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Kerala History - Detailed Information About

the History of Kerala
There is limited information available about the ancient period of Kerala history. This
is because there is hardly any written record left from the time nor is there enough
evidence to prove them. There are many myths and speculations about the creation of
Kerala and its early periods. According to Hindu mythology, Kerala was created by
Parasuram, one of the avathars (incarnation) of MahaVishnu. Geologists believe that
Kerala was formed by some seismic activity, gradually or suddenly.
Based on the available details, the history of Kerala can be conveniently divided into
various periods.

History of Kerala - Ancient Period

Ancient Period refers to the time before the Christian era. As mentioned earlier,
history of Kerala can be traced back to 4000 B.C., when Proto Australoid and Negrito
race inhabited the land. Microlithic artifacts dating back to 4000 B.C. have been
recovered from near Calicut. Megalithic monuments like various kinds of burial stones
and urns and some man-made underground chambers have also been found. By
around 3000 B.C., Kerala had trade relation with Sindhu Valley Civilization and its
spices and commodities like Sandalwood, Ivory, Teakwood etc. were exported to many
countries of the west. Kerala held a considerable position in the commercial map of
the ancient world. It is believed that the Peacocks, Monkeys, Ivory and spices which
King Solomon received, were imported from Kerala . It was by 700 B.C. that the
Dravidians migrated to south India from the Mediterranean region. The Aryans
entered Kerala from north India by 300 B.C.
270 B.C. to 240 B.C. saw the spread of Buddhism in Kerala. The oldest record about
Kerala is found in one of the rock edict by emperor Asoka dating back to B.C. 257.
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Sangham Period in Kerala History

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Sangham Period in Kerala History

This period can be dated from the beginning of the Christian era to the middle of the
7th century. 'Sanghams' were assemblies or groups of poets which were in existence in
various parts of the Pandiyan Empire. The aim of these Sanghams was to encourage
poetic arts. Three Sanghams are known to have existed during the period.
Heppalus, a Roman-Greek sailor reached Musiris (Kodungalloore) in A.D. 45 and this
enabled direct trade with Roman empire. The distance of sea voyages were reduced by
the discovery of new routes. Many mariners like Heppalus, Panthenus, Huan Tsang,
Cosmos Indicopleustes etc., landed at the coasts of Kerala during this period.
By around 50 - 125 A.D., the Chera kings captured parts of northern Kerala. During
this period also, Kerala had strong trade with the West. In A.D. 52, St. Thomas reached
Kerala and Christianity began to ourish. With the demolition of Jerusalem church by
the Romans, the Jews ed from Israel and some of them reached Kerala. As per the
book Keralolpathy, the period up to 216 A.D. is known as 'Parasurama period' and the
period 216 A.D. to 428 A.D. is known as age of 'Perumals'. The Brahmin families which
migrated to Kerala were settled to 64 villages. In 644 A.D., Malikben Dinar reached
Kerala and he constructed Mosques and propagated Islam. Cheran Chenguttuvan (125180) was one of the famous rulers of this era.
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Post-Sangham Period in the History of Kerala

The period ranging from the middle of 7th century to the early part of the 9th century
is known as the Post - Sangham period. This was the period when Buddhism began to
decline. The main rulers of this period were Cheraman Perumal and Kulasekara Alwar.
Both these kings later abdicated their thrones. Kulasekara Alwar later became a
Vaishnavite poet and Cheraman Perumal accepted Islam and went to Mecca. Adi
Shankara (Sankaracharya, 788 - 820 A.D.) lived and propagated the Advaida
philosophy during this period. Each king during the period was enthroned for a period
of 12 years. After his term, a new king was selected following a festival or cultural
event known as ' Mamankam ' [1]. These type of events are unique to Kerala
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Kulasekara Periods - Kerala History

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The next period in Kerala history is the period of rule of the Kulasekara Kings.
Kulasekara empire lasted for about 3 centuries beginning from 800 AD. This period is
also known as the Period of 'Second Chera' empire. These kings were known after their
family name as Kulasekaras. Kolla Varsha or the Quilon Calendar (Malayalam Calendar
system)[2] was introduced during this period. It came into existence on the 25th of July
, 825 A.D. Quilon city was reconstructed by Maruvan Sabareso. The Pandyas retreated
from Kerala occupation.Sthanu Ravi Varma, Bhaskara Ravi I, Bhaskara Ravi II were
main rulers of this period. Between 1000 and 1019, Raja Raja Chola and Rajendra
Chola attacked Kerala. Rajendra Chola seized vizhinjam. In 1070 Kerala was liberated
from Chola control.
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Kerala History - Period of the Provincial rulers

