Based on these ethnological sources, Thadikkaran tharavad can be said to be very ancient - consisting of agriculturists, businessmen and artisans. Due to natural calamities like floods, warfare between petty kings(Naduvazhies), invasion of Tipu Sultan of Mysore and other extraneous reasons, families of this tharavad were scattered during different periods of history. Besides these, some of the kings of Kerala, particularly Sakthan Thampuran of the erstwhile Cochin kingdom, had a special liking for enterprising Syrian Christians. He therefore patronized them and persuaded them to settle down at some selected strategic centres of his kingdom to develop trade and commerce for which purpose he had provided free land and other facilities.
In view of this, like several other prominent Syrian Christian families, Thadikkaran families also had responded positively to the request of the sovereign and settled down in different places of his kingdom. Consequently, Thadikkaran families got distributed all over Kerala. Today there are clusters of Thadikkaran families at Valapad, Edathuruthy, Moozhikulam, Kuthiathode, Ezhikara, North Parur and surroundings, Mattoor, Pirarur and at various places in Trichur and Ernakulam districts, details of which are included elsewhere in this book. It is now known that a branch of the Thadikkarans has been flourishing in the Fiji islands since the early twentieth century. They are the descendants of the Kuthiathode line(thaivazhy). A few details received about them are included in this book.
Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, reliable evidences are not available to ascertain the exact origin of the Thadikkaran tharavad. No evidence is forthcoming about the first Karanavar(forefather) of Thadikkaran tharavad, nor is information available about the exact relationships of some of its branches(thaivazhies).
Koonan Kurissu Satyam
The famous Synod of Diamper held at Udayamperur near Ernakulam in 1599 under the initiative of Archbishop Alexis de Menezes of Goa, had created widespread unrest and disappointment among the traditional Marthoma Christian community. (The traditional Christians are called Marthoma Christians or St.Thomas Christians since their ancestors are believed to have been converted by St. Thomas the Apostle).
The unrest was mainly due to the banning of some of the customs and beliefs of the traditional Christians under the threat of ex- communication and also the prevention of native priests from occupying important ecclesiastical offices by Archbishop Menezes with the connivance and support of the Portuguese rulers. The displeasure of the community could not be expressed publicly as the Portuguese were influential and militarily strong at that time. But on January 3, 1653, there took place an epoch making event in the history of Marthoma Christians of Kerala. It was on that day that a section of Marthoma Christians assembled at the Mattanchery Church, tied a big rope on the cross of the church and touching that rope, took the now famous oath known as ‘Koonan Kurissu Satyam’.
It was a protest against the prejudicial and partisan attitude of the Portuguese authorities against the Marthoma Christians and their blatant interference in the liturgy, customs and culture of these ancient Christians to subjugate them and to latinize them. That protest turned against the Church of Rome also which appeared to be in league with the Portuguese. Those Christians who vowed not to have any truck with the Church of Rome, later decided to join the Jacobite Church which was not under the Pope nor under the Portuguese influence. Thus, for the first time, the Jacobite Church came into existence in Kerala and several members of various prominent Christian families joined the new Jacobite Church. As a result, some members of reputed families like Pynadath, Payyapilly, Kakkassery, Thottungal, Maliyekal, Areekal, Arakkal, Mechery, Menachery, and Manjaly, besides some members of the Thadikkaran family, were separated and hence these families are today represented in both the Catholic and the Jacobite Churches.
Thadikkaran families of Pirarur and Mattoor near Kalady belong to the Jacobite Church. This is enough evidence to show that the Thadikkaran tharavad was in existence much before 1653 and was a part of native Marthoma Christian community. Similarly there was a split in the Catholic community of Trichur Diocese in the recent past, as a result of which a section of Catholics including some members of the Thadikkaran family joined the Chaldean Syrian Church. Thadikkaran families of Anchery(Valarkavu) belong to this Church. Stories about the name “Thadikkaran”
The literal meaning of ‘Thadikkaran’ in Malayalam is, a person with a beard. Since Thadikkaran tharavad (tharavad consists of a number of families of the same ancestry) has this peculiar name, many types of stories are circulating in the Thadikkaran families regarding the origin of the name ‘Thadikkaran’. Some of these stories are traced back to a time when foreign connections to families were considered to be noble and a matter of pride. Hence, according to one story, around C.E.1680, a person named Cheria from Syria, the land of St. Thomas the Apostle, came to Chennamangalam near North Parur for the purpose of trade and commerce. He was bearded. He had to wait in a queue for quite some time to get an audience with the then Naduvazhy of Parur.
