163-870: The Kingdom of Tanur (also Vettathunadu , Vettom , Tanur Swaroopam , and Prakashabhu , and sometimes called the Kingdom of Light ) was one of the numerous feudal principalities on the Malabar Coast of the Indian subcontinent during the Middle Ages . It was ruled by a Hindu dynasty, claiming kshatriya status, known as the Tanur dynasty. The kingdom comprised parts of the coastal Taluks of Tirurangadi , Tirur , and Ponnani taluks in present-day Malappuram district and included places such as Tanur , Tirur (Trikkandiyur) and Chaliyam . The coastal villages of Kadalundi and Chaliyam in
326-597: A Calicut column, led by the Zamorin himself, had been assembled in a hurry to try to save Cranganore from the Portuguese, but that he managed to block its passage at Tanur . Lopo Soares immediately dispatches Pêro Rafael with a caravel and a sizeable Portuguese armed force to assist Tanur. The Zamorin's column is defeated and dispersed soon after its arrival. The Raid on Cranganore and the Defection of Tanur were serious setbacks to
489-595: A Christian…” However, the allegiance of the Muslim merchants in the region still resided with the Zamorin of Calicut. It was a brave Tānūr merchant who sailed his 8 ships and 40 boats before the eyes of the Portuguese viceroy Duarte de Menezes from Calicut to the Red Sea in 1523. At that time, the Portuguese were very weak in the region to react. The Portuguese viceroy Vasco da Gama died in December 1524. Soon after, some 100 ships, with
652-546: A festive mood led by Jesuit padre named António Gomes. António Gomes was a Catholic missionary arrived from Goa in October 1548. The offer was to make him the king of Kērala by defeating the Zamorin. The poor king believed them. At the time, the choice to convert Vettathuraja whose tiny realm was jammed between Samoothiri to the north, mostly hostile to Portuguese, and the fortress of Chaliyam guarded by Portuguese Captain Diego de Pereira and
815-755: A fixed annual tribute to the British. Malabar and South Kanara districts were part of British India's Madras Presidency . Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja (Kerul Varma Pyche Rajah, Cotiote Rajah) (1753–1805) was the Prince Regent and the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Kottayam in Malabar, India between 1774 and 1805. He led the Pychy Rebellion (Wynaad Insurrection, Coiote War) against the English East India Company. He
978-471: A general name for Kerala . In earlier times, the term Malabar had also been used to denote Tulu Nadu and Kanyakumari which lie contiguous to Kerala on the southwestern coast of India, in addition to the modern state of Kerala. The people of Malabar were known as Malabars . From the time of Cosmas Indicopleustes (6th century CE) itself, the Roman sailors used to call Kerala as Male . The first element of
1141-505: A handful of soldiers appeared both practical and providential. Jesuit records says that Vettathuraja himself begged to be converted and asked for a Christian priest to reside in Tanur . After the conversion, he was called Dom João. Vettathuraja was not permitted in Goa. After various spectacular or secret negotiations, confinements and escapes, Vettathuraja did finally visit Goa in October 1549. He received
1304-578: A joint expedition to Ophir by King Solomon and the Tyrian king Hiram I from Ezion-Geber , a port on the Red Sea , that brought back large amounts of gold, precious stones and ' algum wood ' and of a later failed expedition by king Jehoshaphat of Judah . The famous 'gold of Ophir' is referenced in several other books of the Hebrew Bible. The legend of Cheraman Perumals is the medieval tradition associated with
1467-421: A new mosque. And Zamorin gave Kottaparamba and surrounding areas, as earlier decided, to the king of Parappanād (aka king of Chalium), his ally in the siege. Antonio Fernandes de Chalium (Chale) held an important command under Portuguese generals, and was raised to the dignity of a Knight of the military Order of Christ . He was a convert from Chalium (Chale). Killed in action in 1571, Antonio Fernandes received
1630-433: A number of important mathematical concepts, including series expansion for trigonometric functions. The name "Tanur Swaroopam (Tanni-ur Swaroopam)" is derived from three Malayalam language words. "Tanni" refers to the tree bastard myrobalan , "Ur" refers to the "Village" and "Swaroopam" to "Kingdom". The kingdom was called in literary works Prakasa Bhu ( The Kingdom of Light ) and its ruler Prakasa Bhu Palan . The king
1793-449: A promise of secret support against the Zamorin. Barbosa (1516) describes: “Further on … are two places of Moors (Mappilas) 5 leagues from one another. One is called Paravanor, and the other Tanor, and inland from these towns is a lord (Vettathuraja) to whom they belong; and he (Vettathuraja) has many Nairs, and sometimes he rebels against the King of Calicut (Samoothiri). In these towns, there
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#17328545946591956-400: A protracted fight, was compelled to surrender some of his lands near Ponnāni and Chāliyam island. But Portuguese fort could not be destroyed. The Zamorin now had his absolute control over the area around the fort. Only by 1540, the Zamorin entered into an agreement with the Portuguese and stopped the war. But the skirmishes continued in the seas by Moplah navigators based at Ponnāni. From 1545,
2119-591: A short-lived supremacy over southern India. After his death, in the absence of strong central power, the state was fractured into about thirty small warring principalities under Nair Chieftains; the most powerful of them were the kingdom of Samuthiri in the north, Venad in the south and Kochi in the middle. The port at Kozhikode held the superior economic and political position in Kerala, while Kollam (Quilon), Kochi , and Kannur (Cannanore) were commercially confined to secondary roles. Adi Shankara (CE 789), one of
2282-582: A squadron of twenty-two vessels. The Samoothiri soon repented of having allowed this fort to be built in his dominions, and used ineffectual endeavours to induce the Parappanatturaja, Caramanlii (King of Beypore ?) (Some records say that Vettathuraja was also with them) to break with the Portuguese, even going to war against them. But within seven years, in 1538, the Zamorin attacked Vettattnād and Chāliyam ( Parappanad ). The king of Parappanād made an unconditional peace with Zamorin. The king of Vettam, after
2445-505: A state funeral at Goa. The Portuguese sailors burned Chāliyam town in 1572 as revenge. By the 17th century, the Portuguese authority on the Malabar Coast significantly reduced with the emergence of the Dutch. Soon the small principalities in the region became puppets in the hands of the two colonial powers and fought each other. In 1658 the crown of Cochin became vacant and five princes from
2608-399: A sumptuous and ostentatious reception. He was paraded in procession through Goa, accompanied by various musical instruments such as trombetas, kettledrums and shawms, artillery discharges, from church bells, Vettathuraja was dressed up by the Portuguese as they felt fitting for the king. That is, as a Portuguese fidalgo, "in honourable and rich clothes, with a very rich sword fastened [around
2771-605: A variety of commodities, especially spices and cotton fabrics . Arabs and Phoenicians were the first to enter Malabar Coast to trade Spices . The Arabs on the coasts of Yemen , Oman , and the Persian Gulf , must have made the first long voyage to Kerala and other eastern countries . They must have brought the Cinnamon of Kerala to the Middle East . The Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BCE) records that in his time
2934-496: Is assumed that the first recorded version of this legend is an Arabic manuscript of anonymous authorship known as Qissat Shakarwati Farmad . The 16th century Arabic work Tuhfat Ul Mujahideen authored by Zainuddin Makhdoom II of Ponnani , as well as the medieval Malayalam work Keralolpathi , also mention about the departure of last Cheraman Perumal of Kerala into Mecca . A substantial portion of Kerala including
3097-739: Is believed to be the organiser of the Dashanami monastic order and the founder of the Shanmata tradition of worship. His works in Sanskrit concern themselves with establishing the doctrine of advaita ( nondualism ). He also established the importance of monastic life as sanctioned in the Upanishads and Brahma Sutra, in a time when the Mimamsa school established strict ritualism and ridiculed monasticism. Shankara represented his works as elaborating on ideas found in
3260-527: Is considered as the father of modern Malayalam literature , was born at Tirur ( Vettathunadu ) during Portuguese period. The medieval Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics that flourished between the 14th and 16th centuries, was also primarily based in Vettathunadu ( Tirur region ) The St. Angelo Fort at Kannur was built by the Portuguese in 1505, which was later captured by Dutch and Arakkal kingdom . The Portuguese Cemetery, Kollam (after
