History of kottappady.....

History of kottappady which i comes from....

The village Kottappady is now in the Kothamangalam taluk of Ernakulam district of Kerala State. It belonged to the erstwhile Royal State of Travancore. There existed a civilized society of Christians in the area at least from the latter part of eighteenth century. Most of them were predominantly farmers or traders. They owed their spiritual allegiance and un-conditional loyalty to the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East from time immemorial and followed all sacraments and liturgy of Syrian Jacobite traditions. Their spiritual needs were met from the Mother Church of St.Mary’s Jacobite Church, Kuruppampady and later from the Hebron Church of Nagancherry nearby.
 

Before the capture of the Sovereign by Marthanda Varma Maharaja in AD 1750, this place had been under the rule of Karthas of Kottayil Family. The Karthas ruled the place with extensive powers to exterminate or expatriate people who opposed them. Kartha is a Nair title name derived from Karthavu which means Lord and it was conferred by the King to some powerful Nair families who enjoyed Raja or Naduvazhi status.

The title Kartha appears also to have been used initially as a titular name by some of the rulers of Madura in Tamil Nadu.  In Kerala, the Tekkumkur and Vadakkumkur Rajas are believed to have first conferred the title Kartha on certain influential Nair families blood related to the Rajas. In social matters the authority of the Kartha was supreme, and it was only on important points that higher authorities were called on to intercede. All the Karthas belonged to sub-divisions of the Nair caste. They also owned large extents of land and entrusted it to tenants for cultivation.  The Kartha surname is still used, although it is not very prominent.

The name Kottappady is derived from the family name of Karthas who ruled the place for long-the Thazhassery Kottayil Karthas.They probably belonged to Vattakkattu Akathootu Kottayil Karthas,which was one of the well known families of Karthas in the Travancore- Cochin area. Kottappady refers to the front courtyard or portico of the ruler’s house. They belonged to the Samanta Kshatriya group.

By the end of eighteenth century, a large number of Syrian Christians and even Namboothiris fled to central and south Kerala following the attacks of Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan. They settled in areas where Syrian Christians lived. A few of them reached Kottappady also. 

Kottavathil cittuated at kottappady

 House of rulers at kottappady

BY:Paul Benny