When the Naduvazhy saw a tall, handsome and bearded person waiting to see him, he ordered: ‘Call in that thadikkaran’ (meaning bearded person). Ever since the Naduvazhy called the foreigner ‘thadikkaran’, he came to be known as Thadikkaran. The story goes on to say that afterwards he married a local woman and settled down in Kerala and prospered in trade and business. Consequently, he became very close to the Parur Naduvazhy, holding many positions of power.
He became the chief advisor to the Naduvazhy. Cheria had a son by name Kunjilona. Kunjilona‘s son Kunjicheria was a very clever person and is supposed to have done invaluable service to the Parur Naduvazhy. In view of his services, the Naduvazhy is said to have bestowed on him the title of ‘Tharakan’. The descendants of this foreigner are the family members of Thadikkaran Tharavad, according to this story.
This story lacks credibility. First of all, the Thadikkaran family was existed even before 1680 as is evident from the fact that a section of the Thadikkaran family separated and joined the Jacobite Church after the Koonan Kurissu Sathyam in 1653. Secondly, the name ‘Cheria’ is a Malayalam name and Syrians do not seem to have such a name. Cheria means small. This is a pet-name generally given by parents to children when the children are very young. Cheria, Cherian, Kunjicheria all convey the same meaning of being young and small. It is common for pet names to later on become proper names. For instance, Baby, Pappu, Kunjumon, Kujumol, besides Cheria, Cherian, Kunjicheria, etc.
Thirdly, this story cannot stand the test of history, in fact, it goes contrary to the historical evidences available to us. There is no record to show that the so called foreigner Cheria arrived in Parur and was in the service of the Naduvazhy. But about the historical personality of Thachil Mathew Tharakan of Kuthiathode there are clear records available which disprove the story of ‘Cheria of Syria’. Mathew Tharakan‘s active public life was around 1743-1813. He rose to a very high position in the erstwhile Travancore kingdom. At one time he was very close to the Maharaja as one of his chief advisors(1768-1798) when Karthikathirunal Ramavarma Maharaja (also known as Dharmaraja) was ruling.
He was also close to the Dalava Raja Kesavadas. According to the biography of Thachil Mathew Tharakan, by the historian M.O. Joseph Nedumkunnam and another one by C.C.Lonappan, the first generation of Thadikkarans of Kuthiathode are the descendants of one Thadikkaran Ittikuria of Parur. Ittikuria had married Ittiannam, a grand daughter of Mathew Tharakan(daughter of Mathew‘s son Thariath) and settled down at Kuthiathode. This is a historical fact which no one has contradicted and all have accepted. Thachil Mathew Tharakan and his father Thariyath were trusted advisors of the Alengad Naduvazhy before Alengad was annexed to Travancore.
Naduvazhies of Alengad and Parur were dead enemies. It was the Naduvazhy of Parur who had used hired-goondas to kill Mathew Tharakan‘s father, Thariyath when Thariyath was the chief advisor to the Alengad Naduvazhy, whereas Thadikkaran Kunjicheria Tharakan of the story was said to be the trusted advisor of Parur Naduvazhy. Hence it is impossible to imagine that Mathew Tharakan would ever agree to have marriage relations with his dead enemy if Thadikkaran Kunjicheria were the advisor to the Parur Naduvazhy. It was not a case of Ittiara and Ittiannam eloping as sometimes seen in some cinema stories.
Hence this story is historically incorrect because of the foreign origin imposed on Cheria and also because he is made the Chief Advisor of the Parur Naduvazhi. There are several other flaws in the story which have not been gone into here due to paucity of space. Variations of this story in which the foreigner is replaced by an old bearded person of a native tharavad also are in circulation. But there is no reliable basis for such stories too.
Another story runs thus: In the olden days, ancestors of this tharavad were doing business in timber, known as thadi (XSn) in Malayalam. Kings of that time used to auction various segments of forests for cutting down big trees for export of timber. The family which was mainly dealing in timber or ‘thadi’ business later on got the name ‘thadi-karan’ (XSn°mc≥) which by usage became ‘Thaadikkaran’ . Though this story looks comparatively reliable, there is no historical evidence to prove this story also. Till reliable evidences are received, all these may be dismissed as imaginative stories or conjectures.