Vettattnad
Encyclopedia
Vettathunad or Tanur swaroopam was a small erstwhile feudal
kingdom (city state) in southern Malabar on Arabian Sea
in southwest India
ruled by a Hindu
(local Kshatriya
called Samanthan Nair) dynasty known as Tanur
dynasty
, over whom the Zamorin of Calicut claimed certain nominal suzerain rights.
The King
was called 'raja
'or 'thampuran' or 'naduvazhi
'. The name Tanur Swaroopam is Malayalam means Tanur, tanni, the tree Terminalis belerica, ur, village and Swaroopam, the fortifications. The kingdom consisted the present day Tanur
, Tirur
and Chaliyam ares and the king of Vettattnad was one of the most important feudatory of the Zamorin of Calicut in the region. With the arrival of the Portuguese
, Vettathunad was one first kingdom to stand up against the Samoothiri of Calicut, and a Vettom king was converted to Christianity
falling in the offers of the Portuguese
. This king allowed the construction of the strategic fortress at Chalium. Since, part of the Chovvaram (Sukapuram) village in the old 64 villages of Nambudiris, the queen of Cochin
adopted some Vettom princes in 17th century, which lead to tensions in the Malabar Coast
.
The Royal Family became extinct on the death of the last king, on 24 May 1793. Subsequently, the kingdom passed to British Malabar
and the temple of the royal family was transferred to the Zamorin of Calicut in 1842.
The famous poet
Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan
was born in Vettathunad.
Ananthavoor
(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
), Thrppangōd
, and Vettom
.
burials or menhir
s. Laterite rock-cut caves (chenkallara), hood stones/mushroom stones/umbrella stones (kodakkallu), hat stones (toppikallu), dolmenoid cists (kalvrtham), urn burials (nannangadi) and menhirs (pulachikallu) are the Megalithic monuments found in Kerala.
About 400 megalithic sites of these various types have been found in Kerala so far like the hood stones at Codacal near Tirur
and Ayinkalam on Kuttippuram
-Tavanur
road. There were more discoveries from Codacal. Some of them were buried in the courtyard of the Codacal Tile Factory ran by the Commonwealth Trust at Codacal. These artifacts have been identified as belonging to the megalithic era in Kerala that began as far back as 1000 BC. The pots and swords were found in a Rock-cut Cell typical of the Megalithic age. The Rock-cut Cells along with the Umbrella Stone and Hat Stone varieties are Megalithic sites indigenous to Kerala. Two of the pear-shaped pots found at Codacal are more or less intact while the third one is partially damaged. The `ring stand' on which the pots were placed is also broken. Similarly, one of the two swords found appears to be intact though heavily rusted. The other sword is broken at two places and does not have a hilt. The artifacts were found when the courtyard was dug up using an earth mover. This, however, resulted in the central cavern of the site getting completely destroyed. Only the flight of steps leading down to the circular megalithic cell, that had a solitary pillar in the middle, remains intact now.
The presence of the pots and swords led to the speculation that the site might have been the symbolic burial ground of a man with some social standing during his day.
Kunnumpuram
is a village near Tanur town. An early Buddhist monastery (Narimada) situated near the Central AUP School Pariyapuram
in the village. A 'bhodhi vriksha' tree brought from Colombo
(Sri Lanka) was planted here by a Buddhist saint.
According to the Chēramān Perumal legends, one of the first 9 mosques in India
was at Chāliyam, built by a missionary named Taqiy ud-Din ibn Malik. He was a comrade of Malik Bin Deenar
, a Tabi‘un.
By the disintegration of the Chera power in Malabar in 12th century, most of their Nair governorates, chieftains and vassals became independent. Vettathunad must be one of them.
But Keralolpathi
, a native Brahmin
legend says differently:
The Tanur dynasty were the neighbors of Valluvanad, another Nair
kingdom (swaroopam) east to Vettattnad, a comparatively powerful kingdom from the Kulasekhara
state. But, soon Vettattnad came under control the Zamorin of Calicut as many other the petty principalities of northern Kerala
.
) system and its valley.
The very significant fact is that, the major purpose of this conquest was not the expansion of land, but for acquiring fertile paddy fields of the river valley and capturing strategical ports. Land north of the river valley was not so fertile in paddy production. To overcome the deficiency of paddy
, he annexed Vettattnad and other smaller chieftaincies.
Thus, the production of paddy and fertility of the land was the major factor which tempted Zamorins to conduct various wars during 15th and 16th century AD with local chieftains in this region. The wealth from Calicut port provided the crucial advantage in his wars.
The second in line successors of Zamorin or Zamorin princes, Eralpads (Eranad Ilamkur Nampiyatiri Tirumulpad), controlled the banks of river Ponnani (Bharathappuzha
) as a governor after the occupation, the territory once belonged to Vettattnad and other principalities. The principalities hated Zamorins as a foe. The king of Vettam became one of the Zamorin's unwilling feudatory (Samantans).
The Thirunavaya War
s (Approx. 1351 to 1363) Vettattnad supported the Zamorin in his wars against the Valluvanad.
As Thirunavaya
was captured, Zamorin proclaimed himself as the Protector and took over sole right of conducting the Mamankam festival
. In Mamankam festivals the king of Vettam stood right to the protector, Zamorin. The Shah Bandar Koya had the right to stand in his left side. This can be seen as an example of the important of the two persons and religious harmony of that time.
During the Mamankam festival
s all his feudatories including the Vettam king were used to send flags to Thirunavaya as a symbol of regard to the Zamorin ("the Protector").
in 16th century. Moreover, Vettathuraja, like the kings of Beypore and Chalium (Parappanad) didin't like the Cochin (Perumpadapu Swaroopam) policy of the Zamorin.
Battle of Cochin
The Battle of Cochin
sometimes referred as the Second Siege of Cochin was a series of massive confrontations, between March and July 1504, fought on land and sea, between the Portuguese
garrison at Cochin and the armies of the Zamorin of Calicut and vassal Malabari states. In this, the crew of the Samoothiri included the Vettam king himself.
The Defection of Tanur
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, and offered to place him under Portuguese suzerainty instead, in return for military assistance. He reports that 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 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 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 December 31, 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 the port of Ponnani
, in order to pay his respects to his new ally, the king of Vettom. While negotiating entry at the port (Ponnani
doesn't actually belong to Vettattnad), 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 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 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 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 a Christian…”
In 1528, when a Portuguese ship was wrecked off his coast, the king of Vettom gave shelter to 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 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 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 king of Vettam (the same king to be ‘converted’ ) 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 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.
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 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 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 was used in carrying on the work, even the gentlemen participating in the labor, 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 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 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.
An urgent ad hoc Consultation headed by the Governor, Jorge Cabral, debated this issue and drafted some of 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 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 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 of 1549. He received 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 honorable and rich clothes, with a very rich sword fastened [around 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 the Portuguese. On February 21, 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 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 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 of 1551.
Roughly from April until September 1549, Gomes partly resided in Tanur, and partly traveled southwards along the Malabar Coast. He had been officially sent by 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 was allowed to build the church in the town, to baptize 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 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.
After two months of siege, on the midnight of September 15, 1571, the Portuguese led by Athed (?) surrendered to the alliance. They agreed empty the fortress on 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 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 a state funeral at Goa.
The Portuguese sailors burned Chāliyam town in 1572 as revenge.
It is interesting to note that when the Zamorin of Calicut attacked Vettattnad in the early 17th Century, famous poet Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan
started his pilgrimage with the completed copy of Adhyathmaramayanam
.
became vacant and five princes or tampurans from Tānūr dynasty and Aroor
were adapted to the palace by the ‘regent
’ of Cochin, Queen Gangādhara Lakshmi (1656–1658), and were given the right to succeed. She was acting according to a Portuguese
suggestion. Hence, Portuguese supported this move and a prince, Rama Varma (1658–1662), became the ruler (This incidence is written in some folk tales. But Henric Vanrid, a Dutch
, has stated the 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. But one thing is sure nine of them survived to be kings).
But, an elder branch (mūtta tāvazhi) of the Cochin dynasty
itself ignored that adaptations and appealed to the Zamorin for help against the princes from Tānūr dynasty and the Portuguese. As a result, the elder branch was thrown out from the kingdom of Vettam. The leader of the elder branch was the dispossessed prince (Tampuran), Vīra Kērala Varma.
Zamorin decided to help the elder branch. Āditya Varma, king of Vadakkumkūr, king of Edappally
and chief of Pāliyam
rallied around the Zamorin in support of the elder branch’s dispossessed prince, Vīra Kērala Varma. But, the king of Purakkad
supported the ruling Tānūr princes. On the advice of the chief of Pāliyam, the dispossessed prince set sail to Colombo
and asked help from the Dutch
governor, Joan Maetsuycker
, against the Portuguese. So, he sought exile in Colombo
.
In 1661 the Dutch
now found a huge chance of getting a major say in the politics of Kerala
and led the allies of the dispossessed prince, with the armies of Zamorin, against the Portuguese and the ruling Cochin king (Tānūr adoptee).
The war resulted in the disastrous failure of the Portuguese and Cochin rulers. Their possession in Kērala fell into the hands of the Dutch. Three of the Tānūr princes died in the war. But the ruling king escaped to Eranākulam where he was given refuge by the king of Purakkad
. Vīra Kērala Varma (1663–1687) later crowned the king of Cochin by the Dutch.
King Rama Varma (1658–1662)
He was the eldest member of the adoption from Vettam. In 1661 he was killed when Dutch attacked Cochin. In this war Rani Gangadharalakshmi was also sent to prison.
King Goda Varma (1662–1663)
After the death of Rama Varma and the other adopted in the war with Dutch he was the only survivor from Vettam. On January 7, 1663, the Dutch attacked Cochin Port. Goda Varma Surrendered to the Dutch
. We do not have any clue to when he died.
By the end of the 17th century, the Zamorin allied with the English
and in 1664, Zamorin gave the English permission to build a factory in Calicut, but did not extend any other favours as he was by now growing suspicious of all foreign
(European) traders
. But, within a hundred years the de facto
rulers of the Kingdom of Mysore
expanded their territory to the Malabar coast
. The Vettattnād royal family lost many of its members during the invasion by Mysore rulers Hyder Ali
and Tipu Sultan
.
The second invasion
of Mysore to Kerala
began in 1766. Haider Ali
invaded through northern Malabār and defeated the Zamorin (The Zamorin committed suicide
) in 1766 April. The Zamorin’s families moved on to Tanur
or Kottakkal
.
Haider Ali
was a Muslim
. Like other places, Vettattnād also witnessed widespread anti-Mysore uprisings in the same year. A small village in the kingdom called Bettett Pudiyangādi became the last centre of the Nair
(Hindu
) rebel
s in that time. The Mysore army led by foreign commanders and Haider Ali himself stormed the village and reoccupied it. The English secretly helped the anti-Mysore uprisings.
In 1768 the Mysore army retreated from Malabār making the defeated kings their feudatories on rent
. But in 1773 Malabār again came under the direct rule of Haider Ali as a result of his second invasion. In 1777 the government agent of Haider Ali to south Malabār, Rāmalinga Pillay, successfully determined the amount of tax
landlord
s collected from the peasant
s and then introduced the Huzzūr Tax System in the Ponnani
Taluk.
After the death of his father, Tipu
(Fateh Ali Khan) became the king of Mysore in 1782. During his invasion of Kerala
many Hindu
s forcefully converted to Islam
. In Cherunad, Vettathunad, Eranad, Valluvanad, Thamarassery and other interior areas, local Mappila
s unleashed a reign of terror on the Hindu
population, mainly to retain the illegally occupied land and to establish their domination over Hindus as during Tipu's regime. Fearing the organised robberies and violence, people could not even travel freely in the Malabar hinterland of predominantly Mappila
population. At time of the invasion of Tipu Sultan, there were 35 Nads in Malabar alone and Vettattnad was one of them. During the time of the talented Mysore Civil Governor Arshad Baig Khān, 1782–83, the peasant
s of Vettattnād strongly complained that the tax system was too heavy. His two subordinates, Venkappa and Venkaji levi
ed additional collection charge of 15 %. Vettattnād was one of the five provinces in the Mysore-occupied-Malabār.
Tipu Sultan
built the first roads in the kingdom. Those were the gun roads for his vast army movements across Malabar.
By the treaty of Seringapatam
, Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan
ceded half of his territories to the English East India Company including Malabar (excluding Wynad) in 1792. But soon, on August 14, 1792, a minister of the Vettattnād took over the kingdom for his king from the British on rent. Then Vettattnād was required to give to pay their revenues through the Zamorin to the British. But,the Zamorins were claiming the sovereignty over Vettattnād for a very long time. Hence, on August 18, 1792, the English transferred some parts of the newly formed Vettattnād to the Zamorin. This included the regions of Ponnani
, Chēranād and Venkadakōtta (now Kottakkal
). By the death of the Vettam king on May 24, 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 the British occupation in Malabār. Since there is no heir to the kingdom, the British took over the rule again and soon absorbed Vettattnād to the newly formed Malabar district
.
