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{{about|the former kingdom in India|other uses|Venad (disambiguation)}}

{{short description|Medieval feudal kingdom in south India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2016}}
{{Infobox country
|conventional_long_name = Vēṇāṭu
|common_name = Quilon (Kollam)
|image_flag =
|religion =
*[[Hinduism]]
|p1 = Vels (related to the Ays)
|p2 =
|p3 =
|s1 = Travancore
|flag_s1 = Former Travancore flag-Martanda Varma.png
|year_start = {{circa}} 8/9th century CE/12th century CE<ref name=":02"/>
|date_event1 = {{circa}} 1124 CE<ref name=":02"/>
|date_event2 = {{circa}} 1312–1316 CE
|year_end = 1729
|event_start = Formation of Venad<ref name=":02"/>
|event1 = Dissolution of the Kodungullur Chera Kingdom<ref name=":02"/>
|event2 = Raids of Ravi Varma Kulasekhara
|event_end = Formation of [[Travancore]]
|capital = [[Kollam]] (Quilon)
|common_languages =
*[[Middle Tamil]]
*[[Old Malayalam]]
*[[Sanskrit]]
* [[Manipravalam]]
|government_type =
|title_leader =
}}
{{Keralahistory}}
'''Venad''' was a medieval kingdom lying between the [[Western Ghats|Western Ghat mountains]] and the [[Arabian Sea]] on the south-western tip of India with its headquarters at the port city of [[Kollam|Kollam/Quilon]].<ref name=":2">Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014. 143-44.</ref><ref name=":02">Narayanan, M. G. S. 2002. ‘The State in the Era of the Ceraman Perumals of Kerala’, in ''State and Society in Premodern South India'', eds R. Champakalakshmi, Kesavan Veluthat, and T. R. Venugopalan, pp.111–19. Thrissur, CosmoBooks.</ref> It was one of the major principalities of [[Kerala]], along with kingdoms of [[Kolathunadu|Kannur]] ([[Kolathunadu]]), [[Zamorin of Calicut|Kozhikode]] ([[Nediyiruppu]]), and [[Kingdom of Cochin|Kochi]] ([[Perumpadappu, Malappuram|Perumpadappu]]) in medieval and early modern period.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1">Menon, T. Madhava. ''A Handbook of Kerala.'' Vol 1. Trivandrum: Dravidian Linguistics Association, 2002. [https://books.google.com/books?id=FltwAAAAMAAJ]</ref>

Rulers of Venad trace their ancestry to the Vel chieftains related to the [[Ay dynasty|Ay lineage]] of the early historic south India (c. 1st – 4th century CE).<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=Ganesh|first=K.N.|date=June 2009|title=Historical Geography of Natu in South India with Special Reference to Kerala|journal=Indian Historical Review|volume=36|issue=1|pages=3–21|doi=10.1177/037698360903600102|s2cid=145359607 |issn=0376-9836}}</ref><ref name="google.co.in2">Aiya, V. Nagam. ''The Travancore State Manual.'' Vol 1. Part 2. Trivandrum: The Travancore Government Press, 1906 [https://books.google.com/books?id=AVd1AQAAQBAJ&pg=PT222]</ref> Venad – ruled by hereditary "Venad Adikal" – appears as an autonomous chiefdom in the kingdom of the [[Chera/Perumals of Makotai|Chera/Perumals]] of [[Kodungallur]] from around 8th – 9th century CE.<ref name=":6" /> It came to occupy a position of pre-eminent importance in the structuring of the Perumal kingdom.<ref name=":032" /> The country was intermittently and partially subject to the [[Pandya Kingdom|Pandya kingdom]] in the medieval period.<ref name=":02" /><ref name="auto6">"Travancore." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2011.</ref>

Venad outlasted the Chera/Perumal kingdom, gradually developed as an independent principality, known as the Chera kingdom'''<ref name=":10">Thapar, Romila'', The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300.'' Penguin Books, 2002. 368.</ref>''', and grew later into modern [[Travancore]] (18th century CE).<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":02" /> Ravi Varma Kulasekhara, most ambitious ruler of Venad, carried out a successful military expedition to Pandya and Chola lands in the early 14th century CE.<ref>Menon 2007, p. 118.</ref><ref name=":032" />