3423-446: Is generally considered near the ancient port city of Muziris in Kerala. However, Karur in modern Tamil Nadu is also pointed out as the location of the capital city of Cheras. Another view suggests the reign of Cheras from multiple capitals. The Chera kingdom consisted of a major part of modern Kerala and Kongunadu which comprises western districts of modern Tamil Nadu like Coimbatore and Salem . The region around Coimbatore
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#17328545946593586-403: Is much shipping and trade, for these Moors is great merchants” Correa (1521) was very interested in the Kingdom, as he says: ”…and the lord of Tanor (Vettathuraja), who carried on a great sea-trade with many ships, which trafficked all about the coast of India with passes from our (Portuguese) Governors, for he only dealt in wares of the country; and thus he was the greatest possible friend of
3749-582: Is noticed in the literature or other things in his lifetime in Kerala. Even though Sankara was against all caste systems, in later years his name was used extensively by the Brahmins of Kerala for establishing caste system in Kerala. Historical records regarding the origin of the Samoothiri of Kozhikode is obscure. However, its generally agreed that the Samoothiri were originally the Nair chieftains of Eralnadu region of
3912-517: Is popularly known as Kerala Simham (Lion of Kerala). The municipalities of Kozhikode , Palakkad , Fort Kochi , Kannur , and Thalassery , were founded on 1 November 1866 of the British Indian Empire , making them the first modern municipalities in the state of Kerala. Pariyapuram Pariyapuram is a village in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala , India. The village
4075-546: Is reminiscent of the word Malanad which means the land of hills . According to William Logan , the word Malabar comes from a combination of the Dravidian word Mala (hill) and the Persian / Arabic word Barr (country/continent). Perhaps the most famous festival of Kerala, Onam , is deeply rooted in Kerala traditions. Onam is associated with the legendary king Mahabali (Maveli), who according to tradition and Puranas, ruled
4238-461: Is that, the major purpose of this conquest was not the expansion of land, but for capturing strategical ports and acquiring fertile paddy fields of the Bharathappuzha river valley. Even as the royal houses of Parappanad , Valluvanad , and Vettathunad, rapidly achieve commercial prosperity as a result of geographical access to maritime commerce, Eranad literally suffocates from being cut off from
4401-628: The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea , a region known as Limyrike began at Naura and Tyndis . However the Ptolemy mentions only Tyndis as the Limyrike ' s starting point. The region probably ended at Kanyakumari ; it thus roughly corresponds to the present-day Malabar Coast . The value of Rome's annual trade with the region was estimated at around 50,000,000 sesterces . He also mentions that
4564-522: The Upanishads , and he wrote copious commentaries on the Vedic canon ( Brahma Sutra , principal upanishads and Bhagavad Gita ) in support of his thesis. The main opponent in his work is the Mimamsa school of thought, though he also offers arguments against the views of some other schools like Samkhya and certain schools of Buddhism . His activities in Kerala was little and no evidence of his influence
4727-580: The Arabian Sea with all major Mediterranean and Red Sea ports as well those of Eastern Africa and the Far East . The dominion of Cheras was located in one of the key routes of the ancient Indian Ocean trade . The early Cheras collapsed after repeated attacks from the neighboring Cholas and Rashtrakutas . In the 8th century, Adi Shankara was born in Kalady in central Kerala. He travelled extensively across
4890-539: The Ay Kingdom . The Ays were the earliest ruling dynasty in southern Kerala, who, at their zenith, ruled over a region from Nagercoil in the south to Thiruvananthapuram in the north. Their capital was at Kollam . A series of attacks by the Pandyas between the 7th and 8th centuries caused the decline of Ays although the dynasty remained powerful until the beginning of the 10th century. When Ay power diminished, Venad became
5053-603: The Battle of Purakkad in 1763. In 1757, to check the invasion of the Zamorin, the Palakkad Raja sought the help of Hyder Ali of Mysore. In 1766, Haider Ali of Mysore defeated the Samoothiri of Kozhikode and absorbed Kozhikode to his state. The arrival of British on Malabar Coast can be traced back to the year 1615, when a group under the leadership of Captain William Keeling arrived at Kozhikode , using three ships. It
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5216-536: The Bunt community of Tulu Nadu was called Kola Bari and the Kolathiri Raja of Kolathunadu was a descendant of this clan. The kingdom of Kolathunadu , who were the descendants of Mushika dynasty , at the peak of its power reportedly extended from Netravati River ( Mangalore ) in the north to Korapuzha ( Kozhikode ) in the south with Arabian Sea on the west and Kodagu hills on the eastern boundary, also including
5379-571: The Cheraman Perumal (literally the Chera kings ) of Kerala. The Cheraman Perumals mentioned in the legend can be identified with the Chera Perumal rulers of medieval Kerala ( c. 8th –12th century CE). The validity of the legend as a source of history once generated much debate among South Indian historians. The legend was used by Kerala chiefdoms for the legitimation of their rule (most of
5542-817: The Chinese , the Arabs , the Persians , various groups from Eastern Africa, various kingdoms from Southeast Asia including the Malacca Sultanate , and later on, the Europeans . In the 14th century, the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics was founded by Madhava of Sangamagrama in Tirur . Some of the contributions of the school included the discovery of the infinite series and taylor series of some trigonometry functions. In 1498, with
5705-625: The Cholas and Pandyas the Cheras formed the Tamil triumvirate of the mūvēntar ( Three Crowned Kings ). The Cheras ruled the western Malabar Coast , the Cholas ruled in the eastern Coromandel Coast and the Pandyas in the south-central peninsula. The Cheras were mentioned as Ketalaputo (Keralaputra) on an inscribed edict of emperor Ashoka of the Magadha Empire in the 3rd century BCE, as Cerobothra by
5868-480: The Dutch East India Company was given facilities for trade at Kozhikode and Ponnani , including spacious storehouses. The weakened Portuguese were ousted by the Dutch East India Company , who took advantage of continuing conflicts between Kozhikode and Kochi to gain control of the trade. In 1664, the municipality of Fort Kochi was established by Dutch Malabar , making it the first municipality in
6031-723: The Edakkal Caves in Wayanad are thought to date from the early to late Neolithic eras around 5000 BCE. Historian M. R. Raghava Varier of the Kerala state archaeology department identified a sign of "a man with jar cup" in the engravings, which is the most distinct motif of the Indus valley civilisation. Kerala's dominant rulers of the early historic period were the Cheras , a Tamil dynasty with its headquarters located in Vanchi . The location of Vanchi
6194-474: The Edakkal Caves , in Wayanad date back to the Neolithic era around 6000 BCE. These findings have been classified into Laterite rock-cut caves ( Chenkallara ), Hood stones ( Kudakkallu ), Hat stones ( Toppikallu ), Dolmenoid cists ( Kalvrtham ), Urn burials ( Nannangadi ) and Menhirs ( Pulachikallu ). The studies point to the indigenous development of the ancient Kerala society and its culture beginning from
6357-516: The Indian subcontinent founding institutions of the widely influential philosophy of Advaita Vedanta . The Cheras regained control over Kerala in the 9th century until the kingdom was dissolved in the 12th century, after which small autonomous chiefdoms, most notably the Kingdom of Kozhikode , arose. The ports of Kozhikode and Kochi acted as major gateways to the western coast of medieval South India for several foreign entities. These entities included
6520-511: The Indian subcontinent where traders from different parts of the world could be seen. The king Deva Raya II (1424–1446) of the Vijayanagara Empire tried to conquer the present-day state of Kerala in the 15th century but was not able to logistically do so. He however accepted the rule of the Zamorin of Kozhikode , as well as the ruler of Kollam around 1443. Fernão Nunes says that
6683-464: The Indian subcontinent , which got dissolved when the Dutch authority got weaker in the 18th century. The Dutch Malabar (1661–1795) in turn were weakened by their constant battles with Marthanda Varma of the Travancore Royal Family , and were defeated at the Battle of Colachel in 1741, resulting in the complete eclipse of Dutch power in Malabar. The Treaty of Mavelikkara was signed by
