Mannan (caste)

The Mannan are a community in Kerala, India. They are one of the Adivasi who live in Idukki District. The Mannan follow a matrilineal system of descent, and their ruler, the Raja Mannan, is elected by community headmen from among those eligible by heredity. It is the only existing tribal kingdom in South India which falls under the Kanchiyar grama panchayath of Idukki tehsil (previously Udumbanchola tehsil). The Kingdom consists of namely four divisions such as 'Thekkottu Kattu Rajyam', 'Nadukkuda Kattu Rajyam', 'Athal Orupuram' and 'Chenkanattu Mala'. Goddess Madhura Minakshi of famed Madura Temple in Tamil Nadu is their Kuladevatha (tutelary deity).