In March 1799 the Joint Commissioners allowed the Thangal
of Pudiyangadi
, an influential Arab
chief, to continue to avail his tax exceptions on land property (Thangals are popularly believed as descendents of the prophet Muhammad himself and Moplahs considered them as spiritual figures). These lands were the authoritative gifts of the Zamorin of Calicut to him. The real of object of this move was to use his influence in Moplah
community to prevent anti-legal character prevailed among them. When, in 1801-02, the Principal Collector of Malabar Major William Macleod done a survey for his new taxation schemes, it fired riots in the region. However, his successor Robert Rickards immediately stopped all new taxations to end the riots. In 1826, the British Special Commissioner H S Graeme examined the tax system again and found that it varied in different Desoms.
The temple of the royal family
was transferred to the Zamorin of Calicut in 1842.
The first railroad in the Kērala state, from Beypore
to Tirur
, lay through Vettattnād. It was commissioned on March 12, 1861 by the British.
Continuous invasions and wars had left the region in extreme poverty. Under the British administration Vettattnād became a centre of Moplah
peasant revolts for almost a century, along with neighboring regions. The riots were anti-landlord, anti-Hindu and anti-government at a same time. The government was almost unable to control the riots. The region has seen participation in movements such as the Malabar Rebellion
of 1921. The Wagon tragedy
is associated the Tirur Railway Station.
Industries, is a standing reminder of the bold and revolutionary attempt at social engineering in Malabar, attempted by the German missionaries. Their activities spread rapidly in Malabar as the weaving factory at Codacal established in 1860. The Tile Factory at Codacal, started in 1887, is the second tile manufacturing industry in India.
was an India
n poet from around the 16th or 17th century, known as the father of the Malayalam language
—which is the principal language of the Indian state of Kerala
, spoken by 36 million people in the world. In his era, Vattezhuttu, an old script originally used to write Tamil
, was generally used in Kerala to write this language. However, he wrote his Malayalam poems in Arya-ezhuttu, a Grantha-based script originally used to write Sanskrit
, so that he could accurately transliterate Sanskrit words into Malayalam. His works became unprecedentedly popular, which also popularized the writing system adopted by him, and that is the current Malayalam alphabet
. He was born in Trikkantiyur, near the town of Tirur
, in Kerala. At that time,it was a part of Vettattnad
. His personal name is Ramanujan. Thunchaththu is his “family name”, and Ezhuthachan (schoolmaster) is an honorific title or the last name indicating his caste
. His name is transliterated in several different ways, including Thunchath Ezhuthachan, Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, and Thunjath Ezhuthachan.
2. Gōvinda Bhattatiri of Talakkulam or Talkkulattur(1237 – 1295 CE ) was an India
n astrologer
and astronomer
who flourished in Kerala
during the thirteenth century CE. His major work was Daśādhyāya a commentary on the first ten chapters of the astrological text Bṛhajjātaka composed by Varāhamihira
(505 – 587 CE). This is considered to be the most important of the 70 known commentaries on this text. Bhaṭṭatiri had also authored another important work in astrology titled Muhūrttaratnaṃ. Paramesvara (ca.1380–1460), an astronomer of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics known for the introduction of the Dṛggaṇita system of astronomical computations, had composed an extensive commentary on this work. In this commentary Paramesvara had indicated that he was a grandson of a disciple of the author of Muhūrttaratnaṃ. Govinda Bhaṭṭatiri was born in the Namputhiri family known by the name Thalakkulathur in the village of Ālattiyūr
near Tirur
in Kerala
. He was traditionally considered to be the progenitor of the Pazhur Kaniyar
family of astrologers. He is a legendary figure in the Kerala astrological traditions.
3. Vatsseri Paramēsvaran (ca.1380–1460) was a major India
n mathematician
and astronomer
of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics founded by Madhava of Sangamagrama
. He was also an astrologer
. Paramesvara was a proponent of observational astronomy
in medieval India
and he himself had made a series of eclipse
observations to verify the accuracy of the computational methods then in use. Based on his eclipse observations, Paramesvara proposed several corrections to the astronomical parameters which had been in use since the times of Aryabhata
. The computational scheme based on the revised set of parameters has come to be known as the Drgganita system. Paramesvara was also a prolific writer on matters relating to astronomy. At least 25 manuscripts have been identified as being authored by Paramesvara.
4. Dāmōdaran
was an astronomer
-mathematician
of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics who flourished during the fifteenth century CE. He was a son of Vatasseri Paramesvara (1360–1425) who developed the drigganita system of astronomical computations. The family home of Paramesvara was Vatasseri (sometimes called Vatasreni) in the village of Alattur, in Kerala. Damodara was a teacher of Nilakantha Somayaji
. As a teacher he initiated Nilakantha into the science of astronomy and taught him the basic principles in mathematical computations.
5. Nīlakantha Somayāji
(1444–1544) was a major mathematician
and astronomer of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. One of his most influential works was the comprehensive astronomical treatise Tantrasamgraha
completed in 1501. He had also composed an elaborate commentary on Aryabhatiya
called the Aryabhatiya Bhasya. In this Bhasya, Nilakantha had discussed infinite series expansions of trigonometric functions and problems of algebra
and spherical geometry
. Grahapareeksakrama is a manual on making observations in astronomy based on instruments of the time.
An interesting piece of Nilakantha's work is the derivation of Leibniz-Gregory series:
and
Nilakantha's derivation of the above series is all the more interesting because it used the geometrical definition of π as the ratio of circumference and diameter of a circle.
6. Mēlpattūr Nārāyana Bhattatiri
(Bhattatiri was a Namboodiri Brahmin from Melpathur, on the north banks of Ponnani River, close to Thirunavaya
, but later He married Achyuta Pisharati
's niece and settled in Trikkandiyoor.). Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri (1559–1632), third student of Achyuta Pisharati
, was of Madhava of Sangamagrama
's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. He was a mathematical linguist (vyakarana). His most important scholarly work, Prkriya-sarvawom, sets forth an axiomatic system elaborating on the classical system of Panini. However, he is most famous for his masterpiece, Narayaneeyam, a devotional composition in praise of Guruvayoorappan
(Sri Krishna
) that is still sung at the temple of Guruvayoor.
7. Acyiuta Psārati
(1550–1621) was a renowned Sanskrit grammar
ian, astrologer, astronomer and mathematician
of his time. He was a student of Jyestadeva and a member of Madhava of Sangamagrama
's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. He is remembered mainy for his part in the composition of his student Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri
's devotional poem, Narayaneeyam.
8. Jyēsthadēvan (c. 1500 – c. 1610) was an astronomer
-mathematician
of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics founded by Sangamagrama Madhava (c.1350 – c.1425) . He is best known as the author of Yuktibhāṣā
,
a commentary in Malayalam of Tantrasamgraha
by Nilakantha Somayaji
(1444–1544). In Yuktibhāṣā
, Jyesthadeva had given complete proofs
and rationale of the statements in Tantrasamgraha
. This was unusual for traditional Indian mathematicians of the time. An analysis of the mathematics content of Yuktibhāṣā
has prompted some scholars to call it "the first textbook of calculus
". Jyesthadeva also authored Drk-karana a treatise on astronomical observations.
(Ramanattam
) is attributed to a Vettam king ruled the state between 1630 and 1640 AD. He made some improvements to the presentation of Kathakali
. He introduced several important developments into Kathakali as follows:
Here is a description about the Ponnani Canal by BEM (Basel Mission
) men in Codacal.
This river flows through the banks of Vettattnad – i.e. through Thunjan Parambu, Vettam, Thalakkadu, Thalekkara and Poocha chira padam (the field that King of Vettam donated to a family that fed thousands of cats for many generations) – before joining the estuary in historic Ponnani. Like many other rivers in Kerala, this river is also under threat pollution. This river is navigable and motor boat can play between Tirur and Ponnani. It also forms part of West Coast Water Transport System.
has three temples, dedicated to the Trimurti
s, Brahma
, Vishnu
and Shiva
strewn on the banks of the Ponnani river (Bharathapuzha).
The historical Vettatt Bhagavati Kavu Temple is situated about 12 kilometers from Tirur
town on the banks of Tirur
-Ponnani River
s in the village of Vettam
. Even though, authentic details concerning the age of the present temple, is not available, it is considered to be very ancient. It is believed that the deity is the family deity of the Vettam dynasty.
The legend is that once a Vettam king pleaded to goddess 'Mookambika
' to appear before him, that is, to come to his land - Vettam
. At the end Goddess consented and it is believed that she resides in the palace. From then the King offered ablutions and was worshiping goddess regularly. The palace ground, where the offerings were made to the goddess, was considered to be the original sanctum, ‘Sreemoolasthanam’, of the temple complex. The present temple was built later, a few feet away from the 'Sreemoolasthanam'. The presiding deity in the sanctum sanctorum is Goddess Mookambika
. The sub shrines of Shiva
-Parvati
, Ganapathi, Ayappan are inside the temple complex and that of Brahmarakshas and Nagapradishta are outside. Towards the south-west of the temple, lies the huge tank (Ambalakkulam) called the Valiya Chira which was used by the royal family. On the north - west, an octa-angled tank, Elanthikulam is situated. The Current Trustee of the temple is the Zamorin of Calicut.
There are some renowned old temples in kingdom, which have architectural and archaeological value. Of them Triprangode
Siva
Temple (The inscriptional evidences found at Triprangode Siva Temple indicates that the Kulasekhara
King Gōda Rāvi Varma (917- 944 AD) had sway over this region.), and Trikkandiyoor Siva Temple are important.
Kēralādhīsvarapuram Temple (K. Puram Temple) in Tanur
is one of the oldest temples in Kerala
. The temple is dedicated to Krishna
, and is situated about 3 km south of Tānūr town. The temple was ravaged by Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan
, but was rebuilt recently. Every year in Vrishchikam
month in the Malayalam calendar
, a festival of seven days is used to celebrate in a grant manner in the temple. It is believed that St. Francis Xavier
visited this place.
Trikkaikattu Temple and Math is situated at Pariyapuram
, 3 km north of Tanur
. Math was founded by Hindu philosopher Adi Shankara
(788-820 AD). The temple is dedicated to Siva
and is situated on top of a hill.
There is also a renowned Ayyappan
Temple and Vettakkorumakan Temple at Rayiramangalam is famous.
Shobha Parambu Devi Temple is a very famous temple in this area which is located in Tanur
itself. Kalankari is a famous ritual celebration performed in this temple every year for which thousands of devotees used to be present.
Vellamassery Garudan Kavu is the only Garuda
temple is found in Kerala. The Vellamassery Garudan Kavu is located in the near Tirur
. This 1,800 year old temple is positioned nearby the Mahavishnu temple. Many come to the temple to pray for an easy recovery from snake-bite and other diseases. The Garudan temple is said to be the only temple in the area in which Garuda
is worshipped in his flying form. A significant deviation is that Even while the other temples were accessible to ‘savarnas’ only before the Declaration of Temple Entry Right for all Hindu
s, this temple was open to all on every Sundays. Tipu Sultan
’s army destroyed the temple, but later it was rebuilt.
