Kulasekhara Dynasty (Second Cheras) - Copper Plates (Cheppeds)

Copper Plates (Cheppeds)

Kulasekhara rulers gave a number of Copper Plates Grants to particular communities in their multicultural society. Like the Jewish Copper Plate to Jews and Vazhapalli plates the Kulasekhara rulers gave three Copper plate to the indigenous Christians called Nasranis. They gave the Nasranis various rights and privileges which were written on copper plates Five sheets of them are now in the custody of St. Thomas Christians. That include,

1. Tharissa palli Deed I (Tharisapalli plates): Perumal Sthanu Ravi Gupta (844-885) gave a deed in 849 AD, to Isodatta Virai for Tharissa Palli (church) at Curakkeni Kollam. According to historians, this is the first deed in Kerala that gives the exact date.
2. Tharissa palli Deed II: Continuation of the above, given after 849 AD.
3. Iravi Corttan Deed: In the year 1225 AD. Sri Vira Raghava Chakravarti, gave a deed to Iravi Corttan (Eravi Karthan) of Mahadevarpattanam in 774. Two Brahmin families are witness to this deed showing that Brahmins were in Kerala by the 8th century.

The languages used are old Tamil letters with some Grantha letters intermingled, Pahlavi, Kufic and Hebrew.

These plates detail privileges awarded to the community by the then rulers. These influenced the development of the social structure in Kerala and privileges, rules for the communities. These are considered as one of the most important legal documents in the history of Kerala.