dizzying for the uninitiated, but it was incredible fun for me.
At the outset I have a suggestion to make, if you have not
read Raman Pillai’s book, read it, and if you cannot get the Malayalam version
or do not read Malayalam, then check for the translation by BK Menon. BKM’s translation
is fantastic and I could only marvel at his choice of words (his daughter Prema
is a well know translator these days and the great grandniece of K Karaunakara
Menon, whom we talked about during our Pazhassi Raja accounts). So with that
bit of acknowledgment and with the background explained, let us now head down
south to Travancore, not the Trivandrum we know today, but Kalkulam (Padmanabhapuram)
and the Nagercoil areas, to begin the story.
As we saw in the previous article, King Rama Varma died and
according to the matrilineal succession in vogue, Marthanda Varma, his nephew
rose to the throne. We also saw that the Ilaya Thampi’s Pappu and Raman Thampi
were not amused by the turn of events since their father had promised Abhirami,
their mother that one of them would get the title. Marthanda Varma would not
budge and the dispute started to ratchet up to higher levels.
However, an anarchical situation in the region had started even
before Rama Varma allied with the Madura ruler but was not able to find
resources to pay the annual tribute. But as Nagam Aiyya put it,
At the time of his
accession the state of the country was far from happy. There were no organized
departments for the transaction of State business. The finances were in an
extremely unsatisfactory condition. The country was honeycombed with petty
chieftains, who collecting around themselves bands of brigands, subsisted on
pillage and plunder and harassed the Rajah and his people by frustrating all
attempts to establish order or any settled form of government. The Rajah's
following was small and his authority so nominal that the Ettuvittil Pillamars
and the Madampimars were more or less independent rulers of their own estates.
Anarchy prevailed in South Travancore to a sad extent which was further
intensified by the regicidal proclivities of these petty chieftains and the
Yogakkars — a body of managers of the temple of Sri Padmanabhaswamy owning
enormous landed wealth and commanding the influence and power which go with it.
We also see from the Travancore manuals that Varma even
while serving as a deputy to his uncle had a number of issues with the barons
on varying occasions resulting in his being on the run and even sleeping on
tree tops (I see a bit of CV Raman Pillai’s novel here). Nagam Aiyya continues
Even as First Prince
and Elaya Rajah of tender years, he set himself to put down with a strong hand
the lawlessness of these disloyal chiefs. In consequence, he had earned their
undying hatred and his life was more than once attempted. He sought the aid of
the English and the Dutch and would have completely quelled the rebels but for
the timidity and weakness of his uncle the King who compelled him to desist. He
had fled from place to place and on several occasions slept on the tops of
trees in far off jungles.
Now that we have established some background, let us try to
get to the specifics. Shungoonny Menon mentions them as being a problem as
early as 1594 when Eravi Varma himself had issues collecting dues from the
Pillamar. He describes them thus
A society was formed
consisting of eight and a "half members" of whom eight were Potty
Brahmans, each of whom pretended to have the privilege of a casting vote, and
the sovereign who was considered half member, had no vote in the transactions
of the Devaswam affairs. By such an arrangement, the affairs of the Devaswam ,
became virtually vested in the hands of the eight Potty Brahmans, and they
began to work the institution through their attaché’s the Ettu Veetil Pillamar,
who were the representatives of eight noble families. The sovereign had little
or no influence over the Devaswam, and was simply required to be present at the
usual periodical ceremonies. The power of this Yogakkar and the association
become so great, that records show that they even imposed heavy fines upon the
sovereign for wrongs done to the Devaswam institution.
This Devaswam
possessed extensive landed property, which was then called Sree Pundara Vaka
(belonging to the holy treasury). Its sole managers were the Yogakkar, who had
all the powers of despotic rulers over the Devaswam property, and over every
one of the tenants and holders of the Devaswam lands. The Ettu Veetil Pillamar
were entrusted with the collection of the Devaswam revenue, and the villages,
where the Devaswam lands lay, were divided into eight Adhikarems. Each of the Ettu
Veetil Pillamar was appointed a collector over the Adhikarem, with the powers
of a petty chief.