The rulers of Venad, known in the medieval period as '''Venad Cheras<ref name=":10" />''' or the '''Kulasekharas''', claimed their ancestry from the Chera/Perumals.<ref name=":032" /> Venad ruler Vira Udaya Marthanda Varma (1516–1535) acknowledged the supremacy of the [[Vijayanagara Empire|Vijayanagara]] rulers. Minor battles with Vijayanagara forces in the subsequent period are also recorded.<ref name=":0" /> In the 17th century, the rulers of Venad paid an annual tribute to the [[Madurai Nayak dynasty|Nayaks of Madurai]].<ref name="auto4">Menon, T. Madhava. ''A Handbook of Kerala.'' Vol 1. Trivandrum: Dravidian Linguistics Association, 2002. 143. [https://books.google.com/books?id=FltwAAAAMAAJ]</ref><ref name="google.co.in1" /> [[East India Company|English East India Company]] established a factory at Vizhinjam in 1664 and a fort was built at [[Anchuthengu|Ajengo]] in 1695.<ref name=":0" /> The medieval feudal relations and political authority were dismantled Marthanda Varma (1729–1758), often credited as "the Maker of [[Travancore]]".<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last=Ganesh|first=K.N.|date=February 1990|title=The Process of State Formation in Travancore|journal=Studies in History|volume=6|issue=1|pages=15–33|doi=10.1177/025764309000600102|s2cid=162972188 |issn=0257-6430}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> [[Travancore]] became the most dominant state in Kerala by defeating the powerful [[Zamorin]] of [[History of Kozhikode|Kozhikode]] in the battle of [[Purakkad]] in 1755.<ref name="AHoT 162">{{cite book|last1=Shungoony Menon|first1=P.|title=A History of Travancore from the Earliest Times|date=1878|publisher=Higgin Botham & Co.|location=Madras|pages=[https://archive.org/details/ahistorytravanc00menogoog/page/n212 162]–164|url=https://archive.org/details/ahistorytravanc00menogoog|access-date=5 May 2016|language=en|format=pdf}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
The name ''Venad'' is believed to be derived from Vēḷ+nāṭu meaning the territory of the Vel chieftains. [[Sangam literature|The earliest preserved Tamil compositions]] - datable to c. 1st – 4th century CE – attests presence of hill chiefs<ref name=":7" /> such as the "Vels" in southern Kerala.<ref name=":02"/><ref name="google.co.in3">Aiya, V. Nagam. ''The Travancore State Manual.'' Vol 1. Part 2. Trivandrum: The Travancore Government Press, 1906 [https://books.google.com/books?id=AVd1AQAAQBAJ&pg=PT223]</ref><ref name=":5">Pillai Elamkulam, P. N. Kunhan. ''Keralam Ancum Arum Nurrantukalil.'' Kottayam (Kerala), 1961.</ref>

== Ruling family ==
Medieval Ay kings claimed that they belonged to the [[Yadava]] lineage and this claim was advanced by the rulers of Venad and [[Travancore]].<ref name="google.co.in2" /><ref name="auto4" /> As early as the 10th century, the powerful chiefs of Venad used the surname suffix "Varma", denoting the [[Kshatriya]] status of the ruling line.<ref name="google.co.in22">Aiya, V. Nagam. ''The Travancore State Manual.'' Vol 1. Part 2. Trivandrum: The Travancore Government Press, 1906 [https://books.google.com/books?id=AVd1AQAAQBAJ&pg=PT222]</ref><ref name="auto32">Journal of The Madras University (Section A Humanities) 33–36. (1961): 188.[https://books.google.com/books?id=2O07AQAAIAAJ]</ref><ref name="auto4" /> Panankavil Palace, whose location remains a mystery, was the royal residence of the Venad rulers at Kollam.<ref name=":032">Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 191 – 193, 435 – 437. [https://books.google.com/books?id=0YDCngEACAAJ&q=PERUMALS+OF+KERALA]</ref>

