| A walk through the Root
The origin of Malayil Family is from Kuravilangadu, a place of heritage, a centre of Syrian Catholics (Nasranikal) in the erstwhile Vadakumkoor Kingdom. The forefathers at Kuravilangadu were large agriculturists and traders in hill produces and marketed at Vaikom market, the chief trading centre of Vadakumkoor. 1700s AD, one of our forefathers named Varkey from Kuravilangadu arrived at to have spices trading by collecting the hill produces such as pepper, dried ginger and turmeric from the farmers of Kuravilangadu, Meenachil, Muvattupuzha, Thodupuzha.
In those days the right to enter in trade with European Companies for black pepper (black gold) vest with the Kings. The right of collecting black pepper from farmers was given to this Varkey by the Vadakumkoor Kings. Varkey advanced money to farmers and colleted pepper and other hill produced spices. The black gold was sold to the king treasury and the other produces sold at the Vikom Market to European Companies for exports.
Latter on capture of Vadakumkoor Kingdom by Marthanda Varma, the ruler of Travancore State the trading centre shifted to Purakkad and then to Alappuzha Port Town in the early second part of the eighteenth century. At the times when transportation was quiet difficult, it was the Varkey under whose guidance adventurously through vembanad lakes, brought black pepper at Alappuzha for the King and other hill produces for export traders.
The term ‘MALAYIL’ where from
The term ‘Mountain’ named in Malayalam as ‘Mala’ Since the said Varkey who used to come from ‘Kuravilangadu’ the hill area, for hill produce trade at Alappuzha was named and called as ‘Malayil Varkey’. When the Varkey settled at Alappuzha, the Varkey’s two children Varkey and Chacko accepted their Family Name as ‘Malayil’ Now the decendants of this Varkey and Chacko are known as Malayil Family.
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