PREDECESSORS AND SHORT
HISTORY: The city of Calicut (traditional name
is Nediyirippu Swaroopam) was founded in the 14th century.
Zamorin is the anglicised version of Samoothirippadu or Samoothiri Raja, a
title of the rulers of the erstwhile Hindu state of
Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), located in the
present day state of Kerala, India, between the 14th and
18th century. The Rajas finally succumbed to the rising
power of the state of Mysore, led by Hyder Ali in 1766, a
treaty was signed with the British in 1806, reducing the
state to the status of a zamindari. The zamorin became a
pensioner of the British government, with the ruling
Zamorin entitled to an allowance called Malikhanam,
this was considered to be different to the Privy Purse and
therefore is still paid to each succeeding Zamorin though
it has devalued to a paltry sum. The royal family is
divided into three branches (#2),
viz. Kizhakke (East) Kovilakam, located in Kottakkal,
Puthiya (New) Kovilakam, located in Tiruvannur and
Padinjara (West) Kovilakam located in Mankaavu, all three
are currently within the modern district of Calicut or
Kozhikode. The family follows the well-known
Marumakkalayam law of inheritance, by which the succession
is always to the offspring of its female members only, and
among these the next eldest male to the Zamorin is the
heir-apparent. On the death of the Zamorin, his successor
is always the oldest male from any of these three
Kovilagams or branches. The next in line is known as the
'Eralppad Raja' and coincidentally the present Eralppad
Raja also belongs to Puthiya Kovilakam. The Formal Style
and Title of Zamorin is ... His Highness, Srimatu
Sakazaguna sampannarana Sakaladharma paripalakaram
Mitajana manoranjitarana Akhandita lakshmi prasannarana
Raja manya Raja Sri (name). Rulers were....
- Zamorin MANAVIKRAMAN I, 81st Zamorin of
Calicut 1466/1474?, he received the Portuguese
explorer Vasco da Gama on 18th May 1498.
- Zamorin MANAVIKRAMAN II, 93rd Zamorin of
Calicut 1572/1574, died 24th May 1574.
- Zamorin MANAVIKRAMAN III, 100th Zamorin of
Calicut 1617/1627, born 1582/1587, died 10th April
1627.
- 101st Zamorin of Calicut 1627/1630
- 102nd Zamorin of Calicut 1630/1637
- Zamorin MANAVIKRAMAN IV Saktan Tampuram,
103rd Zamorin of Calicut 1637/1648, died 28th November
1648.
- Zamorin MANAVIKRAMAN V Tiruvonam Tirunal
Saktan Tampuram, 104th Zamorin of Calicut 1648/1655,
died 29th August 1655.
- Zamorin MANAVEDA RAJA I, 105th Zamorin of
Calicut 1655/1658, born 1585, died 15th February 1658.
- Asvati Tirunal, 106th Zamorin of Calicut
1658/1662, died 5th August 1662.
- Puratam Tirunal 107th Zamorin of Calicut 1662/1666,
died 5th June 1666.
- 108th Zamorin of Calicut 1666/1668, died in December
1668.
- 109th Zamorin of Calicut 1668/1671, died 1671.
- Utrattati Tirunal, 110th Zamorin of Calicut
1671/1684, died 1684.
- Zamorin MANAVIKRAMAN VI Bharani Tirunal,
111th Zamorin of Calicut 1684/1705, died 1705.
- Nileswaram Tirunal, 112th Zamorin of Calicut
1705/1711, died 1711.
- (name unknown), 113th Zamorin of Calicut
1711/1729, died 1729.
- Zamorin MANAVIKRAMAN VII, 114th Zamorin of
Calicut 1729/1741, died 4th April 1741.
- (name unknown) Kilakke Kovilakam, 115th
Zamorin of Calicut 1741/1746, born 1706/1711, 1st
Zamorin of the 2nd Dynasty, the House of Nileswaram,
died 12th February 1746.
- (name unknown) Puthiya Kovilakam, 116th
Zamorin of Calicut 1746/1758, died 7th May 1758.
- (name unknown) Kilakke Kovilakam, 117th
Zamorin of Calicut 1758/1766, in 1766, he was being
beleaguered by Haidar Ali of Mysore, and set fire to
his palace, and voluntarily perished in the flames. He
died 27th April 1766.