Legend about the origin is that once the legendary mason, Perumthachan
came to the Vettatnad palace to pay his homages to the King. He had brought with him a statue of Garuda
throbbing with life and luster. King wished had it had a life of its own! He could not help expressing his strange admiration and wish. Mason replied that the statue indeed would comply, provided a pure wife was to touch it. The Raja did not enjoy the reply. Sternly he pronounced death for Mason if he eventually were to be proved wrong when tested with an experiment. Mason was unfazed and smilingly he queried what reward his statue could garner if indeed it became live as he had predicted .The Raja fairly promised a temple for the statue in that case. Mason went to a trance. His wife was brought to touch the statue. On her touch it flew up and the kings men followed it with wonder.There was a Vishnu temple belonging to Karuthedam and Ampala Paveri and Mullappalli manas (houses). A big pond full of white tortoises was near it. The Vishnu temple and the tortoises are related in Hindu beliefs traditionally. The statue eventually came and rested on the top of one tortoise in the pond. This is the place now called ‘Theertha Kund’. The tortoise began to crawl to the Vishnu temple. Raja invited the Tantrees (priests) of Karuthedath house to deliberate further actions. That resulted in the formation of the current Garudan kavu facing the west. The name of the place currently is ‘Vellamassery’ which literally represents a settlement group of white tortoises! Another about the origin is that centuries ago a great sage immersed in penance was able to realize the vision of Lord Vishnu and requested him to boon him a way out for the human soul from pain and sin. As if explaining to his divine vehicle Garuda, Vishnu elucidated the methods and ways of redemption open before the human soul in its predicaments. To keenly participate in this dialogue of his master, the Garuda
flew and sat on a location which now is the bank of the ‘Theertha pond’ of the Garudan Kavu temple. That place where Vishnu supposed appeared to his devotee became a holy spot. And centuries later, at this divine location a king of Vettam constructed the temple. It is believed that later the penances were undertaken by Patma-pada-chaaryar, a disciple of Sankara
(788-820 AD). The temple complex grew later substantially. Sankara Narayana and Shiva ‘pratishtha’s facing the east came up. On the left of Lord Garuda, one can worship today Veettekkaran and Karthya Veery arjunan. Vishnu
and Sankara Narayanan have ‘Namaskara Mandapa’. Vishnu has a ‘balippura on the south as well. At west one can pray Sastha, Bhagavathy, Ganapthy and Bhadra Kali. There is a ‘gopuram’ at the west and a ‘deepasthambham’ inside. The large and serene temple pond on the south adds to the pride of this temple. There is also daily ‘Pooja’ in the temple. Every year, ‘Vrischika mandala’ time is celebrated as the ‘Garuda festival’. After 41 of ‘mandala’ the two days are for Vishnu celebrations. Garuda gets one only ‘kalasham’. Poojas are on Vaishnavite style. The ‘Utsava’s here has only the ‘anushtana vadyas’ (Chenda, panchavadyam etc.). Garuda celebrations do not engage elephants. But for Vishnu celebrations no such restrictions exist.
Alathiyur Hanuman Temple is located at Alathiyur
near Tirur
. According to legend, the Purumthrikkovil idol of Hanuman
was consecrated by Sage Vasishta. Over the years the custodians of the temple were Alathiyur Grama Namboodiri, king of Vettom, and the Zamorin of Calicut. Legend related to Alathur Hanuman Temple is that even though the main deity of the temple is Lord Rama this temple is famous and known as a Hanuman
temple. Sage Vasishta installed the temple at the place where Rama
gives instructions to Hanuman before his going to Lanka
in search of Sita
. The idol of Hanuman is adjacent to the main temple of Rama
. Hanuman stands leaning forward as if to hear his master’s words with a club in his hand. The temple of Laxmana is situated a few metres outside the main temple. It is believed Laxmana was keeping away allowing Rama and Hanuman to talk confidentially. Here there is a platform commemorating Hanuman’s jump over to Lanka over the sea. In one end of the platform there is a long granite stone (symbolizes the sea) where devotees run on the platform and jump over the long granite stone. It is said that doing this jump in this temple brings great luck, health, long life, and wealth to all who perform this jump. Visiting this temple and offering Kuzhacha Avil are done by people seeking to go abroad, being Hanuman jumbed and crossed the sea in search of Sita.
Pudiyangadi
is a small town near Tirur and is considered sacred by Moplahs. The Puthiyangadi Mosque is very famous and annually, in the month of January, the Pudiyangadi Nercha festival is held at this mosque. Several elephants line up in the famous procession from Tirur to Pudiyangadi, during the festival. This festival has been discontinued for the past few years owing to difference of opinion among the families responsible for the conduct of the festival.
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
kingdom (city state) in southern Malabar on Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
in southwest India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ruled by a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
(local Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
called Samanthan Nair) dynasty known as Tanur
Tanur
Tanur is a small town in the Tirur tehsil, Malappuram district of Kerala state, South India. Tanur is located north of Tirur, on the coastal line, around 9 km away from the Tirur town.-History:...
dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
, over whom the Zamorin of Calicut claimed certain nominal suzerain rights.
The King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
was called 'raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
'or 'thampuran' or 'naduvazhi
Naduvazhi
Naduvazhi refers to landlords, chieftains and descendants of royal households in Kerala, India.-Function:Prior to the British reorganisation of the area now known as Kerala, it was divided into around ten feudal states. Each of these was governed by a rajah and was subdivided into organisational...
'. The name Tanur Swaroopam is Malayalam means Tanur, tanni, the tree Terminalis belerica, ur, village and Swaroopam, the fortifications. The kingdom consisted the present day Tanur
Tanur
Tanur is a small town in the Tirur tehsil, Malappuram district of Kerala state, South India. Tanur is located north of Tirur, on the coastal line, around 9 km away from the Tirur town.-History:...
, Tirur
Tirur
Tirur is a town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of 16.55 km2 . It is birth place of Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature. Thunchan Parambu is highly venerated and its sand is believed to be sacred. The...
and Chaliyam ares and the king of Vettattnad was one of the most important feudatory of the Zamorin of Calicut in the region. With the arrival of the Portuguese
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
, Vettathunad was one first kingdom to stand up against the Samoothiri of Calicut, and a Vettom king was converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
falling in the offers of the Portuguese
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
. This king allowed the construction of the strategic fortress at Chalium. Since, part of the Chovvaram (Sukapuram) village in the old 64 villages of Nambudiris, the queen of Cochin
Kingdom of Cochin
Kingdom of Cochin was a late medieval Hindu kingdom and later Princely State on the Malabar Coast, South India...
adopted some Vettom princes in 17th century, which lead to tensions in the Malabar Coast
Malabar Coast
The Malabar Coast is a long and narrow coastline on the south-western shore line of the mainland Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing mountain...
.
The Royal Family became extinct on the death of the last king, on 24 May 1793. Subsequently, the kingdom passed to British Malabar
Malabar District
Malabar District was an administrative district of Madras Presidency in British India and independent India's Madras State. The British district included the present-day districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad , and Chavakad Taluk of Thrissur District in the northern part of...
and the temple of the royal family was transferred to the Zamorin of Calicut in 1842.
The famous poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan
Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan
Thunjathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan was an Indian poet from around the 16th century, known as the father of the Malayalam language — the principal language of the Indian state of Kerala, spoken by 36 million people in the world...
was born in Vettathunad.
Divisions of Vettattnād
The kingdom (nadu) was divided into 21 ‘amsom’s as shown below(A main bazaar in each amsom is given in bracket).Ananthavoor
Ananthavoor
Ananthavoor is a village in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India.-Demographics: India census, Ananthavoor had a population of 17470 with 8100 males and 9370 females.This was a part of the Vettattnad kingdom in medieval times....
(Cherulal), Chennara, Clari (Kuttippala), Iringavur, Kalpakanchēri
Kalpakancheri
Kalpakancheri is a Gram panchayat and tiny village in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, South India. The name was chosen as it was the land of coconut trees.The Panchayath has many schools and had a weekly market on Wednesday...
(Kadungathukundu
Kadungathukundu
Kadungathukundu is a town near Tirur on the way to Valancheri, in the Malappuram district, Kerala, south India. It is situated on the border between Valavannur and Kalpakancheri Grama panchayats. Kadungathukundu is the main town of the Valavannur Gramapanchayat...
), Kanmanam (Thuvvakkad), Mangalam
Mangalam
Mangalam Publications Private Limited, is a publishing company in Kottayam, Kerala in India. It publishes daily newspaper and weekly magazines such as Mangalam Weekly and Cinema Mangalam in Malayalam language.- History :...
, Mēlmuri, Niramaruthūr
Niramaruthur
Niramaruthur is a village in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India.Niramaruthur was under Tanaloor Panchayath, and divided in 1997, the area included Unniyal beach, also two reveres joining in Ponnani is touching Niramaruthur area.This was a part of the Vettattnad kingdom in medieval...
, Ozhūr
Ozhur
Ozhur is a village in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India.This was a part of the Vettattnad kingdom in medieval times.-Demographics: India census, Ozhur had a population of 29836 with 14114 males and 15722 females....
, Pachattiri
Pachattiri
Pachattiri is a small village located near Tirur in Kerala, India. It lies on the banks of the Tirur River. A temple devoted to Krishna is located here, as is a temple devoted to Shiva.This was a part of the Vettattnad kingdom in medieval times....
, Pallippuram
Pallippuram
Pallippuram may refer to the following places in the state of Kerala, in India:*Pallippuram, Palakkad*Pallippuram, Ernakulam*Pallippuram, Alappuzha*Pallippuram, Thiruvananthapuram...
, Pariyāpuram
Pariyapuram
Pariyapuram is a village in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India.This was a part of the Vettattnad kingdom in medieval times.-Demographics: India census, Pariyapuram had a population of 22766 with 11102 males and 11664 females....
, Ponmundam
Ponmundam
Ponmundam is a village in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India. Malappuram-Tirur state highway passes through this area. This is a Muslim dominated area.This was a part of the Vettathunad kingdom in medieval times.The name 'PONMUNDAM' was given by MAMBURAM THANGAL,he had a strong...
(Vailathoor
Vailathoor
Vailathoor is a town 4 km from Tirur on the way to Malappuram and it is a junction turning to Valancheri and Malappuram, also in the west side has road to Tanur....
), Purathur
Purathur
Purathur is a village in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India.-Demographics: India census, Purathur had a population of 30602 with 14572 males and 16030 females....
, Rayiramangalam, Thalakkad (Betteth Puthiya Angadi), Thanalur, Trikkandiyoor (Tirur
Tirur
Tirur is a town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of 16.55 km2 . It is birth place of Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature. Thunchan Parambu is highly venerated and its sand is believed to be sacred. The...
), Thrppangōd
Triprangode
Triprangode is a village in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India.Three sides of the Village is surrounded by Water bodies and is famous for the "Triprangode Maha Shiva Kshetra " . It is believed that the Deity here cures from diseases and helps to overcome the fear of death...
, and Vettom
Vettom
Vettom is a local body of Kerala government and also village in the Malappuram district, India.This was a part of the Vettattnad kingdom in medieval times.-Demographics: India census, Vettom had a population of 334300 with 16661 males and 17769 females....
.
Codacal
The Iron Age culture in Kerala is marked by the ‘Megalithic burial sites’ which are found in several places. Iron Age people gave the dead proper farewell in urnUrn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
burials or menhir
Menhir
A menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top...
s. Laterite rock-cut caves (chenkallara), hood stones/mushroom stones/umbrella stones (kodakkallu), hat stones (toppikallu), dolmenoid cists (kalvrtham), urn burials (nannangadi) and menhirs (pulachikallu) are the Megalithic monuments found in Kerala.
About 400 megalithic sites of these various types have been found in Kerala so far like the hood stones at Codacal near Tirur
Tirur
Tirur is a town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of 16.55 km2 . It is birth place of Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature. Thunchan Parambu is highly venerated and its sand is believed to be sacred. The...
and Ayinkalam on Kuttippuram
Kuttippuram
Kuttippuram is a town and is situated in the Malappuram district of Kerala state, India. The Bharathappuzha river flows through Kuttippuram. Kuttippuram railway station is an important railway station in Malappuram district...
-Tavanur
Tavanur
Tavanur is a small village on the southern bank of Bharathapuzha, the longest river of Kerala in the Malappuram District of Kerala state in India...
road. There were more discoveries from Codacal. Some of them were buried in the courtyard of the Codacal Tile Factory ran by the Commonwealth Trust at Codacal. These artifacts have been identified as belonging to the megalithic era in Kerala that began as far back as 1000 BC. The pots and swords were found in a Rock-cut Cell typical of the Megalithic age. The Rock-cut Cells along with the Umbrella Stone and Hat Stone varieties are Megalithic sites indigenous to Kerala. Two of the pear-shaped pots found at Codacal are more or less intact while the third one is partially damaged. The `ring stand' on which the pots were placed is also broken. Similarly, one of the two swords found appears to be intact though heavily rusted. The other sword is broken at two places and does not have a hilt. The artifacts were found when the courtyard was dug up using an earth mover. This, however, resulted in the central cavern of the site getting completely destroyed. Only the flight of steps leading down to the circular megalithic cell, that had a solitary pillar in the middle, remains intact now.
The presence of the pots and swords led to the speculation that the site might have been the symbolic burial ground of a man with some social standing during his day.
Kunnumpuram
Kunnumpuram
Kunnumpuram is a village near Tanur town, Malappuram district, Kerala. Early Buddhist monastery situated near the Central AUP School Pariyapuram...
is a village near Tanur town. An early Buddhist monastery (Narimada) situated near the Central AUP School Pariyapuram
Pariyapuram
Pariyapuram is a village in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India.This was a part of the Vettattnad kingdom in medieval times.-Demographics: India census, Pariyapuram had a population of 22766 with 11102 males and 11664 females....
in the village. A 'bhodhi vriksha' tree brought from Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
(Sri Lanka) was planted here by a Buddhist saint.
