Who Is The Tribal ‘King’ From Kerala Invited To Republic Day Celebrations

Raman Rajamannan, the ‘monarch’ of the Mannan community in Kerala, will be present at the 76th Republic Day festivities in New Delhi on January 26. King Rajamannan will be joined by his spouse Binumol. OR Kelu, the Minister for the Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes, presented the Republic Day invitation to the tribal leader. This will mark the first occasion a tribal king participates in the Republic Day parade in Delhi.

Rajamannan, the sole tribal monarch in Kerala, and his spouse traveled to Delhi on Wednesday. After the parade, they will go to different locations and come back on February 2. Travel costs will be covered by the Scheduled Caste Development Department, Minister Kelu stated in a social media update.

He will don headgear (thalappavu) and traditional attire to celebrate the special event, and will be supported by two Ministers and soldiers throughout the proceedings.

Rajamannan leads 300 households of Mannans, a tribal group residing in 48 communities within the Idukki district. The King occupies a unique role in the ceremonies and celebrations of the Mannan people. He assumed control of his small realm in 2012, following the passing of Aryan Rajamannan. An economics graduate, Rajamannan leads a typical life working as a farmer. He lacks a royal palace or a chariot. Rather, he lives in an unpretentious home and oversees a community temple with his relatives.

The king possesses no rights or responsibilities within civil society; however, he manages community affairs with the assistance of four upa rajas (deputies), one ilayaraja (prince), and a council of 50 ministers, referred to as kaanis. It is said that the Mannan community adheres to a matrilineal structure, signifying that women possess the rights to inheritance.