Legend of Cheraman Perumals explained

The legend of Cheraman Perumals is the medieval tradition associated with the Cheraman Perumals (Chera kings) of Kerala.[1] The sources of the legend include popular oral traditions and later literary compositions. The time of origin of the legend is not known to scholars. It seems the legend once had a common source well known to all Kerala people.[2]

The historic Cheraman Perumal dynasty,[3] also known as the Perumal dynasty of Kerala, or Chera Perumals of Makotai,[4] (fl. c. 844 CE–1124 CE) were a ruling dynasty in present-day Kerala, South India.[5] Mahodayapuram, or Makotai, the seat of the Cheraman Perumals, is identified with present-day Kodungallur in central Kerala.[6] [7] [8] Initially, their influence appeared limited to the area between present-day Quilon and Quilandy, but later extended to up to Chandragiri river in north Kerala and to Nagercoil in the south.

The validity of the legend as a source of history once generated much debate among south Indian historians. The legend is now considered as "an expression of the historical consciousness rather than as a source of history".[9] The legend of the Cheraman Perumals exercised significant political influence in Kerala over the centuries. The legend was used by Kerala chiefdoms for the legitimation of their rule (most of the major chiefly houses in medieval Kerala traced its origin back to the legendary allocation by the Perumal).[10] [11]

Popular written versions of the legend are infamous for inconsistencies and contradictions (in names of the kings and dates). Even the dates of their compositions are problematic. The Cheraman Perumals mentioned in the legend can be identified with the Chera Perumal rulers of medieval Kerala (c. 8th - 12th century AD).[12]

Sources of the legend

Different written versions of the legend can be found in several literary sources. Most versions contain interpolations and omissions in favour of some special interests and communities (religions and castes).

Major themes

The Cheraman Perumals were the kings of Kerala/Chera kingdom. The first Cheraman Perumal was "brought" from a country east of the Ghats to Kerala by Nambudiri Brahmins (four select Brahmin settlements were empowered to choose a khastriya king). Sister of the first Cheraman Perumal was married to Brahmin and it was decided that the son/daughter would be a Kshatriya (and the successor to the throne). The Brahmins arranged that each Perumal should rule for twelve years.[15] [16]

Cheraman Perumals

The Cheraman Perumals of the legend are generally associated with the establishment the Kollam Era (Malayalam Era), inauguration of the Onam Festival, introduction of the matrilineal system of inheritance in Kerala, settlement of different castes in Kerala, and foundation several temples, churches and mosques in Kerala.

The following is a list of Cheraman Perumals found in the tradition.[17] According to K. V. Krishna Ayyar, the list goes as follows:

!Cheraman Perumal!Original home of the Perumal!Date (AD)!Residence
Keya/Kerala PerumalKeya/Keralapuram216-225Kodungallur
Choya/Chola PerumalChoya/Chola Mandalam225-236Kodungallur
Pandi Perumal[18] Pandi Mandalam236-245 Kodungallur
Bhutarayar Pandi PerumalN/A245-257Kodungallur
KeralanChoya Mandalam257-269Trikkata Matilaka
Pandyan or ChennarPandya country269-281N/A
ChoyiyanChoya country281-293N/A
Bana Perumal[19] Banapuram293-297Kodungallur
Tulubhan Perumal[20] Northern country297-303Kotiswaram
Indra PerumalN/A303-315Kodungallur
Arya PerumalAryapuram315-327N/A
Kannan Perumal[21] Eastern country327-339Kuntivaka
Kotti PerumalN/A339-340Kottikkollam
Mata Perumal340-352N/A
Eli Perumal352-364Matayiel
Komban Perumal364-368N/A
Vijayan Perumal368-80Vijayankollam
Valabhan Perumal380-391Valarbhattukotta
Harischandra Perumal391-403Purali
Mallan Perumal403-412Nallurmallan
Kulasekhara Perumal412-430N/A
Corrected by M. G. S. Narayanan (1972) from E. P. N. Kunjan Pillai (1963),[22] [23] taking recent corrections (2014 and 2020) on Narayanan into account,[24] [25] the list is as follows:
Lists of Chera Perumals!Chera Perumal!Regnal years (tentative)!Notes
Sthanu Ravi Kulasekhara844–870
Rama Rajasekhara870–883
Vijayaraga883–895
  • Married the daughter of king Kulasekhara.[30]
  • Married off his two daughters to Chola king Parantaka.[31] [32]
Goda Goda895—905[33]
Kerala Kesari
  • Probably identical with king Goda Goda (above)
Goda Ravi905–943
Indu/Indesvaran Goda943–962[34]
Bhaskara Ravi Manukuladitya962–1021[35] (or)

