List of people from Kerala


The following is a list of notable people from Kerala, India. The names are classified according to the person's major area of work. For more details please see their respective articles.

Monarchs

Early Cheras

The Cheras are referred to as Kedalaputo in the Emperor Ashoka's Pali edicts. The earliest Graeco-Roman accounts referring to the Cheras are by Pliny the Elder in the 1st century CE, in the Periplus of the 1st century CE, and by Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd century CE. Greeks and Romans are called "Yavanas" in early Indian literature.
  • Uthiyan Cheralathan – earliest known ruler of the Chera family who was also known as "Vanavaramban" Cheral Athan. He is sometimes identified with the Chera ruler who prepared food for the warring cousins at Kurukshetra War in the epic Mahabharata.
  • Nedum Cheralathan – Imayavaramban Nedum Cheral Athan, son of Uthiyan Cheral Athan, is the hero of the second decade of Pathitrupathu which was composed by the poet Kaveri Poompattanatthu Kaari Kannanar. The greatest of his enemies were the Kadambas whom he defeated in battles. He also attacked Yavana ships and held Yavana traders ransom.
  • Pallaana Chel Kelu Kuttuvan – son of Uthiyan Cheral Athan. Credited as the conqueror of Kongu.
  • Kalankakkanni Narmudi Cheral – led an expedition against the Adigaiman Anji of Tagadur. Initially defeated by Nannan of Ezhimala in the battle of Pazhi, later defeated and killed Nannan in the battle of Vakai Perum Turai.
  • Chenguttuvan – identified with "Kadal Pirakottiya" Vel Kezhu Kuttuvan, son of Nedum Cheral Athan, celebrated by the poet Paranar in the 5th decade, ascended to the Chera throne after the death of his father. Vel Kezhu Kuttuvan is often identified with the legendary "Chenguttuvan Chera", the most illustrious ruler of the Early Cheras. Under his reign, the Chera territory extended from Kollimalai in the east to Thondi and Mantai on the western coast.
  • Adu Kottu Cheral Athan – successor of Vel Kezhu Kuttuvan
  • Chelva Kadumko Valia Athan – son of Anthuvan Cheral and the hero of the 7th set of poems composed by Kapilar. He defeated the combined armies of the Pandyas and the Cholas. He is sometimes identified as the Ko Athan Cheral Irumporai mentioned in the Aranattar-malai inscription of Pugalur.
  • Perum Cheral Irumporai – "Tagadur Erinta" defeated the combined armies of the Pandyas, Cholas and that of the chief of Tagadur. He captured Tagadur which was ruled by the powerful ruler Adigaman Ezhni. He is also called "the lord of Puzhinadu" and "the lord of Kollimalai" and "the lord of Puhar". Puhar was the Chola headquarters. Perum Cheral Irumporai also annexed the territories of a minor chief called Kaluval.
  • Illam Cheral Irumporai – defeated the Pandyas and the Cholas and brought immense wealth to his base Vanchi.
  • Yanaikatchai Mantaran Cheral Irumporai – ruled from Kollimalai in the east to Thondi and Mantai on the western coast. He defeated his enemies in a battle at Vilamkil.
  • Kanaikkal Irumporai – said to have defeated a chief called Muvan and imprisoned in him. The Chera then brutally pulled out the teeth of the prisoner and planted them on the gates of the city of Thondi. Upon capture by the Chola ruler Sengannan Kanaikkal committed suicide by starvation.

Kodungallur Cheras / Kulasekharas (Medieval Cheras)

  • Kulashekhara Varma
  • Rajashekhara
  • Sthanu Ravi Varma
  • Rama Varma
  • Kota Ravi Varma
  • Indu Kota Varma
  • Bhaskara Ravi Varma I
  • Bhaskara Ravi Varma II
  • Vira Kerala
  • Rajasimha
  • Bhaskara Ravi Varma III
  • Ravi Rama Varma

Venad Swaroopam (Later Cheras)