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6846-526: The Keraladeshpuram Temple at Tanur. Subsequently, a Vettom king fell in offers of the Portuguese and converted to Christianity in 1549. This king allowed the construction of the strategic fortress at Chaliyam. Afterward, part of the Chovvaram ( Sukapuram ) village in the old 64 villages of Nambudiris , the queen of Cochin adopted some Vettom princes in the 17th century, which led to tensions along
7009-582: The Kingdom of Cochin were peacefully annexed into India without much hassle. The state of Kerala was created in 1956 from the former state of Travancore-Cochin , the Malabar district and the Kasaragod taluk of South Canara District of Madras state . The state is called Keralam in Malayalam, due to its grammatical addition of Anusvara . The term Malabar has historically been used in foreign trade circles as
7172-657: The Paleolithic age, and its continuity through Mesolithic, Neolithic and Megalithic ages. However, foreign cultural contacts have assisted this cultural formation. The studies suggest possible relationship with Indus Valley civilization during the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age . Archaeological findings include dolmens of the Neolithic era in the Marayur area. They are locally known as "muniyara", derived from muni ( hermit or sage ) and ara (dolmen). Rock engravings in
7335-509: The Red Sea ports of Egypt purely depending on the South west monsoon winds. Later, the unknown author of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea notes that "both Muziris and Nelcynda are now busy places". There were harbours of Naura near Kannur , Tyndis near Kozhikode , and Barace near Alappuzha , which were also trading with Rome and Palakkad pass (churam) facilitated migration and trade. Tyndis
7498-477: The Sangam period . According to the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea , a region known as Limyrike began at Naura and Tyndis . However, Ptolemy mentions only Tyndis as the Limyrike ' s starting point. The region probably ended at Kanyakumari ; it thus roughly corresponds to the present-day Malabar Coast . The value of Rome's annual trade with the region was estimated at around 50,000,000 sesterces . Pliny
7661-428: The Sangam works . Ezhimala kingdom was succeeded by Mushika dynasty in the early medieval period, most possibly due to the migration of Tuluva Brahmins from Tulu Nadu . The Mushika-vamsha Mahakavya , written by Athula in the 11th century, throws light on the recorded past of the Mushika Royal Family up until that point. The Indian anthropologist Ayinapalli Aiyappan states that a powerful and warlike clan of
7824-491: The Tanur forces under the king fought for the Zamorin of Calicut in the Battle of Cochin (1504) . However, the allegiance of the Mappila merchants in Tanur region still stayed under the Zamorin of Calicut . The Portuguese took advantage of the rivalry between the Samoothiri and Rajah of Kochi – they allied with Kochi and when Francisco de Almeida was appointed Viceroy of Portuguese India in 1505, he established his headquarters at Kochi. During his reign,
7987-432: The Vettathu Sambradayam . The famous poets Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan , who is also known as The Father of Modern Malayalam , and Vallathol Narayana Menon , who is also the founder of Kerala Kalamandalam , were born in Vettathunad. The Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics flourished between the 14th and 16th centuries. In attempting to solve astronomical problems, the Kerala school independently developed
8150-448: The Zamorins of Kozhikode , who were left out in cold during allocation of the land, was granted the Cheraman Perumal's sword (with the permission to "die, and kill, and seize"). According to the Cheraman Juma Mosque and some other narratives, "Once a Cheraman Perumal probably named Ravi Varma was walking with his queen in the palace, when he witnessed the Splitting of the Moon . Shocked by this, he asked his astronomers to note down
8313-422: The cession . The smaller princely states in northern and north-central parts of Kerala ( Malabar region ) including Kolathunadu , Kottayam , Kadathanadu , Kozhikode , Tanur , Valluvanad , and Palakkad were unified under the rulers of Mysore and were made a part of the larger Kingdom of Mysore in the latter half of the 18th century CE. Hyder Ali and his successor, Tipu Sultan , came into conflict with
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#17328545946598476-411: The 14th century. Among its members were Parameshvara , Neelakanta Somayaji , Jyeshtadeva , Achyuta Pisharati , Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri and Achyuta Panikkar . Some of the contributions of the school included the discovery of the infinite series and taylor series of some trigonometry functions. The school flourished between the 14th and 16th centuries. The maritime spice trade monopoly in
8639-417: The 20 or 30 mosques built to cater to the religious needs of the Muslims, the unique system of calculation by the merchants using their fingers and toes (followed to this day), and the matrilineal system of succession. Abdur Razzak (1442–43), Niccolò de' Conti (1445), Afanasy Nikitin (1468–74), Ludovico di Varthema (1503–1508), and Duarte Barbosa witnessed the city as one of the major trading centres in
8802-400: The 6th to the 8th century is obscure. From the Kodungallur line of the Cheras rose the Kulasekhara dynasty , which was established by Kulasekhara Varman . At its zenith these Later Cheras ruled over a territory comprising the whole of modern Kerala and a smaller part of modern Tamil Nadu. During the early part of Kulasekhara period, the southern region from Nagercoil to Thiruvananthapuram
8965-908: The British occupation in Malabār. Since there is no heir to the throne, the British took over the rule again and soon absorbed Tanur to the newly formed Malabar District . The temple of the Tanur royal family was transferred to the Zamorin of Calicut in 1842. List of feudal states of Kerala Maritime contacts Sangam period Tamilakam Cheras Spice trade Ays Ezhil Malai Confluence of religions Mamankam festival Calicut Venad - Kingdom of Quilon Valluvanad Kolattunadu Cochin Arakkal kingdom Minor principalities Age of Discovery Portuguese period Dutch period Rise of Travancore Mysorean invasion British Period Battle of Tirurangadi Malabar District North Malabar South Malabar Battle of Quilon Communism in Kerala Lakshadweep Economy Architecture The term Kerala
9128-516: The British, leading to the four Anglo-Mysore wars fought across southern India. Tipu Sultan ceded Malabar District to the British in 1792 as a result of the Third Anglo-Mysore War and the subsequent Treaty of Seringapatam , and South Kanara , which included present-day Kasargod District , in 1799. The British concluded treaties of subsidiary alliance with the rulers of Cochin (1791) and Travancore (1795), and these became princely states of British India , maintaining local autonomy in return for
9291-547: The British. The British crown gained control over Northern Kerala through the creation of the Malabar District . The British also allied with the princely states of Travancore and Cochin in the southern part of the state. When India declared independence in 1947, Travancore originally sought to establish itself as a fully sovereign nation. However, an agreement was made by the then King of Travancore Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma to have Travancore join India, albeit after many rounds of negotiation. The Malabar District and
9454-418: The Dutch and Travancore in 1753, according to which the Dutch were compelled to detach from all political involvements in the region. In the meantime, Marthanda Varma annexed many smaller northern kingdoms through military conquests, resulting in the rise of Travancore to a position of pre-eminence in Kerala. Travancore became the most dominant state in Kerala by defeating the powerful Zamorin of Kozhikode in
9617-448: The Dutch attacked Cochin Port again and the prince surrendered to the Dutch. Vīra Kērala Varma (1663–1687) later crowned as the king of Cochin by the Dutch. With the eclipse of the Portuguese influence in Malabar, Kingdom of Tanur reduced into the status of one of the numerous petty states in the region. In the 18th century, Kingdom of Mysore expanded their territory to the Malabar Coast and Tanur royal family lost many of its members during
9780-411: The Dutch governor, Joan Maetsuycker , against the Portuguese-supported ruling princes. Later he sought exile in Colombo. The Dutch now found a huge chance of getting a major say in the politics of Malabar. In 1661, the Dutch led the allies of the dispossessed prince, with the armies of Zamorin of Calicut, against the Portuguese and the ruling Cochin king (Tānūr adoptee). The city of Cochin was attacked and
