In Kerala , India, a Kovilakam ( Malayalam : കോവിലകം ) is the principal manor, estate or palace of a princely Kshatriya ( Thampuran , Koyi Thampuran , Thampan , Thirumulpad ) or Samantan and Samantha Kshatriya lineages of ruling dynasties. It is the royal residence where all the family members who did not become a Raja or Rani or otherwise accede to a Sthanam remain under the management of the eldest resident male or female member of that particular branch of the family.
7-635: 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. It was ruled by Samantha Kshatriyas (Nair rulers) of the Nagavanshi clan who were the family members and representatives of the Samoothiri Raja ( Zamorin ), and also kept marriage relations with
14-524: A station have preferred to stay back in their Kovilakams of birth. It was not uncommon where due to internal squabbles within different Kovilakams of a ruling princely family, a certain Kovilakam may usurp and centralize the sole right to inherit the Rajaship and deprive the other Kovilakams within the princely lineage of its inheritance to the station of Raja. This article related to Kerala
21-743: The Nambudiris . They served as vassal kings to the Zamorins, with their capital located 25 kilometers north of Manjeri in present-day Malappuram district . They built several aristocratic Tharavads , such as the Nambudiri stronghold of Pootheri Illam in Feroke , and married into the Zamorin's own family from Nediyiruppu Swaroopam. The family-owned Vettakkorumakan Kovil (which is famous for Pattutsavam ) and Nilambur Kovilakam itself are situated on
28-533: The North Malabar region, it is sometimes pronounced as Kolom ( Malayalam : കോലോം ). A chief princely lineage of Kerala consists of several Kovilakams representing different matrilineal branches of the same family from which the individual members could ascend to the status of Raja in accordance to their seniority in age within the lineage. The Kovilakam residences are usually large and beautiful manors or palaces with extensive wood work and mural paintings in
35-568: The banks of the Chali river , and the region is also known for its unique teak plantations and the Teak Museum . The Nilambur – Shoranur Railway Line was built by the British Raj to carry timber and other products from these forests to the outside world. The area was an ancient tribal settlement, and the remains of ancient temples can be found in the forests. The Cholanaikkans , one of
42-561: The most primitive tribes in South India and one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes, numbering only 360 in 1991 and first contacted in the 1960s, have been observed in the Karulai and Chunkathara forest ranges nearby. This article related to Kerala is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Indian history-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kovilakam In
49-403: The traditional medieval Kerala architecture style. A Kovilakam was usually endowed with estates and properties (crown lands), sufficient for the maintenance of its constituent members. At the very moment when a member ascends to any seat/station (Sthanam), they lose their residence in the Kovilakam and reside in the royal palace instead. However, there are instances when such members on ascending to
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