The only Muslim dynasty that existed in Kerala was the Araykkal dynasty or Araykkal Swarupam, which existed in Kannur.
The entire true history of the Araykkal dynasty remains obscure. The Muslim dynasty of Araykkal was founded at the end of the 14th century AD, when the importance of the Kolathiri king of Ezhimala was almost insignificant.
The known history of the origin of the Araykkal dynasty is as follows.
One of the five chief ministers of Kolathiri and the leader of the fleet, Ramanthali Arayan, a member of the Kulangara Nair family, converted to Islam and took the name Muhammadali, and was known as Kunjali. He continued to be the minister of Kolathiri even after that.
One day, while Kunjali was bathing in the Ezhimala river, the niece of the Kolathiri king, who had gone to bathe on the other bank, noticed a young lady drowning in the water. He immediately swam across and rescued the young lady.
The Kolathiri king called Kunjali and showered him with praise. But according to the rules of that time, if a person of another religion touched her, the woman would be excommunicated and expelled. So the young lady was expelled from the Kolathiri family. Although this was done according to the law, since there was no fault on the part of either of them, he married the young lady to Kunjali. Later, the Kolathiri king gave them several lands in Ezhimala and Madayi and a palace in Kannur as dowry. He named that palace Araykkal. The princess later became known as Araykkal Beevi and Kunjali later became Araykkal Sultan.
Their descendants later became the Sachivan Mara of Kolathiri under the name of Mammali Kidangal.
In Araykkal, men were called Koya and women were called Beevi. Senior women who were Karanvars were called Peta and senior men who were Karanvars were called Mari Labaika. In Araykkal, the daughter-in-law was the next.
The Araykkal dynasty disintegrated over time. When the land survey was conducted in the late 18th century, many of the tharavads that were part of the Araykkal palace recorded the lands they held as their own.
The tharavads of the Araykkal king later gained strength. The king granted them special status. Accordingly, if there was a wedding in these ancestral houses, the Khasis or Khateebs would go directly to their houses.
The subjects there did not have the right to marry women belonging to the Araykkal royal family. They were married by the Kayis of Thalassery or the Pramanis of Koyilandy. After the wedding, they usually settled in their wives’ houses. Those who came to Araykkal after marriage were called Ilaya.
The Khasis of all the mosques under the Araykkal dynasty were the Raja. The Araykkal dynasty had a good civil administration. The responsibility of administration was entrusted to the Pramanis known as Karyakars. Those who supervised the mosques were known as Palli Moopan, those who looked after the affairs of the weavers were known as Tari Moopan, and those who looked after the welfare of the fishermen were known as Marakkar Moopan.
On the eleventh day of every lunar month, a special dish called Pallichor was prepared and distributed to the subjects. In addition, on other special days, the Araykkals also have the custom of giving a paathil called Araykkal Pathil and a fried month to the chiefs.
Like other dynasties, the Araykkal dynasty also had the custom of seizing lands and properties. Once, a man named Amir who came from the island fought with the Araykkals, but in the battle, Araykkal defeated the Amir and gouged out both of his eyes. Later, the Amir sought the help of Tipu Sultan and tried to attack the Araykkals. But Araykkal Beevi resolved the problem by discussing it amicably.
