Total population | |
---|---|
c. 9 million (26.56%) in 2011 [1] [2] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Kerala, Lakshadweep, [3] [4] States of Persian Gulf,Europe,Tulu Nadu,Kodagu, Nilgiris, [5] Malaysia, Singapore | |
Religions | |
Islam | |
Languages | |
Malayalam, Arabi Malayalam [6] [7] |
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Islam arrived in Kerala, the Malayalam-speaking region in the south-western tip of India, through Middle Eastern merchants. [8] [9] The Indian coast has an ancient relation with West Asia and the Middle East, even during the pre-Islamic period.
Kerala Muslims or Malayali Muslims from north Kerala are generally referred to as Mappilas. Mappilas are but one among the many communities that forms the Muslim population of Kerala. [10] According to some scholars, the Mappilas are the oldest settled Muslim community in South Asia. [8] [9] As per some studies, the term "Mappila" denotes not a single community but a variety of Malayali Muslims from Kerala (former Malabar District) of different origins. [11] [10] Native Muslims of Kerala were known as Mouros da Terra, or Mouros Malabares in medieval period. Settled foreign Muslims of Kerala were known as Mouros da Arabia/Mouros de Meca. [12] Unlike the common misconception, the caste system does exist among the Muslims of Kerala. [13] The Muslims of Southern and Central Kerala or the erstwhile Kingdom of Travancore are known as Rowthers.
Muslims in Kerala share a common language (Malayalam) with the rest of the non-Muslim population and have a culture commonly regarded as the Malayali culture. [14] Islam is the second largest practised religion in Kerala (26.56%) next to Hinduism. [15] The calculated Muslim population (Indian Census, 2011) in Kerala state is 8,873,472. [1] [8] Most of the Muslims in Kerala follow Sunni Islam of Shāfiʿī School of thought, while a large minority follow modern movements (such as Salafism) that developed within Sunni Islam. [16] [10]
Kerala has been a major spice exporter since 3000 BCE, according to Sumerian records and it is still referred to as the "Garden of Spices" or as the "Spice Garden of India". [17] [18] : 79 Kerala's spices attracted ancient Arabs, Babylonians, Assyrians and Egyptians to the Malabar Coast in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE. Phoenicians established trade with Kerala during this period. [19] Arabs and Phoenicians were the first to enter Malabar Coast to trade Spices. [19] The Arabs on the coasts of Yemen, Oman, and the Persian Gulf, must have made the first long voyage to Kerala and other eastern countries. [19] They must have brought the Cinnamon of Kerala to the Middle East. [19] The Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BCE) records that in his time the cinnamon spice industry was monopolized by the Egyptians and the Phoenicians. [19]
In the past, there were many Muslim traders in the ports of Malabar. [20] There had been considerable trade relations between Middle East and Malabar Coast even before the time of Muhammad (c. 570 – 632 AD). [21] [22] Muslim tombstones with ancient dates, short inscriptions in medieval mosques, and rare Arab coin collections are the major sources of early Muslim presence on the Malabar Coast. [9] Islam arrived in Kerala, a part of the larger Indian Ocean rim, via spice and silk traders from the Middle East. Historians do not rule out the possibility of Islam being introduced to Kerala as early as the seventh century CE. [23] [24] Notable has been the occurrence of Cheraman Perumal Tajuddin, the Hindu King that moved to Arabia to meet the Islamic prophet Muhammad and converted to Islam. [25] [26] [27] Kerala Muslims are generally referred to as the Mappilas. Mappilas are but one among the many communities that forms the Muslim population of Kerala. [10] [28] According to the Legend of Cheraman Perumals, the first Indian mosque was built in 624 AD at Kodungallur with the mandate of the last the ruler (the Cheraman Perumal) of Chera dynasty, who converted to Islam during the lifetime of Muhammad (c. 570–632). [29] [30] [31] [32] According to Qissat Shakarwati Farmad , the Masjids at Kodungallur, Kollam, Madayi, Barkur, Mangalore, Kasaragod, Kannur, Dharmadam, Panthalayini, and Chaliyam, were built during the era of Malik Dinar, and they are among the oldest Masjids in Indian Subcontinent. [33] It is believed that Malik Dinar died at Thalangara in Kasaragod town. [34] According to popular tradition, Islam was brought to Lakshadweep islands, situated just to the west of Malabar Coast, by Ubaidullah in 661 CE. His grave is believed to be located on the island of Andrott. [35] A few Umayyad (661–750 AD) coins were discovered from Kothamangalam in the eastern part of Ernakulam district. [36]