Venad had a kind of chiefly rule with principles of succession, indicated by the term ''kuru'', that is, the rights of the chief and the order of succession within the chief's household.<ref name=":6" /> Rulers of the extended Venad royal family lived at different locations in the kingdom. Migrations and setting up new palaces continued into the early modern period. Political authority of a complex nature was followed by the Kerala joint families. Trippappur, Desinganad, Chiravay and Elayadam branches of the family were called "swaroopams".<ref name="auto32" /> The swaroopams were further divided into matrilineal descent groups (the thavazhis).<ref name=":7" /><ref name="auto5">Menon, V. K. R, Rathi Ramachandran, et al. eds. ''History of Medieval Kerala''. Pragati Publications, 2006. 81. [https://books.google.com/books?id=CJVuAAAAMAAJ]</ref>

Sources refer to the ruler of Venad as controlling parts of [[Thiruvananthapuram district|Trivandrum district]], [[Kollam district|Kollam]] and presumably parts of [[Alleppey district|Alleppey]] and [[Kottayam district|Kottayam]] districts (and [[Kanyakumari district]] in later times).<ref name=":7" /> The autonomous chiefdom ("nadu") of Venad came to occupy pre-eminent importance in the structuring of the Chera/Perumal kingdom.<ref name=":6" /> The rulers of Venad owed their importance to exchange of spices and other products with the Middle Eastern and Chinese merchants.<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal|date=2015-06-05|title=Classical Indo-Roman Trade|url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2013/26-27/special-articles/classical-indo-roman-trade.html?0=ip_login_no_cache=3b49b785309ca821ff5e0a285f43e078|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|volume=48|issue=26–27}}</ref><ref name="auto6" /><ref name=":032" /><ref name="google.co.in">Mailaparambil, Binu John. ''Lords of the Sea: The Ali Rajs of Cannanore and the Political Economy of Malabar (1663–1723).'' Leiden: Brill: Leiden, 2012 [https://books.google.com/books?id=YUkyAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA225]</ref> Venetian adventurer [[Marco Polo]] claimed to have visited Venad capital Kollam, a major centre of commerce and trade with East and West Asia. European colonisers arrived at Kollam the late fifteenth century, primarily in pursuit of the Indian spices and textiles.<ref name="google.co.in" /><ref name="google.co.in1">Singh, Anjana. ''Fort Cochin in Kerala, 1750–1830.'' Leiden: Brill, 2010 [https://books.google.com/books?id=LFy4pWUlnfwC&pg=PA22]</ref><ref>Alexander, P. C. ''The Dutch in Malabar.'' Annamalai Nagar (Tamil Nadu): Annamalai University, 1946 [https://books.google.com/books?id=obe1AAAAIAAJ]</ref>

== Political history ==
It appears that the whole region of medieval Venad was part of the [[Ay dynasty|Ay country]] in early historic south India (c. 1st – 4th century CE).<ref name=":032" /><ref name=":02" /><ref name=":2" /> Veliyans belonging to the Ay family were the hill chiefs of the "Vel country". Towards the close of the early historic period the [[Pandyan dynasty|Pandya]] supremacy might have extended to Kanyakumari in Ay territory (through it is likely that the Ays retained their lost lands from the Pandyas during the so-called [[Kalabhra dynasty|Kalabhra]] period).<ref name=":032" />

=== Development of Venad ===
[[File:Mampalli_copper_plate_(10th_century_AD).jpg|thumb|446x446px|[[Mampalli copper plate]] (10th century AD)]]
The ancient political and cultural history of Venad was almost entirely independent from that of the rest of Kerala. The [[Chera dynasty]] governed the area of [[Malabar Coast]] between [[Kanyakumari]] in the south to [[Kasaragod]] in the north. This included [[Palakkad Gap]], [[Coimbatore]], [[Salem, Tamil Nadu|Salem]], and [[Kolli Hills]]. The region around [[Coimbatore]] was ruled by the Cheras during [[Sangam period]] between c. 1st and the 4th centuries CE and it served as the eastern entrance to the [[Palakkad Gap]], the principal trade route between the [[Malabar Coast]] and [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref name="Trade">{{cite news|last=Subramanian|first=T. S|title=Roman connection in Tamil Nadu|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2007012800201800.htm&date=2007/01/28/&prd=th|access-date=28 October 2011|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=28 January 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130919235748/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2007012800201800.htm&date=2007%2F01%2F28%2F&prd=th|archive-date=19 September 2013}}</ref><ref>KA Nilakanta Sastri</ref>