According to the Chēramān Perumal legends, one of the first 9 mosques in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
was at Chāliyam, built by a missionary named Taqiy ud-Din ibn Malik. He was a comrade of Malik Bin Deenar
Malik Bin Deenar
Mālik bin Dīnār was a Tabi‘in. He is mentioned as a reliable traditionist, transmitting from such authorities as Malik ibn Anas and Ibn Sirin. He was the son of a Persian slave from Kabul who became a disciple of Hasan al-Basri...
, a Tabi‘un.
By the disintegration of the Chera power in Malabar in 12th century, most of their Nair governorates, chieftains and vassals became independent. Vettathunad must be one of them.
But Keralolpathi
Keralolpathi
The Keralolpathi is a Malayalam work that deals with the origin of the land of Kerala. Shungunny Menon ascribes the authorship of this work to Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, a 17th century scholar of the Malabar region of India. The Keralolpathi is mostly an expansion from an earlier Sanskrit...
, a native Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
legend says differently:
The Tanur dynasty were the neighbors of Valluvanad, another Nair
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
kingdom (swaroopam) east to Vettattnad, a comparatively powerful kingdom from the Kulasekhara
Kulasekhara
Kulasekhara or Later Chera dynasty was a classical Hindu dynasty founded by the saint King Kulashekhara Varman. The dynasty ruled the whole of modern Kerala state , Guddalore and some parts of Nilgiri district and Salem - Coimbatore region in southern India between 9th and 12th centuries AD...
state. But, soon Vettattnad came under control the Zamorin of Calicut as many other the petty principalities of northern Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
.
The invasion of Zamorin of Calicut
Zamorin of Calicut conquered Vetattnad before 14th century (probably in between 1340 and 1350 ). Even as the royal houses of Parappanad, Valluvanad and Vettathunad rapidly achieve commercial prosperity as a result of geographical access to maritime commerce, Nediyiruppu principality literally suffocates from being cut off from the access to the Arabian Sea. The important fact is that, the Zamorin himself prepared and attended a post-occupation coronation function of the Vettam 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 Ponnani river (BharathappuzhaBharathappuzha
Bharathappuzha , also known as River Nila, is a river in India in the state of Kerala. With a length of 209 km, it is the second-longest river in Kerala, after the Periyar River. The word "Nila" indicates the culture more than just a river. Nila has groomed the culture and life of south...
) system and its valley.
The very significant fact is that, the major purpose of this conquest was not the expansion of land, but for acquiring fertile paddy fields of the river valley and capturing strategical ports. Land north of the river valley was not so fertile in paddy production. To overcome the deficiency of paddy
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, he annexed Vettattnad and other smaller chieftaincies.
Thus, the production of paddy and fertility of the land was the major factor which tempted Zamorins to conduct various wars during 15th and 16th century AD with local chieftains in this region. The wealth from Calicut port provided the crucial advantage in his wars.
The second in line successors of Zamorin or Zamorin princes, Eralpads (Eranad Ilamkur Nampiyatiri Tirumulpad), controlled the banks of river Ponnani (Bharathappuzha
Bharathappuzha
Bharathappuzha , also known as River Nila, is a river in India in the state of Kerala. With a length of 209 km, it is the second-longest river in Kerala, after the Periyar River. The word "Nila" indicates the culture more than just a river. Nila has groomed the culture and life of south...
) as a governor after the occupation, the territory once belonged to Vettattnad and other principalities. The principalities hated Zamorins as a foe. The king of Vettam became one of the Zamorin's unwilling feudatory (Samantans).
The Thirunavaya War
Thirunavaya War
Thirunavaya Wars were a series of battles between the Saamoothiri Raja and the kingdoms of Perumpadappu and Walluvanad. The Saamoothiri was successful in capturing Thirunavaya and Vanneri and he styled himself as Rakshapurusha...
s (Approx. 1351 to 1363) Vettattnad supported the Zamorin in his wars against the Valluvanad.
As Thirunavaya
Thirunavaya
Thirunavaya is a small village in Malappuram district of Kerala, south India. This village is famed as the theatre of the Mamankam festival held in the Thirunavaya Temple on the banks of the Bharathapuzha River....
was captured, Zamorin proclaimed himself as the Protector and took over sole right of conducting the Mamankam festival
Mamankam festival
Mamankam festival or Mamangam festival was an ancient festival celebrated in Thirunavaya, Malabar coast, south India, in the present day state of Kerala from the time of Kulasekharas in every 12 years until 18th century, mostly remembered for the bloody battles occurred during the festivals...
. In Mamankam festivals the king of Vettam stood right to the protector, Zamorin. The Shah Bandar Koya had the right to stand in his left side. This can be seen as an example of the important of the two persons and religious harmony of that time.
Mamankam festival
Mamankam festival or Mamangam festival was an ancient festival celebrated in Thirunavaya, Malabar coast, south India, in the present day state of Kerala from the time of Kulasekharas in every 12 years until 18th century, mostly remembered for the bloody battles occurred during the festivals...
s all his feudatories including the Vettam king were used to send flags to Thirunavaya as a symbol of regard to the Zamorin ("the Protector").
- After the puberty ceremony (the thirandu-kalyanam) of the Zamorin princess (Thampurati), the Zamorin himself selects a suitable husband for his daughter. They were generally chosen, for political and strategic reasons from Kshatriya dynasties of Vettom, Berypore, Kurumburanad and Kodungallur
- As a part of the coronation ceremonies (the Ari-yittu-vazhcha) of a new Zamorin, after the death of his father, he enters the pulakuli pond hand in hand with the raja Punnattur. Till, 1793, Vettom king has also taken part in this ceremony, Punnattur king taking his hold of his left hand and Vettatt of the right.
- Lords of Azhvanchery and KalpakancheriKalpakancheriKalpakancheri is a Gram panchayat and tiny village in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, South India. The name was chosen as it was the land of coconut trees.The Panchayath has many schools and had a weekly market on Wednesday...
(Kalpakancheri was in Vettathunad) were used present at the coronation of a new Zamorin.
Battle of Cochin and the Defection of Tanur
The Portuguese Armada lead by Vasco da Gama landed in Malabar in 1498. Soon, the Zamorin of Calicut expelled the Portuguese from Kozhikkode and they quickly found local allies among some of the city-states on the Malabar coast which had long grated under Zamorin's dominance. Cochin, Kolathiri and Venad opened their ports and invited the Portuguese. Vettathunad was in a partial subjection to the Zamorin at the time. Also, Vettathuraja saw an opportunity to be independent. This half-independent dynasty was the allies of the PortuguesePortuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
in 16th century. Moreover, Vettathuraja, like the kings of Beypore and Chalium (Parappanad) didin't like the Cochin (Perumpadapu Swaroopam) policy of the Zamorin.
Battle of Cochin
The Battle of Cochin
Kingdom of Cochin
Kingdom of Cochin was a late medieval Hindu kingdom and later Princely State on the Malabar Coast, South India...
sometimes referred as the Second Siege of Cochin was a series of massive confrontations, between March and July 1504, fought on land and sea, between the Portuguese
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
garrison at Cochin and the armies of the Zamorin of Calicut and vassal Malabari states. In this, the crew of the Samoothiri included the Vettam king himself.
The Defection of Tanur
Tanur
Tanur is a small town in the Tirur tehsil, Malappuram district of Kerala state, South India. Tanur is located north of Tirur, on the coastal line, around 9 km away from the Tirur town.-History:...
After the Raid on Cranganore
6th Portuguese India Armada (Albergaria, 1504)
The Sixth India Armada was assembled in 1504 on the order of King Manuel I of Portugal and placed under the command of Lopo Soares de Albergaria.- The Fleet :...
, in October 1504, Lopo Soares de Albergaria
Lopo Soares de Albergaria
Lopo Soares de Albergaria was the third Governor of Portuguese India, having reached India in 1515 to supersede governor Afonso de Albuquerque....
of the Sixth Indian Armada of the Portuguese
6th Portuguese India Armada (Albergaria, 1504)
The Sixth India Armada was assembled in 1504 on the order of King Manuel I of Portugal and placed under the command of Lopo Soares de Albergaria.- The Fleet :...
received reports of an urgent message from the Vettathuraja. The Vettathuraja had come to loggerheads with his overlord, the Zamorin, and offered to place him under Portuguese suzerainty instead, in return for military assistance. He reports that 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
Caravel
A caravel is a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave her speed and the capacity for sailing to windward...
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 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
Tanur
Tanur is a small town in the Tirur tehsil, Malappuram district of Kerala state, South India. Tanur is located north of Tirur, on the coastal line, around 9 km away from the Tirur town.-History:...
, which involved significant numbers of Malabari captains and troops, clearly demonstrated that the Zamorin was no longer feared in the region. The Battle of Cochin
Battle of Cochin (1504)
The Battle of Cochin sometimes referred as the Second Siege of Cochin was a series of confrontations, between March and July 1504, fought on land and sea, principally between the Portuguese garrison at Cochin, allied to the Trimumpara Raja, and the armies of the Zamorin of Calicut and vassal...
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 December 31, 1504, setting out from Cochin, the Sixth India Armada of the Portuguese
6th Portuguese India Armada (Albergaria, 1504)
The Sixth India Armada was assembled in 1504 on the order of King Manuel I of Portugal and placed under the command of Lopo Soares de Albergaria.- The Fleet :...
under the command of Lopo Soares de Albergaria
Lopo Soares de Albergaria
Lopo Soares de Albergaria was the third Governor of Portuguese India, having reached India in 1515 to supersede governor Afonso de Albuquerque....
first headed north, intending to dock briefly at the port of Ponnani
Ponnani
Ponnani/Ponani is an ancient port, a coastal town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 9.32 km2. Ponnani taluk is the smallest Taluk in Malappuram district. This tiny, picturesque town is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west...
, in order to pay his respects to his new ally, the king of Vettom. While negotiating entry at the port (Ponnani
Ponnani
Ponnani/Ponani is an ancient port, a coastal town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 9.32 km2. Ponnani taluk is the smallest Taluk in Malappuram district. This tiny, picturesque town is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west...
doesn't actually belong to Vettattnad), 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 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 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 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 a Christian…”
- 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 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 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 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 the Ray of Tanoor traded under the protection of the passes of the Franks."
Then, Nuno da Cunha
Nuno da Cunha
Nuno da Cunha was a governor of Portuguese possessions in India from 1528 to 1538.He was the son of Antónia Pais and Tristão da Cunha, the famous Portuguese navigator, admiral and ambassador to Pope Leo X....
's envoys entered into a successful intrigue with king of Vettam (the same king to be ‘converted’ ) to make a fort near Ponnāni River (Bharathappuzha
Bharathappuzha
Bharathappuzha , also known as River Nila, is a river in India in the state of Kerala. With a length of 209 km, it is the second-longest river in Kerala, after the Periyar River. The word "Nila" indicates the culture more than just a river. Nila has groomed the culture and life of south...
), 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 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.
Battles at the Chaliyam Fort
The strategic Chaliyam -also known as Challe- was a Portuguese garrison between 1531–1571. Chāliyam 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 the Portuguese viceroy (the governor-general) Nuno da Cunha
Nuno da Cunha
Nuno da Cunha was a governor of Portuguese possessions in India from 1528 to 1538.He was the son of Antónia Pais and Tristão da Cunha, the famous Portuguese navigator, admiral and ambassador to Pope Leo X....
. 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 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 was used in carrying on the work, even the gentlemen participating in the labor, 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 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 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.
Samoothiri's first attempt (1538-40)
But within seven years, in 1538, the Zamorin attacked Vettattnād and Chāliyam (Parappanād). The king of Parappanād made an unconditional peace with Zamorin. The king of Vettam, after 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.Conversion of Vettathuraja
From 1545, 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 honor or his Caste. In fact, it 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 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 the first typically accommodationist propositions. It was the Bishop, Juan de Albuquerque, who furnished Biblical examples on behalf of such accommodating practices.
Tanur
Tanur is a small town in the Tirur tehsil, Malappuram district of Kerala state, South India. Tanur is located north of Tirur, on the coastal line, around 9 km away from the Tirur town.-History:...
( Tanore or Banor) town was one of the oldest Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
settlements in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. In 1546, Saint Francis Xavier visited Tanur
Tanur
Tanur is a small town in the Tirur tehsil, Malappuram district of Kerala state, South India. Tanur is located north of Tirur, on the coastal line, around 9 km away from the Tirur town.-History:...
.
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 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 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 of 1549. He received 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 honorable and rich clothes, with a very rich sword fastened [around 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 the Portuguese. On February 21, 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 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 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 of 1551.