The king having little
or no authority over these men, they rose in power and importance, and
gradually became supreme lords in their villages, and in time the Madampimar
(nobles and petty chiefs,) who were not loyally attached to the crown, were
also influenced by the Ettu Veetil Pillamar and the combination became a
powerful one.
Shungoony Menon continues to explain the atrocities carried
out by the confederates against the king, especially the burning of the royal
palace and the poisoning of the mild mannered Aditya Varma, the killing (kalippaan
kulam drowning) of the brothers of Ummayamma Rani, and how during her reign,
the eight Pillamar dissented and how each of them became a sole master of his possessions,
thus signaling a situation of anarchy. Around this time, a Moghul soldier attacks
and subdues Travancore following which the Rani brings in the Kerala Varma raja
from Malabar (Kottayam)to help, which he does and soon the Rani is in absolute
power. But the Pillamar and the Yogakkar conspire and kill the rescuer from
Malabar. Eventually the previously mentioned Rama Varma becomes king and
Marthanda Varma (son of a Kolathunad princess & Rama Varma’s nephew) enters
the scene to continue the royal tussle against the confederates.
According to Alexander the Pillamar belonged to the eight Nair
houses of Marthandam, Ramanamatam, Kulathoor, Kazhakootam, Venganoor, Chempazhanthil,
Kodamana and Pallichal (CVRPillai introduces one other named Thirumadhom). He
concludes that their ambition was to extirpate the royal family and establish a
republic of their own. According to him, maintaining the Pandyan forces which
his father had brought in in order to control the confederates was too expensive
and so he sent them back. But this encouraged the Pillamar who rose in
rebellion against the new king Marthanda Varma. This is the situation that
prompted the Ilaya thampi’s, who were also upset with the king over succession
aspects, to join the confederates, and then to go to the Trichy Nayak for
support.
KM Panikkar opines that it was a settlement in 1050 that
accorded the land around Padmanabha temple to the Yogakkar. He goes along with
the accounts of Shungoony Menon and Alexander. He narrates the story of the
fugitive Yuvaraja and how he realizes that the common man always supported his
feudal lord and not a monarch. So if a monarchy had to prevail, he had to get
the barons out of power. With that in mind, he seeks the Trichy Nayaks’ support
in return for an annual tribute of Rs 3000/-. In return he gets an army of 2000
under the Tripathay Naiker and a cavalry of 1000 under Vankatapathy Naiker. But
when he tried to use them against the nobles, these forces refused to take his
orders and thus he starts to create his own imported army comprising Maravas,
Pathans and so on. That is when Pappu Thampi goes to the Nawab of Arcot with
his complaints.
Marthanda Varma according to Panikkar is found to be lacking
scruples and virtues such as clemency, once he had entered the fray. He was the
first to strike down the age old systems in Malabar politics where a Nair noble
could never be punished, even in case of treason. With MV’s annihilation of the
42 nobles and their families, he destroyed the feudal system of Travancore. His
use of Marava mercenaries, his wish to create an autocratic state in the lines
of those at Trichy and Tanjore, was alien to the people of the region. PKS Raja
also concurs in concluding that Varma was as ruthless and unscrupulous as the
recalcitrant Ettuvetill Pillamar.
Let us now get back to the Ilaya thampimaar. They went to
the Nayak and requested support complaining that they were following natural succession
methods and that he should help them reach their just position. The Nayak
deputed the powerful Alagappa Mudaliar to check. Mudaliar went to Travancore
and was met by the able Dalawa Ramayya, who explained to him the principles of matrilineal
practices in Malabar and Travancore and as is mentioned in a number of other accounts,
Mudaliar was well taken care of (well bribed). The Mudaliar then calls the Ilaya
Thampis and reprimands them, following which he returns home. Thus the Thampimaar
ended up having no external support. The rebellion now became an open one and
the skirmishes more regular. In the meantime, the Padmanabha temple renovation work
was completed.