[[File:Map of Kampili kingdom.png|thumb|300px|[[India]] in 1320 CE.]]

In the middle of the 8th century CE, the Pandya sacked port [[Vizhinjam]], and took possession the Ay Vel country. This foray brought the [[Chera dynasty|Chera-Perumal kings of Kodungallur (Makotai)]] into the conflict and a prolonged Pandya-Ay/Chera struggle followed.<ref name=":032" /><ref name=":8">Ganesh, K. N. ''Agrarian Relations and Political Authority in Medieval Travancore (A. D. 1300–1750).'' Doctoral Thesis. Jawaharlal Nehru University, 1987. 22–25.</ref> By the middle of the 9th century CE, as a result of the encroachment of the Pandyas and Cheras, the ancient Ay country was partitioned into two portions.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":032" /><ref name="google.co.in2" /> Venad (Vel+natu = the country of the Vel people) with its base at Kollam came under influence of the Cheras while the [[Ay dynasty|Ay country]], or what was left of it, came under the influence of the Pandyas.<ref name=":032" /><ref name=":02" /><ref name=":9">Ganesh, K. N. ''Agrarian Relations and Political Authority in Medieval Travancore (A. D. 1300–1750).'' Doctoral Thesis. Jawaharlal Nehru University, 1987. 21–25.</ref>

A new calendar was known as the "Kollam Era", was established in 825 CE at port [[Kollam]]. The exact events that lead to the foundation of the era is still matter of scholarly debate.<ref name=":5" /> According to historians, it commemorated the foundation of Kollam harbour city after the liberation of Venad from the Pandya rule (and hence beginning of Chera influence).<ref>Noburu Karashmia (ed.), ''A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations.'' New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014. 89.</ref> The [[Tharisapalli plates|Kollam Syrian plates]] (c. 849 CE and c. 883 CE) of Venad chieftain Ayyan Adikal, does mention the then Chera king [[Sthanu Ravi Varman|Sthanu Ravi]].<ref name=":032" /> The chief was providing land and other provisions to the [[Christianity|Christian]] merchant Mar Sapir Iso at the port of Kollam.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":02" /><ref name=":032" /> The rulers of Venad, known as "Venad Adikal", owed their importance to exchange of spices and other products with the Middle Eastern and Chinese merchants.<ref name=":22" /><ref name="auto6" /><ref name=":032" /><ref name="google.co.in" /> [[Sulaiman al-Tajir]], a [[Persians|Persian]] merchant who visited Kerala during the reign of [[Sthanu Ravi Varma]] (9th century CE), records that there was extensive trade between Kerala and [[China]] at that time, based at the port of [[Kollam]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=India Charitram|last=Menon|first=A. Shreedhara|publisher=DC Books|year=2016|isbn=9788126419395|location=Kottayam|pages=219}}</ref>

The chiefs of Venad were always determined to extend their sway into the Ay territory. There is a possibility that chieftains captured the whole region down to Kottar ([[Kanyakumari district|Kanyakumari]]) by 10th century CE.<ref name=":032" /><ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9" /> In general, the influence of the Kerala rulers spread into the ancient Ay territory in the 10th century CE.<ref name=":83">Ganesh, K. N. ''Agrarian Relations and Political Authority in Medieval Travancore (A. D. 1300-1750).'' Doctoral Thesis. Jawaharlal Nehru University, 1987. 22-25.</ref>