9943-404: The Dutch were defeated by Travancore king Marthanda Varma . After this humiliating defeat, Dutch military commanders were taken hostage by Marthanda Varma, and they were forced to train the Travancore military with modern European weaponry. This resulted in Travancore being able to defend itself from further European aggression. By the late 18th century, most of the influence in Kerala came from
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#173285459465910106-465: The Earth and several other planetary systems from Kerala. His entire kingdom was then a land of immense prosperity and happiness. However, Mahabali was tricked into giving up his rule, and was thus overthrown by Vamana (Thrikkakkarayappan), the fifth Avatar (earthly incarnation) of Lord Vishnu . He was banished from the Earth to rule over one of the netherworld ( Patala ) planets called Sutala by Vamana. Mahabali comes back to visit Kerala every year on
10269-485: The Elder mentioned that Limyrike was prone to attacks by pirates. Cosmas Indicopleustes mentioned that the Limyrike was a source of peppers. The history of Vettathunad before the arrival of the Portuguese Armadas is largely obscure. The origin of the dynasty is often dated back to the Chera times in legendary traditions. The Chera Kingdom disintegrated in the early 12th century. Most of their lands were taken over by newly arrived Namboothris and Nair. Who defeated
10432-422: The Eralpads, controlled the banks of river Nila as a governor after the occupation of the territory once belonged to Vettattnad and other principalities. In the following Thirunavaya Wars between the Cochin-Valluvanad alliance and Calicut, the rulers of Vettattnad supported the Zamorin. As the Thirunavaya was captured after the war, Zamorin proclaimed himself as Protector and took over sole right of conducting
10595-411: The Franks was wrecked off Tanoor. Now the Ray of that place affording aid to the crew, the Zamorin sent a messenger to him demanding of him the surrender of the Franks who composed it, together with such parts of the cargo of the ship as had been saved, but that chieftain having refused compliance with this demand, a treaty of peace was entered into with the Franks by him; and from this time the subjects of
10758-452: The Greek Periplus of the Erythraean Sea and as Celebothras in the Roman encyclopedia Natural History by Pliny the Elder. The Mushika kingdom existed in northern Kerala, while the Ays ruled south of the Chera kingdom. The region of Kerala was possibly engaged in trading activities from the 3rd millennium BCE with Arabs , Sumerians and Babylonians . Phoenicians , Greeks , Egyptians , Romans , and Chinese were attracted by
10921-424: The Haidari Fakeers of Rome do... The greater part of the Muslim merchants of this place are so wealthy that one of them can purchase the whole freightage of such vessels put here and fit-out others like them". Ma Huan (1403 AD), the Chinese sailor part of the Imperial Chinese fleet under Cheng Ho ( Zheng He ) states the city as a great emporium of trade frequented by merchants from around the world. He makes note of
11084-546: The Hebrew word for parrot Thukki , derived from the Classical Tamil for peacock Thogkai and Cingalese Tokei , joins other Classical Tamil words for ivory, cotton-cloth and apes preserved in the Hebrew Bible. This theory of Ophir's location in Tamilakam is further supported by other historians. The most likely location on the coast of Kerala conjectured to be Ophir is Poovar in Thiruvananthapuram District (though some Indian scholars also suggest Beypore as possible location). The Books of Kings and Chronicles tell of
11247-406: The Indian Ocean stayed with the Arabs during the High and Late Middle Ages . However, the dominance of Middle East traders was challenged in the European Age of Discovery . After Vasco Da Gama 's arrival in Kappad Kozhikode in 1498, the Portuguese began to dominate eastern shipping, and the spice-trade in particular. Following the discovery of sea route from Europe to Malabar in 1498,
11410-514: The Kingdom of Cochin. However, the Tanur forces under the king fought for the Zamorin of Calicut in the Battle of Cochin (1504) After the Raid on Cranganore , in October 1504, Lopo Soares de Albergaria of the Sixth Indian Armada of the Portuguese received reports of an urgent message from the Vettathuraja. The Vettathuraja had come to loggerheads with his overlord, the Zamorin of Calicut, and offered to place him under Portuguese suzerainty instead, in return for military assistance. He reports that
11573-443: The Later Chera Kingdom and were known as the Eradis . Eralnadu ( Eranad ) province was situated in the northern parts of present-day Malappuram district and was landlocked by the Valluvanad and Polanadu in the west. Legends such as Keralolpathi tell the establishment of a local ruling family at Nediyiruppu , near present-day Kondotty by two young brothers belonging to the Eradi clan . The brothers, Manikkan and Vikraman were
11736-553: The Malabar Coast. The Tanur royal family became extinct upon the death of the last king on 24 May 1793. Subsequently, the kingdom passed to the English East India Company and the temple of the royal family was transferred to the Zamorin of Calicut in 1842. The Vettathunad rulers were famous patrons of arts and learning. A Vettathunad ruler is said to have introduced innovations in Kathakali which have come to be known as
11899-525: The Muslim communities in Kerala. Some historians assume that the Mappilas can be considered as the first native, settled Muslim community in South Asia . The inhibitions, caused by a series of Chera-Chola wars in the 11th century, resulted in the decline of foreign trade in Kerala ports. In addition, Portuguese invasions in the 15th century caused two major religions, Buddhism and Jainism , to disappear from
12062-606: The Poonul, as well as other Hindu customs. The unanimous opinion of the ecclesiastics in Goa was that such dissimulation went against the decisions of the Church Fathers. The theologians in Goa were puzzled and undecided about the question as to whether or not to permit Vettathuraja to continue wearing, the external signs of a Brahman. An urgent ad hoc Consultation headed by the Governor, Jorge Cabral , debated this issue and drafted some of
12225-532: The Portuguese began to expand their influence between Ormus and the Malabar Coast and south to Ceylon . Vasco da Gama was sent by the King of Portugal Dom Manuel I and landed at Kozhikode in 1497–1499. The Samoothiri Maharaja of Kozhikode permitted the Portuguese to trade with his subjects. Their trade in Kozhikode prospered with the establishment of a factory and fort in his territory. However, Portuguese attacks on Arab properties in his jurisdiction provoked
12388-414: The Portuguese managed to dominate relations with Kochi and established a number of fortresses along the Malabar Coast . Nonetheless, the Portuguese suffered severe setbacks due to attacks by Samoothiri Maharaja's forces, especially naval attacks under the leadership of admirals of Kozhikode known as Kunjali Marakkars , which compelled them to seek a treaty. The Kunjali Marakkars are credited with organizing
12551-537: The Portuguese viceroy (the governor-general) Nuno da Cunha . Being perplexed by the great losses the Samoothiri was continually sustaining through the Portuguese superiority at sea, so he made overtures towards an accommodation and under Nuno da Cunha the Portuguese were retaining their lost supremacy. Chalium was controlled by the Parappanad raja (aka king of Chalium) called Urinama . Like the Vettathuraja he also helped
12714-405: The Portuguese, and those who went to his dwelling were entertained with the greatest honour, as if they had been his brothers. In fact, for this purpose he kept houses fitted up, and both cots and bed-steads furnished in our fashion, with tables and chairs and casks of wine, with which he regaled our people, giving them entertainments and banquets, insomuch that it seemed as if he were going to become
12877-416: The Portuguese. On 21 February 1550, Cabral wrote to the king of Portugal Dom João III doubting that Vettathuraja converted sincerely, "Jesuits who had so much confidence in conversion of Vettathuraja confess that they were deceived, but by caution, I have to dissemble with him" . In addition, he cautioned that "the conversion to Christianity might produce "discord" between the Samoothiri and Kochi and endanger
13040-435: The Portuguese. Parappanaduraja and Vettathuraja were anxious to throw off their subjection to the Samoothiri and to enter into alliance with the Portuguese, in hopes of becoming rich by participating in their trade. Immediately upon procuring the consent of the Zamorin to construct the fort, Nuno da Cunha set out from Goa with 150 sail of vessels, in which were 3000 Portuguese troops and 1000 native Lascarines. So much diligence
13203-537: The Ray of Tanoor traded under the protection of the passes of the Franks." Then, Nuno da Cunha 's envoys entered into a successful intrigue with the king of Vettam (the same king to be converted to Christianity later) to make a fort near Ponnāni River ( Bharathappuzha ), in the opposite bank (north) of Ponnāni town. However, the Portuguese were not successful as the ships bringing building materials were destroyed when trying to cross
