My grand father from my paternal side was His Highness Kerala Varma Kuttan Thampuran from The Cochin Royal Family.  He was married to my grand mother, Ankarath Thankam Nethiyar. The Kingdom of Cochin, also known as the Cochin State, was a prominent princely state in the central region of present-day Kerala. Named after its capital city, Kochi (formerly Cochin), the kingdom emerged in the early 12th century and continued its existence until it formally acceded to the Dominion of India in 1949.

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Originally called Perumpadappu Swarupam, the Cochin royal family traced its authority to the post-Chera period following the decline of the Mahodayapuram Chera dynasty in the 12th century. Like many other regions of Malabar, Perumpadappu Swarupam gained political independence during this fragmentation of central authority. However, it was only with the arrival of the Portuguese on the Malabar Coast in the late 15th century that Cochin began to rise in strategic and political significance.

The Perumpadappu rulers had matrimonial ties with the Namboodiri Brahmin chiefs of Edappally, and after acquiring Kochi and Vypin from Edappally, they adopted the title of Kings of Cochin.

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Historically, the capital of the Cochin kingdom was located at Kodungallur (Cranganore), a site of immense historical and religious importance. However, a devastating flood in 1341 forced the capital to be relocated to Kochi. This shift also coincided with increasing geopolitical pressures, particularly from the expansionist Zamorins of Calicut, who significantly weakened Cochin's territorial control by the late 15th century.

When Pedro Álvares Cabral arrived on the Malabar Coast on 24 December 1500, King Unni Goda Varma of Cochin saw an opportunity to resist Zamorin dominance. A treaty of alliance was signed with the Portuguese, marking the beginning of Portuguese protection and military presence in the region. The Portuguese built a series of fortifications, the most notable being Fort Manuel, establishing Cochin as a long-term Portuguese protectorate (1503–1663).

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In 1663, during the Luso-Dutch War, control of Cochin passed to the Dutch East India Company, which remained an ally of the kingdom until 1795. After the Anglo-Dutch War, Cochin came under the influence of the British East India Company, with British suzerainty formally recognized on 6 May 1809.

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Transition to Modern India

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In 1950, the Kingdom of Travancore merged with the Cochin State to form the Travancore-Cochin state. Following the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, five Tamil-majority taluks—Vilavancode, Kalkulam, Thovalai, Agastheeswaram, and Sengottai—were transferred to the Madras State (now Tamil Nadu).

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The remaining Malayalam-speaking regions of Travancore-Cochin were integrated with the Malabar District (excluding the Laccadive and Minicoy Islands) and the Kasaragod taluk of South Canara (from Madras State) to form the modern state of Kerala on 1 November 1956.