History of Vellore Tharavad

The Vellore Tharavad at Pallassena was a renowned Nair Tharavad which was very prosperous and had extensive agricultural holdings. The Karanavars of the times managed the properties and looked after the welfare of the family members of the tharavad.

In accordance  with the religious customs of the day, the Karanavars had built a temple for the family deity “Pallassena Vellore Lokaparameswari” and was worshipped with due piety and in accordance with the customs and traditions.

With the passage of time and with many changes taking place in the political, economic, religious and social fabric, the Vellore tharavad also fell into bad days. With the passing of the land reforms act in Kerala in the 1970s, the land held by the tenant became his property and the land lord was given a miserly compensation spread over a long period and in many case, even this was not received.

This economic crises forced the Land lords, especially among the Brahmin and Nair Communities to extreme financial crises. The members of these communities migrated to different places in search of employment and settled there with their family. In many cases, the ancestral “Tharavad House” became deserted and without proper upkeep and maintenance, the buildings decayed into mounds of brick and earth.

In the case of the Vellore Tharavad, the family properties were managed by a senior male member till 1976 .Some members of the Tharavad had migrated to different places in search of employment and settled there. But some members who stayed back were able to retain and maintain the Tharavad and the temple and the minimum rituals are being carried on.