Tag: in the land of kerala

The nadus were the places where the people established their agricultural settlement and consisted of numerous kudis and Urs. The Kudis were the families of occupational groups engaged in agriculture. The chief of Kudi was Kudipathi.

The centralized rule of the Perumals came to an end by 12th century CE. The Nadus became independent. The positions of power that eventually developed in the Nadus were known as Naduvazhi Swaroopams. The Swaroopams were the ruling families with the right of self-rule and they followed matrilineal system of inheritance called Marumakkathayam.

The Nadus were under the Perumals who ruled Kerala with their capital at Mahodayapuram which is presently known as Kodungaloor. Rajasekharan, Sthanu Ravi, Kotakota Kerala Kesari, Adhithyan Kota, Ramakulasekharan were some Perumal rulers who ruled during 800-1122 CE with Mahodayapuram as their capital.

The Perumals had a centralised nature of administration. In the matters of administration the Perumals were assisted by Naluthali. Naluthali was a council of Brahmins.

The Kudis were the families of occupational groups engaged in agriculture. The chief of Kudi was Kudipathi.

The northernmost Nadu in medieval Kerala was Kolathunadu. The Nadus were under the Perumals who ruled Kerala with their capital at Mahodayapuram. All the 14 nadus from Kolathunadu in the north to the Venad in the south accepted the rule of the Perumals.

Owners of devaswam land were called Ooralar . The rulers, Brahmins or the people of the temple did not directly cultivate in this land. They used to give the land for cultivation to middle men called, Karalar.

Trade continued through the land route as well as the sea route during the medieval period. Chanthas and Angadies were the major regional trade centers and commodities like paddy, rice, vegetables, betal nut, salt, fish, etc were exchanged. Long distance trade was mainly with Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and constituted rice, chilli, cotton, other cloth materials, silk, and horses. The Arabs, Chinese, Europeans, etc. were the main foreign traders. Black pepper, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, other spices, coconut, etc. were taken from Kerala while Gold, copper, silver, china clay pottery, silk, etc. were brought to Kerala.

During the medieval period, communities engaged in various occupations and these occupations were eventually categorized into castes. Some people engaged in agriculture and the making of agricultural equipments. Some were involved in handicrafts and making of metal equipments while some were involved in weaving and oil production.

There were three broad types of land based on the ownership right during the Medieval period in Kerala. They were Cherikkal, Brahmaswam and Devaswam. The land under the control of the Brahmins was called Brahmaswam.