Thachil
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Thachil is the name of an ancient lineage of families now centred in Ernakulam (district), Kerala State. The family originated from North Kuthiathode. Thachil Matthoo Tharakan was a significant figure in the history of the families and
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 ...
State.


History

Oral tradition has it that St Thomas, the disciple of
Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
who came to India in 52 AD, landed in the port town of
Kodungalloor Kodungallur (; formerly also called as Cranganore (anglicised name), Portuguese: Cranganor; Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of river Periyar on the M ...
in Kerala and established a Christian community there. Later a group of
Syrian Christians Syrian Christians may refer to * Adherents of Christianity in Syria * Adherents of Syriac Christianity, various Christian bodies of Syriac traditions ** Saint Thomas Christians, Christians of Syriac tradition in India, also called ''Syrians'' or ' ...
led by
Thomas of Cana Thomas of Cana (Malayalam: K'nāi Thoma or Tomman Kinān, Syriac: K'nānāya Thoma) was a Syriac Christian merchant magnate who arrived to the Chera Dynasties capital city of Kodungallur between 345 A.D. and 811 A.D. Thoma brought with him ...
landed in Kodungalloor between 4th and 9th centuries. Emperor
Cheraman Perumal Perumal (the 'Great One') is the name of a Hindu deity. It was also generally used as a synonym for the king or ruler in south India during medieval period. Some rulers explicitly referred to as "Perumal" in inscriptions include, *Western Ganga ...
welcomed them and gave all help to the expatriates for settlement. They established and operated the famous Mahadevar Pattanam a market town. The
expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...
s were wealthy and through their successful business activities became prosperous. Thomas of Cana led a group of 72 families, as well as clergymen, when he arrived at the
Malabar Coast The Malabar Coast () is the southwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. It generally refers to the West Coast of India, western coastline of India stretching from Konkan to Kanyakumari. Geographically, it comprises one of the wettest regio ...
. There they encountered and supplemented the Saint Thomas Christians, previously evangelized by Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. Copper plates referring to this story exist, but are of a substantially later date. During the war, Mahadevar Pattanam was destroyed and many expatriate families moved down the coast to Travancore in the south. Thachil
Illam Illam (), also referred to as Mana, is the Malayalam word for the house of a Namboodiri Brahmin. In the traditional lineage system used for the classification and identification of homes based on the castes of Kerala, South India, an Illam s ...
was one of the famous
Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
Tharavad 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 matrilineal joint family under the Marum ...
in Kerala. Thachil Brahmins were chief priests in the Thirumoozhikkulam Temple. They were converted to Christianity and migrated to Kuthiathode. Some believe that they were converted to Christianity by
Thomas of Cana Thomas of Cana (Malayalam: K'nāi Thoma or Tomman Kinān, Syriac: K'nānāya Thoma) was a Syriac Christian merchant magnate who arrived to the Chera Dynasties capital city of Kodungallur between 345 A.D. and 811 A.D. Thoma brought with him ...
(Knai Thomman). Thachil Variyath is the patriarch of the family who migrated to Kuthiathode.


Branches

Thachil family branched into over 20 sub families, quite a few of them have migrated to different places like the Alangad Thachils who settled in
Angamaly Angamaly () is a municipality in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. Angamaly is part of the Kochi metropolitan area and is located northeast of the Kochi city centre. As of the 2011 Indian census, the municipality has a population of 33 ...
. Some of the sub Thachil families who have roots in North Kuthiathode are as follows: * Alangad Thachil (settled in Angamaly) * Chavedyil * Kanjirakkatu * Kolenchery * Kalapurakal * Kambolam Kandathil * Kovattu * Kizhakke Veetil * Kizhakke Ambattu * Manakkalakatuttu * Padinjare Ambattu * Puthenveettil * Vadakkeveetil Some of the other sub Thachil families are Kannai from
Puthenchira Puthenchira is a village in Thrissur district in the state of Kerala, India. Demographics India census, Puthenchira had a population of 21416 with 9815 males and 11601 females. History Puthenchira and the surrounding areas were earlier known ...
, Kanjirakattu from N Paravur and Poochoodan from Angamali.


See also

* Thachil Matthoo Tharakan *
Saint Thomas Christians The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an Ethnoreligious group, ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Ker ...
*
Tharavad 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 matrilineal joint family under the Marum ...


References


Thachil Family Official Website
* M.O. Joseph Nedumkunnam, Thachil Mathu Tharakan, (Malayalam) Kottayam, NBS, 1962 * M.O. Joseph Nedumkunnam, Thachil Kudumbam, (Malayalam) * Thachil Mathu Tharakan by C C Lonappan Ookken (1966) Surnames of Indian origin