Tharavad, also spelled as Tharavadu () (തറവാട്), is the Malayalam word for the ancestral home of aristocratic families[1][2] in Kerala, it is common among Nair Hindus and Nair, Ezavas, Mappilas, Muslims[3], which usually served as the common residence for the matrilineal joint family under the Marumakkathayam system practiced in the state.[4][5] German linguist Hermann Gundert, in his Malayalam—English dictionary published in 1872, defines a Tharavadu as, "An ancestral residence of land-owners and kings", and also as, "A house, chiefly of noblemen".[6] It was classically the residence of Jenmimar, but contemporary usage of the word is now more generic to all social classes and religions in Kerala.[7] By extension, the word refers not just to the family's house but to the extended family that shares that house. Heads of tharavadus - usually the eldest living male - were known as Karnavars, and junior members as Anandravans.
- ^ manoramanews, manoramaonline. "Christian Tharavadu".
- ^ The new indian express, Indian Express. "A house reminisces 400 years of its history".
- ^ Mohamed Koya, S.M, MATRILINY AND MALABAR MUSLIMS, Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, Vol. 40 (1979), pp. 419-431 (13 pages)
- ^ Kakkat, Thulasi (18 August 2012). "Kerala's Nalukettus". The Hindu. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
- ^ Kunhikrishnan, K. (12 April 2003). "Fallen tharavads". The Hindu. Retrieved 13 December 2017.[dead link]
- ^ Hermann Gundert (1872). A Malayalam and English Dictionary. C. Stolz. p. 434. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ Pannikar, K.M. (1960). "A History of Kerala 1498 - 1801". Annamalai University Press.