The region to the south of present-day [[Thiruvananthapuram|Trivandrum]] – former Ay country – came under the control of the [[Chola dynasty|Cholas of Tanjore]] (under king [[Raja Raja Chola I|Raja Raja I]]) during early 11th century CE. There is a possibility that the Venad chieftains tried to recapture the old Ay region after the raids by Rajaraja I. Chola prince Rajadhiraja claims to have "confined the undaunted king of Venadu [back] to the Chera kingdom [from the Ay country]...and liberated the [Ay] king of Kupaka" presently [[Keezhperoor]] (this event is dated c. 1018-19 CE<ref name=":034">Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 191 - 193, 435 - 437. [https://books.google.com/books?id=0YDCngEACAAJ&q=PERUMALS+OF+KERALA]</ref>).<ref name=":83" /> Eventually the Chera-Perumal kingdom also submitted to the Chola rule (early 11th century CE).<ref name=":034" />

Cherar ruler [[Rama Varma Kulashekhara|Rama Kulasekhara]], a contemporary of Chola [[Kulottunga I|Kulothunga]] (1070 -1120 CE), is seen organising the defence against the Cholas at [[Kollam]] in early 12th century CE.<ref name=":8" />

=== Venad in late medieval period ===
[[File:Thambiran Vanakkam 1578.JPG|left|thumbnail|''[[Thambiran Vanakkam]]'' was printed at Kollam, the capital of [[Venad]] in 1578, during the Portuguese Era. It holds the record of the first book printed in any Indian language. It was written in the language ''[[Lingua Malabar Tamul]]'', which was spoken in Southern [[Kerala]] (Kollam-[[Thiruvananthapuram]] area) during the medieval period.]]
The prosecution of the Pandya-Chola wars necessitated long residence of Chera/Perumal king of [[Kodungallur]] [[Rama Varma Kulashekhara|Rama Kulasekhara]] at Kollam.<ref name=":022">Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 154.</ref> There is a tradition that Vira Kerala, a ruler of Kollam in early 12th century, was a son of the last Chera king.<ref>Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 171.</ref> [[File:Quilon 1670 verbessert.jpg|thumb|443x443px|Kollam, capital of the Venad rulers, in 17th century CE]]
After the dissolution of the Chera/Perumal kingdom (c. 12th century), Venad survived, and emerged as a powerful principality in southern India, as result of the wars of conquest and well as the Indian Ocean spice trade.<ref name="google.co.in2" /><ref name=":02"/> Venad, now known as the kingdom of the Cheras<ref name=":10" /> or the Kulasekharas, was intermittently subject to the [[Pandyan dynasty|Pandyas]] during this period.<ref name="Sreedhara Menon">Menon. A. Sreedhara. ''A Survey of Kerala History.'' Kottayam (Kerala): DC Books, 2007. [https://books.google.com/books?id=FVsw35oEBv4C&q=chera+dynasty]</ref> Possibly with the decline of Chola power after [[Kulottunga I|Kulothunga]], Venad Cheras gradually extended their control over the present Kanyakumari district.<ref name=":7" /> In the early 14th century, "Sangramadhira" Ravi Varma carried out military raids to northern edges of south India (1312–1316). His inscriptions can be found as north as [[Poonamallee]], a suburb of [[Chennai]].<ref name=":4">Menon, A. Sreedhara, editor. ''District Gazetteer of Trivandrum.'' Trivandrum (Kerala): Gazetteer Department, Government of Kerala, 1962 [https://books.google.com/books?id=Si5uAAAAMAAJ]</ref><ref name="google.co.in3" /><ref>Menon, A. Sreedhara, editor. ''District Gazetteer of Trivandrum.'' Trivandrum (Kerala): Gazetteer Department, Government of Kerala, 1962. 146. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Si5uAAAAMAAJ]</ref>

In Venad royal family, like most of other royal houses in Kerala, law of succession followed was based on matrilineal inheritance. The eldest son of the sister of the ruling king, not his own son, had the legal right to ascend the throne after the death of the king.<ref name="google.co.in3" /><ref>Menon, T. Madhava. ''A Handbook of Kerala.'' Vol I. Trivandrum: Dravidian Linguistics Association, 2002. 147. [https://books.google.com/books?id=FltwAAAAMAAJ]</ref><ref name=":2" />