Rulers of Venad trace their origin to the Vel family related to the Ay chiefs of the ancient southern India. Venad - ruled by hereditary chiefs, acting with the help of a military entourage - emerged as a chiefdom in the state of the Cheras of Kodungallur in c. 8th century.
  • Rama Varma Kulashekhara – mentioned in Rameswarathukoil Inscription as the founder of Venad as an independent state
  • Kotha Varma Marthandam, Keezhperoor – conquered Kottar and Nanjanad from the Pandya Dynasty
  • Vira Kerala Varma I, Keezhperoor – great religious benefactor, responsible for the rebuilding of Padmanabhaswamy and the endowment of Suchindram Temples
  • Kodai Kerala Varma, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Ravi Varma, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Kerala Varma II, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Aditya Varma, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Udaya Martanda Varma, Keezhperoor – established his seat at Kulikkod and allied himself to the Pandya kings
  • Devadaram Vira Kerala Varma III, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Manikantha Rama Varma Tiruvadi, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Rama Kerala Varma Tiruvadi, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Ravi Kerala Varma Tiruvadi, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Padmanabha Martanda Varma Tiruvadi, Keezhperoor – the Pandya kings asserted their dominance over Venad during his reign
  • Jayasimha Deva, Keezhperoor – succeeded in bringing the whole of present-day Kerala under his control. He established his seat at Kollam, the surrounding areas becoming known as Jayasimhanad. His wife Rani Umma Devi was probably a joint ruler with her husband. He died leaving several sons who quarrelled with his nephews over the succession, causing a long and disruptive civil war.
  • Ravi Varma, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Udaya Martanda Varma, Keezhperoor
  • Aditya Varma Tiruvadi, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Rama Udaya Martanda Varma Tiruvadi, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Kerala Varma Tiruvadi, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Martanda Varma III, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Rama Martanda Varma, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Ravi Varma, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Ravi Ravi Varma, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Kerala Martanda Varma, Keezhperoor
  • Chera Udaya Martanda Varma, Keezhperoor
  • Vira Ravi Varma, Keezhperoor
  • Sankhara Sri Vira Rama Martanda Varma
  • Vira Kodai Sri Aditya Varma – established his capital at Kallidaikurichi
  • Vira Ravi Ravi Varma – established his capital at Padmanabhapuram
  • Martanda Varma, Kulasekhara Perumal
  • Vira Ravi Kerala Varma, Kulasekhara Perumal – succeeded as Trippappur Mutta Tiruvadi

Mushika Kingdom (Ezhimalai)

The Mushika kingdom was a kingdom in the early historic south India in present-day Kerala, India, ruled by a royal dynasty of the same name. Its dominions, for most of its recorded history, covered the present-day regions of northern Kerala, Tulunadu and Coorg, between the western slopes of the Western Ghats in the east and the Arabian Sea in the west.
  • Nannan I - married the daughter of the Chera King Perunchorruthiyan sometime around the 3rd Century BCE. Sangam texts as well as several versions of the Mahabharata cite a Chera king by the same name to have fed the rival armies in the Great War. Under Nannan, an able military commander also, Mushika kingdom transformed into a force in South India, and stretched into Wynad and Gudalur Districts in the foothills of the Western Ghats, and the northern parts of present-day Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu. Eager to expand his kingdom, Nannan waged war against the Cheras, and successfully defeated the Chera commanders at the Battle of Pazhi.
  • Isanavarman – married a Chedi princess Nandini. He also married the daughter of the then Chola King. Their son Nrpurama was the next king.
  • Virochana – defeated the Pallavas, and married Harini, the daughter of the Pallava King.
  • Kandan Kari Varman – is referred to as a close relative of the Ay-Chera King Vira Kerala. Several inscriptions exist in both the Kasargod-Kannur area and in the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari area, throwing light on the synchronism between Rajendra Chola, Chera Vira Kerala and Kandan Kari Varman and that the latter Mushika King belonged to the Ay Dynasty.

Kola Swarupam

Kolattunādu was one of the three most powerful feudal kingdoms on the Malabar Coast during the arrival of Portuguese India Armadas, the others being Zamorin's Calicut and Quilon. The Kolathiris are praised as Vadakkan Perumals by the noted "Keralolpathi".
  • Rama Ghata Mushaka – established the lineage of Kola Swarupam;
  • Vikrama Rama an inscription dating to 929 AD mentions about one Vikrama Rama identifiable with the ruler Vikrama Rama who appears in the Mushika Vamsa
  • Udaya Varma, also known as "Rama Ghata Muvar" – mentioned on the inscription from 10th century AD
  • Eraman Chemani – the inscription from the Tiruvattur temple mentions him to be identifiable as the king who appears as the 109th ruler in the Mushika Vamsa

