Kolathunadu

Kolathunadu

Kolattunādu (Kola Swarupam, as Kingdom of Cannanore in foreign accounts, Chirakkal (Chericul) in later times) was one of the three most powerful feudal kingdoms on the Malabar Coast during the arrival Portuguese Armadas to India, the others being Zamorin's Calicut and Quilon. Kolattunādu had its capital at Ezhimalai and was ruled by Kolattiri Royal Family and roughly comprised the whole northern districts of Kerala state and parts of Karnataka in India. Traditionally, Kolattunādu is described as the land lying between Perumba river in the north and Putupattanam river in the south.

The ruling house of Kolathunādu, which was known as Kolattunau, was one of the major political powers which sprang up in Kerala after the disappearance of the Cheras of Mahodayapuram by the twelfth century AD. Kolattiris traces their ancestry back to the ancient Mushika kingdom (Ezhimalai kingdom, Eli-nadu) of the Tamil Sangam Age. After king Nannan of Mushika dynasty was killed in a battle against the Cheras, the history of the dynasty is obscure. However, it is generally agreed among the scholars that Kolattiris are the descendents of king Nannan, and later literary works point towards kings such as Vikramaraman, Jayamani, Valabhan and Srikandan from Mushika dynasty. Kolathunad was the northernmost province of the Later Chera kingdom and had considerable autonomy during 12th century.

Though the rulers of this house (popularly known as Kolattiris) were generally credited with a superior political authority over the geographical zone lying between the kingdoms of Canara and Zamorin's Calicut, their political influence was more or less confined to Kolattunādu. Ezhimalai, the ancient capital of the kingdom, was one of the most important trading centres on Malabar along with Quilon and Calicut, and has found mention in the writings of Ibn Battuta, Marco Polo and Wang Ta-Yuan and several other explorers. In the course of time, their territories were divided into a number of petty vassal principalities, chief among them Cannanore and Laccadives, Cotiote and Wynad, Cartinad (Badagara), Irvenaad, and Randaterra. The so-called "Five Friendly Northern Rulers" (Nilesvaram, Kumbla, Vitalh, Bangor, and Chowtwara) were contiguous to Kolattnad, north of the Kavvayi river. They engaged in frequent rivalry with their powerful neighbors in the south, the Zamorins of Calicut-a permanent feature of Kerala history.

When Portuguese explores under Pedro Álvares Cabral arrived in India, Kolattiris warmly welcomed them in Cannanore (1501) and allowed the construction of a strategic fort in Kolattunadu, seeking fortunes against the Zamorins. Later, Kolathiri gave up the Portuguese, and helped the Dutch, and then followed the English East India Company.

In spite of its fluctuating political fortunes throughout its existence, the Kola Swarupam was considered as one of the most prominent political houses in Kerala until the British occupation of the region by the end of the eighteenth century. At least from the second half of the fifteenth century, Cannanore occupied the prime position of being the leading port town of Kolathunādu and, consequently, it was the core area of socio-economic and political dynamics of the region.

During the Mysore occupation of Malabar, the Kolattiris found refuge in Travancore, and the territories were taken over by the British after the Anglo-Mysore Wars. Kingdom of Chirakkal was taken over by Mysore between 1766 and 1773. The ruler then came under the English East India Company's protection until 1777, when he made his peace with Hyder Ali who allowed him to rule in Chirakkal upon payment of tribute. He again changed sides in 1790 and was restored by the English East India Company in 1792. By the settlement of that year,he was allowed to retain his rights and authority, subject to the control of the Company. 1798-99, the Company assumed the management and granted to the Kolattiri a political allowance known as Malikhana, fixed at one fifth of the then ascertained revenue of the territory.

Cherusseri Namboothiri (c. 1375-1475 AD), the author Krshna Gatha, a landmark in the development of Malayalam literature, lived in the court of Udayavarman Kolattiri.