Kottayil Kovilakom
On the fall of the Cheran Empire sometime in the 11th century, Kerala was divided among many small royal fiefdoms. What remained were two notable independent kingdoms Cochin and Travancore. Though there were many minor kingdoms in Kerala, most of them were devoid of any actual royal powers, but not lacking in wealth and status. Marthanda Varma, the erstwhile King of Travancore defeated the Dutch and ended their political domination in the subcontinent. He subsequently expanded his kingdom by conquering many minor royal chieftains and annexed them to Travancore. Meanwhile, in the Malabar area, the Zamorins were the principal rulers. Long battles with the Portuguese made the Zamorins weak and ultimately with the fall of the Zamorins, Malabar came under the direct administrative control of the British. Minor kingdoms that survived these changes were the Arakkal Kingdom, the only Muslim royal house of Kerala and the Kottayil Kovilakarm, the only Christian royal house of Kerala and probably in entire India. Kottayil Kovilakam is located 12 km away from Kodungallor, a place that was once a major port at the time of the Cheran rule. The history of Kottayil Kovilakom is a tragic episode. It depicts the romantic story of Princess Mariyam who was also known as Kripavathi. She was the only daughter of King Thoma, the King of Valliyarvattom, who was renowned at that time. Following the death of King Thoma, Princess Mariyam inherited the throne. The Princess was extremely beautiful and a Prince in the Cochin Royal family fell in love with her. It is believed that he ultimately converted to Christianity, changed his name to Immanuel and married the Princess. Eventually Immanuel became the ruler of the Kovilakam. Chieftains in the Valliyarvattom royal family were enraged by this. They ultimately organized a coup and Immanuel was rusticated. He disappeared from the scene soon after . Some believed that he was killed and others say he went to Sri Lanka. The sad princess is believed to have committed suicide. Subsequently, the Cochin Kingdom claimed right over Valliyarvattom and soon conquered it putting to an end the aristocratic powers and royal status of the Valliyarvattom royal house.
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