The known earliest mention about Muslims of Kerala is in the Quilon Syrian copper plates of 9th century CE, granted by the ruler of Kollam. [37] A number of foreign accounts have mentioned about the presence of considerable Muslim population in the Malabar Coast. Arab writers such as Al-Masudi of Baghdad (896–956 AD), Muhammad al-Idrisi (1100–1165 AD), Abulfeda (1273–1331 AD), and Al-Dimashqi (1256–1327 AD) mention the Muslim communities in Kerala. [38] Some historians assume that the Mappilas can be considered as the first native, settled Muslim community in South Asia. [31] [39] Al-Biruni (973–1048 CE) appears to be the first writer to call Malabar Coast as Malabar. [40] Authors such as Ibn Khordadbeh and Al-Baladhuri mention Malabar ports in their works. [41] The Arab writers had called this place Malibar, Manibar, Mulibar, and Munibar. Malabar is reminiscent of the word Malanad which means the land of hills. [3] According to William Logan, the word Malabar comes from a combination of the Dravidian word Mala (hill) and the Persian/Arabic word Barr (country/continent). [3] The Kodungallur Mosque, has a granite foundation exhibiting 11th–12th century architectural style. [41] The Arabic inscription on a copper slab within the Madayi Mosque in Kannur records its foundation year as 1124 CE. [42] [36] [41]
The monopoly of overseas spice trade from Malabar Coast was safe with the West Asian shipping magnates of Kerala ports. [43] The Muslims were a major financial power to be reckoned with in the kingdoms of Kerala and had great political influence in the Hindu royal courts. [44] [43] Travellers have recorded the considerably huge presence of Muslim merchants and settlements of sojourning traders in most of the ports of Kerala. [8] Immigration, intermarriage and missionary activity/conversion — secured by the common interest in the spice trade — helped in this development. [9] [11] The Koyilandy Jumu'ah Mosque contains an Old Malayalam inscription written in a mixture of Vatteluttu and Grantha scripts which dates back to 10th century CE. [45] It is a rare surviving document recording patronage by a Hindu king (Bhaskara Ravi) to the Muslims of Kerala. [45] A 13th century granite inscription, written in a mixture of Old Malayalam and Arabic, at Muchundi Mosque in Kozhikode mentions a donation by the king to the mosque. [46]
The Moroccan traveller Ibn Battutah (14th century) has recorded the considerably huge presence of Muslim merchants and settlements of sojourning traders in most of the ports of Kerala. [2] By the early decades of the 14th century, travellers speak of Calicut (Kozhikode) as the major port city in Kerala. [11] Some of the important administrative positions in the kingdom of Zamorin of Calicut, such as that of the port commissioner, were held by Muslims. [47] The port commissioner, the Shah Bandar, represented commercial interests of the Muslim merchants. In his account, Ibn Battutah mentions Shah Bandars in Calicut as well as Quilon (Ibrahim Shah Bandar and Muhammed Shah Bandar). [2] [47] The Ali Rajas of Arakkal kingdom, based at Kannur, ruled the Lakshadweep Islands. [40] Arabs had the monopoly of trade in Malabar Coast and Indian Ocean until the Portuguese Age of Discovery. [40] The "nakhudas", merchant magnates owning ships, spread their shipping and trading business interests across the Indian Ocean. [11] [9]
The arrival of the Portuguese explorers in the late 15th century checked the then well-established and wealthy Muslim community's progress. [48] Following the discovery of sea route from Europe to Kozhikode in 1498, the Portuguese began to expand their territories and ruled the seas between Ormus and the Malabar Coast and south to Ceylon. [49] [50] The Tuhfat Ul Mujahideen written by Zainuddin Makhdoom II (born around 1532) of Ponnani during 16th-century CE is the first-ever known book fully based on the history of Kerala, written by a Keralite. It is written in Arabic and contains pieces of information about the resistance put up by the navy of Kunjali Marakkar alongside the Zamorin of Calicut from 1498 to 1583 against Portuguese attempts to colonize Malabar coast. [51] It was first printed and published in Lisbon. A copy of this edition has been preserved in the library of Al-Azhar University, Cairo. [52] [53] [54] Tuhfatul Mujahideen also describes the history of Mappila Muslim community of Kerala as well as the general condition of Malabar Coast in the 16th century CE. [52] With the end