{{Unreferenced, date=January 2010
Vithayathil is a family name in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a 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 regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...
.
The family has a long history and the descendants can be found all over Kerala.
It is said that when
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He in ...
, went on war (during the 18th century) with the then Kingdom Of Kochi, some of the ancestors migrated to the Kochi region and the others stayed back. Those who stayed back still live in the Kanjoor region.
Major Archbishop Cardinal
Mar Varkey Vithayathil
Varkey Vithayathil (29 May 19271 April 2011) was an Indian cardinal, served as Head and Father of Syro Malabar Church and Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly. He was also a religious priest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.
E ...
was the head of the
Syro-Malabar Church
lat, Ecclesia Syrorum-Malabarensium mal, മലബാറിലെ സുറിയാനി സഭ
, native_name_lang=, image = St. Thomas' Cross (Chennai, St. Thomas Mount).jpg
, caption = The Mar Thoma Nasrani Sl ...
, the second largest Eastern Rite or Oriental Catholic Church.
At present most of the descendants of this family are settled down in and around Varapuzha (kochi). Venerable Fr.
Joseph Vithayathil
Joseph Vithayathil was a priest from India who has been declared as Venerable by the Catholic Church.
He was born in Puthenpally, Varapuzha, Ernakulam District of Kerala State of India to Catholic parents of the Vithayathil family on 23 July 1 ...
(blessed Mariam Thresia’s spiritual guide)
also hails from the same family.