Tharavath Ammalu Amma

Tharavath Ammalu Amma was a Malayalam language writer and translator born in Madras presidency, British India (present-day Kerala, India). She translated many works from Sanskrit and Tamil to Malayalam.

Ammalu Amma's 1914 novel Kamalabhai Athava Lakshmivilasathile Kolapathakam (Kamalabhai or the murder at Lakshmivilasam) was the first detective novel written by a woman in Malayalam. She was the only writer who was refused the "Sahitya Sakhi", the highest literary award in the then Kingdom of Cochin.

Biography Ammalu Amma was born on 26 April 1873, in the Tharavath family of present-day Palakkad district, Kerala to Tharavath Kumminiamma and Chinchamveetil Shankaran Nair who was a tehsildar. Tharavath Ammalu Amma's ancestors came from Malabar to Palakkad Parali during Tipu Sultan's invasion. She had one brother, doctor T. M. Nair. After that she started learning mathematics and later Tamil language from his father. Other original works are Chandrika, Balabodhini, Krishna Bhakti, Komalavalli (2 volume), Bhakthamalayile cheukathakal (short stories of Bhakthamala) etc.