Overview

NADAVALLIL KUDUMBA CHARITHRAM

Family is an institution formed as per God’s will. Every person has a family background. The lifestyle, success, failure etc. of every person is influenced by this family background. Heredity, environment and experience have important roles to play in the personality development of every person. Everyone person gets ones genes from the father as well as mother and in this process, certain qualities from the paternal side and certain from the maternal side are added together, while some are lost. Therefore, as generation passed the quality of the elder generation undergo, considerable amount of change. However, qualities of yester-generations passed onto new generation. This is how the new generation becomes wise, able and civilized.

It is true that we live under the influence of our environment, our country, family as well as blood. So it is important that everyone understands one’s family history, the achievements, failures of the yester years. Unprincipled lifestyle, careless expenditures, mutual jealousy often lead to loss of inter-personal relationships, and loss of harmonious family life. Qualities of great men are often said to have acquired from their ancestors.

Christians in Kerala believe that they mostly have their history back to Nambudiri Brahmin families converted by St. Thomas. However, in the modern times, it is difficult to prove this even by DNA tests. History shows that the original inhabitants of Kerala have later became the lower castes and those from elsewhere have become Brahmins, Nairs, etc. this land of Kerala was very popular among the foreigners even during the pre-historic days. People from Assyria, Babylon, China, etc. had business relations with this land. During the early days of Christianity was familiar among foreigners.

In AD 52, when Christ’s disciple St. Thomas came here with the new faith and culture, the local inhabitants received him very cordially. It is believed that this apostle Thomas converted a few Brahmin families at Paliyoor, among them Shankarepuri, Pakallomattom and Kaliyankal were the prominent ones. There is a tradition that these families belonged to the Nambudiriupper class. Recent study by historians show that the Nambudiricaste did not exist in Kerala at the time St. Thomas came. The earlyconverts of St. Thomas might be from families who were socially and culturally very high class.

Our ancestors were generally known as nasrani. They were trained in the use of local weapons. They were also involved in agriculture as well as trade. They lead high living standards. Later they moved to different places mostly to develop their activities on agriculture and trade. So they moved to places having fertile land. To trace the history of Nadavallil family, a deep study of history is required and available data traces back to Kuravilangad.

The early Christians moved from Paliyoor would have come through Ettumanoor and Kuravilangad to Venmony. Otherwise, people from Chayal (Nilakkal) would have moved via Kuravilangad to Venmony. This requires further study. However the fact that a few families who were masters of martial arts, well-trained in the use of local weapons were invited by the ruler to settle in his territory. Among them two brothers Mathen and Kuncheria who settled in Venmony during early 16th century were said to be the identified forefathers of Nadavallil family. Of the two brothers, Kuncheria does not have appeared to have married. Hence the Nadavallil family starts with the other brother, Mathen of Venmony. Mathen had four sons, who established four branches in Venmony, namely;