The port at [[Kozhikode]] held superior economic and political position in medieval Kerala coast, while [[Kannur]], [[Kollam]], and [[Kochi]], were commercially important secondary ports, where the traders from various parts of the world would gather.<ref name="Malekandathil">''The Portuguese, Indian Ocean and European Bridgeheads 1500–1800''. Festschrift in Honour of Prof. K. S. Mathew (2001). Edited by: Pius Malekandathil and T. Jamal Mohammed. Fundacoa Oriente. Institute for Research in Social Sciences and Humanities of MESHAR (Kerala)</ref>

Aditya Varma (1376–83) seems to have resisted some "Muslim invaders" on the borders of Venad. His successor Chera Udaya Marthanda Varma (1383–1444) is credited for the extent of the rule of Venad into interior [[Tirunelveli district|Tirunelveli]] region. Vira Udaya Marthanda Varma (1516–1535) acknowledged the supremacy of the [[Vijayanagara Empire|Vijayanagara]] rulers. Minor battles with Vijayanagara forces in the subsequent period are also recorded.<ref name=":0">Menon, A Sreedhara, ''Kerala History and its Makers.'' Kottayam (Kerala): DC Books, 1987. 74–75.
</ref>

The Portuguese arrived at [[Kappad]] [[Kozhikode]] in 1498 during the [[Age of Discovery]], thus opening a direct sea route from [[Europe]] to [[India]].<ref>DC Books, Kottayam (2007), A. Sreedhara Menon, A Survey of Kerala History</ref> They were the first Europeans to establish a trading center in [[Tangasseri]], [[Kollam]] in 1502, which became the centre of their trade in pepper.<ref>[https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/thangasseri-kollam/296 Thangassery, Kollam - Kerala Tourism]</ref> It was the beginning of Portuguese era in Venad.

Well into the modern period, Venad remained one of the chief monarchies of [[Kerala]], along with Kingdoms of Kannur (Kolathunadu), Kozhikode (Zamorin) and Kochi (Perumpadappu).<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">Balasubramanian, V. "On an Epic Journey." ''The Hindu'' 07 April 2017: http://www.thehindu.com. Web. Accessed 07 April 2017. [https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/on-an-epic-journey/article17858939.ece]</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name="auto5" /> [[Padmanabhaswamy Temple]] in Trivandrum was the major temple in the region.<ref>Ganesh, K. N. ''Agrarian Relations and Political Authority in Medieval Travancore (A. D. 1300–1750).'' Doctoral Thesis. Jawaharlal Nehru University, 1987. 291.</ref> In the 17th century, the rulers of Venad paid an annual tribute to the Nayaks of Madurai.<ref name="auto4" /><ref name="google.co.in1" /> By this time, the old state of Venad was divided into several autonomous collateral branches such as Trippappoor, Elayadathu, ([[Kottarakara]]), Desinganad (Kallada, [[Quilon|Kollam]]), and Peraka Thavazhi ([[Nedumangad]]).<ref name="auto32" />

During the "regency" of Umayamma (1677–1864), southern Venad was famously overrun by a Muslim adventurer.<ref name=":0" /> [[East India Company|English East India Company]] established a factory at Vizhinjam in 1664 and a fort was built at [[Anchuthengu|Ajengo]] in 1695.<ref name=":0" /> Around 150 Company men from the Anjengo Factory, proceeding for an audience with the queen-mother, were lynched by a mob in "the Attingal Outbreak" of 1721.<ref name=":0" /> Ravi Varma, ruling from 1721 to 1729, entered into formal agreements with the Company and the [[Nayaks of Madurai]].<ref name=":0" /> The primary objective of the submission was to strengthen the position of the king against the regional nobles (such as "the Ettuvittil Pillamar") and other "hostile elements" in Venad.<ref name=":0" />

