Managing the revenue collection of vast area of land, which was mostly under lease, with the absolute authority of the Karanavar (Mootha Panicker) was creating a lot of resentment and discontent among the members, whose number had also considerably increased over a period of time. The Tharavad had branched out to 6 large Thavazhi-s. Comforts of the wealth owned by the joint family never percolated to the members, but were liberally enjoyed by the Karanavar and those who were close to him. The women of the Tharavad had to frequently keep requesting for money for their increasing necessities. Getting an additional room when the number of children grew was very difficult for a mother. The educational opportunity was not available to all members on account of the expenditure involved.

The Nair Tharavad-s of Kerala in general faced similar issues. The intervention of British administrators in the local administration played a crucial role in the disintegration since it dealt with land and land revenue system. This peculiar law of inheritance was always a headache to the British and they supported the English educated younger members who demanded the partition of joint family property in order to promote their self-interest and their ability to support wives and children. For the survival of matrilineal kinship in the Nair Tharavad-s joint ownership of ancestral land was essential. Impartibility was an essential feature of the Marumakkathayam system. The right to partition was absent in this social custom until it was expressly sanctioned by several government legislative measures in the first half of the 20^th century. The new British government measures allowed partition, if a majority of the family members demanded it. The Karanavar-s of these Tharavad-s had steadfastly resisted the increasing pressure brought on them by junior members for a partition of the Tharavad property. But they had to finally succumb to the changing trend and accept the new social order.

The protest and frequent complaints of the senior members in Ullanat family led the Karanavar, Raman Mootha Panicker (49) to chart the modalities of partition. (Internal feud and misunderstanding between some members and those close to the family of Valiyammayi (Karanavar’s wife) and their attempts to restrict another senior member from becoming the succeeding Mootha Panicker of the family are also said to be a vital cause to moot the idea of partition.) In the year 1949, a Committee under the chairmanship of Sreedhara Panicker (108) (Retd. Deputy Collector) was formed. Parameswara Panicker (105), Narayana Panicker alias Kuttappa Panicker (95), Chappa Panicker (98), Chinnappa Panicker (89) and Govinda Panicker alias Bala Panicker (153) were the members of the Committee. An agreement was drafted giving the details regarding the mode of partition. At that time there were 82 members who were entitled to get share and their names appeared in the agreement.

When this process of deciding the sharing pattern was going on, Lakshmikutty Amma (93) and her children filed a suit for partition in the year 1953 (O.S.42/53) at Ottappalam Sub Court (since Ponnani Taluk was under Palakkad District then). The case was filed mainly because the Committee had not considered resolving some of the specific grievances of the complainant. After 3 years (i.e., in 1956) the case was withdrawn, since the Committee sorted out their specific complaints.

Due to the augmenting hardships and the growing resentment amongst many members, another suit was filed for partition in the year 1956 (O.S.18/56) at Ottappalam Sub Court by Bhanumathi Amma (161) and her children. As a result, the court appointed a temporary receiver –Chinnappa Panicker alias Kunjhunni Panicker (89), who was an advocate. Later, one N.Damodara Menon, advocate was appointed as the permanent receiver. During the receiver’s administration, each member was given Rs.25/- and 6 Para-s of paddy per month towards maintenance and this arrangement continued for about 14 years, till the partition was over. Elaborate works regarding measuring of lands and determining the assets went on at a snail’s pace during this long period. The receiver’s salary was Rs.3000/= per month which he was promptly drawing, while the members’ monthly maintenance of Rs.25/- and 6 Para-s of paddy each was never given monthly, but on a consolidated basis, after the lease revenue collection once in 4 or 6 months. Education of young members was considerably affected because of this system and whatever was given as a consolidated allotment was also insufficient for the maintenance for many members.

A meeting of the aggrieved members of the family including women was called at Athit Bhavanam, Venkitangu in February 1963 under the aegis of Bhaskara Panicker (164) which was also attended by some senior members like Chinnappa Panicker (89), etc. Bhaskara Panicker informed that the delay in partition was on account of the delay in legal proceedings and in order to expedite the completion of the partition process, all members would have to submit a jointly signed memorandum to the court. This was unanimously agreed by all the members who were present and Bhaskara Panicker volunteered to collect the signatures of all the members, which was itself a laborious task. On the basis of this joint submission, the court appointed Bhaskara Panicker himself as the commissioner (on an honorary basis) and he finalized the schedule of partition by 1964-65. The court finally approved this also.

There were about 121 members, but only 82 members whose names appeared in the original agreement of 1950-51 were entitled for share. Each member got approximately land yielding 600 Para-s of paddy and about Rs.200/= as his/her share. The Kerala Land Reforms Act passed in the year 1963 (amendment in 1969) however, deprived most of the members (who got as their share lands given on lease) of the fruits of the partition of the huge landed property once proudly owned by the Tharavad. It was an irony that in a single stroke, in the form of a Land Reforms Act passed by the then Communist Government of Kerala, many members were reduced to penury immediately after partition. Since there were long arrears in the Pattam some members managed to negotiate with their tenants (Pattakkar) and as a compromise got some portion of the Pattam dues as a lump-sum. With the higher education of the younger generation and their good employment mostly outside Kerala, most of the families are now financially comfortable.

Today the Ullanat Tharavad, which was once upon a time a very powerful and affluent Nair house, exists only in name. As in the case of all the rich, dominant and influential families of Kerala, the vast property was partitioned off to the various Thavazhi-s and later taken over by the tenants. Thus the Tharavad has been broken into so many nuclear families. However, the three-day Puja at the family’s Kalari at Venkitangu is regularly conducted every year with the support and active participation of the members of the family and is attended in large number by family members from far and near. Of late members of many other families who had a connection with Ullanat family are also attending the function.

The present younger generation of the family has lost knowledge and contact with the kin of their clan. All that remains now is a tinge of nostalgia that their forefathers (granduncles) were once the warriors and nobles of Kerala who had the role of protecting the land and its rulers.