K.P. Padhmanabha Menon

K. P. Padhmanabha Menon, MRAS (1857-1919) was an Indian historian and lawyer.

In 1885, in order to care for his mother during her advanced years, Menon settled in Ernakulam, where he began legal practice before the Appeal Court of the Cochin State. In 1899, he moved to Travancore. He was thereafter nominated by the Government of Travancore as a non-official member of the Legislative Council. Subsequently, Menon was elected by the public as a member of the Marumakkathayam Committee, which was constituted to reform the laws and customary practices of the Nayar community. He later served on a committee appointed by the Government of Cochin, whose report ultimately led to the enactment of the Nayar Regulation. Menon also wrote History of Cochin (Kochirajya Charitram), a history of the Kingdom of Cochin, in two volumes, published in 1912 and 1914 respectively. K. P. Padmanabha Menon introduced the method of social history and is regarded as the first modern historian of Kerala.