Kayal Raja Muricken

Murikkummoottil Thommen Joseph (died 9 December 1972), known locally as Kayal Raja, Muricken was an Indian visionary and social worker, who transformed parts of the Vembanad Lake of Kuttanad, Kerala, in south India from a marshy backwater into the rice bowl of Kerala, giving much needed jobs to tens of thousands and produced scarce grain for the population ravaged by the restrictions and scarcity of the World War I and II. Kayal in Malayalam means lake so Kayal Raja may be translated as King of Lake. He did cultivation in a very large extent of reclaimed area and achieved such a success that he was crowned as "Krishi Rajan" (farmer king) by the then prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. He had started reclamation of Kayal (Lake) land under the orders of Sree Chithira Thirunal, the then Maharaja of Travancore. The Kayal paddy fields reclaimed by him were named Chitthira (716 acres), Rani (568 acres) and Marthandom (674 acres) as a token of gratitude to the Travancore Royal Family. Thus the total Kayal reclaimed by Murickan is approximately 1958 acres. He had spent his last days at his son's house at Trivandrum.He died on 9 December 1972 at Trivandrum Medical College. He was buried at St. Mary's Church Cemetery, Trivandrum.

Muricken was born as "Murikkummoottil Thommen Joseph ", the first word being his family name and the second his Father's name. He was born at Kavalam in Kuttanad. He had two sisters, and the burden of taking care of his family fell early on his shoulders when his father died.

He was a devout Catholic who built seven churches in his home state of Kerala. Muricken was one of the few who had the rare opportunity to have an audience with the Pope in his private chambers. This was on 6 June 1960.