Legend of Cheraman Perumals

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For the historical Chera Perumal rulers of medieval Kerala, see Chera Perumals of Makotai.

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.[1] The time of origin of the legend is not known to scholars.[1] It seems the legend once had a common source well known to all Kerala people.[2]

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".[3] 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).[4][5]

Popular written versions of the legend are infamous for inconsistencies and contradictions (in names of the kings and dates).[1] Even the dates of their compositions are problematic.[6] The Cheraman Perumals mentioned in the legend can be identified with the Chera Perumal rulers of medieval Kerala (c. 8th - 12th century AD).[7]

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The ghost of the [Cheraman] Perumal haunted the land [of Kerala] in many ways...Each of the large number of principalities that came into existence on the ruins of the Chera[/Perumal] kingdom claimed to be not only a splinter of the old kingdom but also deriving its authority from the donation of the last Cheraman Perumal...Many of these rulers also claimed to step into the shoes of the Perumal in claiming to be the overlord of Kerala. Thus the ruler of Venad or the Zamorin or the raja of Cochin staked this claim in various ways...

— Veluthat Kesavan (historian), History and Historiography in Constituting a Region: The Case of Kerala (2018)

Sources of the legend

Different written versions of the legend can be found in several literary sources.[1] Most versions contain interpolations and omissions in favour of some special interests and communities (religions and castes).[2]

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  • Keralolpatti chronicle[1][6]
  • Duarte Barbosa (1510)[1]
  • Joas de Barros (16th century)[1]
  • Diogo de Coute (1610)[1]
  • Lusiad[1]
  • Sheik Zeinuddin (c. 1583)[1]
  • Canter Visscher (c. 1723)[1]
  • Van Adriaan Moens (1781)[1]
  • H. H. Wilson, Mackenzie Collection
  • Jonathan Duncan (1798)
  • Francis Buchanan[1] (1807)
  • William Logan (1898)
  • G. A. Kohut (1897)
  • C. A. Innes (1908)
  • E. Thurston (1909)
  • Calicut Granthavari[1]
  • Cochin Granthavari[1]
  • S. N. Sadasivan (2000)[8]

Major themes

The Cheraman Perumals were the kings of Kerala/Chera kingdom.[1] 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).[2] 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).[6] The Brahmins arranged that each Perumal should rule for twelve years.[9][10]

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.[1]

The following is a list of Cheraman Perumals found in the tradition.[11]

Cheraman Perumal Original home of the Perumal Date (AD) Residence
Keya/Kerala Perumal[10] Keya/Keralapuram[10] 216-225 Kodungallur
Choya/Chola Perumal[10] Choya/Chola Mandalam[10] 225-236 Kodungallur
Pandi Perumal[12] Pandi Mandalam[12] 236-245 Kodungallur
Bhutarayar Pandi Perumal[12] N/A 245-257 Kodungallur
Keralan[12] Choya Mandalam[12] 257-269 Trikkata Matilaka[12]
Pandyan or Chennar[12] Pandya country[12] 269-281 N/A
Choyiyan[12] Choya country[12] 281-293 N/A
Bana Perumal[13] Banapuram[13] 293-297 Kodungallur
Tulubhan Perumal[14] Northern country[14] 297-303 Kotiswaram[14]
Indra Perumal[14] N/A 303-315 Kodungallur
Arya Perumal[14] Aryapuram[14] 315-327 N/A
Kannan Perumal[15] Eastern country[15] 327-339 Kuntivaka[15]
Kotti Perumal[15] N/A 339-340 Kottikkollam[15]
Mata Perumal[15] 340-352 N/A
Eli Perumal[15] 352-364 Matayiel
Komban Perumal[15] 364-368 N/A
Vijayan Perumal[15] 368-80 Vijayankollam
Valabhan Perumal[15] 380-391 Valarbhattukotta
Harischandra Perumal[15] 391-403 Purali
Mallan Perumal[15] 403-412 Nallurmallan
Kulasekhara Perumal[15] 412-430 N/A

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.[9] The battle lasted for three days and the Rayar eventually evacuated his fort (and it was seized by the Perumal's troops).[9]

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.[1][4][5] 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").[5][9]