of Portuguese era, Arabs lost their monopoly of trade in Malabar Coast. [40] As the Portuguese tried to establish monopoly in spice trade, bitter naval battles with the zamorin ruler of Calicut became a common sight. [55] [56] The Portuguese naval forces attacked and looted the Muslim dominated port towns in the Kerala. [57] [58] Ships containing trading goods were drowned, often along with the crew. This activities, in the long run, resulted in the Muslims losing control of the spice trade they had dominated for more than five hundred years. Historians note that in the post-Portuguese period, once-rich Muslim traders turned inland (southern interior Malabar) in search of alternative occupations to commerce. [48]
By the mid-18th century the majority of the Muslims of Kerala were landless labourers, poor fishermen and petty traders, and the community was in "a psychological retreat". [48] The community tried to reverse the trend during the Mysore invasion of Malabar District (late 18th century). [59] The victory of the English East India Company and princely Hindu confederacy in 1792 over the Kingdom of Mysore placed the Muslims once again in economical and cultural subjection. [48] [60] The subsequent partisan rule of British authorities throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries brought the landless Muslim peasants of Malabar District into a condition of destitution, and this led to a series of uprisings (against the Hindu landlords and British administration). The series of violence eventually exploded as the Mappila Uprising (1921–22). [48] [61] [14] [62] The Muslim material strength - along with modern education, theological reform, and active participation in democratic process - recovered slowly after the 1921-22 Uprising. The Muslim numbers in state and central government posts remained staggeringly low. The Muslim literacy rate was only 5% in 1931. [9]
A large number of Muslims of Kerala found extensive employment in the Persian Gulf countries in the following years (c. 1970s). This widespread participation in the "Gulf Rush" produced huge economic and social benefits for the community. A great influx of funds from the earnings of the employed followed. Issues such as widespread poverty, unemployment, and educational backwardness began to change. [8] The Muslims in Kerala are now considered as section of Indian Muslims marked by recovery, change, and positive involvement in the modern world. Malayali Muslim women are now not reluctant to join professional vocations and assuming leadership roles. [9] University of Calicut, with the former Malabar District being its major catchment area, was established in 1968. [63] Calicut International Airport, currently the twelfth busiest airport in India, was inaugurated in 1988. [64] [65] An Indian Institute of Management (IIM) was established at Kozhikode in 1996. [66]
The last Indian Census was conducted in 2011. According to the 2011 Census of India, the district-wise distribution of the Muslim population is as shown below: [67]
District wise map of Kerala | District | Total Pop | Muslims | % of Pop | % of Muslims |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kerala | 33,406,061 | 8,873,472 | 26.56% | 100.0% | |
Kasargod | 1,307,375 | 486,913 | 37.24% | 5.49% | |
Kannur | 2,523,003 | 742,483 | 29.43% | 8.37% | |
Wayanad | 817,420 | 234,185 | 28.65% | 2.64% | |
Kozhikode | 3,086,293 | 1,211,131 | 39.24% | 13.65% | |
Malappuram | 4,112,920 | 2,888,849 | 70.24% | 32.56% | |
Palakkad | 2,809,934 | 812,936 | 28.93% | 9.16% | |
Thrissur | 3,121,200 | 532,839 | 17.07% | 6.00% | |
Ernakulam | 3,282,388 | 514,397 | 15.67% | 5.80% | |
Idukki | 1,108,974 | 82,206 | 7.41% | 0.93% | |
Kottayam | 1,974,551 | 126,499 | 6.41% | 1.43% | |
Alappuzha | 2,127,789 | 224,545 | 10.55% | 2.53% | |
Pathanamthitta | 1,197,412 | 55,074 | 4.60% | 0.62% | |
Kollam | 2,635,375 | 508,500 | 19.30% | 5.73% | |
Thiruvananthapuram | 3,301,427 | 452,915 | 13.72% | 5.10% |
Most of the Muslims of Kerala follow Sunni Islam of Shāfiʿī school of religious law (known in Kerala as the traditionalist 'Sunnis') while a large minority follow modern movements that developed within Sunni Islam. [8] [9] The latter section consists of majority Salafists (the Mujahids) and the minority Islamists. Both the traditional Sunnis and Mujahids again have been divided to sub-identities. [68] [8] [9]
A Mappila is either,
The term Mappila is still in use in Malayalam to mean "bridegroom" or "son-in-law". [10]
In addition to the two endogamous groups there were other service castes like "Kabaru Kilakkunnavar", "Alakkukar", and "Ossans" in Pusalan settlements. Ossan occupied the lowest position in the old hierarchy. [10]