Roughly from April until September 1549, Gomes partly resided in Tanur, and partly traveled southwards along the Malabar Coast. He had been officially sent by 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 was allowed to build the church in the town, to baptize 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 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.
Samoothiri's second attempt (1571)
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 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 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 September 15, 1571, the Portuguese led by Athed (?) surrendered to the alliance. They agreed empty the fortress on 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 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
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of the military Order of Christ
Order of Christ (Portugal)
The Military Order of Christ previously the Royal Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ was the heritage of the Knights Templar in Portugal, after the suppression of the Templars in 1312...
. He was a convert from Chalium (Chale). Killed in action in 1571, Antonio Fernandes received a state funeral at Goa.
The Portuguese sailors burned Chāliyam town in 1572 as revenge.
It is interesting to note that when the Zamorin of Calicut attacked Vettattnad in the early 17th Century, famous poet Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan
Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan
Thunjathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan was an Indian poet from around the 16th century, known as the father of the Malayalam language — the principal language of the Indian state of Kerala, spoken by 36 million people in the world...
started his pilgrimage with the completed copy of Adhyathmaramayanam
Adhyathmaramayanam
Adhyathmaramayanam is the Malayalam version of Ramayana written by Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan in the early 17th Century. It is considered to be a classic of Malayalam literature...
.
The Adoptation Controversies and the War
By, 17th century, the power of the Portuguese on the Malabar coast was significantly reduced as more Colonial powers emerged in Malabar. In 1658 the crown of CochinKingdom of Cochin
Kingdom of Cochin was a late medieval Hindu kingdom and later Princely State on the Malabar Coast, South India...
became vacant and five princes or tampurans from Tānūr dynasty and Aroor
Aroor
Aroor is a census town in Alappuzha district,is a suburb of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. It is a Sea food related industrial area south of Kochi...
were adapted to the palace by the ‘regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
’ of Cochin, Queen Gangādhara Lakshmi (1656–1658), and were given the right to succeed. She was acting according to a Portuguese
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
suggestion. Hence, Portuguese supported this move and a prince, Rama Varma (1658–1662), became the ruler (This incidence is written in some folk tales. But Henric Vanrid, a Dutch
Dutch India
Dutch India is a term used to refer to the settlements and trading posts of the Dutch East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. It is only used as a geographical definition, as there has never been a political authority ruling all Dutch India...
, has stated the adoptions as four. Two of the five adopted were from Tanur, but there is no hint of how many people were adopted from Aroor
Aroor
Aroor is a census town in Alappuzha district,is a suburb of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. It is a Sea food related industrial area south of Kochi...
and what happened to them later. But one thing is sure nine of them survived to be kings).
| WHO WAS WITH WHOM ? | |
|---|---|
| WITH THE ADOPTEES(RULING PRINCES) |
WITH THE ELDER BRANCH OF THE COCHIN DYNASTY |
| Vettattnad or Tānūr dynasty | Zamorin of Calicut |
| King of Cochin | King of Vadakkumkūr |
| The Portuguese | King of Edappally Edappally Edappally is one of Kochi's well known neighbourhoods. Its name in English literally translates as 'The City with a Church in the Centre' . The famous church in the centre is St. George's Church which is quite old and is a pilgrimage centre. It is said to be one of the fastest growing areas in... |
| King of Purakkad Purakkad -History:The literal meaning of Purakkad is "out of forest". The village of Purakkad was the scene of battle between Travancore and Kochin forces in 1754 AD ad between Travancore and the forces of Zamorin in 1756 AD. There was an ancient port at Purakkad. The Dutch East India Company had a factory... |
chief of Pāliyam Paliath Achan Paliath Achan or Paliyath Achan : is the name given to the oldest male member of the Paliam family , a Nair family from the Indian state of Kerala that figured prominently in the history of the region.-Overview:... |
| - | The Dutch |
But, an elder branch (mūtta tāvazhi) of the Cochin dynasty
Cochin Royal Family
The Cochin royal family were rulers of Cochin, or Kochi, India. They were also known as Perumpadapu Swaroopam or Kuru Swaroopam.-Tradition of Perumpadapu Swaroopam:...
itself ignored that adaptations and appealed to the Zamorin for help against the princes from Tānūr dynasty and the Portuguese. As a result, the elder branch was thrown out from the kingdom of Vettam. The leader of the elder branch was the dispossessed prince (Tampuran), Vīra Kērala Varma.
Zamorin decided to help the elder branch. Āditya Varma, king of Vadakkumkūr, king of Edappally
Edappally
Edappally is one of Kochi's well known neighbourhoods. Its name in English literally translates as 'The City with a Church in the Centre' . The famous church in the centre is St. George's Church which is quite old and is a pilgrimage centre. It is said to be one of the fastest growing areas in...
and chief of Pāliyam
Paliath Achan
Paliath Achan or Paliyath Achan : is the name given to the oldest male member of the Paliam family , a Nair family from the Indian state of Kerala that figured prominently in the history of the region.-Overview:...
rallied around the Zamorin in support of the elder branch’s dispossessed prince, Vīra Kērala Varma. But, the king of Purakkad
Purakkad
-History:The literal meaning of Purakkad is "out of forest". The village of Purakkad was the scene of battle between Travancore and Kochin forces in 1754 AD ad between Travancore and the forces of Zamorin in 1756 AD. There was an ancient port at Purakkad. The Dutch East India Company had a factory...
supported the ruling Tānūr princes. On the advice of the chief of Pāliyam, the dispossessed prince set sail to Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
and asked help from the Dutch
Dutch India
Dutch India is a term used to refer to the settlements and trading posts of the Dutch East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. It is only used as a geographical definition, as there has never been a political authority ruling all Dutch India...
governor, Joan Maetsuycker
Joan Maetsuycker
Joan Maetsuycker was Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1653 to 1678.Maetsuycker studied law in Leuven, and was a lawyer first in The Hague, and later in Amsterdam. From 1636, he lived in the Dutch East Indies...
, against the Portuguese. So, he sought exile in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
.
In 1661 the Dutch
Dutch India
Dutch India is a term used to refer to the settlements and trading posts of the Dutch East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. It is only used as a geographical definition, as there has never been a political authority ruling all Dutch India...
now found a huge chance of getting a major say in the politics of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
and led the allies of the dispossessed prince, with the armies of Zamorin, against the Portuguese and the ruling Cochin king (Tānūr adoptee).
The war resulted in the disastrous failure of the Portuguese and Cochin rulers. Their possession in Kērala fell into the hands of the Dutch. Three of the Tānūr princes died in the war. But the ruling king escaped to Eranākulam where he was given refuge by the king of Purakkad
Purakkad
-History:The literal meaning of Purakkad is "out of forest". The village of Purakkad was the scene of battle between Travancore and Kochin forces in 1754 AD ad between Travancore and the forces of Zamorin in 1756 AD. There was an ancient port at Purakkad. The Dutch East India Company had a factory...
. Vīra Kērala Varma (1663–1687) later crowned the king of Cochin by the Dutch.
King Rama Varma (1658–1662)
He was the eldest member of the adoption from Vettam. In 1661 he was killed when Dutch attacked Cochin. In this war Rani Gangadharalakshmi was also sent to prison.
King Goda Varma (1662–1663)
After the death of Rama Varma and the other adopted in the war with Dutch he was the only survivor from Vettam. On January 7, 1663, the Dutch attacked Cochin Port. Goda Varma Surrendered to the Dutch
Dutch India
Dutch India is a term used to refer to the settlements and trading posts of the Dutch East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. It is only used as a geographical definition, as there has never been a political authority ruling all Dutch India...
. We do not have any clue to when he died.
The Mysore occupation
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and in 1664, Zamorin gave the English permission to build a factory in Calicut, but did not extend any other favours as he was by now growing suspicious of all foreign
Alien (law)
In law, an alien is a person in a country who is not a citizen of that country.-Categorization:Types of "alien" persons are:*An alien who is legally permitted to remain in a country which is foreign to him or her. On specified terms, this kind of alien may be called a legal alien of that country...
(European) traders
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
. But, within a hundred years the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
rulers of the Kingdom of Mysore
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
expanded their territory to the Malabar coast
Malabar Coast
The Malabar Coast is a long and narrow coastline on the south-western shore line of the mainland Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing mountain...
. The Vettattnād royal family lost many of its members during the invasion by Mysore rulers Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...
and Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
.
The second invasion
Invasion
An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a...
of Mysore to Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
began in 1766. Haider Ali
Haider Ali
Haider Ali is considered one the best boxers in the history of Pakistan boxing. His explosive speed and resourcefulness made him a constant threat to opposing boxers....
invaded through northern Malabār and defeated the Zamorin (The Zamorin committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
) in 1766 April. The Zamorin’s families moved on to Tanur
Tanur
Tanur is a small town in the Tirur tehsil, Malappuram district of Kerala state, South India. Tanur is located north of Tirur, on the coastal line, around 9 km away from the Tirur town.-History:...
or Kottakkal
Kottakkal
Kottakkal is a town and a municipality in Malappuram District in Kerala, south India. It has 32 Wards. The National Highway 17 separates the municipality from Edarikkode Panchayath on some part in the west. It is an Eranadan town located 12 km south-west of Malappuram, the district...
.
Haider Ali
Haider Ali
Haider Ali is considered one the best boxers in the history of Pakistan boxing. His explosive speed and resourcefulness made him a constant threat to opposing boxers....
was a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. Like other places, Vettattnād also witnessed widespread anti-Mysore uprisings in the same year. A small village in the kingdom called Bettett Pudiyangādi became the last centre of the Nair
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
(Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
) rebel
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
s in that time. The Mysore army led by foreign commanders and Haider Ali himself stormed the village and reoccupied it. The English secretly helped the anti-Mysore uprisings.
In 1768 the Mysore army retreated from Malabār making the defeated kings their feudatories on rent
Renting
Renting is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for all property charges regularly incurred by the ownership from landowners...
. But in 1773 Malabār again came under the direct rule of Haider Ali as a result of his second invasion. In 1777 the government agent of Haider Ali to south Malabār, Rāmalinga Pillay, successfully determined the amount of tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
s collected from the peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
s and then introduced the Huzzūr Tax System in the Ponnani
Ponnani
Ponnani/Ponani is an ancient port, a coastal town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 9.32 km2. Ponnani taluk is the smallest Taluk in Malappuram district. This tiny, picturesque town is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west...
Taluk.
After the death of his father, Tipu
Tipu
Tipu may refer to:*Tipu Sultan, person in Indian history*Tipu, Belize, Mayan archaeological site near the Belize–Guatemala border*Tipu, Estonia, village in Kõpu Parish, Viljandi County, Estonia...
(Fateh Ali Khan) became the king of Mysore in 1782. During his invasion of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
many Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s forcefully converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. In Cherunad, Vettathunad, Eranad, Valluvanad, Thamarassery and other interior areas, local Mappila
Mappila
Mappila or Moplah refers to a Muslim community of Kerala, primarily in the northern region called Malabar, which arose in Malabar as a result of the pre and post Islamic Arab contacts. Significant numbers of the community are also present in the southern districts of Karnataka and western parts of...
s unleashed a reign of terror on the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
population, mainly to retain the illegally occupied land and to establish their domination over Hindus as during Tipu's regime. Fearing the organised robberies and violence, people could not even travel freely in the Malabar hinterland of predominantly Mappila
Mappila
Mappila or Moplah refers to a Muslim community of Kerala, primarily in the northern region called Malabar, which arose in Malabar as a result of the pre and post Islamic Arab contacts. Significant numbers of the community are also present in the southern districts of Karnataka and western parts of...
population. At time of the invasion of Tipu Sultan, there were 35 Nads in Malabar alone and Vettattnad was one of them. During the time of the talented Mysore Civil Governor Arshad Baig Khān, 1782–83, the peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
s of Vettattnād strongly complained that the tax system was too heavy. His two subordinates, Venkappa and Venkaji levi
Levi
Levi/Levy was, according to the Book of Genesis, the third son of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Levi ; however Peake's commentary suggests this as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an aetiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite...
ed additional collection charge of 15 %. Vettattnād was one of the five provinces in the Mysore-occupied-Malabār.
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
built the first roads in the kingdom. Those were the gun roads for his vast army movements across Malabar.
The British rule and the end of the dynasty
Treaty of Seringapatam
The Treaty of Seringapatam, signed 19 March 1792, ended the Third Anglo-Mysore War. Its signatories included Lord Cornwallis on behalf of the British East India Company, representatives of the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Mahratta Empire, and Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore.-Background:The war...
, Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
ceded half of his territories to the English East India Company including Malabar (excluding Wynad) in 1792. But soon, on August 14, 1792, a minister of the Vettattnād took over the kingdom for his king from the British on rent. Then Vettattnād was required to give to pay their revenues through the Zamorin to the British. But,the Zamorins were claiming the sovereignty over Vettattnād for a very long time. Hence, on August 18, 1792, the English transferred some parts of the newly formed Vettattnād to the Zamorin. This included the regions of Ponnani
Ponnani
Ponnani/Ponani is an ancient port, a coastal town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 9.32 km2. Ponnani taluk is the smallest Taluk in Malappuram district. This tiny, picturesque town is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west...
, Chēranād and Venkadakōtta (now Kottakkal
Kottakkal
Kottakkal is a town and a municipality in Malappuram District in Kerala, south India. It has 32 Wards. The National Highway 17 separates the municipality from Edarikkode Panchayath on some part in the west. It is an Eranadan town located 12 km south-west of Malappuram, the district...
). By the death of the Vettam king on May 24, 1793 the Tanur
Tanur
Tanur is a small town in the Tirur tehsil, Malappuram district of Kerala state, South India. Tanur is located north of Tirur, on the coastal line, around 9 km away from the Tirur town.-History:...
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 the British occupation in Malabār. Since there is no heir to the kingdom, the British took over the rule again and soon absorbed Vettattnād to the newly formed Malabar district
Malabar District
Malabar District was an administrative district of Madras Presidency in British India and independent India's Madras State. The British district included the present-day districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad , and Chavakad Taluk of Thrissur District in the northern part of...
.
In March 1799 the Joint Commissioners allowed the Thangal
Thangal
Thangals are the various Muslim communities of Yemeni origin found scattered and isolated in the state of Kerala, India. They migrated to Kerala during the 17th century to expand their business,and propagated Islam as they are muslims, and do not belong to the Mappila Muslim community of Kerala...
of Pudiyangadi
Pudiyangadi
Pudiyangadi is a town near Tirur in Kerala, India. The town mosque holds an annual event, the Pudiyangadi Nercha. This town was the part of the kingdom of Vettattnad in medieval times....
, an influential Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
chief, to continue to avail his tax exceptions on land property (Thangals are popularly believed as descendents of the prophet Muhammad himself and Moplahs considered them as spiritual figures). These lands were the authoritative gifts of the Zamorin of Calicut to him. The real of object of this move was to use his influence in Moplah
Moplah
Moplah may refer to:* Mappila, an ancient Muslim community in Malabar, Kerala state, present day India* Moplah Riots, a series of revolts and attacks by Mappilas against Hindu landlords and British government officials...
community to prevent anti-legal character prevailed among them. When, in 1801-02, the Principal Collector of Malabar Major William Macleod done a survey for his new taxation schemes, it fired riots in the region. However, his successor Robert Rickards immediately stopped all new taxations to end the riots. In 1826, the British Special Commissioner H S Graeme examined the tax system again and found that it varied in different Desoms.
The temple of the royal family
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
was transferred to the Zamorin of Calicut in 1842.
The first railroad in the Kērala state, from Beypore
Beypore
Beypore or Beypur is a ancient port town and part of Calicut municipal corporation in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. The place was formerly known as Vaypura / Vadaparappanad. Tippu Sultan named the town “Sultan Pattanam”.This place also has a marina and a beautiful beach...
to Tirur
Tirur
Tirur is a town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of 16.55 km2 . It is birth place of Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature. Thunchan Parambu is highly venerated and its sand is believed to be sacred. The...
, lay through Vettattnād. It was commissioned on March 12, 1861 by the British.
Continuous invasions and wars had left the region in extreme poverty. Under the British administration Vettattnād became a centre of Moplah
Moplah
Moplah may refer to:* Mappila, an ancient Muslim community in Malabar, Kerala state, present day India* Moplah Riots, a series of revolts and attacks by Mappilas against Hindu landlords and British government officials...
peasant revolts for almost a century, along with neighboring regions. The riots were anti-landlord, anti-Hindu and anti-government at a same time. The government was almost unable to control the riots. The region has seen participation in movements such as the Malabar Rebellion
Malabar Rebellion
The Malabar Rebellion was an armed uprising in 1921 against British authority in the Malabar region of Southern India by Mappila Muslims and the culmination of a series of Mappila revolts that recurred throughout the 19th century and early 20th century...
of 1921. The Wagon tragedy
Wagon tragedy
The Wagon tragedy was the death of 67 prisoners on 20 November 1921 in the Malabar region of Kerala state of India. The prisoners had been taken into custody following Mappila Rebellion against British Colonial rule and Hindu landlords their deaths through apparent negligence discredited the...
is associated the Tirur Railway Station.
Codacal Tile Factory
Some of the Megalithic monuments were buried in the courtyard of the Codacal Tile Factory ran by the Commonwealth Trust at Codacal. The Commonwealth Trust, which is the successor to the Basel MissionBasel Mission
The Basel Mission is a Christian missionary society active from 1815 to 2001, when it was merged into Mission 21, the successor organization of Kooperation Evangelischer Kirchen und Missione founded in 2001....
Industries, is a standing reminder of the bold and revolutionary attempt at social engineering in Malabar, attempted by the German missionaries. Their activities spread rapidly in Malabar as the weaving factory at Codacal established in 1860. The Tile Factory at Codacal, started in 1887, is the second tile manufacturing industry in India.
Prominent personalities from Vettattnad
1. Thunchaththu Ramanujan EzhuthachanThunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan
Thunjathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan was an Indian poet from around the 16th century, known as the father of the Malayalam language — the principal language of the Indian state of Kerala, spoken by 36 million people in the world...
was an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n poet from around the 16th or 17th century, known as the father of the Malayalam language
Malayalam language
Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
—which is the principal language of the Indian state of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, spoken by 36 million people in the world. In his era, Vattezhuttu, an old script originally used to write Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, was generally used in Kerala to write this language. However, he wrote his Malayalam poems in Arya-ezhuttu, a Grantha-based script originally used to write Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, so that he could accurately transliterate Sanskrit words into Malayalam. His works became unprecedentedly popular, which also popularized the writing system adopted by him, and that is the current Malayalam alphabet
Malayalam script
The Malayalam script is a Brahmic script used commonly to write the Malayalam language—which is the principal language of the Indian state of Kerala, spoken by 36 million people in the world. Like many other Indic scripts, it is an abugida, or a writing system that is partially “alphabetic” and...
. He was born in Trikkantiyur, near the town of Tirur
Tirur
Tirur is a town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of 16.55 km2 . It is birth place of Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature. Thunchan Parambu is highly venerated and its sand is believed to be sacred. The...
, in Kerala. At that time,it was a part of Vettattnad
Vettattnad
Vettathunad or Tanur swaroopam was a small erstwhile feudal kingdom in southern Malabar on Arabian Sea in southwest India ruled by a Hindu dynasty known as Tanur dynasty, over whom the Zamorin of Calicut claimed certain nominal suzerain rights.The King was called 'raja'or 'thampuran' or...
. His personal name is Ramanujan. Thunchaththu is his “family name”, and Ezhuthachan (schoolmaster) is an honorific title or the last name indicating his caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
. His name is transliterated in several different ways, including Thunchath Ezhuthachan, Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, and Thunjath Ezhuthachan.
2. Gōvinda Bhattatiri of Talakkulam or Talkkulattur(1237 – 1295 CE ) was an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n astrologer
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
and astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
who flourished in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
during the thirteenth century CE. His major work was Daśādhyāya a commentary on the first ten chapters of the astrological text Bṛhajjātaka composed by Varāhamihira
Varahamihira
Varāhamihira , also called Varaha or Mihira, was an Indian astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer who lived in Ujjain...
(505 – 587 CE). This is considered to be the most important of the 70 known commentaries on this text. Bhaṭṭatiri had also authored another important work in astrology titled Muhūrttaratnaṃ. Paramesvara (ca.1380–1460), an astronomer of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics known for the introduction of the Dṛggaṇita system of astronomical computations, had composed an extensive commentary on this work. In this commentary Paramesvara had indicated that he was a grandson of a disciple of the author of Muhūrttaratnaṃ. Govinda Bhaṭṭatiri was born in the Namputhiri family known by the name Thalakkulathur in the village of Ālattiyūr
Alathiyur, Malappuram
Alathiyur is a village in the Tirur taluk of Malappuram district, Kerala, India. Govinda Bhattathiri, a legendary figure in the Kerala astrological traditions, was born in this village in 1237 CE....
near Tirur
Tirur
Tirur is a town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of 16.55 km2 . It is birth place of Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature. Thunchan Parambu is highly venerated and its sand is believed to be sacred. The...
in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. He was traditionally considered to be the progenitor of the Pazhur Kaniyar
Kaniyar
Kaniyar are a caste of India with origins in the states of Kerala and Karnataka. There are regional variations in the name used to define them. The Kerala Public Service Commission considers Kaniyar Panicker to be one group in their list of designated Other Backward Classes, and Kalari...
family of astrologers. He is a legendary figure in the Kerala astrological traditions.
3. Vatsseri Paramēsvaran (ca.1380–1460) was a major India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics founded by Madhava of Sangamagrama
Madhava of Sangamagrama
Mādhava of Sañgamāgrama was a prominent Kerala mathematician-astronomer from the town of Irińńālakkuţa near Cochin, Kerala, India. He is considered the founder of the Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics...
. He was also an astrologer
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
. Paramesvara was a proponent of observational astronomy
Observational astronomy
Observational astronomy is a division of the astronomical science that is concerned with getting data, in contrast with theoretical astrophysics which is mainly concerned with finding out the measurable implications of physical models...
in medieval India
Medieval India
Medieval India refers to the Middle Ages i.e. 5th to 15th century AD in the Indian subcontinent, it includes:*Early Middle Ages: Middle kingdoms of India*Hoysala Empire*Kakatiya Kingdom*Delhi Sultanate*Ahom Kingdom*Reddy Kingdom...
and he himself had made a series of eclipse
Eclipse
An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object is temporarily obscured, either by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer...
observations to verify the accuracy of the computational methods then in use. Based on his eclipse observations, Paramesvara proposed several corrections to the astronomical parameters which had been in use since the times of Aryabhata
Aryabhata
Aryabhata was the first in the line of great mathematician-astronomers from the classical age of Indian mathematics and Indian astronomy...
. The computational scheme based on the revised set of parameters has come to be known as the Drgganita system. Paramesvara was also a prolific writer on matters relating to astronomy. At least 25 manuscripts have been identified as being authored by Paramesvara.
4. Dāmōdaran
Damodara
Vatasseri Damodara Nambudiri was an astronomer-mathematician of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics who flourished during the fifteenth century CE. He was a son of Vatasseri Paramesvara who developed the drigganita system of astronomical computations...
was an astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
-mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics who flourished during the fifteenth century CE. He was a son of Vatasseri Paramesvara (1360–1425) who developed the drigganita system of astronomical computations. The family home of Paramesvara was Vatasseri (sometimes called Vatasreni) in the village of Alattur, in Kerala. Damodara was a teacher of Nilakantha Somayaji
Nilakantha Somayaji
Kelallur Nilakantha Somayaji was a major mathematician and astronomer of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. One of his most influential works was the comprehensive astronomical treatise Tantrasamgraha completed in 1501...
. As a teacher he initiated Nilakantha into the science of astronomy and taught him the basic principles in mathematical computations.
5. Nīlakantha Somayāji
Nilakantha Somayaji
Kelallur Nilakantha Somayaji was a major mathematician and astronomer of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. One of his most influential works was the comprehensive astronomical treatise Tantrasamgraha completed in 1501...
(1444–1544) was a major mathematician
Indian mathematics
Indian mathematics emerged in the Indian subcontinent from 1200 BCE until the end of the 18th century. In the classical period of Indian mathematics , important contributions were made by scholars like Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, and Bhaskara II. The decimal number system in use today was first...
and astronomer of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. One of his most influential works was the comprehensive astronomical treatise Tantrasamgraha
Tantrasamgraha
Tantrasamgraha is an important astronomical treatise written by Nilakantha Somayaji, an astronomer/mathematician belonging to the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics....
completed in 1501. He had also composed an elaborate commentary on Aryabhatiya
Aryabhatiya
Āryabhaṭīya or Āryabhaṭīyaṃ, a Sanskrit astronomical treatise, is the magnum opus and only extant work of the 5th century Indian mathematician, Āryabhaṭa.- Structure and style:...
called the Aryabhatiya Bhasya. In this Bhasya, Nilakantha had discussed infinite series expansions of trigonometric functions and problems of algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
and spherical geometry
Spherical geometry
Spherical geometry is the geometry of the two-dimensional surface of a sphere. It is an example of a geometry which is not Euclidean. Two practical applications of the principles of spherical geometry are to navigation and astronomy....
. Grahapareeksakrama is a manual on making observations in astronomy based on instruments of the time.
