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Part- 3 : Venad and Kulasekaras
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The region south of Cochin centered around Quilion came to be known as Venad. It was an autonomous kingdom within the Chera empire. The port was visited by Nestorian Christians, Chinese and Arabs. A new calendar was established called 'Kolla
Varsham' (Quilion year) starting in AD 825.The Kulasekara empire lasted for three centuries. }
A descendant of the Cheras had settled in a place called Keezperur near Chirayinkeezu and became strong by the 6th or 7th century. He may have moved to Quilion well before the inception of the Quilion Calendar in 9th century.
From the time this ruler (Ramavarma Kulasekara) all kings of Venad maintained the dynastic name of Kulasekara until the last Maharajah gave up his legal claims to power in 1949 when the state was absorbed in to the republic of India.
Ravi Varma Kulasekara who became ruler in 1299 would later expand his territory to include principalities north of what was Venad then. Ravivarman also attracted to his court scholars and poets from all parts of Drawidian India. The king himself was a competent musician and wrote a Sanskrit play Pradyumnabhyu
dayam. Ravivarman who had expanded his kingdom died in Quilion in 1313. His cousin- Veera Udaya Marthanda Varma was the successor. For four centuries after the reign of Ravivarma the Kulasekaras lost ground and power.
Gradually they lost more and more territory. By the time Marthanda Varma (a later Venad expansionist ) began his rule only a small strip of land between Cape Comorin and Trivandrum remained in the hands of the Kulasekaras. The north and center of the Chera empire broke up in to small principalities at
the beginning of the 12th century. Their rulers were local Nair or less frequently Brahmins chieftains who set themselves as Rajas. Marcopolo travelled along the cost in 1290s . He found a series of independent kingdoms -Comorin, Quilion, Ely (Cannanore),and Malabar.
When the Europeans started arriving in the Malabar coast besides Venad there were states called Calicut ruled by Zamorins, Perumpadappu swarupam later known as Cochin and the Kolathiris who ruled the region around Cananore. Each of these states had it's own port namely Quilion , Venad, Calicut, Cochin
and Cannanore. One minor ruler besides the above was the ruler of Kayamkulam.
The ancient port of Muzuris under the raja of Cranganore became silted up in 1341 and a great deal of the trade shifted to Cochin. The sea had retreated from Kottayam and Tripunitura and these were no longer ports. Trivandrum, Aleppy, and Tellicherri remained in use. Quilion was the center of China
trade. Calicut and Cananore were the ports favored by the Arabs. Cochin gained importance after the arrival of the Portuguese on account of it's sheltered harbor
There were frequent warfare between the Dravidian kingdoms namely Cheras, Cholas and Pandiyas. The caste system had not become entrenched. Religious tolerance was complete. Old tribal Dravidian cults, Vedic Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism all existed side by side. Art forms of music, dance and poetry
flourished. Women enjoyed equal status as men. Compared to Chola desham and Pandiya desham Arynization was slo in Chera kindom..
The Quilion year was started in AD 825 as already mentioned..
According to Elankulam Kunjan Pillai the rulers of the second Chera empire of this period were:-
Kulasekara Alwar 800- 820
Rajasekara 820-844
Sthanu Ravi Varma 844-885
Rama Varma 885-917
Goda Ravi Varma 917-947
Indukotha Varma 944-962
Bhaskara Ravi 1 962-1019
Bhaskara Ravi 2 979-1021
Vira Kerala 1021-1028
Rajasimha 1025-1043
Bhaskara Ravi 3 1043-1082
Ravi Rama Varma 1082-1090
Rama Varma Kulasekara 1090-1102
Other writers have given slightly different list of rulers of the same period:-
SthanuraviAD871-907
Ayyanadikal Thiruadikal-Tharisa palli copper plate
Veerakeralavarma2
Veeramarthandavarma 8th century
Udayamarthandavarma 8th century
Srivallabhan Kotha AD 964
Kotha Adicha varman-AD 964 to 981
Veera Keralavarma-AAD 964-981
Ramar Thiruadikal-12 th century
Veera keralavarma 1117-1145
Kotha Keralavarma
Veera Ravivarma1151-1164
Veera Keralavarma
Veera Aditya Varma
Udaya Marthanda Varma
Go to Part-4 : 12th Century & Onwards
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