Kerala History, Renaissance and Culture
Kerala History, Renaissance and Culture runs from the Sangam-age Cheras to twentieth-century social reform. The exam tests chronology, the reformers and their movements, temple-entry and caste-reform agitations, and cultural forms such as Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Theyyam and Kalaripayattu. Chronology questions are common, so fix anchor dates.
Anchor facts
- Ancient: the Cheras ruled with a capital at Vanchi, and Muziris, identified with Pattanam, was a major Roman trade port. Senguttuvan features in the Silappadikaram.
- Medieval: the Perumals of Mahodayapuram, then the Zamorins of Kozhikode, the rulers of Kochi and Travancore. Vasco da Gama landed at Kappad near Kozhikode in 1498.
- Travancore: Marthanda Varma (1729–1758) fought the Battle of Colachel in 1741; Velu Thampi Dalawa issued the Kundara Proclamation in 1809.
- Reform: the Malayali Memorial 1891 and Ezhava Memorial 1896; Sree Narayana Guru consecrated at Aruvippuram in 1888 and founded the SNDP in 1903; the NSS was founded in 1914 by Mannathu Padmanabhan.
- Ayyankali led the Villuvandi struggle in 1893 and the Perinad Kallumala agitation in 1915.
- Vaikom Satyagraha 1924–25 (T.K. Madhavan, K. Kelappan, K.P. Kesava Menon), Guruvayur Satyagraha 1931–32, Temple Entry Proclamation by Chithira Thirunal on 12 November 1936.
Worked example
Arrange in order: Temple Entry Proclamation, Vaikom Satyagraha, Malayali Memorial, Guruvayur Satyagraha. Reasoning with anchors: Malayali Memorial 1891, Vaikom 1924, Guruvayur 1931, Proclamation 1936. Order: Malayali Memorial, Vaikom Satyagraha, Guruvayur Satyagraha, Temple Entry Proclamation. Two dates - 1891 and 1936 - fix the ends, and the two satyagrahas fill the middle.
Traps
- Confusing the Malayali Memorial 1891 with the Ezhava Memorial 1896.
- Mixing Guru’s Aruvippuram consecration 1888 with the SNDP’s founding in 1903.
- Attributing the Kundara Proclamation to Pazhassi Raja instead of Velu Thampi Dalawa.