In a special gesture, Kerala Government has decided to provide a monthly pension for all members of the Zamorin royal family that ruled the Malabar coast in north Kerala before the area was brought under the ambit of the British colonial rule by the 18th century.
Announcing the decision after a Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said as many as 826 members of the Kozhikode-based Zamorin family will get a pension of Rs 2,500 each.
"The Zamorin family has given away their properties and wealth for the progress of Kerala over the centuries. That aspect was also taken into account while taking the decision to provide pension for the members of the family," he told reporters.
Zamorins, according to historians, ruled the Malabar area of Kerala from 12th to 18th century and had been famed for rich spices shipped to the western world through Arab traders.
It was in Zamorin's court that Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama had gone straight after landing in north Kerala in 1498, ushering in the era of western colonial control over the western coast of the country.