=== Rise of Travancore ===
In the early 18th century CE, the [[Travancore royal family]] adopted some members from the royal family of [[Kolathunadu]] based at [[Kannur]], and [[Parappanad]] based in present-day [[Malappuram district]].<ref>Travancore State Manual</ref> [[Marthanda Varma]] (1729–1758), of the Trippappoor, is often hailed by historians as "the Maker of Travancore".<ref name=":0" /> [[Travancore]] became the most dominant state in Kerala by defeating the powerful [[Zamorin]] of [[History of Kozhikode|Kozhikode]] in the battle of [[Purakkad]] in 1755.<ref name="AHoT 162" /> Marthanda Varma – at the end of whose rule Travancore was one of the first modern states of south India – is usually credited with the following "achievements".<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7" />

* Successfully developed the centralised state of [[Travancore]] (from Tiruvitamkur/Tiruvitamcode<ref name=":9" />). Dismantling of existing feudal relations.<ref name=":7" />
* Routed all of major Nair nobles and other "hostile elements" in Travancore.<ref name=":7" />
* Organised a standing army, and defeated most of the chiefdoms in central Kerala.<ref name=":7" />
* Entered into strategic alliances with Europeans.<ref name=":7" />
* Supported Kerala merchants (Syrian Christian) in the place of the Europeans.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7" />

== Rulers of Venad (till 16th century)==
===Early historic===
[[File:Quilon_(Venatu)_insignia_from_Syrian_copper_plates_-_Plate_5_(c._883_CE).jpg|thumb|213x213px|Venad insignia from Syrian copper plates - Plate 5]]
* Veliyan Venmal Nallini – the wife of the [[Chera dynasty|Chera]] chieftain Utiyan.<ref name=":32">Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 106.</ref>
* Veliyan Venman [[Ay dynasty|Ay]] Eyinan – the leader of the Chera warriors against Nannan of [[Ezhimalai]].<ref name=":32" />

=== Early medieval ===
*Vel Mannan of [[Vizhinjam]] (latter half of the 8th century CE) – Seen in Madras Museum Inscription of Maran Chadaiyan<ref name=":8" />
* Venattadikal the [[Nayanars|Nayanar]] – author of ''Venattadikal Thiruvichaippa'' (early 9th century AD)<ref>Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 383. [https://books.google.com/books?id=0YDCngEACAAJ&q=PERUMALS+OF+KERALA]</ref>

=== Under Chera Perumal influence ===
* Ayyan Adikal Tiru Adikal – Donor of [[Kollam Syrian plates|Quilon Syrian copper plates]] (mid-9th century CE)<ref name=":032" />
**Rama Tiru Adikal – Junior chief of Venad<ref name=":032" /> (mid-9th century CE)
* Kandiyur Vel Kula Sundara – a warrior in the Chola army under [[Vellan Kumaran]] (c. 949 CE)<ref name=":032" />
* Sri Vallava Goda Varma – Donor of Mamapalli copper plates (c. 973 CE)<ref name=":032" />
* Govardhana Marthanda – Successor of Srivallavan Goda Varma (c. 976 – 1000 CE)
**Seen in [[Jewish copper plates|Jewish copper plates of Cochin]] (c. 1000 CE)<ref name=":032" />
* Kumara Udaya Varma – mentioned in the inscription by Chera Perumal king [[Rama Kulasekhara]] (c. 1102 CE)<ref name=":032" />
* Vira Kerala – son of Rama Kulasekhara<ref name=":032" /> (c. 1126, Cholapuram)

=== From 12th century onwards===
[[File:A language map of India prepared for the missionary projects at Serampore, 1822.jpg|thumbnail|A language map of [[India]] in 1822. Note that [[Tamil language]] was there in Southern [[Travancore]] including [[Thiruvananthapuram]] and parts of Central [[Travancore]].]]

