Timeline of Kerala

This is a timeline of Kerala History comprising important events which took place in the geographical area that falls within present day Kerala. It overlaps with the history of Indian subcontinent. To read background of these events, read History of Kerala.

Also see List of years in Kerala, List of governors of Kerala and List of Chief Ministers of Kerala.

Ancient and prehistoric times

Before Common Era

• 2000 BC - Megalith Burial sites such as Kudakkallu Parambu ^[1]
• 1500 BC - 500 BC - Dolmen (Muniyara) burial sites at Marayur and Dolmenoid cist in places like Palakkad. ^[2]
• 100 BC - 300 AD - Peak phase of Pattanam. ^[3]

Common Era

• 52 AD - Thomas the Apostle reaches Kerala to spread Christianity.
• 1st century (50 -70 AD) - Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mentions about Cheras and ports of that time like Nelcynda, Limyrike, Muziris etc.
• 77 AD - Pliny the Elder mentions maritime trade with Kerala in his work. ^{[4] [5]}
• 3rd century - Keralaputra finds mention in Ashoka inscriptions.
• 624 AD - Cheraman Juma Mosque, the first Mosque in India established.

Medieval times

8th century

• Birth and life time of Adi Shankara
• 748 - Malik Dinar passes away at Thalangara.

9th century

• 825 - Malayalam calendar started following establishment of Venadu kingdom by Cheras after defeating Pandyas.
• 849-50 - Tarisappalli Shasanam

10th century

• 988 - Battle of Kandalur Salai between Chera dynasty and Rajaraja I. ^[6]

11th century

• 1000 - Jewish copper plates of Cochin

13th century

• 1292 - 94 - Marco Polo visits Kerala.

14th century

• 1341 - Kerala floods
• 1343 - 46 - Ibn Battuta visits Malabar Coast. ^[7]

15th century

• 1498 May 20 - Vasco da Gama and crew from Portugal reaches Calicut.

16th century

• 1500 September 13 - Pedro Álvares Cabral arrives at Calicut - 2nd Portuguese India Armada (Cabral, 1500)
• 1500 - Treaty of Cochin
• 1501 December 31 - The to day long First Battle of Cannanore.
• 1502 October 30 - Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut as part of 4th Portuguese India Armada (Gama, 1502)
• 1504 March - July - Battle of Cochin
• 1505 October 23 - Francisco de Almeida gets permission from Kolathiri to construct St. Angelo Fort
• 1506 March - Battle of Cannanore (1506)
• 1507 April 27 - August 27 - Siege of Cannanore (1507)
• 1513 December 24 - The thirteen year long First Luso-Malabarese War (Calicut–Portuguese conflicts) comes to an end as a result of treaty between Zamorin and Afonso de Albuquerque of Portuguese India following assassination of former Zamorin.
• 1599 June 20-26 - Synod of Diamper

17th century

• 1653 January 3 - Coonan Cross Oath
• 1661 December - Dutch captures St Thomas Fort Quilon from Portuguese.
• 1663 January 7 - Dutch conquest of Malabar comes to an end with capture of Cochin from Portuguese India as a result of Dutch–Portuguese War. ^[8]
• 1678 - 1693 - Hendrik van Rheede compiles Itty Achudan's work on Botany as Hortus Malabaricus from Amsterdam. Airport Schiphol

18th century

• 1708 - British traders established Tellicherry Fort. ^[9]
• 1721 April - October - Anjengo Revolt ^[10]
• 1724 - French Indies Company under La Bourdonnais capture Mayyazhi and established a fort.
• 1729 - Anchal Post established in Travancore.
• 1741 August 10 - Battle of Colachel
• 1744 July 5 - Marthanda Varma conducts first Murajapam took place at Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Travancore. ^[11]
• 1746 - Battle of Purakkad
• 1749 September - Battle of Changanassery
• 1750 January 3 - Marthanda Varma submits the kingdom before Padmanabhaswamy through Thrippadi Danam. ^[12]
• 1750 - The first Lakshadeepam at Padmanabhaswamy Temple. ^{[13] [14]}
• 1755 - The last Mamankam at Tirunavaya.
• 1761 - Cochin–Travancore Alliance (1761) followed by Suchindram Pact next year to combat Mysorean invasion of Malabar.
• 1762 - Raja Kesavadas develops port and canals of Alappuzha. ^[15]
• 1763 February - East India Company restores Mahé to France following Treaty of Paris (1763).
• 1766 - Ali Raja of Arakkal kingdom develops two and half mile long Sultan Canal between Kuppam River and Perumba River in Madayi. ^[16]
• 1767 - Murdoch Brown of East India Company established 300 acre Browns Cinnamon Estate at Anjarakkandy. ^{[17] [18] [19]}
• 1779 December - 1782 January - Siege of Tellicherry.
• 1780 - 90 - Thamarassery Churam route developed by British with help of Karinthandan forming an alternative for lengthy Kuttiyadi route. ^[20]
• 1789 - 90 - Battle of Nedumkotta
• 1795 - Dutch Malabar taken over by East India Company following Napoleon's war on Dutch Republic and Kew Letters.
• 1797 - Ambush at Manandery
• 1798 - Sakthan Thampuran started Thrissur Pooram. ^{[21] [22]}

