Unnithan is one of the aristocratic

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 ...

caste surname prevalent in the

Kayamkulam Kayamkulam () is a municipality in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, India. It is located south of the district headquarters in Alappuzha and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kayamkulam has ...

region of

Travancore Kingdom 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 Thiruvananth ...

(present-day Indian state 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 ...

History

The Unnithan and Valiathan surnames originated from the title "Thānkal" (

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

: "താങ്കൾ"), which is a respectful designation used to address members of aristocratic families in Kerala, ''Unnithan means 'youngest Thānkal' and Valiathan means 'eldest Thānkal'.'' According to legend, Maharajah

Marthanda Varma Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ; 1706 – 7 July 1758) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") ...

of Travancore sought the help of certain Nair families to overcome the powerful Nair clan of

Ettuveetil Pillamar The Ettuveetil Pillamar (Lords of the Eight Noble Houses) were Nair, Nair nobles from eight ruling Houses in erstwhile Travancore, Travancore Kingdom in the present-day Kerala, India. They were associated with the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Vena ...

, the Lords of the Eight Houses. Many members of these families were killed by the Ettuveetil Pillamar. Later, these unnithan families were awarded the title Valiathan.

Position in society

Unnithan surname is prevalent only in the

region 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 ...

, later due to conflicts between the Kayamkulam Raja and the Unnithan families, they were settled in

Kollam Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...

and

Pathanamthitta Pathanamthitta (), is a municipality, city in southern Kerala, India, spread over an area of . It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The town has a population of 37,538 (as of 2011 census). The Hindu pilgrim centre Sab ...

region of central Travancore. Many of these Unnithan families are recognised as Stani families. Until the 19th century, Unnithan families were only allowed to marry from the

Royal families A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while the ...

, Valiyathan, Pillai,

Kurup Kurup is an Indic surname. Notable people with this surname include: * Achutha Kurup (died 2017), Indian volleyball player, coach and naval officer *Arthur Joseph Kurup (born 1982), Malaysian politician, lawyer and economist * Ashwathy Kurup (born ...

, Thampi, Karthav and Kaimal families. Currently, many families have started using the Surname "Nair". Unnithan ladies used the honorific title of Kunjamma/Ittiyamma, indicative of their greater status among the Nair community, where ladies unanimously used the title of Amma. Unnithan ladies were married by the Rajahs or princes of the royal families such as

Mavelikara Mavelikkara () is a municipality in the Onattukara Region of Alappuzha district of Kerala, India. It is located south of the district headquarters in Alappuzha and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 ...

, Ennakad, Prayikkara etc. Unnithans were not allowed to marry from ordinary Nair families, who served as soldiers and performed kitchen duties in Unnithan households.

Notable people

P. G. N. Unnithan P. G. N. Unnithan (1898 – 5 April 1965) was the last diwan (prime minister) of independent Travancore. He succeeded C. P. Ramaswami Iyer on 20 August 1947 following the latter's resignation (subsequent to the attempt on Iyer's life at the ...

(1898–1965), last Diwan of the Kingdom of Travancore (1947–1948) * Adoor Gopalakrishnan Unnithan (born 1941), Indian film director * Ramachandran Unnithan (born 1951), Indian Kathakali exponent *

Rajmohan Unnithan Rajmohan Unnithan (born 10 June 1953) is an Indian politician turned film actor who is a member in the Lok Sabha representing Kasaragod constituency and a member of the Indian National Congress. He was a spokesperson to the Kerala Pradesh Co ...

(born 1953), Member of Parliament from Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituency (2019–present) * K. B. Unnithan (1936–2017), Indian politician * R. C. Unnithan (1936–2015), Malayalam political activist *

Suresh Unnithan P. Suresh Unnithan (born 30 July 1956) is an Indian film and television director who works in Malayalam films. His popular works are ''Mukha Chithram'' (1991), ''Utsavamelam'' (1992), ''Jaathakam'' (1989), ''Bhaagyavaan'' (1993) and ''Aardram' ...

(born 1956), Indian film and television director

References

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