Polachirackal

The Polachirackal Tharakan family of Mavelikkara financed and re-constructed the famed Sabrimala Temple which is the the abode of the Hindu God Ayyappan. Sabrimala is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world with an estimated 50 million devotees visting ever year
The Polachirackal Tharakan family of Mavelikkara constructed the famed Thevally Palace (Malayalam: തേവള്ളി കൊട്ടാരം) in Kollam which is currently a heritage landmark site of historic importance. Thevally Palace or Thevalli Palace is located on the banks of Ashtamudi lake, in Thevally, Kollam. Thevally Palace was built in between 1811 to 1819 by the Polachirackal Tharakan family when Maharani Regent Gowri Parvati Bayi of Travancore was ruling the princely state, to conduct meetings for the Maharaja of Travancore with the British Resident and other the British officials. The architecture is a mixture of British, Dutch and Portuguese.
The Indian painter and artist Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906) considered among the greatest painter in the history of Indian art was in search of a blue-blooded muse to represent the Pandava Prince Bhima from the Mahabharata who was the "embodiment of great valor, strong eminence, majestic appearance and splendid personality". An article in Malayalam Manorama newspaper, 5th May, 2013 states that Ravi Varma had extensively searched for a muse to represent Bhima wherein his final choices were H.R.H. Maharaja of Baroda and Sir T. Madhava Rao, the Dewan of Travancore. Though he took their sketches, he was not fully convinced of their features and appearance to represent Bhima. One day as Varma was visiting his wife's palace, he saw Mavelikkara Kochummon Muthulali Polachirackal Tharakan who was present there to meet Kungaroo Raja. Varma requested his consent to take Tharakan's sketches as his muse and the final outcome was this scene from Mahabharata depicting Bhima slaying Kichaka Vada. This famed painting is currently assigned as missing
The Indian painter and artist Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906), considered among the greatest painter in the history of Indian art had used his friend the christian aristocrat Mavelikkara Kochummon Muthulali Polachirackal Tharakan as his muse for portraying Bhima, the Pandava prince from the Mahabharata. Ravi Varma used Tharakan given his blue-blooded lineage and intense facial features which matched with Bhima's immense might while painting the scene from Mahabharata depicting Bhima slaying Kichaka Vada. This was highlighted in an article title "Chitrayogam" in Malayalam Manorama broadsheet newspaper on 5 May 2013 written by Leena Chandran

Polachirackal (Malayalam: പോളച്ചിറക്കല്‍ Pōḷacciṛakkal‍) is an ancient Saint Thomas Christian aristocratic family, a noble House from Mavelikkara having held political, commercial and ecclesiastical influence and positions in the Kingdom of Travancore with deeply entrenched ties to the Travancore royal family. Their tharavad was bestowed with the hereditary noble title 'Tharakan of Mavelikkara' (Malayalam: മാവേലിക്കര തരകന്‍ Māvēlikkara Tharakan‍) by the then sovereign Maharaja of Travancore Marthanda Varma. The House's excessive fortunes were made from having a local oligopoly in the merchant trading of pepper which was part of the international spice trade route developed and controlled by the Portuguese Casa da Índia and later by the Dutch East India Company in the age of discovery starting with Vasco da Gama reaching Calicut by the sea route in 1498. Using their surplus as risk capital, the House established itself as financiers to the Maharajas of the Kingdom of Travancore, the second wealthiest Indian princely state after the Nizam of Hyderabad. As a reference point to compare the wealth in Travancore, the Nizam of Hyderabad was ranked as the richest man in the world in 1937 by Time Magazine Travancore was an erst-while 19-gun (outside)/21-gun (within) salute princely Indian state which is part of Kerala, India. Also, the members of the House were notable for holding political leadership of the principality of Mavelikkara.

Origins of the House and its role in the erstwhile Kingdom of Travancore

The Polachirackal House were granted the highest-ranking hereditary title of nobility for a Christian family in Travancore titled as Tharakan and were of the highest ranking Christian peer to the Maharaja of Travancore. The House were financiers to the Kingdom of Travancore from 18th c. to 20th c. having financed and re-constructed the famed Sabrimala Temple, the abode of the Hindu Lord Ayyappan which is considered as the largest annual pilgrimage in the world with an estimated 50 million devotees visting ever year. The House also financed several battles fought by Venad including the Travancore-Dutch War, the Battle of Colachel and were signatories to the Treaty of Mavelikkara.

Political Roles and Positions from the late 19th century onwards

The first elected political leadership of Mavelikkara was a son from the House Jacob Kurien, in the Sree Moolam Popular Assembly in the Kingdom of Travancore, equivalent to that of a Member of Parliament. After the Independence of India, Polachirackal Cherian Koshy and Polachirackal Cherian Ninan were the first set of elected Municipal Chairmen of Mavelikkara, equivalent to that of a Mayor. Additionally, Polachirackal Cherian Mathen served as the longest serving Councilor of Mavelikkara. Descendants of the Polachirackal tharavad who held political positions include Cherian Polachirackal, currently the General-Secretary of Kerala Congress (M), a leading recognised regional party in Kerala and was the former Municipal Chairman of Tiruvalla, equivalent of a Mayor. A grandson of the Polachirackal family P.C. Alexander who served as a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament of India was the former Principal Secretary to Indian Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi as well as being the former Indian High Commissioner to the Court of St James's, United Kingdom and Governor of the Indian states of Maharastra, Tamil Nadu and Goa.

Contributions to the Saint Thomas Christian Mar Thoma Syrian Church and Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

Descendants who held ecclesiastical positions have contributed to the foundation and development of two Churches within the Saint Thomas Christian tradition from the the 1st century, that of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church and the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. The Mar Thoma Syrian Church diocese in Mavelikkara was established by Polachirackal K. Kassessa, a priest in the 19th century and Polachirackal C. Koshy served as the financier and longest serving lay trustee of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church. In the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, members include son Zachariah Mar Athanasios born under the name Cherian Polachirackal who became the third Syro-Malankara Catholic Church Bishop of Tiruvalla, a grandson of the Polachirackal family Aboon Geevarghese Mar Ivanios born under the name of Geevarghese Panickeruveetil of Mavelikkara who was the founding architect of the Church under Pope Pius XI and became the first Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church as well as in being the first Metropolitan Archbishop of Trivandrum having been declared as Servant of God in 2007 and another grandson Joshua Mar Ignathios was the first Syro-Malankara Catholic Church Bishop of Mavelikkara.

Literary and Cultural Contributions

Mavelikkara Polachirackal Kocheeppan Tharakan is a prominent literary critic, dramatist and writer from the House who is acclaimed as one of Kerala's greatest writers by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi , Kerala's academy for Malayalam literature which is an autonomous body established to promote Malayalam language and literature. His work included "Kochuthomman" (1892) and "Mariamma Natakam" which are considered as classics and were among the earliest novels on Syrian Christian life in the State of Travancore. Another important novel that written by Kocheeppan Tharakan covering the social order in the then society was "Balikasadanam".

See also

  • Tharakan
  • Saint Thomas Christian
  • Marthanda Varma
  • Zachariah Mar Athanasios
  • Mar Ivanios
  • Joshua Mar Ignathios
  • Sree Moolam Popular Assembly
  • Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
  • Mar Thoma Syrian Church

See Also

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