Mappila Songs (or Mappila Poems) is a famous folklore tradition emerged in c. 16th century. The ballads are compiled in complex blend of Dravidian (Malayalam/Tamil) and Arabic, Persian/Urdu in a modified Arabic script. [82] Mappila songs have a distinct cultural identity, as they sound a mix of the ethos and culture of Dravidian South India as well as West Asia. They deal with themes such as religion, satire, romance, heroism, and politics. Moyinkutty Vaidyar (1875–91) is generally considered as the poet laureate of Mappila Songs. [9]
As the modern Malayali Muslim literature developed after the 1921–22 Uprising, religious publications dominated the field. [9]
Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (1910–1994), followed by, U. A. Khader, K. T. Muhammed, N. P. Muhammed and Moidu Padiyath are leading Kerala Muslim authors of the modern age. [9] Muslim periodical literature and newspaper dailies – all in Malayalam – are also extensive and critically read among the Muslims. The newspaper known as "Chandrika", founded in 1934, played as significant role in the development of the Muslim community. [9]
The Mappila cuisine is a blend of traditional Kerala, Persian, Yemenese and Arab food culture. [84] This confluence of culinary cultures is best seen in the preparation of most dishes. [84] Kallummakkaya (mussels) curry, irachi puttu (irachi meaning meat), parottas (soft flatbread), [84] Pathiri (a type of rice pancake) [84] and ghee rice are some of the other specialties. The characteristic use of spices is the hallmark of Mappila cuisine—black pepper, cardamom and clove are used profusely.
The Malabar version of biryani , popularly known as kuzhi mandi in Malayalam is another popular item, which has an influence from Yemen. Various varieties of biriyanis like Thalassery biriyani, Kannur biriyani, [85] Kozhikode biriyani [86] and Ponnani biriyani [87] are prepared by the Mappila community. [84]
The snacks include unnakkaya (deep-fried, boiled ripe banana paste covering a mixture of cashew, raisins and sugar), [88] pazham nirachathu (ripe banana filled with coconut grating, molasses or sugar), [88] muttamala made of eggs, [84] chatti pathiri , a dessert made of flour, like a baked, layered chapati with rich filling, arikkadukka, [89] and more. [84]
According to K. Mohammed Basheer, Kerala has one of the oldest madrasa ( Malayalam : othupalli / Palli Dar) education systems in India which has been reformed in modern times to include non-religious and religious subjects. [90] Muslim communities, specifically Mappilas, form literate communities amongst Muslims in India. Historically, madrasas used to impart primary education about the mosque and the imams in it. Madrasas were non-residential, whilst residential facilities supported by mosques and the Muslim village community were called Palli Dar. [90] During the British colonisation of India, madrasas were upgraded to centres of primary education. Post-independence, madrasas hold religious education classes before or after regular schools. [90] The All Kerala Islamic Education Board were the first organization to conduct centralized examinations; subsequently, different schools of Islamic beliefs came forward to form their own Islamic education boards to train teachers and conduct centralized examinations: the Samastha Kerala Islam Matha Vidyabhyasa Board (SKIMVB), the Dakshiana Kerala Islam Matha Vidyabhyasa Board (DKIMVB), the Samastha Kerala Sunni Vidyabhyasa Board (SKSVB) and the Samastha Kerala Islamic Education Board (SKIEB). They are all grounded in Ahl as-Sunnah, whereas the Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen Vidyabhyasa Board (KNM) and The Council for Islamic Education and Research (CIER) are rooted in Ahl-i Hadith . The Majlis al Ta'alim al Islami Kerala (Majlis) represent Jamaat-e-Islami. [90]
Although the Kerala government does not have its own centralizing Madrasa board, Kerala madrasas affiliate themselves to various madrasa boards backed by various religious institutions, based on different ideologies. Among them, the Samastha Kerala Islam Matha Vidyabhyasa Board (SKIMVB) is the largest, with 80 percent of madrasa stating they are connected to Kerala. [90]
Since the 20th century, Arabic language classes have been implemented in Kerala for advanced religious education. [90]
Islamic universities operate in Kerala, including Markazu saqafathi ssunniya and Darul Huda Islamic University. [90]Kozhikode, formerly known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the UNESCO's Cities of Literature.
