Alappuzha district, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. It was formed as Alleppey district on 17 August 1957, the name of the district being changed to Alappuzha in 1990. Alappuzha is the smallest district of Kerala. Alleppey town, the district headquarters, was renamed Alappuzha in 2012, even though the anglicised name is still commonly used to describe the town as well as the district.
Kottayam is one of 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettumanoor, and Vaikom. It is the only district in Kerala that does not border either the Arabian Sea or another Indian state.
The Kingdom of Travancore, also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor or later as Travancore State, was an Indian kingdom that lasted from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At its zenith, the kingdom covered most of the south of modern-day Kerala and the southernmost part of modern-day Tamil Nadu with the Thachudaya Kaimal's enclave of Irinjalakuda Koodalmanikyam temple in the neighbouring Kingdom of Cochin. However Tangasseri area of Kollam city and Anchuthengu near Attingal in Thiruvananthapuram were parts of British India.
Changanassery, is a municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is located 17 km (10.6 mi) south of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about 115 km (71.5 mi) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Changanassery has a population of 47,485 people, and a population density of 3,517/km2 (9,110/sq mi).
Pathanamthitta District, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. The district headquarters is in the town of Pathanamthitta. There are four municipalities in Pathanamthitta: Adoor, Pandalam, Pathanamthitta and Thiruvalla.
Pillai or Pillay, meaning "Child of King" (Prince) or "Child", is a surname found among the Malayalam and Tamil-speaking people of India and Sri Lanka.
Mannathu Padmanabhan was an Indian social reformer and freedom fighter from the south-western state of Kerala. He is recognised as the founder of the Nair Service Society (NSS), which represents the Nair community that constitutes 15.5% of the population of the state. His birthday is observed as Mannam Jayanti every year. Padmanabhan is considered a visionary reformer who organised the Nair community under the NSS.
Alappuzha, also known as Alleppey, is a municipality in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district, and is located about 130 km (80.8 mi) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Alappuzha has a population of 240,991 people, and a population density of 3,675/km2 (9,520/sq mi).
Thattayil is a village near Pandalam in the Pathanamthitta district, state of Kerala, India.
Elavumthitta is a town in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, India. The majority of its inhabitants are from Hindu and Christian backgrounds. The primary crops are rubber, coconut, black pepper and plantain. The terrain is hilly with plenty of paddy fields in between. It is the commercial centre of Mezhuveli and Chenneerkara panchayaths.
Pandalam Thekkekara is a panchayath and also a cultural-spiritual village town in Pandalam in Pathanamthitta district in the state of Kerala, India. Thattayil Orippurathu Bhagavathi Temple, Vrindavanam Venugopala Temple, Thattayil Ayyappa Temple, Thirumangalam Mahadeva Temple, Varikolil Vishnu Temple, Kandalanthara Shiva Temple, Anakuzhi Malanada Temple, Mynagappallil Anapoorneshwari Temple, Gurunadankkavu Temple are the main religious centres located here. Orippuram Meenabharani, Meenakarthika and Meena Thiruvathira festivals are the major festivals in Pandalam Thekkekkara Panchayath. Also, there are some important festivals happens in panchayath including Parappetty Pettathullal.
K. P. Karunakara Menon (1930–2002) was the president of Nair Service Society till his death in 2002. He was succeeded by Sri. P. V. Neelakanta Pillai. Menon, who hailed from Thrissur was one of the few Nair outside Travancore to become the president of NSS. He is best remembered for his fierce stand against the reservations and affirmative quotas for lower castes in the educational institutions of Kerala.
Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai (1898–1976), popularly identified as Swathithirunal Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai after his magnum opus, Swathithirunal, was an Indian author of Malayalam literature, actor, speaker, teacher and thinker. He was known for his plays which dealt with themes such as patriotism, sacrifice and justice and his characters showed heroism, showing influence of William Shakespeare. Kerala Sahitya Akademi awarded him their annual award for drama in 1970. He was also a recipient of the Kalyani Krishna Menon Puraskaram.
Pillai, meaning Prince, is a title of nobility which can either refer to a ruling chief, members of the nobility, or junior princes of the royal family and was mostly used by the upper-caste Nair feudal lords who were historically ranked as or immediately below the king. The oldest lineages of Pillais include not only Kshatriyas but also brahmins who took up the sword. From the early modern period, the title also came to be bestowed upon Savarna subjects by the Kings for services military or political, most of whom were of Nair origin. The Nair Pillai caste is unrelated to other Pillais. It is important not to confuse them with the Vellala Pillai, Chetti Pillai, etc. Some of them also use 'Pillai' surname in some parts of Kerala, they have distinct identities and no relation with Kerala title "Pillai".
NSS Hindu College, Changanassery (NSSHC) is one of the oldest and largest institutions of higher education of Nair Service Society was established in 1947 by Indian social reformer and freedom fighter Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai and is located on par with its central headquarters at Perunna, Changanassery. The college is affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam and is re-accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with 'A' grade.
K. Kumar (1894–1973) was an Indian orator, reformer and writer of the Indian pre-independence era. He was one of the earliest socio-political leaders to have brought Mahatma Gandhi's message and the spirit of the national movement to the erstwhile Travancore State.
Changanassery Parameswaran Pillai popularly Changanassery, was a social reformer, lawyer, judge, attorney general and the former president of the Nair Service Society. He was elected four times to the Sree Moolam Popular Assembly.
P. K. Narayana Pillai, better identified as Sahitya Panchanan P. K. Narayana Pillai, was an Indian literary critic, essayist, scholar, grammarian and poet of Malayalam language. One of the pioneers of literary criticism in Malayalam, he wrote more than 25 books which include Panchananante Vimarssthrayam, a critique of the writings of Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, Cherusseri Namboothiri and Kunchan Nambiar and two books on Malayalam grammar, Leghuvyakaranam and Vyakarana Pravesika. He was a judge of the High Court of Kerala, a member of the Sree Moolam Popular Assembly and the founder president of the Samastha Kerala Sahithya Parishad.
