Kerala from Sangam to Dutch Period

Introduction. ?Kerala has a unique geographical rig. ?Kerala has a rich culture and is the confrontation point of many types of ideologies, Ideas and religious views. ?Travelers, merchants and formulas visited kerala and influenced its floor. ? trading floor Behind the birth Of Kerala. ?Parasurama the 6th shape of Lord Vishnuthrew an axe far into the ocean and commanded the sea to retreat. ?The bestow that emerged from the waters became Kerala. ?From where does the terminal kerala come from ? ?Sanskrit scholars derive the name from Kera or coconut,which is a staple point of intersection of kerala. Others say it is derived from the Tamil reciprocation Charal sum Mountain slope. ?Arab and Persian writers and early Malayalam and chivalrous Tamil Literature say that the word kerala means the land of hills and mountains. Traditional sources. ?former(a) history of kerala is based on traditions. The two major sources are ? archeologic Sources. ?Archaeological survey and exca vations were started in Kerala by protect and Conor in 1819. ? there are 3 relics of the Historical period found in the various parts of Kerala. They are 1. monuments 2. coins 3. inscription. ?Monuments. 1.Stone images of Buddha, ruminate the culture of kerala during the Buddhist era. 2. Religious monuments Temples , Churches, Mosques and Synagogues. 3. Palaces notable Padmanabhapuram palace in Kanyakumari district and Dutch palace in Fort cochin china. 4. Forts and historical sites. ?Coins. ? Many foreign and indigenous coins harbour been found in kerala. Rast is the oldest of them. Roman coins are the oldest Foreign coins. Rulers of Travancore and Cochin Had their own fencesitter coinage. Dutch copper coins and British Indian Coins give valuable information to historians. ?Inscriptions . push up light on the political,Cultural, and social aliveness of the People of Kerala. 2. Give insight into works conditions of local assemblies, how temples were managed, Relationshi p between the landlord and renter and functioning Of educational institutions. 3. Some inscriptions exhibit the liberal policy of religious tolerationfollowed by the ancient conventionalismrs of Kerala. ?Sangam Age(1-500 A. D. ) ? Sangam Literature was composed, In which the kit and boodle of poets and writers threw light upon cultural, economic, political, Social and separate aspects of the kingdoms of the South. through with(predicate) these works we get to know what happened during the for the get-go judgment of conviction 500 forms of Christian date of reference I. there was monarchy and patrilineal schema of succession, II. Women were soundly educated and had a good position in society, III. Monogamy was the norm, widow remarriage was permitted, barbarian marriage was not there. ?No segmentation of society into high and low castes,there was no untouchability, ? Rice was the staple food, stack had no restrictions regarding beef eating and other non-veg items. Ric e-wine was a popular drink. ?It was rare to find brahmins though some were there as Indo-Aryan Brahmins in the royal court. culture was a major occupation and cod to art with countries give care Rome, they flourished as a light set of people. Post Sangam Period (500-800 A. D. ) ? principal(prenominal) rulers of this period were Cheraman Perumal and Kulasekara Alwar. ?The former became a Vaishnavite Poet and the last mentioned accepted Islam and went to Mecca. ?Adi Shankara (788-820 A. D. ) lived and propogated the Advaida philosophy during this period. ?After the origin of Kerala it was believed that Parasurama planted sixty-four joint Brahmin Families and gave them rules which would govern them. The Brahmins invited rulers called Perumals to rule them and each ruler was appointed for a period of 12 years to rule over them. The Kollam date of reference (800-1200A. D) ? semipolitically Kerala was under the Cholas and Pandyas. A temple was constructed at almost e truly tow nship and village in Kerala the Quilon calendar was introduced during this clip in 25 July 825 A. D. ? Festivals homogeneous onam and vishu came to be celebrated. ? The 9th century A. D. dictum Malayalam growing as a distinct language. ? Educational institutions wish Salai came into existance. ? This period also saw the grow of transaction and commerce. there was trade between China and Kerala. ?Tenant strategy was prevalent whereby the feudal lords enjoyed life at the cost of the poor tenants. ?Sales and tax revenue on vehicles fetched a revenue for the convey. ?Ravi Varma sequence (1200-1500 A. D) ? During this period the land relations showed current important features ? Increase of intermediaries as working(prenominal) holders of land. ?Increased measures to expand cultivable land and enhance income from land. ?The emergence of cash coin in obtaining land counterbalances. ?Traditional landowners held the right of ownership of land. ?Pledging of land of debt on i nterest. Agriculture was the briny occupation. ?There were other occupations like ritual-cum-medicine men, astrologers, washer men and so on. ?There was growth of trade and trading centres ? pile was at 3 levels ?Transport system was essential for trade and in this stage setting there were many boats, ships even tie over waterways was essential. ?Portugese Rule In Kerala. ?Political authority was fragmented by the time the Portuguese came to kerala. ?In 1498, Vasco-do-Gamma reached Kappad near Kozhikode. ?Portugese, was the first to achieve a stronghold in Kerala ?A number of battles were fought between the churl rulers and the Portugese. In 1524 Gamma was appointed the Portugese viceroy of Kerala. ?Apart from commerce, they were also interested in imparting their faith to the people. ?Many people were forced to convert. ?In 1550s , St. Francis Xavier born-again many fisher folk and other socially backward sections along the coastal regions of southern Kerala. ?The chiefs in th e estate (except the Muslims to whom the Portuguese were hostile) did not resist the conversion as long as they had freedom to do trade and commercial activities and the economic material of society was not disturbed. The Portuguese use their own tactics of divide and rule policy for fulfilling their commercial interests in the state. ? saucily towns had risen and old towns decayed. eg. Calicut, Cochin, Chaliyam gained importance mend Quilon and Cranganore languished. ?Crops like cashewnuts, tobacco, custard apple, guava, pineapple and papaya were introduced. ? pulverization increased the importance of artillery. This brought unemployment among the Nairs who were well handy in swords and shields. They established seminaries and colleges in Cochin, Angamali and Cranganore. For gtting Christian priests. St.Francis Xavier translated Catechism into Malayalam. Fearing ?The Dutch in Kerala. ?Dutch eastern United States India Company was established in the year 1592. ?In 1604 they cam e to the Malabar coast. ?There was rivalry btw Cochin and Kozhikode during that time and they took advantage of this situation. ?However like the Portuguese their involvement in the local politics was minimal. ?However they had conflicts btw Marthanda Varma of Thiruvithankur and Samuthiri of Kozhikode. ?The Dutch had the main power over the Trade activities. ? rain buckets and spices were exported by merchants only after the accord of the Dutch people. They constructed forts and factories here like the Portuguese. ?They sell Indonesian spices and sugar to those ships which were going to Cochin. It sullen out to be a success. ? hardly this didnt last for long as it declined from 1783 and was completely stopped by 1793 due to poor demand. ?Conclusion ?The History of kerala is very essential part of the heritage of the state and country as well. ?If we study History well then we would know close the real background in which our state developed through the years. ?We can also see the contrasting practices that were in trend during the ancient and medieval and the present kerala society.