Paliath Achan or Paliyath Achan is the name given to the male members of the Paliam family, a
Nair
The Nair (, ) also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom hi ...
'',
Menon royal family from the Indian state of Kerala who ruled over
Chendamangalam,
Vypin, parts of
Thrissur and regions that were under the erstwhile
Kingdom of cochin
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 i ...
. 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.
Overview
The Paliath Achans were hereditary prime ministers to the
Raja
Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
T ...
h of
Kingdom of Cochin (Kerala) from 1632 to 1809 and second only to the Rajah in power and wealth in the central Cochin area during that period.
The Tharavadu Palace
The main family
tharavadu
Tharavad, also spelled as Tharavadu () (തറവാട്), is the Malayalam word for the ancestral home of aristocratic Nair families in Kerala, which usually served as the common residence for the Matrilineality, matrilineal joint family ...
(''
Naalukettu'') is approximately 450 years old. The ''Kovilakam'' (palace) houses a large number of artefacts including ancient documents, religious sacraments, swords, rifles, and gifts brought by foreign dignitaries. Several other buildings, like the Paliath Achan's ''Kovilakam'' (which was built by the Dutch, and also known as the Dutch palace) exist adjacent to the tharavadu. The buildings in the area date anywhere from 60 to 300 years.

Both the Paliam Palace and Naalukettu are recognized as archaeological monuments by the Government of India and the State of Kerala, and both buildings are currently museums under the Muziris Project according to a joint ownership and maintenance agreement with the Paliam family, and the family still reserves their use for private functions and ceremonies, during which time the buildings are not open to the public.
Significance in Kerala history
The
Zamorin
The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edi ...
invaded Cochin in 1757. Due to the diplomatic efforts of the Paliath Achan, the Kingdom of Cochin was saved. During
Hyder Ali's conquest of the south of India in 1776, the Paliath Achan was able to effect a treaty between Hyder Ali and the Cochin Raja.
In 1808, the
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
was trying to persuade the Raja of Kochi's men to defect their side. They had succeeded in getting the support of Nadavarambu Kunhikrishna Menon. Paliath Govindan Achan was provoked by this.
He took with him 600 Nair soldiers and attacked the headquarters of Colonel Macaulay, the local British Resident, who was forced to flee. Following the attack, Paliath Achan and his men broke open the local jails and set free any prisoners found inside. The Paliath Achan later joined the
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 ...
alliance of
Velu Thampi Dalawa. During 1809 and 1810, Paliath Achan, allied with
Velu Thampi Dalawa, fought the British on Travancore soil.
Achan engaged the
British East India Company troops in battle, and was defeated. After this defeat, Achan surrendered to the British East India Company and defected to their side in the conflict.
After the rebellion, the
British authorities deported him to Madras, where he was imprisoned at Fort St. George for 12 years.
He was then taken to Bombay and remained a prisoner there for 13 years, finally passing away at
Benares
Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges, Ganges river in North India, northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hinduism, Hindu world.*
*
*
* The city ...
1832. Paliath Govindan Achan was the last Paliath Achan to occupy the position of Prime Minister in the Kingdom of Cochin.
Another notable Paliath Achan includes Komi Achan I. Komi Achan I resisted the attempts by the Portuguese to impose their power on the Cochin Family. He allied himself with the Dutch, travelling to
Colombo
Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
to sign a treaty with them. He also supported the Dutch against the Portuguese. In recognition of his efforts, the Dutch built him a palace (the ''Kovilakam'') at Chendamangalam.
Between 1730 and 1740 the status of the Cochin kingdom dwindled due to the consolidation of power in Travancore under
Marthanda Varma combined with the waning influence of the Dutch and a large-scale invasion by the Zamorin from the north. Paliath Komi Achan was able to effect a treaty between the Cochin and Travancore Kingdoms. This treaty facilitated the defeat of the Zamorin.
The Chendamangalam
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
sing "The Song of Paliathachan" in which they mention the mention "Nayar Noblemen" who bestowed upon the Jews "gifts and books to all those who come, and titles to foreigners".
In the ''Vishnuvilasam Hamsappattu'', a Malayalam poem about the life of Vishnu (as spoken by a swan), the poet (
Kunjan Nambiar) makes a reference to a Paliath Achan named Kuberan:
:''ശ്രീ കുബേരാഖ്യഗനം പാലിയാധീഷരന്റേ''
:''ശ്രീ കുലാഡംബരം ചെമ്മേ വരൊത്തൊന്ന''
:''ശ്രീ കാന്തദേവന് ജയന്താലയേശ്വരന്''
:''ശ്രീ കണ്ഠ്സേവിതന് ശ്രീന്യസിംഹാക്യതി''
:''ശ്രേയസ്സു നല്കും നിനക്കിന്നു ഹംസമേ!''
:
''SrI kubErAkhyaganam pAliyAdhIsharantE''
:
''SrI kulADambaram chemmE varoththonna''
:
''SrI kAnthadEvan jayanthAlayEaSvaran''
:
''SrI kantEsavithan SrInyusimhAkruthi''
:
''SrEyassu nalkum ninakkinnu hamsamE!''
Kochu Sankaran Muthat of Vatakketam in
Triprayar was a student of Manorama Thampuratti of
Calicut. He lived at Paliam, teaching students there. He wrote a commentary named ''Prasika'', on the eleventh book of the
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...
, based on earlier commentaries of his student, Paliath Achan:
:''നിജശിഷ്യ പാലിയേശ-''
:''പ്രാര്ത്ഥനയാ ശങ്കരഖ്യ ശിവവിപ്ര:''
:''ദാഗവതൈകാദശഗാ:''
:''പ്രാക്തനവിവ്യതീ: സമുച്ചിനോമ്യദ്യ''
:
''nijaSishya pAliyESa-''
:
''prArththhanayA Sankarakhya Sivavipraha''
:
''dAgavathaikAdaSagAha''
:
''prAkthanavivyathIha samuchchinOmyadya''
The Paliam family had a rich collection of manuscripts in Sanskrit and Malayalam. At the time of family partition, this collection was donated to the
Kerala University Manuscript Library and the
Tripunithura.
Paliam Satyagraham
Paliam satyagraha was a
movement in 1947–48 to allow entry for
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
s of
lower castes in the roads surrounding the Paliam family home in Chendamangalam and the temples. The success of this and similar movements led to the temples in Kochi being opened for all Hindus in 1948.
See also
*
History of Kerala
''Kerala'' was first epigraphically recorded as ''Cheras'' (Chera dynasty, Keralaputra) in a 3rd-century BCE rock inscription by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka of Magadha (Mahajanapada), Magadha. It was mentioned as one of four independent kingdoms ...
*
History of Kochi
*
Cochin Royal Family
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 i ...
*
Nair
The Nair (, ) also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom hi ...
References
* P. J. Cherian : Perspectives on Kerala history – The Second Millennium
* Akhilavijnanakosam Malayalam encyclopaedia, Vol.4, D.C. Books (1990)
* Prof. M. Radhadevi : Paliam Family, Saga of Paliam Family
* Dr. K. Kunjunni Raja : Literary Patronage By Paliam Family, Saga of Paliam Family
External links
*{{usurped,
History of Cochin}
Indian noble families
Politicians from Kochi
Kerala families
Nair