Kodungallur (IPA:[koɖuŋːɐlːuːr]; formerly also called as Cranganore (anglicised name), Portuguese: Cranganor; Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of river Periyar on the Malabar Coast in Thrissur district of Kerala, India. It is 36 kilometres (22 mi) north of Kochi (Cochin) by National Highway 66 and 38 km (24 mi) from Thrissur. Kodungallur, being a port city at the northern end of the Kerala lagoons, was a strategic entry point for the naval fleets to the extensive Kerala backwaters.
The Malayali people are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala & Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. They form the majority of the population in Kerala and Lakshadweep. They are predominantly native speakers of the Malayalam language, one of the eleven classical languages of India. The state of Kerala was created in 1956 through the States Reorganisation Act. Prior to that, since the 1800s existed the Kingdom of Travancore, the Kingdom of Cochin, Malabar District, and South Canara of the British India. The Malabar District was annexed by the British through the Third Mysore War (1790–92) from Tipu Sultan. Before that, the Malabar District was under various kingdoms including the Zamorins of Calicut, Kingdom of Tanur, Arakkal kingdom, Kolathunadu, Valluvanad, and Palakkad Rajas.
Malabar Muslims or Muslim Mappilas, is a member of the Muslim community found predominantly in Kerala and Lakshadweep islands in Southern India. The term Mappila (Ma-Pilla) is generally used to denote people of Abrahamic religions in Kerala, used to describe Malabar Muslims in Northern Kerala, and Mar Thoma Nazarenes in Southern Kerala. Muslims share the common language of Malayalam with the other religious communities of Kerala.
Kannur, formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and a municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated 274 kilometres (170 mi) north of the major port city and commercial hub Kochi and 137 kilometres (85 mi) south of the major port city and a commercial hub, Mangalore. During the period of British colonial rule in India, when Kannur was a part of the Malabar District, the city was known as Cannanore. Kannur is the fifth largest urban agglomeration in Kerala. As of 2011 census, Kannur Municipal Corporation, the local body which administers mainland area of city, had a population of 232,486.
Ponnani is a municipality in Ponnani Taluk, Malappuram District, in the state of Kerala, India. It serves as the administrative center of the Taluk and Block Panchayat of the same name. It is situated at the estuary of Bharatappuzha, on its southern bank, and is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west and a series of brackish lagoons in the south.
Malabar District, also known as British Malabar or simply Malabar was an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast of Bombay Presidency (1792–1800), Madras Presidency (1800–1937), Madras Province (1937–1950) and finally, Madras State (1950–1956) in India. It was the most populous and the third-largest district in the erstwhile Madras State. The historic town of Kozhikode was the administrative headquarters of this district.
Kozhikode, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, along its southwestern Malabar Coast. The city of Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, is the district headquarters. The district is 67.15% urbanised.
The term Kerala was first epigraphically recorded as Cheras (Keralaputra) in a 3rd-century BCE rock inscription by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka of Magadha. It was mentioned as one of four independent kingdoms in southern India during Ashoka's time, the others being the Cholas, Pandyas and Satyaputras. The Cheras transformed Kerala into an international trade centre by establishing trade relations across the Arabian Sea with all major Mediterranean and Red Sea ports as well those of Eastern Africa and the Far East. The dominion of Cheras was located in one of the key routes of the ancient Indian Ocean trade. The early Cheras collapsed after repeated attacks from the neighboring Cholas and Rashtrakutas.