Modern times

19th century

1800 - 1850

• 1800 July 1 - Malabar becomes a part of Madras Presidency.
• 1805 November 30 - Pazhassi Raja killed in battle with British.
• 1809 January 11 - Velu Thampi Dalawa did historic proclamation at Kundara against British Raj. ^[23]
• 1809 January 15 - Battle of Quilon
• 1812 March - May - Kurichiya tribe revolt against British Raj.
• 1812 December 5 - Gowri Lakshmi Bayi prohibits sale of slaves through proclamation in Travancore.
• 1814 August - Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 brings Dutch Malabar permanently under British.
• 1816 November 15 - Zamorin formally loses all political powers following treaty with East India Company. ^[24]
• 1817 - CMS College Kottayam established as first western education college in Kerala. ^[25]
• 1821 - Benjamin Bailey establishes C.M.S. Press the first printing press in Kerala.
• 1843 April 7 - Slavery abolished in Malabar District through Indian Slavery Act, 1843.
• 1846 - Forest Conservator Chathu Menon established Connolly Plot Nilambur as world's first teak plantation. ^[26]
• 1847 March 19 - London Missionary Society and Church Mission Society places representation before Marthanda Varma II to abolish slavery and the same was rejected king.
• 1847 June - Hermann Gundert published first Malayalam journal Rajyasamacharam from Tellicherri.

1851 - 1899

• 1855 April - Kingdom of Cochin abolished slavery. ^[27]
• 1855 June 24 - Travancore abolished slavery. ^[28]
• 1861 March 12 - First railway line in state opened between Beypore and Tirur. ^[29]
• 1880 - Varkala twin Tunnel in TS Canal completed facilitating inland navigation between Thiruvananthapuram Vallakadavu and Quilon. ^{[30] [31]}
• 1880 - 1903 - The first phase of Kuttanad kayal reclamation an area of roughly 1764 hectares reclaimed from Vembanad for Paddy cultivation. ^[32]
• 1883 - Mambally Bapu bakes the first Christmas cake in state at Tellicherri. ^[33]
• 1886 October 29 - 999 year lease indenture entered over Mullaperiyar Dam water between Moolam Thirunal and British Secretary of State for Periyar irrigation Works. ^[34]
• 1888 February - Narayana Guru establishes temple at Aruvippuram against caste system.
• 1888 March 30 - An eight member legislative council established in Travancore.
• 1889 January 4 - Great fire of Cochin
• 1889 December - Indulekha by Oyyarathu Chandu Menon gets published as first novel in Malayalam.
• 1891 January 1 - Malayali Memorial
• 1893 - Villuvandi (Bullock Cart) Samaram by Ayyankali.
• 1895 March 8 - 17 - The first Maramon Convention held.
• 1895 October 10 - Mullaperiyar Dam completes construction and opened.
• 1896 September - Ezhava Memorial Petition

20th century

Pre - Independence (1900 - 1923)