This unstable situation continued on till 1733, when on a
fateful day the two Thampis were killed by or on the orders of Marthanda Varma,
having decided that there was no other course open to him. Books mention that the
younger Raman Thampi was first killed by the guards at the Nagercoil palace
following an altercation and later the elder Pappu Thampi got hacked down by Varma
himself. Manickavasagom Pillai concludes in his paper after due analysis, that
all this was pre planned, so also the fate of the eight Pillais. Kochukumaran
Pillai was also taken care of in the same manner, according to Velu Pillai’s
TSM.
After this was done, the 42 chiefs (Pillais and Madampies)
were rounded up, and hung at a place called Mukhamandapam near Kalkulam. They
properties were seized and the women and children sold off to fishermen. The
Brahmin potties (as they could not be killed according to the Manusmriti) were apparently
excommunicated with a dog picture branded on their foreheads.
Now we come to the central question. Did these Pillais, Madapmies
and Yogakkar exist? Yes, most definitely, and this is borne in other works such
as Sreedhara Menon’s Survey of KH. But we can perhaps get corroboration from
the accounts of neighboring kingdom of Attingal and English records, so let us
check there.
In the case of Attingal, it is recorded that there were four
great Pillas, namely Vanjamutta, Cuddamon, Barreba and Mandacca. This is well
documented in Leena More’s book and even established as the Nattunadappu, so it
is likely that such a system did exist in the case of neighboring Travancore.
Continuing on, we also note that there were twelve madampis and two pottis. The
Pillas were a level higher than the madampi and the Attingal queen would take
one of her two husbands from among the Pillas.
We note that the first tussle between Ravi Varma (the king
before Rama Varma) and the 8 Veetil pillar took
place close to 1695 when some
of those lords were executed and others had to ransom their own lives. This was
what started to bring matters to a head. In 1681, the British abandoned a
project to settle in Attingal due to the problems they faced with the local
pillas. As time went by they had lots of problems with the Vanjmoota pillai and
the Kochu madan pillai who would not allow them to build a fort, but eventually
they built it at Anjengo. The two pillas then had a tussle after which the Cuddamon
sided with the rani against the Vanjamutta who got Travancore support. It is here
that we find that Vanjamutta was also backed by the Madampis of Travancore. We
also note in the Attingal deliberations that the pillaas were the ones who decided
on the election of a queen. As we go along with Leena’s account we observe the
rising power of the Pillas and the declining power of the Attingal Rani, a
testament of the times.
Marthanda Varma seeing what was happening with his relatives
in Attingal, ensured that whatever counsel he gave to his uncle Rama Varma (and
previously to Ravi Varma) were against the pillamar of Travancore, the said
ettuveettar. Perhaps he was goaded to do this by his new friends the English
headed by Alexander Orme and that was how a treaty was concluded between the
English and MV, then the prince of Neyyatinkara. The Travancoreans in return,
promised support to punish those behind the Attingal revolt. By 1724, the
English had even obtained permission to mint coins and a monopoly to establish
settlements in Travancore. With that concluded, their intention to profit was
made clear, and that they would support a certain amount of despotism by
providing superior military equipment & technology, just what MV wanted.
The sakuni Orme had arrived, and the English thus went about laying the foundation
towards the rise of Travancore & VMV. Varma forced Cudammon Pillai to
tender a written apology.
Vanjamutta according to English records was apparently the
brain behind the pillas getting together and throwing off their allegiance to
the king of Travancore. In fact he was the one who wanted to take the Yuvaraja’s
life resulting in his being on the run for quite some time (CVR Pillai mentions
the kazhakootam Pillai being the ring leader in his novel, but it was actually
the Vanjamuttil). It was Orme who brought MV to Attingal to fight the pillas,
by personally lending him large sums of money without authorization from his
superiors. The queen of Attingal joined MV in his efforts resulting in a
retaliatory attack on herself, which she survived. After this a formal war was declared
on the pillas by the queen of Attingal and the king of Travancore. The
Cudamonpilla chose to side with the queen. MV apparently burnt Vanjamutta’s
palace and burned his fort at Pallichal, together with 500 houses. MV who was still
on the run now sought refuge in Attaingal, close to his English friends.
