Nilambur Kovilakam | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1239-1971 (732 years) | |||||||||
 Zamorin-Nilambur RajaFlag
 Ruins of Pootheri Mana Palace
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| Capital | Nilambur | ||||||||
| Common languages | Malayalam | ||||||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||||||
| Government | Hereditary monarchy | ||||||||
| Thirumulpad, Raja | |||||||||
• 1641-1678 | Govindan Thirumulpād | ||||||||
• 1683-1714 | Sridharan Namboothiripād | ||||||||
• 1721-1749 | Paduthol Namboothiripād | ||||||||
• 1763-1804 | Krishnavarman Thampan/Kunhunni Thampan | ||||||||
• 1828-1851 | Manavedan Thirumulpād | ||||||||
• 1854-1883 | Mana Vikrama Thirumulpād/Sreekumaran Thirumulpād | ||||||||
• 1896-1902 | Kerala Varma Thirumulpād | ||||||||
• 1904-1909 | Ashtamoorthy Namboothiripād | ||||||||
• 1934-1947 | Balagopal Varma Puthiyaveettil | ||||||||
• 1973-1989 | Parameswaran Namboodiripād | ||||||||
• Present (11th generation) | Kerala Varma Ravi Varma | ||||||||
| Historical era | Age of Imperialism | ||||||||
• Military expansion of the Samoothiri's kingdom | 1239 | ||||||||
• Vassal kings to the Samoothiri Raja | 1239-1806 | ||||||||
• Independent rulers of Nilambur | 1806-1947 | ||||||||
• The Malabar rebellion | 1921 | ||||||||
• Dissolvement of the kingdom | 1947 | ||||||||
• Confiscation of royal lands and feudal estates | 1957 | ||||||||
• Abolishment of Privy purse | 1971 | ||||||||
| Currency | Panam | ||||||||
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Nilambur Kovilakam, also known as Nilambur Kingdom, was a former vassal kingdom and royal Kovilakam in present-day Kerala, India, situated near the Nilgiri range of the Western Ghats.[3] It was ruled by Samantha Kshatriyas of the Nagavanshi clan[4][5] who were the family members, relatives and representatives of the Samoothiri Raja (Zamorin) of Calicut.[6] The Nilambur Rajas extended their power and authority by marrying with the Nambudiris. This practise was called Sambandam,[7] and resulted in both Brahmins and Kshatriyas taking turns to rule over the Nilambur Kovilakam kingdom. The Brahmin rulers used the title Namboodiripād while the Kshatriya rulers used the title Thirumulpād. To seal the marriage pacts, they built several aristocratic Illams, such as the Nambudiri stronghold of Pootheri Illam (also called as Pootheri Mana or Pootheri Palace) in Feroke.
Following the collapse of the Zamorin's dynasty in 1806, the Nilambur Rajas continued to rule as independent chieftains until the 1921 Malabar Rebellion, when a group of Mappila Muslims led by Ali Musliyar and other rebels attacked Nilambur Kovilakam along with other royal families in the Malabar region. The uprising was aimed at abolishing the prevailing feudal system controlled by elite Hindus.[8][9] From 1921 until India's independence in 1947, the Nilambur rulers had a diminished role in governing the land and were finally removed from power following the dissolvement of the kingdom in 1947.
- ^ Panikkar, Kavalam M. (1918). "Some Aspects of Nayar Life". The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 48: 254–293. doi:10.2307/2843423. JSTOR 2843423.
- ^ Panikkar, Kavalam Madhava (1960). A History of Kerala, 1498-1801. Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu. ISBN 978-8194918837.
- ^ Panikkassery, Velayudhan. Malabarile Rajavamsangal, MM Publications (2007), Kottayam India
- ^ Panikkar, Kavalam M. (1918). "Some Aspects of Nayar Life". The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 48: 254–293. doi:10.2307/2843423. JSTOR 2843423.
- ^ Unny, Govindan (1994). Kinship Systems in South and Southeast Asia: A Study. Vikas Publishing House. ISBN 9780706976687.
- ^ Krishna Iyer, K. V. (1938). The Zamorins Of Calicut. Norman Printing Bureau, Calicut.
- ^ Fuller, C. J. (30 December 1976). The Nayars Today. CUP Archive. ISBN 978-0-521-29091-3.
- ^ Hardgrave, Robert L. (1977). "The Mappilla Rebellion, 1921: Peasant Revolt in Malabar". Modern Asian Studies. 11 (1). Cambridge University Press: 57–99. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00013226. hdl:2152/24252. JSTOR 311886.
- ^ Kurup, K.K.N. (1996). "The Malabar Rebelliion - An analysis of the impact". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 57. Indian History Congress: 440–445. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44133348.