Achan is a title that was mainly in use by the male members of royal families in Kerala, India. They mainly belong to the Samantan Nair community(except the Cheruvalli Achan's who were a subsect of the Nambidi's who follow matrilineal traditions).
There were many Achan families who were historically significant in Kerala.
● The Paliath Achans , who were the Raja's of areas in Thrissur and North Paravur were given rights as the hereditary prime minister of the Maharajah of Cochin in the year 1632. [1] [2]
● The Mangat Achans of Calicut who was by tradition, a prominant landlord and the hereditary Prime Minister under the Zamorin.
● The male members of the ruling family of Palakkad (Kombi Achan) also bore the title Achan. [3]
● Meenachil Kartha's who were members of a royal family, which ruled the kingdom of Meenachil from 15th century AD until 1754 were given the title Njanachan by the cheraman perumals). [4]
Other Achans of Malabar included:
• Eranholi Achan of Thalassery
• Cheruvalli Achan who were also known as the Venganad Nampidi of Kollengode bore the title.
Valluvanad was an independent chiefdom in present-day central Kerala that held power from the early 12th century to the end of the 18th century. Prior to that, and since the late 10th century, Valluvanad existed as an autonomous chiefdom within the kingdom of the Chera Perumals. The disintegration of the Chera Perumal kingdom in early 12th century led to the independence of the various autonomous chiefdoms of the kingdom, Valluvanad being one of them.
The Kingdom of Cochin or the Cochin State, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It originated in the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until its accession to the Dominion of India in 1949.
Paliath Achan or Paliyath Achan is the name given to the male members of the Paliam family, a Nair/Menonroyalfamily from the Indian state of Kerala who ruled over Chendamangalam, Vypin, parts of Thrissur and regions that were under the erstwhile Kingdom of Villarvattom. The family had palaces and forts in these regions but their primary residence remained in Chendamangalam. The Paliath Achans were given the role of hereditary Prime ministership of the Kingdom of Cochin by the Kochi Maharajah.
Menon is an aristocratic hereditary title of the Nair community bestowed by various kings of Kerala, most saliently the Zamorin of Calicut and Maharaja of Cochin, upon eminent Nairs. The recipient of the title held it lifelong, and the male members of the family held it in perpetuity in the matrilineal line.
Malabar District, also known as British Malabar or simply Malabar was an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast of Bombay Presidency (1792–1800), Madras Presidency (1800–1937), Madras Province (1937–1950) and finally, Madras State (1950–1956) in India. It was the most populous and the third-largest district in the erstwhile Madras State. The historic town of Kozhikode was the administrative headquarters of this district.
Tanur is a coastal town, a municipality, and a block located in Tirur Taluk, Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is located on the Malabar Coast, 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north of Tirur and 9 kilometres south of Parappanangadi. It is the 17th-most populated municipality in the state, the fourth-most populated municipality in the district, and the second-most densely populated municipality in Malappuram district, having about 3,568 residents per square kilometre as of the year 2011.
The Marakkars are a South Asian Muslim community found in parts of the Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. The Marakkars speak Malayalam in Kerala and Tamil in Tamil Nadu and both Tamil and Sinhala in Sri Lanka.
Kadathanadu, also rendered Kadathanad, Katattanad, and, academically, Kaṭattanāṭǔ; alternately known as Vatakara or Badagara, was a kingdom in North Malabar just north of the Korappuzha River, ruled by the Porlathiri dynasty after their dispossession from their native realm of Calicut and Polanad. Its ruler was known as Vazhunnavar, often rendered 'Boyanore', until 1750, whereupon their prior titulature of Raja was resumed.
The Kochi metropolitan area or Kochi urban agglomeration is a metropolitan area consisting of Kochi and its satellite towns in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. With a population of more than 2.1 million within an area of 440 km2, it is the most populous metropolitan area in Kerala.
