Parappanad

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Parappanad was a former feudal city-state in the Malabar region of what is now Kerala, India. Its main seat was in Parappanangadi, in today’s Malappuram district. In 1425, Parappanad split into two parts: Northern Parappanad (the Beypore kingdom) and Southern Parappanad (Parappur Swarupam). The southern part included Parappanangadi and parts of Tirurangadi Taluk; the northern part included Beypore, Panniyankara, and Cheruvannur in Kozhikkode Taluk.

The Parappanad royal family were cousins of the Travancore royal family. The kingdom once held rights over a coastal region that includes Vallikkunnu, Kadalundi, Chaliyam, and Beypore, a area linked to the ancient port of Tyndis. Tyndis was a major trading center next to Muziris during the Sangam period (1st–4th century CE). Roman writers such as Pliny the Elder mention Tyndis at the Chera region’s border. North Malabar, north of Tyndis, was ruled by the kingdom of Ezhimala in that era. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea describes Limyrike beginning at Naura and Tyndis, roughly along the Malabar Coast, and Ptolemy also points to Tyndis as a starting point. The region was a busy hub for trade with Rome, and it was known for pepper and other goods, though it sometimes faced pirates.

Legends say the first Indian mosque was built in 624 AD at Kodungallur with the Cheraman Perumal’s mandate. Other historical notes state mosques at Kodungallur, Kollam, Madayi, Barkur, Mangalore, Kasaragod, Kannur, Dharmadam, Panthalayini, and Chaliyam were built during the era of Malik Dinar; they are among the oldest mosques in the Indian subcontinent. Chaliyam lies in Parappanad.

Parappanad was a dependent of the Zamorin of Calicut. Parappanangadi was an important trade center under the Zamorin, especially for trade with Arab merchants. In the 16th century, the Portuguese invaded and burnt Parappanangadi in 1573–74.

In the mid-18th century, the Parappanad royal family moved to Travancore due to the invasion of the Mysore Kingdom. The Koyi Thampurans, aristocratic houses in Travancore who provided spouses for Travancore princesses, are believed to be descendants of Parappanad. They are considered one of Kerala’s historic Kshatriya lineages, alongside Vettathunad rulers and the Cochin Royal Family.

A large part of Kerala’s first railway line (built in 1861) runs along the Parappanad area, from Tirur to Chaliyam via Tanur, Parappanangadi, Vallikkunnu, and Kadalundi.

Lakshmipuram Palace, near Kavil Bhagavathy Temple in Changanassery, is tied to the Parappanad royal families. It was built in 1811 by Maharani Ayilyom Thirunal Gouri Lakshmi Bayi for the family, replacing the Neerazhi Palace in Changanassery. One branch of the Parappanad royals had settled in Neerazhi Palace earlier.

Kilimanoor estate also connects to Parappanad. It belonged to a Pillai ruling chief and was given to Travancore around 1718 after the son and two daughters of Ittammar Raja of Parappanad were adopted into Travancore in 1705. Marthanda Varma, the founder of Travancore, was connected to this lineage. Kilimanoor resisted a Dutch attack in 1740, and in 1753 Marthanda Varma granted it autonomous status. The Kilimanoor palace complex and the Ayyappa temple were built around this time.

Velu Thampi Dalawa used Kilimanoor as a meeting place to plan uprisings against the British. He reportedly handed his sword there before his final battle; the sword later moved to the National Museum in Delhi and then to the Napier Museum in Trivandrum.