Vanjamutta retaliated by burning the queens palace in Capi. The English stayed
away from the fracas as they were afraid that the powerful Vanjamutta might
attack and destroy Anjengo next.
Meanwhile Vanjamutta had defeated MV in a skirmish and his enemy
Cuddamon now chose to take the side of the pillamar. MV retreated to
Travancore, fleeing from Attingal. This was the period when Ravi Varma died and
Rama Varma took over with MV now guiding him to seek support from the nayak of
Madurai. With the help of the two naickers, their infantry and cavalry, MV
attacked the Pilla bastions and made them flee Travancore. He wrote to Orme
that he himself had killed 15 of the pillas. But Vanjamutta did not die. Many
of the remaining madampis paid money to MV and sued for peace. Soon after this,
MV visited the Anjengo fort and was welcomed by the English with a 7 gun
salute. The French and the Dutch rushed to meet Rama Varma and establish forts
in Travancore, whose fortunes were now on the rise. MV refused all these
overtures and ensured that the British alone prevailed.
The English now pushed MV for a reparation for the Attingal revolt.
MV’s dalawa Ramayya and the queen refused stating that the war with the pillas was
fought only on this count i.e. to help the English after the Attingal revolt
and that they themselves had incurred huge expenses. Perhaps that is when Orme learned
that his personal investment had gone sour. Soon he was replaced by John Wallis.
However, the queen and MV conferred and eventually decided to gift the
Cotadalli and Palatady gardens to the English as compensation for the Attingal
revolt.
Soon Rama Varma died and MV took over. He set up a new
system of administration and bypassed the old feudal system consisting of the
madampies and the pillas. Now he had to take care of the remaining pillas who
had in the meantime found support from the ilaya thampies, who in turn felt
they had been shortchanged after the death of their father. They then went to Trichy
to seek assistance and Alagappa Mudaliar was dispatched. Ramayya and Narayanayya
convinced Alagappa (or bribed him) to go back. After this MV reorganized his
forces to include Maravars, Pathans and Channars and created a network of spies
around the country to report on the pillas. This paid off and a report is
received that the pillas are ganging together (secret meeting at Vennanur
temple) to kill MV.
In one swoop they are rounded up during the arattu
procession of 1736 by MV and MV going against all tradition that a Nair noble
is never held accountable for such matters, tries and hangs them all, over 42
pillas and madampies, after which their families are sold to fisher folk and the
others excommunicated. Golleness the Dutch commander also records these actions
stating emphatically that MV did all this with English support, who had
provided arms and ammunition and other kinds of indirect support.
The ring leader Vanjumutta pilla seems to have escaped and
was waiting for his revenge from Quilon, after allying himself with the Dutch
who brought in forces from Ceylon. But this attempt failed. After this, MV went
on to annex Quilon and remaining areas to create an enlarged Travancore. As
time went by, the cruelty that he had practiced took its toll. The priests told
him that he must repent and that is how he celebrated the Trippadam, Murajapam
and Hiranyagarbhadanam ceremonies (to go from samanthan to Kshatriya status)
and finally dedicated his kingdom to Lord Padmanabha. Interestingly, MV who
acceded to the throne claiming nattunadappu was the one who went against all of
it eventually by destroying the feudal system for his own benefit…
According to English records this Vanjamutta (Vanchimuttam)
pillai was the ring leader in the insurrection against MV. Who was he? We read
that his Pallichal fort was destroyed by MV, so it was obviously the Pallichal
pilla. Pallichal Pillai and Kodumon Pillai were the most powerful domains among
the eight in Travancore. In the 17th century the Karanavar of the family of
Pallichal Pillai moved from Pallichal to Vanchimuttam near Attingal, though his
family members remained in Pallichal. A part of his holdings fell under Travancore
and so this relocation to Vanchimuttam was actually to avoid allegations of
sedition on him, by the Travancore royal family.
