Valluvanad was an independent chiefdom in present-day central Kerala, situated between the kingdoms of the Zamorin of Calicut to the north and the Kingdom of Cochin to the south. It existed as a distinct political entity through much of the medieval period and was ruled by a chieftain styled the Valluvakonathiri (also called Vellattiri or Valluvarkonathiri). The chiefdom is best remembered for its association with the Mamankam festival on the banks of the Bharathappuzha at Tirunavaya.
| Name | Valluvanad |
|---|---|
| Type | Medieval chiefdom (Nair principality) |
| Region | Central Kerala, south India |
| Ruler's title | Valluvakonathiri / Vellattiri |
| Capital area | Angadippuram and Tirumandhamkunnu |
| Principal river | Bharathappuzha (Nila) |
| Major site | Tirunavaya, venue of the Mamankam |
| Modern districts | Parts of Malappuram and Palakkad |
| End | Absorbed under the Zamorin and later under Mysore and British rule |
Overview
Valluvanad lay across portions of what are today the Malappuram and Palakkad districts of Kerala. Its core territory extended along the southern bank of the Bharathappuzha river and into the inland tracts around Perinthalmanna, Angadippuram, Mannarkkad and Ottapalam. The ruling family worshipped at the Tirumandhamkunnu Bhagavathy temple at Angadippuram, which served as the household shrine of the Vellattiri.
Background and origins
Traditional accounts trace Valluvanad's emergence to the period following the decline of the Chera Perumal kingdom of Mahodayapuram (the second Chera dynasty). According to the Keralolpathi tradition, when the last Perumal partitioned the country among local chieftains, the Vellattiri received Valluvanad along with privileges connected to the Mamankam at Tirunavaya. The chiefdom was therefore among several successor states – including the Zamorin's Calicut, Kolathunadu, Cochin and Venad – that emerged from the political fragmentation of the Perumal polity.
Government and society
Valluvanad was a matrilineal Nair principality, with succession passing through the female line in the ruling family. The Vellattiri's authority rested on a network of naduvazhis (territorial chiefs) and Nair militias drawn from local taras (military assemblies). Brahmin settlements (gramams) at sites such as Tirunavaya and Panniyur exercised considerable religious and social influence, and the chief patronised major temples in the region.
The Mamankam and conflict with the Zamorin
The Mamankam was a grand twelve-yearly festival held on the sandbanks of the Bharathappuzha at Tirunavaya. The Vellattiri of Valluvanad traditionally presided over the festival as the Rakshapurusha (protector). At some point in the medieval period, the Zamorin of Calicut wrested the right of presidency from Valluvanad by force, after which the Zamorin conducted the Mamankam.
From then on, Valluvanad warriors – the celebrated Chaverukal ("those who have given up life") – are remembered for entering the festival ground at Tirunavaya in successive Mamankams in symbolic suicide attacks against the Zamorin in an attempt to reclaim the office. The episode is among the most distinctive themes of Kerala's medieval military tradition and forms the core of the legend of Chandrothu Valiya Kunhikkuttippoduval and other Chaver heroes.
Decline
Repeated wars with Calicut steadily reduced Valluvanad's territory and prestige; the Zamorin annexed border tracts and asserted overlordship over much of the former chiefdom. The 18th-century invasions of Kerala by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan of Mysore brought further upheaval, and after the Third Anglo-Mysore War the Malabar region passed to the English East India Company under the Treaty of Seringapatam (1792). Valluvanad continued as a revenue division (taluk) of Malabar District in British India and was reorganised after the formation of Kerala state in 1956.
Legacy
The name Valluvanad survives in cultural usage. A particular school of Kathakali, the Kalladikkodan style, and a regional variety of poorakkali and temple arts are associated with the area. The Tirumandhamkunnu temple at Angadippuram and the Navamukunda temple at Tirunavaya remain important pilgrimage centres. The Mamankam festival ground at Tirunavaya is a heritage site on the Bharathappuzha. The name has also been used for modern administrative units, including the former Valluvanad taluk and contemporary cultural and educational institutions in central Kerala.