What is "vallikappen"

Vallikappen is an honorific title conferred on members of the prominent land-owning "Valiaveettil" family of Aruvithura (present-day Erattupetta) in Kerala, India, by the Rajas of Poonjar . The title comes from " Valli" (the name of a Hindu goddess) and "kapath" (meaning "to protect" in Tamil). It therefore means the "Protector of Valli". As a title, the name is not very old. It is likely to have been conferred in the late 18th or early 19th centuries, as no earlier records have been found.