Arrakal Kingdom

Arakkal kingdom was a former city-state on the Malabar Coast, ruled by a dynasty of the same name. The ruling King was called Ali Raja and the ruling queen was called Arakkal Beevi. The royal family is said to be originally a branch of the Kolattiri, descended from a princess of that family who converted to Islam. They owed allegiance to the Kolattiri rulers, whose ministers they had been at one time. The Arakkal family was the only Muslim royal family of Kerala to control parts of the coast and Lakshadweep.
  • Ali Raja Ali II – known to have deployed his naval Mappila forces on behalf of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb during the Child's War

Samoothiri of Kozhikode

Zamorin of Calicut – rulers of Malabar from the 14th and 18th century AD. At the peak of their reign, the Samoothiris ruled over a region from Kollam to Panthalayini Kollam.
  • Mana Vikrama – legendary founder of the ruling family
  • Mana Vikrama the Great – the Russian merchant of Tver Afanasy Nikitin visited Kozhikode during his reign
  • Mana Vikrama III – the expulsion of the Portuguese from Chaliyam by his forces
  • Mana Vikrama – uncle of the author of the Krishnanatakam
  • Mana Veda – author of the Krishnanatakam
  • Asvati Tirunal – his forces undertook the expulsion of Portuguese from Kodungallur
  • Puratam Tirunal – Portuguese were expelled from Kochi under his reign
  • Uttrattati Tirunal – ceded Chetwai to the Dutch
  • Bharani Tirunal Mana Vikram – the terror of the Dutch; two Mamankams
  • Nileswaram Tirunal – adoptions from Nileswaram
  • Samoothiri from Kilakke Kovilakam
  • Putiya Kovilakam – the Dutch War was fought during his term.
  • Kilakke Kovilakam – battles with Travancore and the invasion of Mysore; committed suicide; annexed by Mysore
  • Putiya Kovilakam
  • Kerala Varma Vikrama – Treaty of Seringapatam
  • Krishna Varma – agreement of 1806 with EIC

Purannatt Swarupam (Cotiote Rajah)

Kings of Travancore

In the 18th century, Marthanda Varma, of the Trippappoor, successfully developed the centralised state of Travancore. Varma routed all of major Nair nobles in Travancore, organised a standing army, defeated most of the chiefdoms in central Kerala, entered into strategic alliances with Europeans, supported Kerala merchants in the place of the Europeans, and eventually formed one of the first modern states of southern India.

Dewan of Travancore

Dewan of Malabar

  • E.K Krishnan – Dewan of Malabar district, and Deputy Collector of state and district.

Kings of Cochin

  • Unniraman Koikkal I
  • Veera Kerala Varma
  • Kesava Rama Varma
  • Rama Varma
  • Rama Varma Sakthan Thampuran
  • Rama Varma XV
  • Kerala Varma
  • Rama Varma Pareekshithu Thampuran – last king of Cochin

Villarvattom Dynasty (vassal principality of the Kingdom of Cochin)

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From Tamil Nadu

1. M. G. Ramachandran, 3rd CM of Tamil Nadu
2. V N Janaki Ramachandran, 4th CM of Tamil Nadu

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Bharat Ratna

The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India.

Padma Vibhushan

The Padma Vibhushan is India's second highest civilian honour.

Padma Bhushan

The Padma Bhushan is India's third highest civilian honour.

Padma Shri

The Padma Shri is India's fourth highest civilian honour.

National Medal of Science

The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the president of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics.
  • Thomas Kailath – presented by President Barack Obama in 2014 for "transformative contributions to the fields of information and system science, for distinctive and sustained mentoring of young scholars, and for translation of scientific ideas into entrepreneurial ventures that have had a significant impact on industry"

Academy Awards

The Academy Awards also known as the Oscars are a set of 24 awards for artistic and technical merit in the film industry, given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the academy's voting membership.

Booker Prize

The Booker Prize is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original novel written in the English language and published in the UK.

Government and world organisations

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Choorayi Kanaran– was the first Deputy Collector of India.

[Indian Administrative Service]

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  • K. Koshy - Director General Police

Members of the Imperial Civil Service">Imperial Civil Service">Members of the Imperial Civil Service

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Sundaresh Menon – 4th Chief Justice of Singapore

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