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Keralolpathi

Keralolpathi (Basel Mission Edition, 1868)

The Keralolpathi (Malayalam: കേരളോല്പത്തി; IAST: Kēraḷōlpatti; transl. Origin of Kerala), formerly transliterated as "Kerala Ulpathy", is a Malayalam Hindu narrative work that deals with the mythical origin and legends of the land of Kerala in southern India.[1][2]

The Keralolpathi covers the history of Kerala and its people from ancient times through the medieval period to the colonial era (as an early attempt to historicize Kerala as a separate unit).[1][3] The narrative is generally regarded as "an expression of the historical consciousness" rather than as "a source of history".[3] The Keralolpathi texts are noted for the presence of several accumulated historical layers (the oldest layers being influenced by the Brahmins and the later ones by non-Brahmin regional rulers).[2] The currently available Keralolpathi texts were mostly composed in the Calicut (Samoothiri) and Cannanore (Kolathiri) countries of northern Kerala.[4]

The date of Keralolpathi is a matter of ongoing debate among Kerala historians.[3] The currently extant versions of the text are generally dated to c. 16th/18th or 19th century (or between the 16th and the 19th centuries in general).[5][4] By the 18th century, modified versions of the text had begun to appear, varying from kingdom to kingdom and region to region across different parts of Kerala.[5]

Extant versions

Hermann Gundert

The Keralolpathi text exists in numerous manuscripts and multiple versions.[4] The Tamil text "Keraladesha Varalazhu" and parts of the Sanskrit text "Kerala Mahatmayam" notably employs the Keralolpathi tradition.[4] The authorship of Keralolpathi is traditionally ascribed to Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the renowned 17th-century scholar from northern Kerala.[1]

  1. Gundert Version (Mangalore, 1843; 2nd ed. 1868)
    • Reprinted by Skaria Zachariah (Kottayam, 1992)
    • Reprinted by K. Mahadeva Sastrikal (Trivandrum, 1939)
    • Reprinted by S. K. Nair (Madras, 1953)
  2. Trichur Version (no date; 2nd ed. 1930–1)
  3. Three versions by M. R. R. Varier (Calicut, 1984)[4]
  4. Two versions by S. Rajendu (Perinthalmanna, 2012)
    • One of which is titled Kerala Mahatmayam[4]
  5. Kerala Visesha Mahatmayam by P. K. N. Kumara Pillai (Cochin, 1876).
  6. Trichur Version Appendix
  7. Kilippattu Version (Kottakkal, 1909)
  8. Velayudhan Panikkasserry Versions (reproduction without acknowledgement, the Trivandrum and Trichur versions)[4]

Discovery of historical layers

The accumulation of several historical layers in the extant Keralolpathi text was discovered by historian Veluthat in 2009.[2][4]

  • Oldest layers of the text — Dominated by the Kerala Brahmins.[4]
  • Latest layers of the text — Dominated non-Brahmin regional chiefs (where Brahmins have minimal influence).[4]

Contents

The currently extant forms of Keralolpathi are composed in the Malayalam language. There are numerous versions of the text (currently available), with many available as print editions.[3] The texts are composed from the perspective of the 17th- and 18th-century elites of Kerala.[4]

Keralolpathi traditions usually begin with an account of the god Parashurama creating Kerala (and Tulu country) by reclaiming it from the sea with a toss of his sacred battle axe (the Parasurama tradition). He then settled the land with Brahmins brought from "the north", establishing 64 villages (with 32 of them located in present-day Kerala).[3] The Brahmins initially brought and settled refused to stay, returning to their original northern homeland out of fear of the ancient "serpents" of the land. In response, Parashurama brought "a second wave" of Brahmins. To prevent them from being accepted back if they attempted to return north, he "altered" their sacred hairstyle and dress code. Parashurama also convinced the Brahmin community to adopt "matrilineal descent" as a way to atone for his own terrible matricidal sin. However, only one village, Payyannur in the north, complied with his request (he thus brought shudras from other countries and established matriliny among them). He then sanctified 108 temples dedicated to gods Shiva, Shastha, and goddess Durga. Following this, he selected 36,000 Brahmins from various settlements and granted them "the right to carry weapons", sanctioning them to defend their land independently (like the Kshatriyas, ruling Kerala as "brahmakshatra").[3][4] He also introduced sacred rites, rituals, duties, and entitlements of Kerala.[4]

Over time, however, the Brahmin rulers of Kerala (the Four Kazhakams, representing the four settlements of Perunchellur, Payyannur, Paravur, and Chengannur), realized that governance of the land compromised their integrity. They decided to appoint a Kshatriya as their king (during a meeting at Tirunavaya). Accordingly, a Kshatriya prince and his sister were invited to Kerala; the brother was anointed king (the Perumal) by the Brahmins (who required him to pledge "unwavering loyalty" to the Brahmin councilors). It was decided that the descendants of the union between the royal princess and a Kerala Brahmin would inherit the throne of Kerala (also ensuring that the offspring belonged to the Kshatriya varna, following matrilineal descent).[3] The Brahmins also arranged that each Kshatriya king should rule over Kerala for twelve years.[6]

Keralolpathi provides a detailed account of the various castes in Kerala (at the time of Parashurama’s retirement, Kerala had only two communities: the Brahmins and the Shudras. The complex caste system was established by the last Kshatriya king).[4][3] The text attributes the structuring of the caste system in Kerala to the famous philosopher Shankara.[3]