Krishna Iyer states that prominent among the Travancore
nobles were the Pillamars of Marthandathu Madom, Ramana Madom, Kulathur, Kazhakuttam,
Kudamon, Venganur, Chempazanthy and Pallichal, collectively known as the
Ettuveettil Pillamars.
But was CV Raman Pilla who wrote the book MV in 1891, the
first to coin the usage ettu veettar? Not really. You can find mentions in
English dispatches and more formally, Samuel Mateer writing his land of charity
in 1870 writes - Veera Rama Martanda
Vurmah was the first of this line, and commenced his reign in 1335. He founded
the Trevandrum fort and palace, which he made his principal residence. He was
succeeded by twenty-two princes, of whom little besides the names and dates is
recorded. Their rule occupied a period of 350 years. They were continually
engaged in contending with the "Eight Chiefs," and had therefore
little time to enter upon schemes of foreign conquest. In the early part of
this reign a contention arose between the Rajah and his sons on the subject of
the succession to the kingdom. According to the Malabar law, nephews were the
heirs and successors to all property and honors; but the sons of the Rajah sought
to alter the law of succession in their own favor. They were aided in their
ambitious schemes by several of the "eight chieftains," and by other
adherents. Becoming aware of the conspiracy, the Rajah watched his opportunity,
and ordered the execution of his two sons, one of whom he put to death with his
own hand. Several of the minor chiefs were slain at the same time, their
families sold into slavery, and their estates confiscated.
Robert Caldwell writing his ‘A Political and General History
of the District of Tinnevelly’ in 1890 and Shungoony Menon in 1878 provides all
the details which others then used. So it is clear that the usage was
commonplace even before Pillai wrote his novel.
There are other mentions as well, some say that the
Kulathoor and Chempazhanthi families were not nairs but ezhavas. In some cases
they are termed as ettu madampimaar, but suffices to note that it was a gang of
eight. Some other mentions can be found that a few of these pillas fled to neighboring
states, that some converted to Christianity and there are even rumors that a
few landed up at Pantalayani Kollam near Calicut.
The Padmanabha vaults are now home to immense treasures,
brought in during these MV ventures and perhaps later by the fleeing (from
Hyder & Tipu) Malabar princes. Kulathoor is home to the engineering college
and Kazhakootam home to both the Sainik School as well as the Technopark. The
VSSC space center can be found in the vicinity. People carry on as they do in
Anantapuram, with talk about the state government and the scheming politicians.
As usual, the topsy turvy turn of local politics remain the main focus to
people of the region. Thampi and Pillai are still common surnames in
Travancore, however they are no longer major landlords.
In the concluding article, we will talk about Ramayya, the
man who guided MV through all these years and was perhaps the one who
formulated his actions and ideology.
References
The Dutch in
Malabar – PC Alexander
Travancore
state manual – Nagam Aiyya
A History of
Travancore from the Earliest Times - P. Shungoonny Menon
Malabar and
the Dutch – KM Panikkar
Medieval
Kerala – PKS Raja
English east
India Company and the rulers of Travancore – Leena More
25 comments:
Maddy,
I enjoyed the article.Am interested in the history of that period and the details updated my knowledge.
Binod.
thanks binny
glad you liked it
rgds
Manmadhan sir,
Thank you for this in depth analysis. I always used to wonder what actually might have happened to Ettuveetar? How is it possible that nobody survived from those families to tell or re-tell those old stories. Often we hear only the official side of the matters. Just curious to hear the other side.
Bernard
thanks bernard..
as i jotted,
Some other mentions can be found that a few of these pillas fled to neighboring states, that some converted to Christianity and there are even rumors that a few landed up at Pantalayani Kollam near Calicut.
On the web you will find many a family link stating that they are now christians and originally belonged to the ettuveetil group..
I was researching history on kerala and found your Blog.
Bookmarked and favorited :))
we still exist i am a descendant of the family.
where are those converted christians staying
My ancestors told us we belong to Ettilveettu pillaimar One of one young boy escaped from the group after the battle ends and entered into Tamilnadu using kottayam, kuuli as his route. Now above hundreds of people are living here.Our Kula Theyvam is Lord Padmanaba.
