The Chempil Thailamparambil Anantha Padmanabhan Valiya Arayan Kankumaran, known as Chempil Arayan, was the

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

of the Travancore Navy in the service of Avittam Thirunal Balarama Varma, King of

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

. He was born at Chempu, near

Vaikom Vaikom () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala. It is located north of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about north of the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, V ...

, in

Kottayam Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. He belongs to the

Koli Koli may refer to: People * Koli people, Indian caste group * Koli Christians, a Christian subgroup * Muslim Kolis, Muslim community * Koli (surname), Indian surname * Koli Sewabu (born 1975), Fijian rugby union footballer Places * Koli, Fin ...

caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...

of Kerala. Chempil Arayan is recognized as first freedom fighter of

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

. Chempil Arayan was involved in the Travancore War under the command of

Velu Thampi Dalawa Velayudhan Chempakaraman Thampi of Thalakulam (1765–1809) was the Dewan, Dalawa or Prime Minister of the Indian kingdom of Travancore between 1802 and 1809 during the reign of Balarama Varma, Bala Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal. He is best ...

in 1809; among other things he led an attack on Bolghatty Palace, the residence of the then

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

Resident,

Colin Macaulay Colin Macaulay (13 April 1760 – 20 February 1836), was a Scottish general, biblical scholar and Abolitionism in the United Kingdom, key activist in the campaign to abolish slavery. Early life Macaulay was a son of the Rev. John Macaulay (1720 ...

. The Resident escaped narrowly with his life, eluding the attackers through a tunnel and fleeing in a small boat. The Arayan was later captured, and freed after the payment of a ransom; he died in battle against the forces of the company. Chempil Arayan was well known for his naval exploits using the traditional

boat known as the "Odi Vallam". Chempil Arayan's Nalukettu (Ancestral home) known as Thailamparampil House is in Chempu, Vaikom. The family members have preserved the Nalukettu and all the old artefacts used by Mr. Arayan including his sword and stone statue. Chempil Arayan's tomb is situated next to his ancestral home.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arayan, Chempil Year of birth missing Indian warriors Indian military personnel killed in action Indian revolutionaries Revolutionary movement for Indian independence Indian independence activists from Kerala People from the Kingdom of Travancore Indian military leaders Naval history of India Admirals People from Kottayam district Military personnel from Kerala 19th-century Indian military personnel 1809 deaths