Kerala History, Culture and Renaissance
Kerala History, Culture and Renaissance covers the state from the Chera port of Muziris to modern Kerala, and the reform movements that reshaped caste and gender relations.
Ancient and medieval
- Muziris (Pattanam) was a major Indo-Roman trade port mentioned in the Periplus and by Pliny.
- Chera, Ay and Pandya chiefdoms; the Second Chera kingdom; the Perumals; after the last Perumal, Venad, Kochi and Kozhikode (Zamorin) rose.
- 1498: Vasco da Gama landed at Kappad near Kozhikode.
Travancore and resistance
- Marthanda Varma defeated the Dutch at Colachel (1741); Dharma Raja ruled later.
- Velu Thampi Dalawa issued the Kundara Proclamation (1809).
- Pazhassi Raja resisted the British; Punnapra-Vayalar occurred in 1946.
- Travancore-Cochin integrated in 1949; Kerala state formed on 1 November 1956.
Renaissance
- Sree Narayana Guru founded the SNDP in 1903; Ayyankali founded the Sadhujana Paripalana Yogam in 1907.
- Chattampi Swamikal, Vakkom Moulavi, Sahodaran Ayyappan, Poikayil Yohannan and Pandit Karuppan led parallel struggles.
- Vaikom Satyagraha (1924), Temple Entry Proclamation (1936), Kerala Kalamandalam (1930).
Worked example
The Temple Entry Proclamation was issued in 1936 by Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, on the advice of C.P. Ramaswami Iyer. The 1924 Vaikom Satyagraha demanded access to temple roads, not entry into temples. Answer: 1936.
Traps
- Mixing 1924 with 1936.
- Confusing SNDP (1903) with Sadhujana Paripalana Yogam (1907).
- Placing Kerala Piravi in 1949 instead of 1956.