• 1902 March 27 - Mannanar dynasty comes to an end following murder of Muthetattarmanakal Kunhikelapan Mannanar. ^[35]
• 1902 July 16 - The first passenger train service in Kingdom of Cochin in Shoranur–Cochin route. ^[36]
• 1902 - The first viable commercial rubber plantation in Kerala established near Thattekad by John Joseph Murphy and Periyar Syndicate. ^[37]
• 1903 May 15 - Padmanabhan Palpu formed Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam.
• 1904 July 1 - The first train service in Travancore between Kollam–Sengottai commenced.
• 1904 October 22 - Sree Moolam Praja Sabha established with 88 members and first meeting held at VJT Hall. ^[38]
• 1905 October 3 - Cochin State Forest Tramway commenced operation. ^[39]
• 1914 October 31 - Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai founds Nair Brithya Jana Sangam.
• 1914 - Kandala Agitation by peasants from lower castes under Ayyankali following denial of education rights to lower castes in Travancore and incident at Ooruttambalam. ^{[40] [41] [42]}
• 1915 October 24 - Kallamaala Samaram
• 1920 August 18 - Mahatma Gandhi visits Kerala for the first time. He visits Calicut as part of Khilafat Movement. ^[43]
• 1921-22 - Moplah rebellion ^[44]
• 1921 September 16 - Government order 613 (Communal G.O.) passed by Justice Party in Madras Presidency providing rights for education and jobs to non-brahmin communities. ^[45]
• 1921 November 19 - Wagon tragedy
• 1922 November 15 - Meeting between Rabindranath Tagore and Narayana Guru. ^[46]
• 1922 - Under the leadership of K. M. Maulavi, K. M. Seethi Sahib and E. Moidu Moulavi, Kerala Muslim Aikya Sangam formed at Kodungallur to reform Islam in Kerala and propagate modern education. ^{[47] [48]}

Pre - Independence (1924 - 1947)

• 1924 March - 1925 November - Vaikom Satyagraha
• 1924 July - Great flood of 99
• 1926 June 26 - Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama formed at Calicut under leadership of Varakkal Mullakoya Thangal to counter reformist organisations among Muslims in Kerala. ^[49]
• 1926 - Suchindram Satyagraha
• 1927 June 14 - Narayana Guru does mirror consecration at Kalavamkodam Temple Cherthala.
• 1927 October 26 - Nilambur–Shoranur railway line opened by South Indian Railway Company.
• 1928 May 26 - The first ship arrives at modern Cochin Port. ^[50]
• 1930 April 21 - K. Kelappan led satyagrahis manufacture salt at Payyanur beach breaking the Salt laws as part of Salt satyagraha. ^[51]
• 1931-32 - Guruvayur Satyagraha
• 1932 April 1 - Palakkad–Pollachi railway line completed.
• 1932 October 28 - The Travancore Legislative Reforms Act promulgated establishing Bicameralism and bringing in property qualifications for franchise. ^[52]
• 1932 - Thiruvananthapuram Airport established.
• 1933 January 25 - Christians, Muslims and Ezhavas of Travancore starts Abstention movement (Nivarthana Agitation) followed by a Samyuktha Rashtriya Samiti meeting chaired by A. J. John. ^{[53] [54]}
• 1935 May 13 - C. Kesavan made historic Kozhencherry speech supporting Abstentionism against Travancore and got arrested for Sedition. ^[55]
• 1936 November 12 - Temple Entry Proclamation
• 1938 February 20 - Travancore State Transport Department inaugurated and bus service commenced between Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari.
• 1938 September 26 - October 5 - Kadakkal Revolt
• 1941 March 28 - Kayyur incident
• 1943 March 12 - Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma inaugurates Travancore State Broadcasting Station.
• 1943 June 22 - Naval base established in Kochi by Royal Navy as HMS Chinkara.
• 1946 October - Punnapra-Vayalar uprising
• 1947 July 30 - Travancore signs Instrument of Accession with India.

Post Independence

• 1949 July 1 - Travancore–Cochin formed as a Part B State.
• 1949 December 31 - Sooranad Kalapam.
• 1950 May 14 - All India Radio commences broadcasting from Kozhikode. ^[56]
• 1950 May - Arson by unidentifiable miscreants at Sabarimala Temple severely damaging the idol. ^[57]
• 1953 May 11 - INS Garuda, the naval airport in Cochin commissioned.
• 1954 July - Mahé liberated from France as result of liberation struggle led by I. K. Kumaran.
• 1954 December 5 - Thottappally Spillway completes construction in three years and commissioned to reduce salt water intrusion and flooding in Kuttanad. ^[58]
• 1957 April 6 - E. M. S. Namboodiripad gets elected as first Chief Minister of Kerala and First Namboodiripad ministry became the orld's first Communist government elected through Ballot.
• 1958-59 - Liberation Struggle
• 1964 September 8 - Sankar ministry loses in motion of no confidence moved by P. K. Kunju. ^[59]
• 1971 December 28 - The first Communal riot in state took place at Thalassery. ^{[60] [61]}

See also

• History of Kerala
• List of years in Kerala
• Timeline of Indian history

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