Koyilandy is a major town municipality and a taluk in Kozhikode district, Kerala on the Malabar Coast. The historical town is located right in the middle of the coast of Kozhikode district, between Kozhikode and Kannur, on National Highway 66.
Kondotty is a developing town, municipality, and aerotropolis in the Malappuram district state of Kerala, India which is located near Calicut International Airport, 24 km from Malappuram. It is the headquarters of Kondotty Taluk, which was declared as the seventh taluk in Malappuram district by chief minister Oommen Chandy on 23 December 2013, Real Malabar FC Kondotty is professional football club from Kondotty and FC Kondotty one and only All India Sevens Football club from Kondotty
The Marakkars are a South Asian Muslim community found in parts of the Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. The Marakkars speak Malayalam in Kerala and Tamil in Tamil Nadu and both Tamil and Sinhala in Sri Lanka.
The Samoothiri was the title of the erstwhile ruler and monarch of the Kingdom of Calicut in the South Malabar region of India. Originating from the former feudal kingdom of Nediyiruppu Swaroopam, the Samoothiris and their vassal kings from Nilambur Kovilakam established Calicut as one of the most important trading ports on the southwest coast of India. At the peak of their reign, they ruled over a region extending from Kozhikode Kollam to the forested borders of Panthalayini Kollam (Koyilandy). The Samoothiris belonged to the Eradi subcaste of the Samantan community of colonial Kerala, and were originally the ruling chiefs of Eranad. The final Zamorin of Calicut committed suicide by setting fire to his palace and burning himself alive inside it, upon learning that Hyder Ali had captured the neighboring country of Chirackal in Kannur.
The population of Kerala, India is a heterogenous group that comprises many ethnic groups that originated in other parts of India as well as the world, with distinctive cultural and religious traditions. While the majority of Keralites speak the Malayalam language, various ethnic groups may speak other languages as well.
North Malabar refers to the geographic area of southwest India covering the state of Kerala's present day Kasaragod and Kannur districts, Mananthavady taluk of Wayanad district, and the taluks of Vatakara and Koyilandy in the Kozhikode District of Kerala and the entire Mahé Sub-Division of the Union Territory of Puducherry. Traditionally North Malabar has been defined as the northern portion of the erstwhile Malabar District which lies between Chandragiri River and Korapuzha River. The region between Netravathi River and Chandragiri River, which included the portions between Mangalore and Kasaragod, are also often included in the term North Malabar.
Religion in Kerala is diverse. According to 2011 census of India figures, 54.73% of Kerala's population are Hindus, 26.56% are Muslims, 18.38% are Christians, and the remaining 0.33% follow other religions or have no religion. As of 2020, Hindus, Muslims, Christians and others account for 41.5%, 43.9%, 13.9% and 0.7% of the total child births in the state, respectively.
The Malabar Coast is the southwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. It generally refers to the western coastline of India stretching from Konkan to Kanyakumari. Geographically, it comprises one of the wettest regions of the subcontinent, which includes the Kanara region of Karnataka, all of Kerala and Kanyakumari region of Tamil Nadu.
The Kingdom of Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, was the kingdom of the Zamorin of Calicut, in the present-day Indian state of Kerala. Present-day Kozhikode is the second largest city in Kerala, as well as the headquarters of Kozhikode district.
The Thalassery cuisine refers to the distinct cuisine from Thalassery city of northern Kerala, which has blended in Arabian, Persian, Indian and European styles of cooking as a result of its long history as a maritime trading post.
Malappuram is one of the 14 districts in the South Indian state of Kerala. The district has a unique and eventful history starting from pre-historic times. During the early medieval period, the district was the home to two of the four major kingdoms that ruled Kerala. Perumpadappu was the original hometown of the Kingdom of Cochin, which is also known as Perumbadappu Swaroopam, and Nediyiruppu was the original hometown of the Zamorin of Calicut, which is also known as Nediyiruppu Swaroopam. Besides, the original headquarters of the Palakkad Rajas were also at Athavanad in the district.
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