• Jan 25 2016
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Arakkal Museum Kannur

The Arakkal Kettu Museum is located at Ayikkara, a small coastal village in Kannur district. It offers a glimpse into the rich history of the Arakkal Ali Rajas, Kerala’s only Muslim royal family. The museum is actually a section of the Arakkal Kettu (Arakkal Royal Palace). The durbar hall (king’s court) of the Arakkal Kettu has been converted into a museum by the Government of Kerala and was opened to the public in 2005. Visitors can explore the palace, administrative block, and mosques within the complex. Surviving members of the royal family still live at the Arakkal Kettu.

The Arakkal Kettu was the residence of the Arakkal rulers, who ruled over the region for centuries, till it was seized by the British in 1870. They had control over the northern coastal region of Kerala and Lakshadweep. 

It is believed that a Muslim commander married a girl from the Chirakkal ‘kovilakam’ (palace) whom he had saved while serving in the Chirakkal forces. The descendants were the Arakkal rulers who enjoyed the properties and palaces around Kannur given by the Chirakkal Raja. Though initially subordinated to the Chirakkal Rajas, they became an independent and powerful from the fifteenth century onwards.

The Arakkal family followed a matrilineal system of descent with the eldest member of the family becoming its head and ruler. The male rulers were known as Ali Rajahs and their female counterparts were called Arakkal Beevis.