An interesting piece of Nilakantha's work is the derivation of Leibniz-Gregory series:
and
Nilakantha's derivation of the above series is all the more interesting because it used the geometrical definition of π as the ratio of circumference and diameter of a circle.
6. Mēlpattūr Nārāyana Bhattatiri
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri , third student of Achyuta Pisharati, was of Madhava of Sangamagrama's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. He was a mathematical linguist . His most important scholarly work, Prkriya-sarvawom, sets forth an axiomatic system elaborating on the classical system...
(Bhattatiri was a Namboodiri Brahmin from Melpathur, on the north banks of Ponnani River, close to Thirunavaya
Thirunavaya
Thirunavaya is a small village in Malappuram district of Kerala, south India. This village is famed as the theatre of the Mamankam festival held in the Thirunavaya Temple on the banks of the Bharathapuzha River....
, but later He married Achyuta Pisharati
Achyuta Pisharati
Acyuta Piṣāraṭi was an Sanskrit grammarian, astrologer, astronomer and mathematician who studied under Jyeṣṭhadeva and was a member of Mādhava of Sañgamāgrama's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics...
's niece and settled in Trikkandiyoor.). Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri (1559–1632), third student of Achyuta Pisharati
Achyuta Pisharati
Acyuta Piṣāraṭi was an Sanskrit grammarian, astrologer, astronomer and mathematician who studied under Jyeṣṭhadeva and was a member of Mādhava of Sañgamāgrama's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics...
, was of Madhava of Sangamagrama
Madhava of Sangamagrama
Mādhava of Sañgamāgrama was a prominent Kerala mathematician-astronomer from the town of Irińńālakkuţa near Cochin, Kerala, India. He is considered the founder of the Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics...
's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. He was a mathematical linguist (vyakarana). His most important scholarly work, Prkriya-sarvawom, sets forth an axiomatic system elaborating on the classical system of Panini. However, he is most famous for his masterpiece, Narayaneeyam, a devotional composition in praise of Guruvayoorappan
Guruvayoorappan
Guruvayurappan Guruvayurappan Guruvayurappan (Malayalam: , (transliterated guruvāyūrappan), also often written Guruvayoorappan, is a form of Vishnu worshipped and held in reverence by Hindus, predominantly in South India. This is located in the town of Guruvayur, Kerala, India...
(Sri Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
) that is still sung at the temple of Guruvayoor.
7. Acyiuta Psārati
Achyuta Pisharati
Acyuta Piṣāraṭi was an Sanskrit grammarian, astrologer, astronomer and mathematician who studied under Jyeṣṭhadeva and was a member of Mādhava of Sañgamāgrama's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics...
(1550–1621) was a renowned Sanskrit grammar
Sanskrit grammar
The grammar of the Sanskrit language has a complex verbal system, rich nominal declension, and extensive use of compound nouns. It was studied and codified by Sanskrit grammarians from the later Vedic period , culminating in the Pāṇinian grammar of the 4th century BC.-Grammatical tradition:The...
ian, astrologer, astronomer and mathematician
Indian mathematics
Indian mathematics emerged in the Indian subcontinent from 1200 BCE until the end of the 18th century. In the classical period of Indian mathematics , important contributions were made by scholars like Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, and Bhaskara II. The decimal number system in use today was first...
of his time. He was a student of Jyestadeva and a member of Madhava of Sangamagrama
Madhava of Sangamagrama
Mādhava of Sañgamāgrama was a prominent Kerala mathematician-astronomer from the town of Irińńālakkuţa near Cochin, Kerala, India. He is considered the founder of the Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics...
's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. He is remembered mainy for his part in the composition of his student Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri , third student of Achyuta Pisharati, was of Madhava of Sangamagrama's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. He was a mathematical linguist . His most important scholarly work, Prkriya-sarvawom, sets forth an axiomatic system elaborating on the classical system...
's devotional poem, Narayaneeyam.
8. Jyēsthadēvan (c. 1500 – c. 1610) was an astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
-mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics founded by Sangamagrama Madhava (c.1350 – c.1425) . He is best known as the author of Yuktibhāṣā
Yuktibhasa
Yuktibhāṣā also known as Gaṇitanyāyasaṅgraha , is a major treatise on mathematics and astronomy, written by Indian astronomer Jyesthadeva of the Kerala school of mathematics in about AD 1530...
,
a commentary in Malayalam of Tantrasamgraha
Tantrasamgraha
Tantrasamgraha is an important astronomical treatise written by Nilakantha Somayaji, an astronomer/mathematician belonging to the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics....
by Nilakantha Somayaji
Nilakantha Somayaji
Kelallur Nilakantha Somayaji was a major mathematician and astronomer of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. One of his most influential works was the comprehensive astronomical treatise Tantrasamgraha completed in 1501...
(1444–1544). In Yuktibhāṣā
Yuktibhasa
Yuktibhāṣā also known as Gaṇitanyāyasaṅgraha , is a major treatise on mathematics and astronomy, written by Indian astronomer Jyesthadeva of the Kerala school of mathematics in about AD 1530...
, Jyesthadeva had given complete proofs
Mathematical proof
In mathematics, a proof is a convincing demonstration that some mathematical statement is necessarily true. Proofs are obtained from deductive reasoning, rather than from inductive or empirical arguments. That is, a proof must demonstrate that a statement is true in all cases, without a single...
and rationale of the statements in Tantrasamgraha
Tantrasamgraha
Tantrasamgraha is an important astronomical treatise written by Nilakantha Somayaji, an astronomer/mathematician belonging to the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics....
. This was unusual for traditional Indian mathematicians of the time. An analysis of the mathematics content of Yuktibhāṣā
Yuktibhasa
Yuktibhāṣā also known as Gaṇitanyāyasaṅgraha , is a major treatise on mathematics and astronomy, written by Indian astronomer Jyesthadeva of the Kerala school of mathematics in about AD 1530...
has prompted some scholars to call it "the first textbook of calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
". Jyesthadeva also authored Drk-karana a treatise on astronomical observations.
Vettathu Sampradayam
The Vettatt tradition of the dance drama KathakaliKathakali
Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...
(Ramanattam
Ramanattam
Ramanattam is a temple art in Kerala, India. It is a dance drama and presents the story of Rama in a series of eight plays and was created under the patronage of Veera Kerala Varma alias Kottarakkara Thampuran...
) is attributed to a Vettam king ruled the state between 1630 and 1640 AD. He made some improvements to the presentation of Kathakali
Kathakali
Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...
. He introduced several important developments into Kathakali as follows:
- 1] The introduction of two singers to invoke the harmonies within the voices.
- 2] The introduction of ‘ChengilaChengilaThe chengila or cennala is a percussion instrument of India. It is a type of gong that helps the singer keep time in many traditional art forms of Kerala. A ringing sound is produced when it is struck with a stout wand when hung freely, while a flat tone is produced when it is in contact with the...
s’ (cymbals) to beat the ‘Tala (music)Tala (music)Tāla, Taal or Tal is the term used in Indian classical music for the rhythmic pattern of any composition and for the entire subject of rhythm, roughly corresponding to metre in Western music, though closer conceptual equivalents are to be found in other Asian classical systems such as the notion...
’ or rhythmRhythmRhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
. - 3] The introduction of ‘ChendaChendaThe Chenda is a cylindrical percussion instrument used widely in the state of Kerala, and Tulu Nadu of Karnataka State in India. In Tulu Nadu it is known as Chande....
’, a powerful drum played with sticks (Chendas were originally played in the outdoor temple ceremonies to accompany shadow puppets). - 4] Two singers, the ‘Ponnikkaran’ and the ‘Sinkidikkaran’ were introduced to add the ‘Thiranukuu’. A method of introducing the evil characters of the play to the audience from behind a large satin curtain, held up at the front of the stage.
- KathakaliKathakaliKathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...
reformer Kaplingad Narayanan Nambudiri had his basic instructions in various faculties of the art in Vettath Kalari, and then he shifted to TravancoreTravancoreKingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
.
Other information
- The people were extremely poor in the Kingdom until the end of 20th century. Upper caste HinduHinduHindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s were mainly landlords and local Sunni-Shafi`i Muslims (Moplahs or MappilaMappilaMappila or Moplah refers to a Muslim community of Kerala, primarily in the northern region called Malabar, which arose in Malabar as a result of the pre and post Islamic Arab contacts. Significant numbers of the community are also present in the southern districts of Karnataka and western parts of...
s) and lower caste Hindus constituted the ordinary people.
- The rulers constructed some canals in the region to promote transportation of goods like Ponnani Canal (from the mouth of the Ponnani riverBharathappuzhaBharathappuzha , also known as River Nila, is a river in India in the state of Kerala. With a length of 209 km, it is the second-longest river in Kerala, after the Periyar River. The word "Nila" indicates the culture more than just a river. Nila has groomed the culture and life of south...
at PonnaniPonnaniPonnani/Ponani is an ancient port, a coastal town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 9.32 km2. Ponnani taluk is the smallest Taluk in Malappuram district. This tiny, picturesque town is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west...
to TirurTirurTirur is a town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of 16.55 km2 . It is birth place of Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature. Thunchan Parambu is highly venerated and its sand is believed to be sacred. The...
Railway Station).
Here is a description about the Ponnani Canal by BEM (Basel Mission
Basel Mission
The Basel Mission is a Christian missionary society active from 1815 to 2001, when it was merged into Mission 21, the successor organization of Kooperation Evangelischer Kirchen und Missione founded in 2001....
) men in Codacal.
In literature
- T. Raman Nambeesan (1888–1983) wrote a historical novel called ‘Keralesvaran’ in 1926 about a Vettath raja, who fought for his freedom.
- ‘Chandrika vithi’ written by Muriyanattu Nampyar mentions a Vettath raja named ‘Viraraya of prakasa kingdom’.
Tirur River
Rising from the Athavanad village of Tirur taluk, Tirur river (length 48 km.) first flows south-west up to Thiruvnavaya and then flows to Elamkulam in the north-west direction. Then again it turns south-west and finally joins Ponnani river to reach the sea near Ponnani.This river flows through the banks of Vettattnad – i.e. through Thunjan Parambu, Vettam, Thalakkadu, Thalekkara and Poocha chira padam (the field that King of Vettam donated to a family that fed thousands of cats for many generations) – before joining the estuary in historic Ponnani. Like many other rivers in Kerala, this river is also under threat pollution. This river is navigable and motor boat can play between Tirur and Ponnani. It also forms part of West Coast Water Transport System.
Patinharekkara beach
The Tirur-Kuttayi road ends at Patinharekkara beach, where the Ponnani and Tirur rivers converge to drain into the sea. This place is noted for migratory birds, gathering in their thousands during February - April. This beautiful beach is very near Tirur and is also famous for its astonishing scenic beauty. This beach has long been a favorite destination for both domestic and international travelers as well as nature lovers.Vallabhatta Kalari
The Vallabhatta Kalari (Academy) is just a few kilometres away from the River Ponnani, a classic example of a ‘kuzhi kalari’ (sunken arena). Kalari payattu, the ancient martial art is taught here by the last descendant of the Muduvangatt family whose head was the commander-in-chief of the royal army of the Vettath King. Tracing a lineage of ten centuries, the kalari has managed to keep its traditional grandeur despite the lure of commerce. Gurukkal Sankunni Panicker, father of present Gurukkal Sankara Narayana Menon was the last member of the Mudavungattil family on whom the title of Panicker was conferred by the king of Vettattnad. Male members of the Mudavungattil family were the commanders-in chief of the Vettath Raja. Then the members of this family were great deponents of Kalaripayatt and held the Gurusthanam of the Royal family. The records of 1915 and 1925 state that Vallabhatta traditional Kalari was in existence since the Vettath Raja's reign began. This Kalari exists even now, at Niramaruthoor, Tirur Taluk. But it is merely kept as a Temple.Places of worship in Vettattnad
TirurTirur
Tirur is a town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of 16.55 km2 . It is birth place of Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature. Thunchan Parambu is highly venerated and its sand is believed to be sacred. The...
has three temples, dedicated to the Trimurti
Trimurti
The Trimurti is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahmā the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver, and Śhiva the destroyer or transformer," These three deities have been called "the Hindu triad" or...
s, Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
, Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
and Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
strewn on the banks of the Ponnani river (Bharathapuzha).
The historical Vettatt Bhagavati Kavu Temple is situated about 12 kilometers from Tirur
Tirur
Tirur is a town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of 16.55 km2 . It is birth place of Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature. Thunchan Parambu is highly venerated and its sand is believed to be sacred. The...
town on the banks of Tirur
Tirur River
Tirur River begins in the Tirur taluk village of Athvanad in the Malappuram district of the state of Kerala in south India and flows south-west to Thiruvnavaya and then north-west to Elamkulam where it turns south-west, joining the Bharathapuzha River which flows into the Arabian Sea near the...
