Paliyam

Back in history, Kochi was ruled by 'Paliyathachans' who owned more than thousand hectares of farmland. They occupied a place of prestige and dignity in the society. During the time of Thirukochi' they were the Prime Ministers of State under the king's rule. They owned the land from the present Ernamkulam district to Palakkad district and nearly 45 temples were under their ownership. Later the 'Paliyathachans' formed a trust called Paliyam Group Devasom Trust. Though they actually belonged to Ernamkulam they settled in Mullurkara after obtaining it from the rulers of Kochi. Before the period of Paliyathachans, Mullurkara was under the control of 'Manakottachan, the rulers who were ill-famed for their brutalities and atrocities, by killing and robbing the poor people they created a chaotic and hellish atmosphere. Once 'Kochi Maharaja' (ruler of Kochi) was stopped by 'Manakottachan' while he and his family were on their journey to their family temple of Pazhayannur. Then it was with the help of 'Paliyathachans' that the ruler of Kochi secured victory. As a token of gratitude the village of Mullurkara was gifted to the 'Paliyathachans' by the maharaja and soon the temple of 'Thiruvani Kavu' Bhagavathy came under their control . It was a period of prosperity and welfare for the village as well as the temples, thanks to the power and wealth of the 'Paliyathachans'. Every temple had a weekly ceremony and food was given to the Brahmins to honor them. Festivals were also conducted directly by the Paliyam Trust. The festivals would begin with the ceremony called 'Kodiyettam' on the date of Kumbha-Bharani and after 7 days the main festival would commence. On the 8th day the festival comes to and end and is marked by a ceremony called 'Kodiyirakkam'. Also there was a special right for some families and persons to conduct the festival and for this they were provided with sufficient land by the 'Paliyathachans'. The trust used to bring their own elephants named Paliyam Gangadharan and  Paliyam Kuttikrishnan. They owned nearly five elephants at that time.

The roots of the Paliam family can be traced to a Nair family in the town of Elankunnapuzha, in Kerala. Kunjikaavu and Kochukutty, two sisters from the family, married into the Villarvattom Royal Family in Chendamangalam. All members of the Paliam family fall into one of two thavazhis or "branches", that lead up to one of the two sisters. An interesting aspect of the Paliam family is that even though they are a Nair family, all their religious rites are those of Kshatriyas. This is because the Paliam family has also descended from the Villarvattom Royal family.

The Main Tharawad is located at Chendamangalam in Ernakulam District, Corporation of Kochi. The main family tharavaadu (Nalukettu) is approximately 450 years old. There is also another building that served as the Paliath Achan's palace (Kovilakam), and was built by the Dutch. In addition to these buildings, there are a number of secondary buildings. They are anywhere between 250 to 300 years old. The last members left the Nalikettu after partition, and so the building is no longer occupied. However, it is maintained by the Paliam trust. The Kovilakam houses a large number of artifacts including ancient documents, religious sacraments, swords, rifles and gifts brought by foreign dignitaries. It was the biggest joint Hindu Family till partition in 1952. Number of members at the time of partition in 1952 was 213. The deed was registered in 1956. This appears to be the biggest partition deed of Travancore - Cochin/Kerala.