The text then presents an extensive list of distinguished kings (called Cheraman Perumals) brought from other regions to govern Kerala, along with narratives of their heroic deeds. The era of the Perumal rulers concludes with the long reign of a charismatic Cheraman Perumal named "Kulasekhara" (regnal period of 36 years).[4][6] During the reign of this king, his overlord from a country east of the Ghats invaded Kerala with a vast army. To repel the invading forces, the king summoned the militia of his chieftains, including the young Manichan and Vikkiran of Eranad in northern Kerala (the Eradis). The king was assured by the Eradis that they would capture a fort established by the overlord. The battle lasted for three days, and the overlord eventually abandoned the fort, which was then seized by the king's troops.[6]

Years later, the same king divided the kingdom among his chieftains/kingsfolk and mysteriously disappeared (since the Kerala country originally belonged to the Brahmins, the king must now propitiate the gods for his sins). The people of Kerala never heard from him again. The Eradis, or the later kings of Calicut, who had been excluded from the land allocation by the king at the time of his departure, were granted the king's sword [by the king himself], along with permission to "die, kill, and seize."[6]

The last portion of the text provides a detailed account of the rule of the regional chief (under whose authority the text was produced).[4]

Historical reliability

A depiction of Shankara by Raja Ravi Varma (1904)

Modern historians, in general, doubt the reliability of the Keralolpathi collection of legends as it contains many historical discrepancies and contradictions (esp. in names of the kings and dates).[7] The narrative is now seen as a reflection of "historical consciousness" rather than a dependable source of history.[3] The text is extremely valuable for understanding the mindsets and political ambitions of Kerala's elites from the 16th to 19th centuries, but it can be used to reconstruct the history of the medieval Chera period only with considerable caution.[4]

  • Keralolpathi does not mention details concerning the early historic (pre-Pallava) Chera rulers and their activities contained in early Tamil literature.[3]
  • For instance, Keralolpathi states that a certain king of Kerala (the Cheraman Perumal) converted to Islam and went to Mecca on a hajj pilgrimage and met the Islamic prophet Muhammed (7th century AD) there. However the corresponding date mentioned in the text is before the 6th/7th century.[8]
  • It also mentions that the king Krishna Deva Raya (16th century AD, reigned 1509–29) of the Vijayanagara empire appointed a viceroy to rule over Kerala in the 5th century AD (date to 428 AD).[7]

According to P. Shungunny Menon, the 19th century court historian of Travancore, one cannot place, in the Keralolpathi, the value of a historical source. Menon, stated that:

[...] numerous discrepancies and glaring mistakes are visible for we find the authors in their anxiety to prove the correctness of their accounts confusing occurrences of the modern age with those of the ancient...it is obvious that on a work such as the Kerala Ulpathy little reliance can be placed [...]

William Logan, who was the author of the Malabar Manual (1887), also refutes the validity of the Keralolpathi and describes it as:[9]

[...] a farrago of legendary nonsense having for its definite aim the securing of the Brahmin caste of unbounded power and influence in the country [...]

— William Logan

K. P. Padmanabha Menon, another Travancore historian. calls the Keralolpathi:[10]

[...] an ill digested and uncollated collection of different versions huddled together in inextricable confusion [...]

— K. P. Padmanabha Menon

Rulers of Kerala mentioned in Keralolpathi

Rulers of Kerala (the Perumals) of Keralolpathi

  • Keyapperumal
  • Cholapperumal
  • Pandipperumal
  • Banapperumal
  • Thulubanperumal
  • Indrapperumal
  • Aryapperumal
  • Kundranperumal
  • Kottipperumal
  • Madapperumal
  • Ezhipperumal
  • Kombanperumal
  • Vijayanperumal
  • Valabanperumal
  • Harichandranperumal
  • Mallapperumal
  • Kulasekharapperumal

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Menon, P. Shungoonny (1998) [1878]. History of Travancore: From the Earliest Times. Asian Educational Services. pp. 37–38.
  2. ^ a b c Veluthat, Kesavan (2009). "The Kēraḷōlpatti as History". The Early Medieval in South India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 129–46.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Veluthat, Kesavan (2018). "History and Historiography in Constituting a Region: The Case of Kerala". Studies in People's History. 5 (1): 13–31. ISSN 2348-4489.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Devadevan, Manu V. (2020). The 'Early Medieval' Origins of India. Cambridge University Press. pp. 120 and 249-50. ISBN 9781108857871.
  5. ^ a b Menon, A. Sreedhara (2024) [1967]. A Survey of Kerala History [Kerala Charithram]. D C Books. p. 13.
  6. ^ a b c d Logan, William (2010) [1887]. Malabar. Vol. I. Government Press, Madras. pp. 223–240.
  7. ^ a b Aiya, V. Nagam (1999) [1906]. The Travancore State Manual. Vol. 1. Kerala Gazetteers Department, Government of Kerala. p. 223. ISBN 978-81-85499-32-1.
  8. ^ Menon, P. Shungoonny (1878). A History of Travancore from the Earliest Times. Vol. 1. Madras: Higginbotham and Co. p. 63.
  9. ^ Logan, William (2010) [1887]. Malabar. Vol. I. Asian Educational Services. p. 244.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  10. ^ Menon, A. Sreedhara (2007) [1967]. A Survey Of Kerala History. D C Books. p. 17. ISBN 9788126415786.
Quelle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keralolpathi