13366-515: The Samoothiri and finally led to conflict. The ruler of the Kingdom of Tanur , who was a vassal to the Zamorin of Calicut , sided with the Portuguese, against his overlord at Kozhikode . As a result, the Kingdom of Tanur ( Vettathunadu ) became one of the earliest Portuguese Colonies in India. The ruler of Tanur also sided with Cochin . Many of the members of the royal family of Cochin in 16th and 17th centuries were selected from Vettom . However,
13529-430: The Tamil governors and vassals proclaimed independence during this period of extreme instability. The ruler of Vettam was one of the earliest Nair chieftain in Malabar to acknowledge the suzerainty of the Zamorin of Calicut over them. The neighbouring states of Parappanad and Beypore also became vassals of Calicut one by one. Calicut annexed these regions probably in between 1340 and 1350 AD. The very significant fact
13692-474: The Tānūr and Aroor dynasties were adopted to the palace by the regent of Cochin, Queen Gangādhara Lakshmi (1656–1658), and were given the right to succeed. This regent queen was under the influence of the Portuguese, and later the eldest member of the adoptees from Tanur , Rama Varma (1658–1662), was crowned. This incidence of adoption is mentioned in some of the local folk tales. However, Henric Vanrid has stated that
13855-428: The Vettathuraja banked on the Portuguese to help him solidify his position vis-à-vis the Samoothiri. In his experience in dealing with the Portuguese, he presumed that converting to Christianity was the way to express his political alliance and client relationship. Vettathuraja announced to the Portuguese religious specialists that his conversion had to remain secret in order not to lose his honour or his Caste. In fact, it
14018-462: The Zamorin had to pay tribute to the king of Vijayanagara Empire. As the Vijayanagara power diminished over the next fifty years, the Zamorin of Kozhikode again rose to prominence in Kerala. He built a fort at Ponnani in 1498. Venad was a kingdom in the south west tip of Kerala, which acted as a buffer between Cheras and Pandyas. Until the end of the 11th century, it was a small principality in
14181-472: The Zamorin, pushing the frontline north and effectively placing the Vembanad lagoon out of the Zamorin's reach. Any hopes the Zamorin had of quickly resuming his attempts to capture Cochin via the backwaters are effectively dashed. No less importantly, the battles at Cranganore and Tanur, which involved significant numbers of Malabari captains and troops, clearly demonstrated that the Zamorin was no longer feared in
14344-562: The access to the Arabian Sea . And the land north of the Nila river valley was not so fertile in paddy production. The Zamorin himself prepared and attended a post-occupation coronation function of the Vettathunad king. No other feudatory under Zamorins was seen conducting such a function. This may be viewed as the Zamorin's strategy to establish his supremacy on the ports, the Nila river system, and its valley. The second in line successors of Zamorin,
14507-445: The appointment of the new Portuguese Viceroy, Dom Affonso de Noronha, the conflict remained unsettled and the amuck runners of the deceased King of Vadakkumkur wreaked havoc in the town of Kochi. Consequently, the cargo of pepper was not sent to Lisbon until the late February 1551. Roughly from April until September 1549, Gomes partly resided in Tanur, and partly travelled southwards along the Malabar Coast. He had been officially sent by
14670-474: The area in the mid 1290s. Other visitors included Faxian , the Buddhist pilgrim and Ibn Batuta , writer and historian of Tangiers . The Kolathunadu in the late medieval period emerged into independent 10 principalities i.e., Kadathanadu ( Vadakara ), Randathara or Poyanad ( Dharmadom ), Kottayam ( Thalassery ), Nileshwaram , Iruvazhinadu ( Panoor ), Kurumbranad etc., under separate royal chieftains due to
14833-423: The battle resulted in a disastrous failure of the Portuguese and Cochin rulers. Three of the Tānūr princes including Rama Varma killed in the war, Rani Gangadharalakshmi was sent to prison and the ruling king escaped to Eranākulam where he was given refuge by the king of Purakkad. After the death of Rama Varma and the other adopted prince Goda Varma (1662–1663), only survivor from Tanur, was crowned. On 7 January 1663,
14996-399: The beginning of the Dutch presence in Kerala and they concluded a treaty with Kozhikode on 11 November 1604, which was also the first treaty that the Dutch East India Company made with an Indian ruler. By this time the kingdom and the port of Kozhikode was much reduced in importance. The treaty provided for a mutual alliance between the two to expel the Portuguese from Malabar. In return
15159-568: The bishop, Juan de Albuquerque, to instruct the Vettathuraja reputed to have been secretly converted to Christianity the previous year (1548). By 1549, the situation had somewhat changed, the Vettathuraja was secretly converted by the vicar in Chaliyam, João Soares, and the Franciscan Frey Vicente de Lagos, who gave the neophyte a metal crucifix to hang onto his thread, "hidden on his chest". And while all went just fine for António Gomes who
15322-473: The chief harbour towns of Kerala. Buddhism and Jainism reached Kerala in this early period. As in other parts of ancient India , Buddhism and Jainism co-existed with early Hindu beliefs during the first five centuries. Merchants from West Asia and Southern Europe established coastal posts and settlements in Kerala. Jews arrived in Kerala as early as 573 BCE. The Cochin Jews believe that their ancestors came to
15485-636: The cinnamon spice industry was monopolized by the Egyptians and the Phoenicians. Muziris , Tyndis , Naura, Berkarai, and Nelcynda were among the principal trading port centres of the Chera kingdom. Megasthanes , the Greek ambassador to the court of Magadhan king Chandragupta Maurya (4th century BCE) mentions Muziris and a Pandyan trade centre. Pliny mentions Muziris as India's first port of importance. According to him, Muziris could be reached in 40 days from
15648-452: The city-states on the Malabar coast which had long grated under Zamorin's dominance. Cochin, Cannanore and Quilon opened their ports and invited the Portuguese sailors. Vettathuraja, who was in a partial subjection to the Calicut at the time, also saw an opportunity to break away. Moreover, he, like the kings of Beypore and Chalium ( Parappanad ), secretly opposed the policy of the Zamorin over
15811-423: The condition that no one will be harmed. The Vettam king had to escort the Portuguese in their return journey to Tanur. Then they were sent to Cochin. It was too late for the backup from Goa. The Zamorin destroyed the fort and the chapel leaving not one stone upon another which was his greatest problem ever since its construction in 1531. He sent most of the debris to Calicut and he gave that portion of land to build
15974-415: The dangerous river mouth and a storm. In 1529, being joined by six brigantines and a galley, with 100 chosen men, commanded by Christopher de Melo, the united squadron of Lope Vaz de Sampayo took a very large ship laden with pepper in the river Chale, though defended by numerous artillery and 800 men. The strategic Chaliyam – also known as Challe – was a Portuguese garrison between 1531 and 1571. Chāliyam
16137-471: The dispossessed prince Vīra Kērala Varma. The Zamorin decided to help the elder branch and Āditya Varma, king of Vadakkumkūr, king of Edappally and ruler of Pāliyam rallied around the Zamorin in support of the elder branch's dispossessed prince. The king of Purakkad supported the ruling Tānūr princes. On the advice of the chief of Pāliyam, the dispossessed prince set sail to Colombo in Ceylon and asked help from
16300-423: The empire was divided into provinces under the rule of Nair Chieftains known as Naduvazhis , with each province comprising a number of Desams under the control of chieftains, called as Desavazhis . The era witnessed also a shift in political power, as Namboothiri Brahmins gained political power. As a result, many temples were constructed across Kerala, which according to M. T. Narayanan "became cornerstones of
16463-585: The era of European influences, Travancore , was developed through the expansion of Venad by Mahahrajah Marthanda Varma , a member of the Thrippappur branch of the Ay Dynasty who ascended to the throne in the early 18th century. The ancient kingdom of Ezhimala had jurisdiction over the North Malabar which consisted of two Nadu s (regions)- The coastal Poozhinadu and the hilly eastern Karkanadu . According to
16626-478: The erstwhile Kolathunadu contains an Old Malayalam inscription written in a mixture of Vatteluttu and Grantha scripts which dates back to the 10th century CE. It is a rare surviving document recording patronage by a Hindu king (Bhaskara Ravi) to the Muslims of Kerala. The Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics was a school of mathematics and astronomy founded by Madhava of Sangamagrama in Tirur in