959–1025
Ravi Goda[36] 1021—1089[37] [38]
Rajasimha
  • Contemporary to Chola king Rajendra
  • Contemporary to Chola viceroy Jatavarman Sundara Chola-Pandya
  • Probably identical with king Ravi Goda (above)
Raja Raja
  • Contemporary to Chola viceroy Jatavarman Sundara Chola-Pandya.
  • Contemporary to Chola viceroy Maravarman Chola-Pandya.
Ravi Rama
Adityan Kota Ranaditya
Rama Kulasekhara1089—1122[39]
  • Crowned in 1089 CE.
  • Elder contemporary to Chola king Vikrama[40]

The last Cheraman Perumal

Rayar, the overlord of the Cheraman Perumal (Kulasekharan) in a country east of the Ghats, invaded Kerala during the rule of the last Perumal. To drive back the invading forces the Perumal summoned the militia of his chieftains (like Udaya Varman Kolathiri and Manichchan and Vikkiran of Eranad). The Cheraman Perumal was assured by the Eradis that they would take a fort established by the Rayar. The battle lasted for three days and the Rayar eventually evacuated his fort (and it was seized by the Perumal's troops).

The last Cheraman Perumal divided the Kerala or Chera kingdom among his chieftains (kingsfolk) and disappeared mysteriously. The Kerala people never more heard any tidings of him. The Eradis, or the later kings of Calicut, who were left out in the cold during the allocation of the land, was granted the Cheraman Perumal's sword (with the permission to "die, and kill, and seize").

The story of Thajuddin

See main article: Thajuddin and Rama Kulasekhara.

According to the Cheraman Juma Mosque the king converted to Islam after witnessing a strange event that Hindu astronomers had not predicted.[41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] Modern writers claim that, Al-Tabari of the 9th century in his Firdousul Hikma and Ferishta in his Tarikh Ferishta agree with this.[47] [48] Sebastian R. Prange maintains that historical research has found this story to be fictitious.[49] With the oldest and most complete version of the tale, only dated at earliest to the mid 12th century for the composition.[50]

S. N. Sadasivan, in his book A Social History of India, argues that it was the king of Maldives, Kalimanja, who converted to Islam. Mali, which was known to seafarers then, might have been misunderstood as Malabar (Kerala) and this might have given rise to the tale of Tajuddeen in the Cochin Gazetteer.

