About:Thandan (surname)

Thandan or Thandayan is the honorary title given to the headman of the Thiyya community people in Palakkad, Thrissur district, who reside in the Indian State of Kerala. Thandan is the hereditary headman of a Thiyyar tara (village) and is a Thiyyar by caste. He is appointed by the senior Rani of the Zamorin's family or by a local Raja in territories outside the Zamorin's jurisdiction. Thandan becomes the jenmi of the dhesam or dhesavazhi.They are designated as Other Backward Classes by the Government of Kerala as per anthropological studies conducted by the Kerala Institute of Research, and Development Studies.