My grandma (Karthikeyani Amma )and grandfather (Thangappan Pillai) is from Ettilveetuu pillamar family. She is from Parashal, Trivandrum. Before 35 years they moved talong with their 7 children.We are all now settled in chennai and myself abroad. We are all still Hindus, and our family god is Sree Mahadeva temple, Parassala.
I found the article interesting. Obviously, a lot of work has been done to collect information. But as someone has remarked, "History is ALWAYS written from the point of view of the VICTOR"!!! So it would be interesting to see if there is "another side of the coin".
But it it can not be disputed that the Travancore kingdom, as the British knew, was founded by Marthanda Varma.
Good work, Congrats!!
Dear Maddy
Brilliant work!!
But the Chempazhanthy and kulathur are indeed nair familes. Their decendants are still around and are members of local nair karayogams.
http://sharatsunderrajeev.blogspot.in/2009/03/tragic-story-of-rajput-princess.html
pls check this blog and the comments there
You are misled by vandals from other community who simply can't digest the glorious past of nairs
Just one logical question- if these families were indeed Ezhavas, how were they allowed to rule Padmanabhaswamy temple? Ezhavas were not permitted into savarna temples until recently, let alone administration!
I am Florent C. Pereira. I am the General Manager of Kalaignar TV, a satellite TV channel owned by the former Chief Minister Dr. Karunanidhi who is fondly called KALAIGNAR (POET). My parents are from Puthenthope but we got settled in Kumbakonam, Tanjore district in Tamilnadu where my father worked as a doctor in SACRED HEART LEPROSY HOSPITAL.
I now work as GENERAL MANAGER of KALAIGNAR TV and I was given the assignement to do a story on the treasure of Padmanabha Temple. My friend Prof. Thambi Sir arranged a meeting with Marthanda Varma, the Maharaja of Travancore. When I introduced myself from Puthenthope he immediatly said you might be related to us saying about the history of ETTUVEETIL PILLAMARS.The interview is recorded and the tape is safe with me. His secretary gave me only 15 mins to interview the King and instructed me to ask only about the treasure found at the Padmanabha temple. My interview was fixed at 4 P.M and my train back to Chennai was at 5.30 P.M. As soon as I was lead into the hall where the Maharaja was sitting, my first question was to explain to me the reason why people are so fond of him. I told him that I landed in Trivandrum two days prior to this interview but walked the lenght and breadth of Trivandrum, spoke to many people about the treasure and the Monarch and everyone seemed to be least worried about the treasure but more concerned about the health of the King. At this the Maharaja held my hand and showed the ceiling saying its all because of HIM. When we all looked along with the King at the ceiling, the camera men found out that the fan was cranking and was making noise as the fans looked very old. Then I asked the King if we can shift to some other place as the fan disturbs the recording. Smiling at me, he said other fans are much worse. I asked him the treasure belongs to the Royal family but your fans look very pathetic. At this, the king said nothing belongs to the Royal family but everything belongs to Padmanabha. He also showed me a ring he was wearing which must be atleast 500 years old, it is passed on to kings. He told me the ETTUVEETIL PILLAMAR story and I was looking at my watch as it was getting late for my train. Realising that I was not attentive, he asked me if I was in a hurry and I told him so. But the King, 'Never mind, you can go tomorrow". He talked to me for more than 1 hour and I had to get back to Chennai by taking AIR INDIA EXPRESS at 8 P.M.
Florent C. Pereira/General Manager/Kalaignar TV Network/Chennai/9962070453
My husband ancestors belong to the ettuveetil pillarmars however i am told that their ancestors were converted to christianity by the portuguese and most of them have adopted the surnames of Pereira, etc. and have done away with house names. Do you have any knowledge about this.
Well, this is something that I didn't expect..
My dad's ancestor belong to the ettyveetil pillarmar. Our family name is Alexander. I am intrested to gain better deep knowledge about my ancestors ?
