The legacy of the Koyamangalam Tharavad dates back to the first half of the 19th century. Located in Ottapalam, a picturesque town in Kerala’s Valluvanad region, this distinguished nalukettu stands as one of the most prestigious ancestral estates of the area. The Koyamangalam Tharavad embodies the architectural elegance and cultural significance characteristic of Valluvanad’s traditional Nair residences, functioning not merely as a dwelling but as an eminent cultural hub of its era.
Koyamangalam was established by Ravunni Nair (1825-1916), a prominent jenmi (feudal lord). Nair's niece, Ithru Amma and her daughter, Parvathy Amma subsequently inherited the estate according to marumakkathayam-the matrilineal system of inheritance practiced by Kerala's Nair community. The house was then maintained by Parvathy Amma and her husband Kayrattu Raru Nair, a landlord whose extensive land-ownership-across Ottapalam, Pookottukavu, and Panamanna-is documented in the Madras High Court Records (dated August 4. 1920). Raru Nair also served as an esteemed uralan (temple trustee) to the Thirunarayanapuram Vishnu Temple in Pathripala. His role as an uralan brought further prestige to Koyamangalam by upholding the estate's patronage and role in temple management. Raru Nair's social prominence is further underscored by a letter from Diwan Alexander Tottenham, Collector and Magistrate of Malabar, which offers condolences to the late jenmi after his passing in 1936.
Raru Nair and Parvathy had nine children. Their son, the Rao Bahadur title winning Narayanan Nair, grew up to become the Postmaster General of the Malabar Presidency. His son, K. Sankaran Nair, served as the Chief of India's espionage wing Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and later became Indian High commissioner to Singapore. Narayanan Nair's brothers included K. Kunzhikrishnan Nair (Advocate), K. Achuthan Nair (Commissioner of Income Tax, Government of India), Raman Kutty Nair (Senior Bank Officer) and K. Shankunni Nair (Officer for the British Indian Army).
Other children whose future alliances and careers brought recognition to Koyamangalam included Thachu Nair, Raman Nair, Ammunni Amma, and Lakshmikutty Amma-who wed the barrister Kizhakkepat Palat K.P.M. Their marriage brought artistic prestige to the tharavad through K.P.M's father, who became the subject of the first ever commissioned portrait created by the prodigious artist Raja Ravi Varma in 1870.
Ammunni and Kayrattu Narayanan Nair's daughter Parukutty Amma inherited Koyamangalam; which she then passed to her daughter, Lakshmi Menon. Lakshmi Menon married a renowned advocate and District Judge of the Nilgiris-Kunjirama Menon-in the house. Their son, Dr. Krishnan Menon, moved to the United States of America. Their daughter, Madhavi Menon, moved to Hyderabad-from where she cared for the Koyamangalam property for years. In 2023, she entrusted the estate to heritage professionals keen on preserving the tharavad. In the hands of these professionals, the estate-now reborn as Suryamangalam Heritage-thrives with a new purpose while staying true to the traditionality, grandeur, and legacy that its presence brought to Valluvanad
Research conducted and written by Devaki Vadakepat Menon, scholar of anthropology and rural heritage, University of Oxford.