16789-530: The exact time of the splitting. Then, when some Arab merchants visited his palace, he asked them about this incident. Their answers led the King to Mecca , where he met the Islamic prophet Muhammad and converted to Islam . Muhammad named him Tajuddin or Thajuddin or Thiya-aj-Addan meaning "crown of faith". The king then wrote letters to his kingdom to accept Islam and follow the teachings of Malik bin Deenar ". It
16952-594: The famous Mamankam festival . During the Mamankam festivals all his feudatories including the Vettam king were used to send flags to Thirunavaya as a symbol of regard to the Zamorin. The rulers of Tanur were allies of the Portuguese in the 16th and 17th centuries. The famous Portuguese Armada led by Vasco da Gama landed in Malabar in 1498. Soon, the Zamorin of Calicut expelled the Portuguese from his capital and territories. The Portuguese quickly found local allies among some of
17115-563: The first naval defense of the Indian coast. Tuhfat Ul Mujahideen written by Zainuddin Makhdoom II (born around 1532) of Ponnani in 16th-century CE is the first-ever known book fully based on the history of Kerala, written by a Keralite. It is written in Arabic and contains pieces of information about the resistance put up by the navy of Kunjali Marakkar alongside the Zamorin of Calicut from 1498 to 1583 against Portuguese attempts to colonize Malabar coast . Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan , who
17278-495: The first typically accommodationist propositions. It was the Bishop, Juan de Albuquerque, who furnished Biblical examples on behalf of such accommodating practices. Tanur ( Tanore or Banor) town was one of the oldest Portuguese settlements in Kerala. In 1546, Saint Francis Xavier visited Tanur. In 1549 the King of Vettam fell in the offers of the Portuguese and officially converted to Christianity. The conversion took place in Goa in
17441-552: The formation of the Muslim Mappila community. In the 4th century, the Knanaya Christians migrated from Persia and settled in southern Kodungallur . Mappila was an honorific title that had been assigned to respected visitors from abroad; and Jewish, Syrian Christian, and Muslim immigration might account for later names of the respective communities: Juda Mappilas , Muslim Mappilas , and Nasrani Mappilas . According to
17604-477: The greatest Indian philosophers, is believed to be born in Kaladi in Kerala , and consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta . Shankara travelled across the Indian subcontinent to propagate his philosophy through discourses and debates with other thinkers. He is reputed to have founded four mathas ("monasteries"), which helped in the historical development, revival and spread of Advaita Vedanta. Adi Shankara
17767-572: The help of Gujarati merchants, Portuguese traveler Vasco Da Gama established a sea route to Kozhikode by sailing around the Cape of Good Hope , located in the southernmost region of Africa. His navy raised Portuguese forts and even minor settlements, which marked the beginning of European influences in India. European trading interests of the Dutch , French and the British took center stage in Kerala. In 1741,
17930-813: The invasion of Dutch , it became Dutch Cemetery ) of Tangasseri in Kollam city was constructed in around 1519 as part of the Portuguese invasion in the city. Buckingham Canal (a small canal between Tangasseri Lighthouse and the cemetery) is situated very close to the Portuguese Cemetery. A group of pirates known as the Pirates of Tangasseri formerly lived at the Cemetery. The remnants of St. Thomas Fort and Portuguese Cemetery still exist at Tangasseri. The Muslim line of Ali Rajas of Arakkal kingdom , near Kannur , who were
18093-586: The invasion of Mysore. By the treaty of Seringapatam Mysore ceded Malabar to the English East India Company . On 14 August 1792, a minister of Tanur took over the kingdom for his king from the East India Company. By the death of the Vettom king on 24 May 1793 the Tanur dynasty came to an end. That was the time when the Joint Commissioners were doing the revenue settlements of the kingdom as the beginning of
18256-601: The isolated islands of Lakshadweep in Arabian Sea. An Old Malayalam inscription ( Ramanthali inscriptions ), dated to 1075 CE, mentioning king Kunda Alupa, the ruler of Alupa dynasty of Mangalore , can be found at Ezhimala near Kannur. The Arabic inscription on a copper slab within the Madayi Mosque in Kannur records its foundation year as 1124 CE. In his book on travels ( Il Milione ), Marco Polo recounts his visit to
18419-654: The kingdom of Kolathunadu until the Carnatic conquests of the 15th century CE. According to Kerala Muslim tradition, the North Malabar region was also home to several oldest mosques in the Indian subcontinent . According to the Legend of Cheraman Perumals , the first Indian mosque was built in 624 CE at Kodungallur with the mandate of the last the ruler (the Cheraman Perumal) of Chera dynasty , who left from Dharmadom near Kannur to Mecca and converted to Islam during
18582-460: The kingdom of Kozhikode They later assumed the title of Samudrāthiri ("one who has the sea for his border") and continued to rule from Kozhikode. Samoothiri allied with Muslim Arab and Chinese merchants and used most of the wealth from Kozhikode to develop his military power. They became the most powerful king in the Malayalam speaking regions during the Middle Ages . In the 14th century, Kozhikode conquered large parts of central Kerala following
18745-465: The land. It is known that the Menons in the Malabar region of Kerala were originally strong believers of Jainism . The social system became fractured with divisions on caste lines. The Kulasekhara dynasty was finally subjugated in 1102 by the combined attack of the Pandyas and Cholas . However, in the 14th century, Ravi Varma Kulashekhara (1299–1314) of the southern Venad kingdom was able to establish
18908-403: The legends of these communities , the earliest Christian churches , mosque , and synagogue (CE 1568) in India were built in Kerala. The combined number of Jews, Muslims, and Christians was relatively small at this early stage. They co-existed harmoniously with each other and with local Hindu society, aided by the commercial benefit from such association. Much of history of the region from
19071-502: The lifetime of Muhammad (c. 570–632). According to Qissat Shakarwati Farmad , the Masjids at Kodungallur , Kollam , Madayi , Barkur , Mangalore , Kasaragod , Kannur, Dharmadam , Panthalayani , and Chaliyam , were built during the era of Malik Dinar , and they are among the oldest Masjid s in the Indian subcontinent . It is believed that Malik Dinar died at Thalangara in Kasaragod town. The Koyilandy Jumu'ah Mosque in
19234-658: The major chiefly houses in medieval Kerala traced its origin back to the legendary allocation by the Perumal). According to the legend, Rayar , the overlord of the Cheraman Perumal in a country east of the Ghats , invaded Kerala during the rule of the last Perumal. To drive back the invading forces the Perumal summoned the militia of his chieftains (like Udaya Varman Kolathiri , Manichchan , and Vikkiran of Eranad ). The Cheraman Perumal
19397-477: The most trusted generals in the army of the Cheras . M.G.S. Narayanan , an Indian historian, in his book, Calicut: The City of Truth states that the Eradi was a favourite of the last Later Chera king and granted him, as a mark of favor, a small tract of land on the sea-coast in addition to his hereditary possessions (Eralnadu province). Eradis subsequently moved their capital to the coastal marshy lands and established
19560-593: The name, however, is attested already in the Topography written by Cosmas Indicopleustes . This mentions a pepper emporium called Male , which clearly gave its name to Malabar ('the country of Male'). The name Male is thought to come from the Dravidian word Mala ('hill'). Al-Biruni (AD 973–1048) must have been the first writer to call this state Malabar . Author such as Al-Baladhuri mention Malabar ports in their works. The Arab writers had called this place Malibar , Manibar , Mulibar , and Munibar . Malabar
19723-399: The northern side of Muziris , as mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea , was somewhere around Tanur . Its exact location is a matter of dispute. The suggested locations are Ponnani , Tanur , Beypore - Chaliyam - Kadalundi - Vallikkunnu , and Koyilandy . Note that Ponnani was the southern end of the kingdom of Tanur, while Beypore - Chaliyam - Kadalundi - Vallikkunnu region
19886-448: The number of adoptions as four. Two of the five adopted were from Tanur, but there is no hint of how many people were adopted from Aroor and what happened to them later. Nonetheless, nine of them survived to be kings. However, an elder branch (mūtta tāvazhi) of the Cochin dynasty itself ignored the adoptions and appealed to the Zamorin of Calicut for help. The leader of the elder branch was