'''Venad Dynasty'''
*Kotha Varma Martanda (1102–1125)
* Vira Kerala Varma I (1125–1145)
* Kodai Kerala Varma (1145–1150)
* Vira Ravi Varma (1161–1164)
* Vira Kerala Varma II (1164–1167)
* Vira Aditya Varma (1167–1173)
* Vira Udaya Martanda Varma (1173–1192)
* Devadaram Vira Kerala Varma III (1192–1195)
* Vira Manikantha Rama Varma Tiruvadi (1195– ?)
* Vira Rama Kerala Varma Tiruvadi (1209–1214)
* Vira Ravi Kerala Varma Tiruvadi (1214–1240)
* Vira Padmanabha Martanda Varma Tiruvadi (1240–1252)
* Jayasimha Deva (1266–1267
* Ravi Varma (1299–1313)
* Vira Udaya Martanda Varma (1313–1333)
* Aditya Varma Tiruvadi (1333–1335)
* Vira Rama Udaya Martanda Varma Tiruvadi (1335–1342)
* Vira Kerala Varma Tiruvadi (1342–1363)
* Vira Martanda Varma III (1363–1366)
* Vira Rama Martanda Varma (1366–1382)
* Vira Ravi Varma (1383–1416)
* Vira Ravi Ravi Varma (1416–1417)
* Vira Kerala Martanda Varma (1383)
* Chera Udaya Martanda Varma (1383–1444)
* Vira Ravi Varma, (1444–1458)
* Sankhara Sri Vira Rama Martanda Varma (1458–1468)
* Vira Kodai Sri Aditya Varma (1468–1484)
*[[Vira Ravi Ravi Varma]] (1484–1503)
* Martanda Varma, Kulasekhara Perumal (1503–1504)
* Vira Ravi Kerala Varma, Kulasekhara Perumal (1504–1528)

==See also==

* [[Travancore Royal Family]]
*[[Battle of Manacaud]]
*[[Kingdom of Calicut]]
*[[Kingdom of Cannanore (disambiguation)|Kingdom of Cannanore]]
*[[Kingdom of Cochin]]

==References==
* ''Travancore Archaeological Series'', Vol. I – VII. Triandrum (Kerala): Government Press (Travancore). 1910–38. {{ISBN|81-86365-73-7}}
*[[Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai]]. ''Some Problems in Kerala History (Chila Kerala Charithra Prasnangal (Part I, II, & III)).'' Kerala Cultural and Historical Research Library.

{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*''State and Society in Premodern South India'', eds [[R. Champakalakshmi]], [[Kesavan Veluthat]], and T. R. Venugopalan. Thrissur, CosmoBooks, 2012.
*[[Noboru Karashima|Noburu Karashima]] (ed.), ''A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations.'' New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014
*Ganesh, K. N. ''Agrarian Relations and Political Authority in Medieval Travancore (A. D. 1300–1750).'' Doctoral Thesis. Jawaharlal Nehru University, 1987.
*Ganesh, K.N. (1990-02). "The Process of State Formation in Travancore". ''Studies in History''. '''6''' (1).
*Ganesh, K.N. (2009-06). "Historical Geography of Natu in South India with Special Reference to Kerala". ''Indian Historical Review''. '''36''' (1): 3–21.
*[[Kesavan Veluthat|Veluthat, Kesavan]], ''The Political Structure of Early Medieval South India,'' (New Delhi, Orient Longman, 1993; second revised edition, New Delhi, Orient Blackswan, 2012)
*[[M. G. S. Narayanan|Narayanan, M. G. S]]. ''Perumaḷs of Kerala: Brahmin Oligarchy and Ritual Monarchy: Political and Social Conditions of Kerala Under the Cera Perumaḷs of Makotai (c. AD 800 – AD 1124).'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013.
*[[Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai]]. ''Some Problems in Kerala History (Chila Kerala Charithra Prasnangal (Part I, II, & III)).'' Kerala Cultural and Historical Research Library.
*Mailaparambil, Binu John. ''Lords of the Sea: The Ali Rajs of Cannanore and the Political Economy of Malabar (1663–1723).'' Leiden: Brill: Leiden, 2012
*Cherian, P. J., editor. ''Perspectives on Kerala History – The Second Millennium.'' Trivandrum (Kerala): Kerala Gazetteers Department, 1999.
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{{Feudal states of Kerala}}
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[[Category:History of Kollam]]
[[Category:Kingdoms of Kerala]]
[[Category:Feudal states of Kerala]]

Venad (kingdom) - Revision history

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