The story of Tajuddeen

According to the Cheraman Juma Mosque:[8][16][17] "Once, a Tamil king named Cheraman Perumal, possibly named Ravi Varma, was walking with one of his favored queens for a late-night stroll in the palace garden where he lived with her.[17] It was during this stroll that he witnessed the splitting of the moon. However, no one else in the palace or the rest of the Indian subcontinent saw this remarkable event. Shocked by the splitting of the full moon, which occurred many years before Muslims' migration to Medina, Cheraman hurried back to the capital of the Chera Kingdom. He wanted to consult his chain of Hindu astronomers, known as Siddhars, to determine the exact time of this lunar phenomenon. According to the Hindu mathematical system, the astronomers should have been able to forecast the lunar eclipse. Nevertheless, the precise astronomical date and time of this event remain uncertain. Therefore, when some Arab merchants from the Banu Quraysh tribe visited Cheraman's palace for unknown reasons, he took the opportunity to inquire about this incident that should have occurred in the Eastern sky. The Hindu astronomers should have been able to calculate the exact time and coordinates of this astronomical event. At their request, the King embarked on a pilgrimage to pray at the temple of the Arabian Moon-god Hubal and the Shrine of Quraysh idols in Mecca. During his visit to the Kaaba, Cheraman had the opportunity to meet the Islamic prophet Muhammad and gifted ginger pickles for the Messenger of Allah and his companions. He conversed with Muhammad in Arabic, and it was during this encounter that Bilal, a companion of Muhammad, guided Cheraman to convert to Islam. As a result, Muhammad bestowed upon him the name Tajuddin, Thajuddin, or Thiya-aj-Addan, which means "crown of faith" thus, becoming the first Indian Muslim".[8][16][18][19][20] The king then remained in the services of Muslims. Nearly 120 years later his letters arrived to his kingdom in Kerala. Then Malik Deenar(748 CE) was preaching Islam and Kerala Hindu kingdom slowly followed the teachings of Malik bin Deenar.[16][21][22] Al-Tabari of the 9th century in his Firdousul Hikma and Ferishta in his Tarikh Ferishta agree with this.[23][24]

This story is found in a Muslim account recorded by Sheikh Zeinuddin. The story has been retold countless times by the Portuguese, Dutch; the court chronicles of Calicut and Cochin begin with this narrative.[citation needed] According to the Legend of the Cheraman Perumal Mosque, the first Indian mosque was built in 1508-68 AD at Kodungallur with the mandate of the last the ruler (the Cheraman Perumal) of Chera dynasty, who left from Dharmadom to Mecca and converted to Islam during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (c. 570–632).[25][26][27][28] According to Qissat Shakarwati Farmad, the Masjids at Kodungallur, Kollam, Madayi, Barkur, Mangalore, Kasaragod, Kannur, Dharmadam, Panthalayani, and Chaliyam, were built during the era of Malik Dinar, and they are among the oldest Masjids in Indian Subcontinent.[29]

But 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.[21]

References

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  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 31-32.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 52-53.
  3. ↑ Kesavan Veluthat, ‘The Keralolpatti as History’, in The Early Medieval in South India, New Delhi, 2009, pp. 129–46.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Noburu Karashima (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014. 146-47.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 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.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 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.
  7. ↑ Ganesh, K. N. (2009). Historical Geography of Natu in South India with Special Reference to Kerala. Indian Historical Review, 36(1), 3–21.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Logan, William. Malabar. Madras: Government Press, Madras, 1951 (reprint). 223-240.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Logan, William. Malabar. Madras: Government Press, Madras, 1951 (reprint). 223-224.
  11. ↑ Ayyar, K. V. Krishna. The Zamorins of Calicut. Calicut (Kerala): Norman Printing Bureau, 1938. 54-55.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 12.9 Logan, William. Malabar. Madras: Government Press, Madras, 1951 (reprint). 225-226.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Logan, William. Malabar. Madras: Government Press, Madras, 1951 (reprint). 226-227.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Logan, William. Malabar. Madras: Government Press, Madras, 1951 (reprint). 228-230.
  15. ↑ 15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 15.11 15.12 Logan, William. Malabar. Madras: Government Press, Madras, 1951 (reprint). 229-230.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Prange, Sebastian R. Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the Medieval Malabar Coast. Cambridge University Press, 2018. 98.
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