Frequent wars with the Chola and Pandya kingdoms weakened the Chera empire and
nally lead to their breakdown. With the breakdown of Chera empire the next phase of
Kerala history began. This was the period of the provincial rulers. Provincial rulers
were those who took control of a small province rather than a large empire. These
provinces were once part of the Chera empire. The provincial rulers were con ned to
small areas but they frequently fought each other for domination. The kings of Venad
and Kochi and Zamorins of Kozhikode were the prominent rulers.
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European Arrival in Kerala

Arrival of the Europeans marked the beginning of another era in the history of Kerala.
In 1498, Vasco da Gama reached Kappad, near Kozhikode. This was followed by the
arrival of a number of Europeans. Though the main aim of their visit was trade and
discovery of a shorter sea route to the Malabar coast, the prevailing political instability
paved way for their entry into the administration. Making use of the rivalry between
the provincial rulers, they started by providing military assistance to one ruler against
the other. By and by, their in uence increased to such an extend that they began
running the administration with the rulers acting as puppets in their hands. Wars and
skirmishes still continued between various native rulers and this provided the
Europeans more and more opportunities to interfere into the administration. The
Portuguese were the rst Europeans to establish a stronghold in Kerala. This was later
followed by the Dutch and the British. A number of battles were fought between the
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provincial rulers against each other and against the Portuguese. In 1524 Vasco da
Gama was appointed the Portuguese Viceroy of Kerala. Kochi and Kozhikode were the
main provinces of the time. Zamorins, the rulers of Kozhikode, fought a number of
battles against the Portuguese.
Following the Portuguese, the Dutch reached Kerala. They began by the establishment
of the Dutch East India Company in the year 1592. In 1604, the Dutch army arrived at
the Malabar coast. They entered the arena of Kerala politics by making use of the
rivalry between Kochi and Kozhikode. Their arrival marked the beginning of another
phase of European domination. The Portuguese slowly began to loose control over to
the Dutch. Dutch established their base at various parts of Kerala and made a number
of treaties with local rulers. These treaties bestowed them with more powers. The
Dutch supremacy lasted only for a short period before the British entry into Kerala. In
1725, the French established their base at Mahe. But unlike in the African continent,
they were unable to make a move in on. Even while the Europeans emerged as great
powers, war continued between the provinces. Marthanda Varma (1706 - 1761),the
ruler of Travancore, was one of the strongest rulers of the time. With the arrival of the
British begins another chapter of Kerala history.
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British Rule in Kerala

Like any other Europeans, British also had great interest in Kerala. They too were
attracted by the spices and other natural treasures of the land. British supremacy in
Kerala started by the mid seventeenth century and lasted for the next 200 years until
independence. Though a number of wars and revolts were made against them, the
British were able to suppress them quickly. This was mainly because of the lack of
unity among the provinces. Kochi and Travancore were the prominent kingdoms. The
rule of the British saw many changes in the social and cultural life of Kerala. Slavery
was slowly abolished. English missionaries played an important role in improving the
living standard of the people. During this period a number of educational institutions
and hospitals were opened. Many railway lines , roads and bridges were constructed by
the British. In a way, Kerala is indebted to the British for its modernization.
This period also saw the emergence of a number of social reformation movements.
Many reformers like Chattambi Swamikal, Sree Narayana Guru and Ayyankali played a
vital role in the upliftment of the downtrodden and the emancipation of the women
folks.

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Freedom Struggle and Independence

Though there were a number uprisings against the foreign rule right from the
beginning, its intensity and frequency increased by the early 1900's. The early revolts
and battles against the rule like the Pazhassi and Mappilai revolts were suppressed
with iron st by the British. The World Wars weakened the colonial powers and this
gave a boost to the nationalist movements in the colonies. In India, nationalist
movements gained momentum under the strong leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.
These movements had their effect on Kerala as well. Kerala division of Indian National
Congress was launched. The Khilafat Movement, organized under the leadership of
Indian National Congress had a huge in uence over the muslim community of the
Malabar region. Following the Khilafat Movement was the Malabar mutiny (1921). The
movement lasted for quite some time before it was suppressed. The lower castes were
denied permission to use the temple roads. Against this, in 1924 started the Vaikom
Satyagraha. This was totally a social movement. This movement was successfully
ended by the intervention of Mahatma Gandhi in 1925. In 1930, British levied tax on
salt and they imposed restrictions on production of salt. This aroused nation wide
agitation. In Kerala, under the leadership of K. Kelappan, this law was de ed and salt
was produced. A number of big and small movements arouse until 1947, when nally
the land was free from the clutches of colonialism.
On July 1, 1949, the princely states of Travancore and Cochin were integrated to form
Travancore - Cochin (Thiru-Cochi) state. But it was on November 1, 1956, that Kerala
as a state came into existence. This was by the consolidation of Malabar province,
which was a part of the Madras Presidency and the Travancore - Cochin state.
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Links
1. http://www.prokerala.com/kerala/history/mamankam.htm
2. http://www.prokerala.com/general/calendar/index.php

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