20049-784: The occasion of Onam. The oldest of all the Puranas, the Matsya Purana , sets the story of the Matsya Avatar (fish incarnation) of Lord Vishnu , in the Western Ghats . The earliest Sanskrit text to mention Kerala by name as Cherapadah is the Aitareya Aranyaka , a late Vedic work on philosophy. It is also mentioned in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata . There are legends dealing with
20212-444: The origins of Kerala geographically and culturally. One such legend is the retrieval of Kerala from the sea, by Parasurama, a warrior sage. It proclaims that Parasurama , an Avatar of Mahavishnu , threw His battle axe into the sea. As a result, the land of Kerala arose, and thus was reclaimed from the waters. This legend shares parallels with an earlier legend where Chera King Vel Kezhu Kuttavan , who when enraged, threw his axe into
20375-552: The outcome of internal dissensions. The Nileshwaram dynasty on the northernmost part of Kolathiri dominion, were relatives to both Kolathunadu as well as the Zamorin of Calicut , in the early medieval period. The kingdom of Kumbla in the northernmost region of the modern state of Kerala, who had jurisdiction over the Taluks of Manjeshwar and Kasaragod , and parts of Mangalore in Southern Tulu Nadu , were also vassals to
20538-524: The peak of their reign, the Zamorins of Kozhikode ruled over a region from Kollam ( Quilon ) in the south to Panthalayini Kollam ( Koyilandy ) in the north. Ibn Battuta (1342–1347), who visited the city of Kozhikode six times, gives the earliest glimpses of life in the city. He describes Kozhikode as "one of the great ports of the district of Malabar" where "merchants of all parts of the world are found". The king of this place, he says, "shaves his chin just as
20701-498: The port of Ponnani , to pay his respects to his new ally, the king of Vettom. While negotiating entry at the port, Lopo Soares received a message, and it led him to the Battle of Pandarane (Koyilandi). However, in the same year, king of Vettom invited the Portuguese to his kingdom, and small Portuguese force actually came to Vettom. But the king as not bold enough for an open defiance, and he sent his new allies back with numerous presents and
20864-593: The region was prone to pirates. Cosmas Indicopleustes mentioned that it was also a source of Malabar peppers . Contemporary Tamil literature , Puṟanāṉūṟu and Akanaṉūṟu , speak of the Roman vessels and the Roman gold that used to come to the Kerala ports in search of Malabar pepper and other spices , which had enormous demand in the West. The contact with Middle East and Romans might have given rise to small colonies of Jews , Syrian Christians and Mappila Muslims in
21027-490: The region. The Battle of Cochin had broken his authority. Cranganore and Vettathunad showed that Malabaris were no longer afraid of defying his authority and taking up arms against him. A new chapter was being opened on the Malabar Coast. On 31 December 1504, setting out from Cochin, the Sixth India Armada of the Portuguese under the command of Lopo Soares de Albergaria first headed north, intending to dock briefly at
21190-513: The regular procurement of pepper in Kerala" . In fact, the Fourth Pepper War broke out sometime before June (1550) over a disputed territory—the island of Varutela—between the King of Kochi and the king of Vadakkumkur. A series of bloody encounters ensued and the Samoothiri allied with the Vettathuraja on the side of the king of Vadakkumkur were opposed to the King of Kochi and the Portuguese. After negotiations, rendered even more complicated by
21353-448: The reign of Sthanu Ravi Varma (9th century CE), records that there was extensive trade between Kerala and China at that time, based at the port of Kollam . A number of foreign accounts have mentioned about the presence of considerable Muslim population in the coastal towns. Arab writers such as Al-Masudi of Baghdad (896–956 CE), Muhammad al-Idrisi (1100–1165 CE), Abulfeda (1273–1331 CE), and Al-Dimashqi (1256–1327 CE) mention
21516-529: The ruler of Venad as Chirava Moopan and the heir-apparent as Thrippappur Moopan . While Chrirava Moopan had his residence at Kollam , the Thrippappur Moopan resided at his palace in Thrippappur, 9 miles (14 km) north of Thiruvananthapuram, and was vested with the authority over the temples of Venad kingdom, especially the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple . The most powerful kingdom of Kerala during
21679-586: The sea and caused it to retreat. Ophir , a region mentioned in the Bible , famous for its wealth , is often identified with some coastal areas of Kerala. According to legend, the King Solomon received a cargo from Ophir every three years ( 1 Kings 10:22) which consisted of gold , silver , sandalwood , pearls , ivory , apes, and peacocks . A Dictionary of the Bible by Sir William Smith , published in 1863, notes
21842-404: The seize of Tirunavaya from Valluvanad , which was under the control of the king of Perumbadappu Swaroopam . He was forced to shift his capital (c. CE 1405) further south from Kodungallur to Kochi . In the 15th century, Cochin was reduced in to a vassal state of Kozhikode. The ruler of Kolathunadu ( Kannur ) had also came under the influence of Zamorin by the end of the 15th century. At
22005-501: The service of the King of Portugal. In 1569 and 1570 there were again wars with the Portuguese and Zamorin's forces at Chāliyam fort. In these wars the notorious Moplah dacoit Kutti Pōker lost his life in his fight against the Portuguese at Chāliyam fort. In 1571, the Zamorin got a fresh chance against the Portuguese. He began a siege to capture the Chāliyam fort with help of the Moplahs from
22168-413: The siege. At the end of the two months of siege, Zamorin himself came to Chalium from Ponnani and began to command. The Portuguese were starving inside the garrison. The food materials sent from Cochin and Cannanore were blocked long before it reached. After two months of siege, on the midnight of 15 September 1571, the Portuguese led by Athed surrendered to the alliance. They agreed empty the fortress on
22331-497: The socio-economic society". Mamankam festival , which was the largest native festival, was held at Tirunavaya near Kuttippuram , on the bank of river Bharathappuzha . Athavanad , the headquarters of Azhvanchery Thamprakkal , who were also considered as the supreme religious chief of the Nambudiri Brahmins of Kerala, is also located near Tirunavaya. Sulaiman al-Tajir , a Persian merchant who visited Kerala during
22494-463: The southernmost area of Kozhikode district was also under Tanur Swaroopam . The king of Vettathunadu was a long-time feudatory of the Zamorin of Calicut. With the arrival of the Portuguese in Malabar, the rulers of Vettathunadu began to play the Portuguese and Calicut against each other. They were one of the first vassals of Calicut to stand up against the Zamorin with Portuguese assistance. Francis Xavier had visited Tanur in 1546 and visited
22657-578: The southernmost principality of the Second Chera Kingdom Invasion of Cholas into Venad caused the destruction of Kollam in 1096. However, the Chera capital, Mahodayapuram , fell in the subsequent attack, which compelled the Chera king, Rama varma Kulasekara, to shift his capital to Kollam. Thus, Rama Varma Kulasekara, the last king of Chera dynasty, is probably the founder of the Venad royal house, and
22820-515: The support of Zamorin, attacked the Jewish and Christian settlements in Kodungallūr. This attacking Moplah party included men from Tānūr and Chāliyam. In 1528, when a Portuguese ship was wrecked off his coast, the king of Vettom gave shelter to the crew and refused to surrender them to the Zamorin. But, Tohfut-ul-Mujahideen says that the ship was a French: "And in the year (A.H.) 935, a ship belonging to
22983-404: The surroundings on Sufur 14 or 15 of that year. The Moplah admiral Pattu Kunnhāli ( Kunnhāli Marakkār III ) led the navy of the Zamorin in the siege. Moplahs from Ponnani, Punur, Tanur , Parappanangadi were in the fleet. The Portuguese lost the war. Many of their soldiers died inside the fortress. The seizing force had dug many trenches around the fortress. The Zamorin spent great amount of money in
23146-477: The title of Chera kings, Kulasekara , was thenceforth adopted by the rulers of Venad. The end of Second Chera dynasty in the 12th century marks the independence of the Venad. The Venadu King then also was known as Venadu Mooppil Nayar. In the second half of the 12th century, two branches of the Ay Dynasty: Thrippappur and Chirava, merged into the Venad family and established the tradition of designating
23309-641: The town after a period of occupation by the Marathas. In 1761 the British captured Mahé, India , and the settlement was handed over to the Rajah of Kadathanadu. The British restored Mahé, India to the French as a part of the 1763 Treaty of Paris. In 1779, the Anglo-French war broke out, resulting in the French loss of Mahé, India . In 1783, the British agreed to restore to the French their settlements in India, and Mahé, India
