Tharavad, also spelled as Tharavadu (pronunciationⓘ) (തറവാട്), is the Malayalam word for the ancestral home of aristocratic Nair families[1][2] in Kerala, which usually served as the common residence for the matrilineal joint family under the Marumakkathayam system practiced in the state.
[3][4] German linguist Hermann Gundert, in his Malayalam—English dictionary published in 1872, defines a Tharavadu as, "An ancestral residence of land-owners and kings", and also as, "A house, chiefly of noblemen".
[5] It was classically the residence of Jenmimar, but contemporary usage of the word is now more generic to all social classes and religions in Kerala.
Heads of tharavadus - usually the eldest living male - were known as Karnavars, and junior members as Anandravans.
A classic Nalukettu tharavad would be built with four halls, each with a defined purpose, and collectively enclosing a Nadumuttam, or open-air courtyard.