ADVERTISEMENT
"Tribal king" Aryan Raja Manna passes away in Kerala
Kochi, December 28, 2011
Aryan Raja Manna, the "tribal king" of Kozhimala in Idukki district, passed away following brief illness at a private hospital in Kattappana today.
He was 29. He is survived by his wife and a daughter.
He was admitted to a private hospital at Kattappana following gastroenteritis and he died this morning, sources said.
A native of Kumili Mannakudi, the real name of Ariyan was Ramesan. He assumed the identity as the king of Kozhimala in December 2007. He was the ultimate authority to 42 "kudies" (settlements).
He ruled his tribal kingdom with the help of nine ministers and had his own police force to maintain law and order in the kudies.
Kovilmala is one of the two adivasi kingdoms in the country. The other one is in Tripura. The Adivasi Royal kingdom with Kovilmala as its centre, came into force in 1934 after Naayam Rajamnnan and Thevan Rajamannan. The rulers are selected through matrilinear system.
NNN