23472-541: The vassals of the Kolathiri , ruled over the Lakshadweep islands. The Bekal Fort near Kasaragod , which is also largest fort in the state, was built in 1650 by Shivappa Nayaka of Keladi . The French East India Company constructed a fort on the site of Mahé in 1724, in accordance with an accord concluded between André Mollandin and Raja Vazhunnavar of Badagara three years earlier. In 1741, Mahé de La Bourdonnais retook
23635-444: The waist], with a rich dagger, one golden chain, black velvet slippers, a black velvet hat with a printed design" . But, a few days after, the king returned to Hinduism saying he did not have any gain. Once he regained his kingdom loaded with Portuguese gifts, Vettathuraja doffed his Portuguese clothes and in the long run disappointed the Governor, Jorge Cabral and the Jesuits. It was the politics of pepper that undid his friendship with
23798-448: The west coast of India as refugees following the destruction of Jerusalem in the first century CE. Syrian Christians claim to be the descendants of the converts of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Jesus Christ . Arabs also had trade links with Kerala, starting before the 4th century BCE, as Herodotus (484–413 BCE) noted that goods brought by Arabs from Kerala were sold to the Jews at Eden. They intermarried with local people, resulting in
23961-412: The western coastal lowland and the plains of midland may have been under the sea in ancient times. Marine fossils have been found in an area near Changanassery , thus supporting the hypothesis. Archaeological studies have identified many Mesolithic , Neolithic and Megalithic sites in the eastern highlands of Kerala mainly centred around the eastern mountain ranges of Western Ghats . Rock engravings in
24124-416: The works of Sangam literature , Poozhinadu consisted much of the coastal belt between Mangalore and Kozhikode . Karkanadu consisted of Wayanad - Gudalur hilly region with parts of Kodagu (Coorg). It is said that Nannan, the most renowned ruler of Ezhimala dynasty, took refuge at Wayanad hills in the 5th century CE when he was lost to Cheras , just before his execution in a battle, according to
24287-397: Was a major center of trade, next only to Muziris , between the Cheras and the Roman Empire . Roman establishments in the port cities of the region, such as a temple of Augustus and barracks for garrisoned Roman soldiers, are marked in the Tabula Peutingeriana ; the only surviving map of the Roman cursus publicus . Pliny the Elder (1st century CE) states that the port of Tyndis
24450-404: Was a strategic site, for it was only 10 km south of Calicut and was situated in a river that falls into the sea about three leagues from Calicut, which is navigable by boats all the way to the foot of the Ghat mountains. In 1531, the same 'to be converted' Vettam king enabled the construction of an important Portuguese fort in Chāliyam island as a part of a peace treaty between the Zamorin and
24613-464: Was allowed to build the church in the town, to baptise the Vettathuraja's wife as Dona Maria, and to perform Christian marriage rites for the kingly couple—all this was done in secret, "ocultamente". When Lopo Soares arrived at Cochin (1553) after his victory over the Samoothiri the Vettathuraja sent a complain to him against the Samoothiri by ambassadors, begging for peace and help against the Samoothiri, having fallen out with him for reasons that touched
24776-460: Was assured by the Eradis (chief of Eranad) that they would take a fort established by the Rayar . The battle lasted for three days and the Rayar eventually evacuated his fort (and it was seized by the Perumal's troops). Then the last Cheraman Perumal divided Kerala or Chera kingdom among his chieftains and disappeared mysteriously. The Kerala people never more heard any tidings of him. The Eradis of Nediyiruppu , who later came to be known as
24939-401: Was at the northern end of Vettathunadu . Tyndis was a major center of trade, second only to Muziris , between the Cheras and the Roman Empire . Pliny the Elder (1st century CE) states that the port of Tyndis was located at the northwestern border of Keprobotos ( Chera dynasty ). The North Malabar region, which lies north of the port at Tyndis, was ruled by the kingdom of Ezhimala during
25102-427: Was built to decline the Arab sea trade in the region. In 1532 with the help of the king of Vettam a chapel was built at Chaliyam, together with a house for the commander, barracks for the soldiers, and store-houses for trade. Diego de Pereira, who had negotiated the treaty with the Zamorin, was left in command of this new fortress, with a garrison of 250 men; and Manuel de Sousa had orders to secure its safety by sea, with
25265-673: Was called "raja" or "thampuran" or " naduvazhi ". In the time of the arrival of the British , according to William Logan , the kingdom ("nadu") was divided into 21 "amsoms" as shown below (a main bazaar in each amsom is given in bracket): Anantavur (Cherulal), Chennara , Clari ( Kuttippala ), Iringavur , Kalpakanchēri ( Kadungathukundu ), Kanmanam (Thuvvakkad), Mangalam , Mēlmuri , Niramaruthūr , Ozhūr , Pachattiri , Pallippuram, Pariyāpuram , Ponmundam ( Vailathoor ), Purathur , Rayiramangalam, Thalakkad ( Betteth Puthiya Angadi ), Thanalur , Trikkandiyoor ( Tirur ), Triprangode , and Vettom . The ancient port of Tyndis , located on
25428-406: Was first epigraphically recorded as Cheras ( Keralaputra ) in a 3rd-century BCE rock inscription by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka of Magadha . It was mentioned as one of four independent kingdoms in southern India during Ashoka's time, the others being the Cholas , Pandyas and Satyaputras . The Cheras transformed Kerala into an international trade centre by establishing trade relations across
25591-429: Was handed over to the French in 1785. In 1602, the Zamorin sent messages to Aceh promising the Dutch a fort at Kozhikode if they would come and trade there. Two factors, Hans de Wolff and Lafer, were sent on an Asian ship from Aceh, but the two were captured by the chief of Tanur , and handed over to the Portuguese. A Dutch fleet under Admiral Steven van der Hagen arrived at Kozhikode in November 1604. It marked
25754-444: Was his close political (and religious ties) to the Portuguese that may have brought him certain disadvantages on the complicated checkerboard of power relations on the Malabar Coast. Jesuit records claim that the Vettathuraja thus played his own double game with the Portuguese and with the other rival little (and bigger) kings in the region. The Vettathuraja demanded to preserve after conversion certain external signs of his caste, such as
25917-432: Was in these ships that Sir Thomas Roe went to visit Jahangir , the fourth Mughal emperor , as British envoy . The island of Dharmadom near Kannur , along with Thalassery , was ceded to the East India Company as early as 1734, which were claimed by all of the Kolattu Rajas , Kottayam Rajas , and Arakkal Bibi in the late medieval period, where the British initiated a factory and English settlement following
26080-520: Was located at the northwestern border of Keprobotos ( Chera dynasty ). The North Malabar region, which lies north of the port at Tyndis , was ruled by the kingdom of Ezhimala during Sangam period . The port of Tyndis which was on the northern side of Muziris , as mentioned in Greco-Roman writings, was somewhere near Kozhikode . Its exact location is a matter of dispute. The suggested locations are Ponnani , Tanur , Beypore - Chaliyam - Kadalundi - Vallikkunnu , and Koyilandy . According to
26243-418: Was ruled by Ay kings , who lost their power in the 10th century and thus the region became a part of the Cheras. Kerala witnessed a flourishing period of art, literature, trade and the Bhakti movement of Hinduism. A Keralite identity, distinct from the Tamils , became linguistically separate during this period. The origin of Malayalam calendar dates back to year 825 CE. For the local administration,
26406-401: Was ruled by the Cheras during Sangam period between c. 1st and the 4th centuries CE and it served as the eastern entrance to the Palakkad Gap , the principal trade route between the Malabar Coast and Tamil Nadu . Old Tamil works such as Patiṟṟuppattu , Patiṉeṇmēlkaṇakku and Silappatikaram are important sources that describe the Cheras from the early centuries CE. Together with
26569-400: Was used in carrying on the work, even the gentlemen participating in the labour, that in twenty-six days it was in a defensible situation, being surrounded by a rampart nine feet thick and of sufficient height, strengthened by towers and bastions or bulwarks at proper places. It's said that the Portuguese destroyed a nearby mosque and used its stones to build the fort! The rectangular shaped fort
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