- (name unknown) Puthiya Kovilakam, 118th
Zamorin of Calicut 1766/1788, died 1788.
- Zamorin KARALAVARMA VIKRAM Vikram Puthiya
Kovilakam, 119th Zamorin of Calicut 1788/1798, the
state was ceded to the English by the treaty with Tipu
Sultan in 1792. He died 28th March 1798.
- Zamorin KISHANVARMA Puthiya Kovilakam, 120th
Zamorin of Calicut 1798/1816, died 1816.
- Zamorin BRAHMACHARI VIRAVARMA VIKRAM
Puthiya Kovilakam, 121st Zamorin of Calicut 1816/1825,
died 1825.
- Kariasthan Tampuran Patinjare Kovilakam, 122nd
Zamorin of Calicut 1825/1828, after accession in 1806
the British eliminated the Patinjare Kovilakam from
the succession because they had borne arms against
them at some time and were unrepresented at the time
of the original signing of the treaty, the Zamorin
fought a case against the government for recognition
of Patinjare Kovilakam�s right to take part in
succession, he won the case and in his time became
Zamorin.He died 1828.
- Ettanettan Tampuram I Puthiya Kovilakam, 123rd
Zamorin of Calicut 1828/1845, died 1845.
- (name unknown) Puthiya Kovilakam, 124th
Zamorin of Calicut 1845/1848, died 1848.
- Kuttunni Saktan Tampuram Kilakke Kovilakam, 125th
Zamorin of Calicut 1848/1856, died 1856.
- Valia Ettan Tampuran Kilakke Kovilakam, 126th
Zamorin of Calicut 1856/1859, died 1859.
- Ettanettan Tampuran II Patinjare Kovilakam, 127th
Zamorin of Calicut 1859/1868, died 26th March 1868.
- Maharaja Bahadur Sri Sir MANAVIKRAM VIII
Kutti Ettan Puthiya Kovilakam, 128th Zamorin of
Calicut 1868/1892, K.C.S.I. [cr.1892], F.M.U. [1882] (#1), born 19th March 1820, he
succeeded to the gadi
on 26th March 1868, 119th in descent from the founder
of the family, who derived his title from Cheraman
Perumal, in 352AD, he started an English school in
June 1877, to impart English education to the young
members of the Zamorin's family. Today, it has grown
into a prestigious institution, known as "The
Zamorin's Guruvayurappan College". He was granted the
title of Maharaja Bahadur in 1878 and appointed a
Fellow of the Madras University in 1882, created a
Knight Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star
of India on 25th May 1892. He died in 1892.
- Cheria Kunhunni Tampuran Kilakke Kovilakam, 129th
Zamorin of Calicut 1892/1900, born 1832, died 1900.
- Cheri Yettan Tampuran Puthiya Kovilakam, 130th
Zamorin of Calicut 1900, died 1900.
- Kutti Ammaman Tampuran Puthiya Kovilakam, 131st
Zamorin of Calicut 1900/1904, died 1904.
- Unni Anujan Tampuran Puthiya Kovilakam, 132nd
Zamorin of Calicut 1904/1909, died 1909.
- Kunhi Anujan Tampuran Kilakke Kovilakam, 133rd
Zamorin of Calicut 1909/1912, died 1912.
- Vidvan Ettan Tampuran Patinjare Kovilakam, 134th
Zamorin of Calicut 1912/1915, died 1915.
- Kuttuni Tampuran Patinjare Kovilakam Maharaja
Bahadur, 135th Zamorin of Calicut 1915/1928,
born 1909, the state was under the Court of Wards from
1915 to 1927. He died 1928.
- Anujan Kunhunni Tampuran Patinjare Kovilakam, 136th
Zamorin of Calicut 1928/1931, died 1931.
- Cheri Yamian Manaveda Kilakke Kovilakam, 137th
Zamorin of Calicut 1931/1937, died 7th September 1937.
- Manavikrama VII Sri Mulam Tirunal Kuttietan Tirunal
Kilakke Kovilakam, 138th Zamorin of Calicut 1937/1940,
died 1940.
- Manavikraman VIII Kilakke Kovilakam, 139th Zamorin
of Calicut 1940/1953, died 15th October 1953.