I'm one among them.
I'm from ettuveetil pillamar and christian Mukkuvar lineage. I had some children of nobles were given to Muslims too. Is there any one like me?
Guys... you should able to differentiate venad Kings and Travancore samasthan. Venad kings are 100 percent tamilian and they have marriage relationship with chola and Pandya's. Venad kings ruled kollam and part of south tamilnadu from 13-17 century. Ravivarman are descendant of paluvettaraiyar of Tanjore..early chera who has title Villi or villavar.
I guess 1745 nayakkars formed travancore samasthan . The first travancore king anusham thirunaal marthaanda Varma has no link with MV ( venad Kings)
I belong to pannayar kathikara community who where once bodyguard of venad Kings. We also use the title chithiravalli. Srirengam inscriptions says ravivarman name is chittiravalli.
Venad kings families are not completely
Vanished .
Ettu veetu pillamar family still live in srivakundam near tuticorin.
I'm 4th generation of Ettuveetil Pillamar. my name is josepent p and my mother's name is pangarashi.
I'm the 4th generation of Ettuveetil Pillamar my name is josepent p my mother's name is pangarashi.
My husband belongs kulathoorpillai family one of the karanavar in this family escaped and settled in kollam their house name is kulathoor
Lulumall trivandrum bought that huge land from descendants of ettuveetil pillamar. They settled at pune long back ago.
According to my grandfather and grandmother and then my father and mother, my ancestors were 'Ettuveetil Pillai' families. My birth place is in Idukki district and my relatives are also here.
I belong to etuveetil pilaimar lineage.
I have heard from the elders that my great great grandparents moved to Nagercoil due to a dispute (not sure what the dispute was about)
My great grandfather converted into Christian and the family name got changed from "Pillai" to "Alexander",
I have seen a family picture of my great grandfather and his children (in there late 20's and early 30'(age))
My family tree details as of now is,
Michael Alexander - Great grandfather
Loorth Amal Simon - one of Michael Alexander's children
Felix Alexander - grandfather
Veronica Alexander - grandmother
Andrew Alexander - father
Felix Alexander - father
One of the well known people with a public and political image was Lourthamal Simon, a politician.
If anyone one who is reading this is sharing a similar lineage or if you know someone who shares a similar family tree.
Please drop a mail, i would like to know further about my family.
felix.pr10906@gmail.com
I belong to etuveetil pilaimar lineage.
I have heard from the elders that my great great grandparents moved to Nagercoil due to a dispute (not sure what the dispute was about)
My great grandfather converted into Christian and the family name got changed from "Pillai" to "Alexander",
I have seen a family picture of my great grandfather and his children (in there late 20's and early 30'(age))
My family tree details as of now is,
Michael Alexander - Great grandfather
Loorth Amal Simon - one of Michael Alexander's children
Felix Alexander - grandfather
Veronica Alexander - grandmother
Andrew Alexander - father
Felix Alexander - father
One of the well known people with a public and political image was Lourthamal Simon, a politician.
If anyone one who is reading this is sharing a similar lineage or if you know someone who shares a similar family tree.
Please drop a mail, i would like to know further about my family.
felix.pr10906@gmail.com
I belong to etuveetil pilaimar lineage.
I have heard from the elders that my great great grandparents moved to Nagercoil due to a dispute (not sure what the dispute was about)
My great grandfather converted into Christian and the family name got changed from "Pillai" to "Alexander",
I have seen a family picture of my great grandfather and his children (in there late 20's and early 30'(age))
My family tree details as of now is,
Michael Alexander - Great grandfather
Loorth Amal Simon - one of Michael Alexander's children
Felix Alexander - grandfather
Veronica Alexander - grandmother
Andrew Alexander - father
Felix Alexander - father
One of the well known people with a public and political image was Lourthamal Simon, a politician.
If anyone one who is reading this is sharing a similar lineage or if you know someone who shares a similar family tree.
Please drop a mail, i would like to know further about my family.
felix.pr10906@gmail.com
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