Rama Varma I often referred to as Dharma Raja, was the Maharajah of Travancore from 1758 until his death in 1798. He succeeded his uncle Marthanda Varma, who is credited with the title of "maker of modern Travancore". During his reign Dharma Raja not only retained all the territories his predecessor had gained but administered the kingdom with success. He was addressed as Dharma Raja on account of his strict adherence to Dharma Sastra, the Hindu principles of justice by providing asylum to thousands of Hindus and Christians fleeing Malabar during the Mysorean conquest of Malabar.
Kartha or Karthavu, meaning "Lord" in the Malayalam language, is an aristocratic title. It was conferred by the Rajas to powerful families, they are Desavazhi or Naduvazhi status.
Revathi Pattathanam is an annual assembly of scholars held since ancient times at Kozhikode in Kerala, India. Traditionally a seven-day event, the festival used to be held under the patronage of the Zamorin of Kozhikode. The prime event of the assembly is the conferring of the title Bhatta along with a Panakizhi to selected scholars. The word Pattathanam is derived from Bhattadānam, which in Malayalam means "awarding of the Bhatta". The assembly used to begin on the day of the Revathi asterism, and hence the title Revathi Pattathanam.
The Samoothiri was the title of the erstwhile ruler and monarch of the Calicut kingdom in the South Malabar region of India. Originating from the former feudal kingdom of Nediyiruppu Swaroopam, the Samoothiris and their vassal kings from Nilambur Kovilakam established Calicut as one of the most important trading ports on the southwest coast of India. At the peak of their reign, they ruled over a region extending from Kozhikode Kollam to the forested borders of Panthalayini Kollam (Koyilandy). The Samoothiris belonged to the Eradi subcaste of the Samantan community of colonial Kerala, and were originally the ruling chiefs of Eranad. The final Zamorin of Calicut committed suicide by setting fire to his palace and burning himself alive inside it, upon learning that Hyder Ali had captured the neighboring country of Chirackal in Kannur.
St Thomas Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Pala, is a Catholic church that follows the Syro-Malabar rite and is located in the town of Pala in the state of Kerala in the south of the Asian country of India. It serves as the mother church of the Syro-Malabar Diocese or Eparchy of Palai which was created in 1950 through the bull "Quo Ecclesiarum" of Pope Pius XII.
Kiryathil Nair or Kiriyath Nair also known as Vellayama Nairs is a Kshatriya subdivision of the Nair caste of martial nobility, who performed the functions of Kshatriyas in Kerala, India. They were also involved in business, industry, medicine and accounting, but as they were the Kshatriya sub-division, their main occupation was governing the land. They constituted the ruling elites (Naduvazhi) and feudal aristocrats (Jenmimar) in the regions of Malabar and Cochin.
Meenachil Karthas were members of a royal family, which ruled the kingdom of Meenachil from 15th century AD until 1754.
The Mysore's campaigns against the states of Malabar was the result of the Calicut's attack on Palghat in 1756–1757. This comprised the attacks of the Zamorin of Calicut on the Kingdom of Palakkad, situated east to Calicut. It was a continuation of the attacks on the Kingdom of Valluvanad, the traditional rival of Calicut. In the one sided Valluvanad attacks the Zamorin had captured much of the land from Eranad to Nedunganad. So, this time Zamorin marched against Palakkad and easily occupied Nadvattom which tore the Kingdom of Palakkad right through the middle.
The Kingdom of Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, was the kingdom of the Zamorin of Calicut, in the present-day Indian state of Kerala. Present-day Kozhikode is the second largest city in Kerala, as well as the headquarters of Kozhikode district.
Malappuram is one of the 14 districts in the South Indian state of Kerala. The district has a unique and eventful history starting from pre-historic times. During the early medieval period, the district was the home to two of the four major kingdoms that ruled Kerala. Perumpadappu was the original hometown of the Kingdom of Cochin, which is also known as Perumbadappu Swaroopam, and Nediyiruppu was the original hometown of the Zamorin of Calicut, which is also known as Nediyiruppu Swaroopam. Besides, the original headquarters of the Palakkad Rajas were also at Athavanad in the district.