-Ponnani River
Bharathappuzha
Bharathappuzha , also known as River Nila, is a river in India in the state of Kerala. With a length of 209 km, it is the second-longest river in Kerala, after the Periyar River. The word "Nila" indicates the culture more than just a river. Nila has groomed the culture and life of south...
s in the village of Vettam
Vettam
Vettam is a 2004 Malayalam romantic comedy film directed by Priyadarshan and starring Dileep and Bhavna Pani.The film is an adaptation of the 1995 American film French Kiss.-Plot:...
. Even though, authentic details concerning the age of the present temple, is not available, it is considered to be very ancient. It is believed that the deity is the family deity of the Vettam dynasty.
The legend is that once a Vettam king pleaded to goddess 'Mookambika
Mookambika
The Mookambika Devi Temple of Kollur, dedicated to Mookambika Devi, is one of the most prominent shrines for people in the state of Karnataka and Kerala, India. Located at a distance of 147 km from Mangalore in the picturesque surroundings presented by the banks of the river Sauparnika and...
' to appear before him, that is, to come to his land - Vettam
Vettam
Vettam is a 2004 Malayalam romantic comedy film directed by Priyadarshan and starring Dileep and Bhavna Pani.The film is an adaptation of the 1995 American film French Kiss.-Plot:...
. At the end Goddess consented and it is believed that she resides in the palace. From then the King offered ablutions and was worshiping goddess regularly. The palace ground, where the offerings were made to the goddess, was considered to be the original sanctum, ‘Sreemoolasthanam’, of the temple complex. The present temple was built later, a few feet away from the 'Sreemoolasthanam'. The presiding deity in the sanctum sanctorum is Goddess Mookambika
Mookambika
The Mookambika Devi Temple of Kollur, dedicated to Mookambika Devi, is one of the most prominent shrines for people in the state of Karnataka and Kerala, India. Located at a distance of 147 km from Mangalore in the picturesque surroundings presented by the banks of the river Sauparnika and...
. The sub shrines of Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
-Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
, Ganapathi, Ayappan are inside the temple complex and that of Brahmarakshas and Nagapradishta are outside. Towards the south-west of the temple, lies the huge tank (Ambalakkulam) called the Valiya Chira which was used by the royal family. On the north - west, an octa-angled tank, Elanthikulam is situated. The Current Trustee of the temple is the Zamorin of Calicut.
There are some renowned old temples in kingdom, which have architectural and archaeological value. Of them Triprangode
Triprangode
Triprangode is a village in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India.Three sides of the Village is surrounded by Water bodies and is famous for the "Triprangode Maha Shiva Kshetra " . It is believed that the Deity here cures from diseases and helps to overcome the fear of death...
Siva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
Temple (The inscriptional evidences found at Triprangode Siva Temple indicates that the Kulasekhara
Kulasekhara
Kulasekhara or Later Chera dynasty was a classical Hindu dynasty founded by the saint King Kulashekhara Varman. The dynasty ruled the whole of modern Kerala state , Guddalore and some parts of Nilgiri district and Salem - Coimbatore region in southern India between 9th and 12th centuries AD...
King Gōda Rāvi Varma (917- 944 AD) had sway over this region.), and Trikkandiyoor Siva Temple are important.
Kēralādhīsvarapuram Temple (K. Puram Temple) in Tanur
Tanur
Tanur is a small town in the Tirur tehsil, Malappuram district of Kerala state, South India. Tanur is located north of Tirur, on the coastal line, around 9 km away from the Tirur town.-History:...
is one of the oldest temples in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. The temple is dedicated to Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, and is situated about 3 km south of Tānūr town. The temple was ravaged by Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
, but was rebuilt recently. Every year in Vrishchikam
Vrishchikam
Vrishchikam is the first month of kollavarsham, the Malayalam Calendar. This translates to Scorpio in the Western Calendar....
month in the Malayalam calendar
Malayalam calendar
Malayalam calendar is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used in Kerala, India. The origin of the calendar has been dated as 825 CE....
, a festival of seven days is used to celebrate in a grant manner in the temple. It is believed that St. Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534...
visited this place.
Trikkaikattu Temple and Math is situated at Pariyapuram
Pariyapuram
Pariyapuram is a village in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India.This was a part of the Vettattnad kingdom in medieval times.-Demographics: India census, Pariyapuram had a population of 22766 with 11102 males and 11664 females....
, 3 km north of Tanur
Tanur
Tanur is a small town in the Tirur tehsil, Malappuram district of Kerala state, South India. Tanur is located north of Tirur, on the coastal line, around 9 km away from the Tirur town.-History:...
. Math was founded by Hindu philosopher Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (IAST: pronounced , (Sanskrit: , ) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as ' and ' was an Indian philosopher from Kalady of present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta...
(788-820 AD). The temple is dedicated to Siva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and is situated on top of a hill.
There is also a renowned Ayyappan
Ayyappan
Ayyappan is a Hindu deity worshiped in a number of shrines across India. Ayyappan is believed to be an incarnation of Dharma Sastha, who is the son of Shiva and Vishnu . The name "Ayyappan" is used as a respectful form of address in the Malayalam language, spoken in the Indian state of Kerala...
Temple and Vettakkorumakan Temple at Rayiramangalam is famous.
Shobha Parambu Devi Temple is a very famous temple in this area which is located in Tanur
Tanur
Tanur is a small town in the Tirur tehsil, Malappuram district of Kerala state, South India. Tanur is located north of Tirur, on the coastal line, around 9 km away from the Tirur town.-History:...
itself. Kalankari is a famous ritual celebration performed in this temple every year for which thousands of devotees used to be present.
Vellamassery Garudan Kavu is the only Garuda
Garuda
The Garuda is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.From an Indian perspective, Garuda is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila and...
temple is found in Kerala. The Vellamassery Garudan Kavu is located in the near Tirur
Tirur
Tirur is a town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of 16.55 km2 . It is birth place of Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature. Thunchan Parambu is highly venerated and its sand is believed to be sacred. The...
. This 1,800 year old temple is positioned nearby the Mahavishnu temple. Many come to the temple to pray for an easy recovery from snake-bite and other diseases. The Garudan temple is said to be the only temple in the area in which Garuda
Garuda
The Garuda is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.From an Indian perspective, Garuda is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila and...
is worshipped in his flying form. A significant deviation is that Even while the other temples were accessible to ‘savarnas’ only before the Declaration of Temple Entry Right for all Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s, this temple was open to all on every Sundays. Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
’s army destroyed the temple, but later it was rebuilt.
Legend about the origin is that once the legendary mason, Perumthachan
Perumthachan
Perumthachan also spelled as "Perunthachan" meaning is an honorific title that is used to refer to an ancient legendary carpenter, architect, woodcarver and sculptor from Kerala, India...
came to the Vettatnad palace to pay his homages to the King. He had brought with him a statue of Garuda
Garuda
The Garuda is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.From an Indian perspective, Garuda is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila and...
throbbing with life and luster. King wished had it had a life of its own! He could not help expressing his strange admiration and wish. Mason replied that the statue indeed would comply, provided a pure wife was to touch it. The Raja did not enjoy the reply. Sternly he pronounced death for Mason if he eventually were to be proved wrong when tested with an experiment. Mason was unfazed and smilingly he queried what reward his statue could garner if indeed it became live as he had predicted .The Raja fairly promised a temple for the statue in that case. Mason went to a trance. His wife was brought to touch the statue. On her touch it flew up and the kings men followed it with wonder.There was a Vishnu temple belonging to Karuthedam and Ampala Paveri and Mullappalli manas (houses). A big pond full of white tortoises was near it. The Vishnu temple and the tortoises are related in Hindu beliefs traditionally. The statue eventually came and rested on the top of one tortoise in the pond. This is the place now called ‘Theertha Kund’. The tortoise began to crawl to the Vishnu temple. Raja invited the Tantrees (priests) of Karuthedath house to deliberate further actions. That resulted in the formation of the current Garudan kavu facing the west. The name of the place currently is ‘Vellamassery’ which literally represents a settlement group of white tortoises! Another about the origin is that centuries ago a great sage immersed in penance was able to realize the vision of Lord Vishnu and requested him to boon him a way out for the human soul from pain and sin. As if explaining to his divine vehicle Garuda, Vishnu elucidated the methods and ways of redemption open before the human soul in its predicaments. To keenly participate in this dialogue of his master, the Garuda
Garuda
The Garuda is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.From an Indian perspective, Garuda is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila and...
flew and sat on a location which now is the bank of the ‘Theertha pond’ of the Garudan Kavu temple. That place where Vishnu supposed appeared to his devotee became a holy spot. And centuries later, at this divine location a king of Vettam constructed the temple. It is believed that later the penances were undertaken by Patma-pada-chaaryar, a disciple of Sankara
Sankara
Sankara can refer to:*Thomas Sankara , Marxist revolutionary leader of Burkina Faso *Adi Sankara, Hindu philosopher of roughly 800 CE credited with reviving Hinduism...
(788-820 AD). The temple complex grew later substantially. Sankara Narayana and Shiva ‘pratishtha’s facing the east came up. On the left of Lord Garuda, one can worship today Veettekkaran and Karthya Veery arjunan. Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
and Sankara Narayanan have ‘Namaskara Mandapa’. Vishnu has a ‘balippura on the south as well. At west one can pray Sastha, Bhagavathy, Ganapthy and Bhadra Kali. There is a ‘gopuram’ at the west and a ‘deepasthambham’ inside. The large and serene temple pond on the south adds to the pride of this temple. There is also daily ‘Pooja’ in the temple. Every year, ‘Vrischika mandala’ time is celebrated as the ‘Garuda festival’. After 41 of ‘mandala’ the two days are for Vishnu celebrations. Garuda gets one only ‘kalasham’. Poojas are on Vaishnavite style. The ‘Utsava’s here has only the ‘anushtana vadyas’ (Chenda, panchavadyam etc.). Garuda celebrations do not engage elephants. But for Vishnu celebrations no such restrictions exist.
Alathiyur Hanuman Temple is located at Alathiyur
Alathiyur, Malappuram
Alathiyur is a village in the Tirur taluk of Malappuram district, Kerala, India. Govinda Bhattathiri, a legendary figure in the Kerala astrological traditions, was born in this village in 1237 CE....
near Tirur
Tirur
Tirur is a town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of 16.55 km2 . It is birth place of Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature. Thunchan Parambu is highly venerated and its sand is believed to be sacred. The...
. According to legend, the Purumthrikkovil idol of Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
was consecrated by Sage Vasishta. Over the years the custodians of the temple were Alathiyur Grama Namboodiri, king of Vettom, and the Zamorin of Calicut. Legend related to Alathur Hanuman Temple is that even though the main deity of the temple is Lord Rama this temple is famous and known as a Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
temple. Sage Vasishta installed the temple at the place where Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
gives instructions to Hanuman before his going to Lanka
Lanka
Sri Lanka is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the legendary king Ravana in the great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata...
in search of Sita
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
. The idol of Hanuman is adjacent to the main temple of Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
. Hanuman stands leaning forward as if to hear his master’s words with a club in his hand. The temple of Laxmana is situated a few metres outside the main temple. It is believed Laxmana was keeping away allowing Rama and Hanuman to talk confidentially. Here there is a platform commemorating Hanuman’s jump over to Lanka over the sea. In one end of the platform there is a long granite stone (symbolizes the sea) where devotees run on the platform and jump over the long granite stone. It is said that doing this jump in this temple brings great luck, health, long life, and wealth to all who perform this jump. Visiting this temple and offering Kuzhacha Avil are done by people seeking to go abroad, being Hanuman jumbed and crossed the sea in search of Sita.
Pudiyangadi
Pudiyangadi
Pudiyangadi is a town near Tirur in Kerala, India. The town mosque holds an annual event, the Pudiyangadi Nercha. This town was the part of the kingdom of Vettattnad in medieval times....
is a small town near Tirur and is considered sacred by Moplahs. The Puthiyangadi Mosque is very famous and annually, in the month of January, the Pudiyangadi Nercha festival is held at this mosque. Several elephants line up in the famous procession from Tirur to Pudiyangadi, during the festival. This festival has been discontinued for the past few years owing to difference of opinion among the families responsible for the conduct of the festival.
External links
- http://c-radhakrishnan.info/ : About the history of Malabar.
- http://www.lsg.kerala.gov.in/htm/mainrural.php?intID=5 : About the history of each region.
- http://www.namboothiri.com/index.shtml
- http://www.auspostalhistory.com/articles/184.shtml : About the Codakkal Tile Factory.