- Kunhi Anujan Raja II (name unknown)
Kovilakam, 140th Zamorin of Calicut 1953/1954, died
1954.
- Sri Kutti Manavikraman Raja (name unknown)
Kovilakam, 141st Zamorin of Calicut 1954/1958, died
May 1958.
- Kunhammaman Tampuran Raja Kilakke Kovilakkam, 142nd
Zamorin of Calicut 1958/1962, born 6th September 1882,
died in July 1962.
- Kuttianujan Raja alias Kuttianijan Raja Puthiya
Kovilakkam, 143rd Zamorin of Calicut [xx.7.1962] -
[9.1.1998], died 9th January 1998.
- ?Sri Manavikraman IX Kunahujan Raja Puthiya
Kovilakam, 144th Zamorin of Calicut [9.1.1998] -
[9.11.2003]
- ?Cheria Kunhunni Raja, 145th Zamorin of Calicut
- P.K. Ettanunni Raja Thiruvannur Kovilakam, 146th
Zamorin of Calicut [9.1.1998] - [16.8.2003], born 14th
August 1910 in Thiruvannur Puthiya Kovilakam as the
son of Vamanan Namboothiri of Thanatt Illam and
Sreedevi alias 'Aniyathi Thampuratti', educated at the
Zamorin-owned institutions, including the Srikrishna
Vidayalam; as the Zamorin, he was the trustee of 36
temples, including the Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple
and the Thali Temple in Kozhikode, he was also the
trustee of many educational institutions maintained by
the Zamorin family. He was entitled to the 'Malihana',
a maintenance paid from the State exchequer, worked as
teacher at the Zamorin-owned institutions and as clerk
and cashier at many private institutions before
assuming the office of Zamorin, also a Sanskrit
scholar, died unmarried 16th August 2003 (uncle of
Sreedevi Satya Varma and Radha Bhanu Varma)
- P.K. Sri Manavikraman X Raja Thiruvannur Kovilakam,
147th Zamorin of Calicut [16.8.2003] - [27.3.2013],
born 22nd March 1913 or 6th April 1912 into the
Puthiyakovilakath Thekkekettu Thavazhi at Thiruvannur
in Kozhikode, son of A.K.T.K.M. Ashtamurthi
Namboothiripad and Kunhithambatty Thamburatithe
Zamorin, educated at the Zamorin�s High School, and at
Loyola College, Madras, attaining a Bachelor�s Degree
in Mathematics; he served as an officer of the Post
and Telegraph Department; he retired as a Deputy
General Manager with B.S.N.L.; afterwards he succeeded
to the dignity of Zamorin of Calicut in 2003 and
became the trustee of 40 temples from Chemanchery to
Palakkad; he had a permanent seat on the Guruvayur
Sree Krishna Temple�s managing committee and his
family managed the Zamorin�s Guruvayurappan College;
though a figurehead for all practical purposes he was
a highly respected and popular figure. The census
operations in Calicut usually starts from the
Zamorin�s residence. He is a unifying figure in a part
of Kerala where Hindus and Muslims make a large part
of the population. Previously he was much in demand to
attend social events and gatherings but this
inclination has fallen off, due to the Zamorin's
health and advanced age; prior to becoming the Zamorin
he worked in the Engineering Branch of the Posts and
Telegraphs; married Smt Rani Bharathi Raja, died 1997,
and had issue, three daughters. He died 27th March
2013.
- Smt. Sethu Raja, died 1965.
- Smt. Dr. Sudha Krishnanunni Raja, a Senior
paediatrician in the Malabar Institute of Medical
Sciences Hospital in Calicut; married Dr. Puthyia
Kovilakam Krishnanunni Raja. ('Suhrutham',
Chalapuram P.O., Kozhikode - 673002, Madras,
India)
- Smt. Sarala Vaasu, a college Professor from Stella
Maris College, Madras, now retired.
OTHER MEMBERS:
- Shrimati M. Lakshmi Amma : wife of Late P
Ramchandran Nair, daughter of PK Ravi Varma Raja and
daughter-in-law of KC Mana Vikraman Raja, DC, the
Zamorin (king) of Calicut.
The help of Shri A. Rammohan is gratefully
acknowledged, June 2010. |