Notes and References

  1. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 31-32.
  2. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 52-53.
  3. Thapar, Romila, The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. Penguin Books, 2002. 331-32.
  4. Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014. 143-44.
  5. Thapar, Romila, The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. Penguin Books, 2002. 326-27.
  6. Web site: Cheraman Parambu - the royal seat of the Cheraman Perumals of Chera dynasty Historic sites at Muziris Heritage Area, Ernakulam . 2023-02-01 . www.muzirisheritage.org.
  7. Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014. 143-44.
  8. Veluthat, Kesavan. 2004. 'Mahodayapuram-Kodungallur', in South-Indian Horizons, eds Jean-Luc Chevillard, Eva Wilden, and A. Murugaiyan, pp. 471–85. École Française D'Extrême-Orient.
  9. Kesavan Veluthat, ‘The Keralolpatti as History’, in The Early Medieval in South India, New Delhi, 2009, pp. 129–46.
  10. Noburu Karashima (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014. 146-47.
  11. Frenz, Margret. 2003. ‘Virtual Relations, Little Kings in Malabar’, in Sharing Sovereignty. The Little Kingdom in South Asia, eds Georg Berkemer and Margret Frenz, pp. 81–91. Berlin: Zentrum Moderner Orient.
  12. Ganesh, K. N. (2009). Historical Geography of Natu in South India with Special Reference to Kerala. Indian Historical Review, 36(1), 3–21.
  13. Veluthat, Kesavan. "History and Historiography in Constituting a Region: The Case of Kerala." Studies in People's History, vol. 5, no. 1, June 2018, pp. 13–31.
  14. Book: Sadasivan . S. N. . A Social History of India . 2000 . APH Publishing . 978-81-7648-170-0 . 306 . 16 June 2020 . en.
  15. Logan, William. Malabar. Madras: Government Press, Madras, 1951 (reprint). 223-240.
  16. Logan, William. Malabar. Madras: Government Press, Madras, 1951 (reprint). 223-224.
  17. Ayyar, K. V. Krishna. The Zamorins of Calicut. Calicut (Kerala): Norman Printing Bureau, 1938. 54-55.
  18. Logan, William. Malabar. Madras: Government Press, Madras, 1951 (reprint). 225-226.
  19. Logan, William. Malabar. Madras: Government Press, Madras, 1951 (reprint). 226-227.
  20. Logan, William. Malabar. Madras: Government Press, Madras, 1951 (reprint). 228-230.
  21. Logan, William. Malabar. Madras: Government Press, Madras, 1951 (reprint). 229-230.
  22. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 64-73.
  23. Pillai Elamkulam, P. N. Kunhan. Cila Keralacaritra Prasnangal, (Kottayam, 1955 Second Ed. 1963), pp. 152-4.
  24. Book: Devadevan, Manu V. . The 'Early Medieval' Origins of India . Cambridge University Press . 2020 . 9781108494571 . 150 . Changes in Land Relations and the Changing Fortunes of the Cēra State.
  25. 'Changes in Land Relations during the Decline of the Cera State,' In Kesavan Veluthat and Donald R. Davis Jr. (eds), Irreverent History: Essays for M.G.S. Narayanan, Primus Books, New Delhi, 2014.
  26. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 79-80.
  27. Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014. 143.
  28. Veluthat, Kesavan. 2004. 'Mahodayapuram-Kodungallur', in South-Indian Horizons, eds Jean-Luc Chevillard, Eva Wilden, and A. Murugaiyan, pp. 471–85. École Française D'Extrême-Orient.
  29. Veluthat, Kesavan. "The Temple and the State in Medieval South India." Studies in People's History, vol. 4, no. 1, June 2017, pp. 15–23.
  30. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 437-438.
  31. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 442-43.
  32. George Spencer, 'Ties that Bound: Royal Marriage Alliance in the Chola Period', Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Asian Studies (Hong Kong: Asian Research Service, 1982), 723.
  33. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 65-67.
  34. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 67-68.
  35. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 68-69.
  36. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 461-62.
  37. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 72-73 and 466-67.
  38. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 71-72 and 464-66.
  39. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 73-74 and 467-70.
  40. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 470.
  41. Book: Kumar . Satish . India's National Security: Annual Review 2009 . 2012 . Routledge . 978-1-136-70491-8 . 346 . 16 June 2020 . en.
  42. Book: Singh . Dr Y. P. . Islam in India and Pakistan - A Religious History . 2016 . Vij Books India Pvt Ltd . 978-93-85505-63-8 . 20 June 2020 . en.
  43. Book: Ampotti . A. K. . Glimpses of Islam in Kerala . 2004 . Kerala Historical Society . en.
  44. Book: Varghese . Theresa . Stark World Kerala . 2006 . Stark World Pub. . 9788190250511 . en.
  45. Book: Kumar . Satish . India's National Security: Annual Review 2009 . 27 February 2012 . Routledge. 978-1-136-70491-8. 346.
  46. Book: Mohammed . U. . Educational Empowerment of Kerala Muslims: A Socio-historical Perspective . 2007 . Other Books . 978-81-903887-3-3 . 20 . 16 June 2020 . en.
  47. Book: Samad . M. Abdul . Islam in Kerala: Groups and Movements in the 20th Century . 1998 . Laurel Publications . 2 . 21 June 2020 . en.
  48. Book: Kurup . K. K. N. . Ismail . E. . India) . Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (Calcutta . Emergence of Islam in Kerala in 20th century . 2008 . Standard Publishers (India) . 9788187471462 . 21 June 2020 . en.
  49. Book: Prange, Sebastian R. . Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the Medieval Malabar Coast . 2018-05-03 . Cambridge University Press . 978-1-108-42438-7 . en . 94–5, 100.
  50. Yarbrough, Luke "Conversion to Islam in the Premodern Age: A Sourcebook; Cheraman Perumal and Islam on the Malabar Coast" Univ of California Press, 2020, p. 257.

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