1.1. The Kerala-Mahatmyam (Introduction) - Historical details from Mahatmyas and Prashastis
Ancient history of Kerala was written and accepted on the basis of traditional sources made up of legends and fables. These legends and fables are conveniently prepared as a part of the higher sections of the society. It is a common phenomenon through out the world to connect the origin of the countries with some super human characters. The legends related to with the origin of Kerala is no exceptions. There are traditional accounts about the origin of Kerala, in the Sanskrit works are Mahatmyas and works written in puranic (Legendary) style. But those works are highly legendary and the historians give no historical value of them because of historical in accuracies and improbabilities. Eventhen, such works give us a glimpse into the ancient Kerala, and throw some light on the Brahmin dominance with political history. It embody some geographical and geological details pertaining to the ancient Kerala. These works are also shed some light on temple history, social history and cultural history. Mahatmyas and works written in Puranic Style There are several poems written by Kerala authors in the puranic style. Many of them are Mahatmyas glorifying the various temple and holy places of Kerala, and are anonymous, and some of them are supposed to be taken from one or the other of the Puranas. Kerala Mahatmyam is a work written in puranic style, dealing with the legends of ancient Kerala history containing more than 2,000 verses in six cantos. It is said to be the part of the Sahyadrikhanda of the Brahmandapurana. It is composed on the model of Sthala-mahatmya and Ksetra-mahatmya produced in Kerala at a later date. The Kerala Mahatmyam composed in the form of a conversation between Garga and Yudhistira purports to be a part of the Brahmandapurana. It deals with many legends beginning with the penance of Bhargava (Parasurama), his creation of Kerala from the sea, the settlement of Brahmins by begining them from various places including the Chola country, their naturalisation as Kerala Brahmin, introductions of customs and manners and available other accounts available in works like Keralolpati. This work portraits important Kshethras, their Mahatmyas and their legends. The Ksetras like Vathalaya, Swetharanya, Suchindra, Anandasayana, Neeleswara, Mookambika, Durgapuri etc. As in the case of many other literary works it is of anonymus authorship. No one has yet taken pains to find out the real authorship and date of this work. As the work itself is not reliable as a document of history, historians have not tried seriously to analyse it. The main reason is that it often contains false and unreliable laws about Nairs and other communities laid down by the Namboothiris inorder to satisfy their cast. Naturally scholars and historians have not devoted their attention to finding out the real author and date of the book from a critical point of view. There is no way to determine the identity of the author of this work. Further it is impossible to determine the exact date of the author of the legendary treatise. But on the basis of the several scattered legendary accounts in the work, we may guess that the author might have been Namboothiri Brahmin of North Kerala who flourished between the 18th & 19th Century AD. With regard to the date of the author there are no clear authentic records. Historicity of the Kerala Mahatmyam: Kerala Mahatmyam is filled with legends which deal with the early period of Kerala history. It contains some historical facts also. It gives some incidental informations about Kerala. Legends often are not so reliable as other sources of information. It is often said that though legend is not history, the historians can never afford altogether to neglect the memory of races. The legends contained in Kerala Mahatmya can be regarded as throwing some light on the early history of Kerala. Historians of Kerala relied, till recently on Kerala Mahatmya and Keralolpatti, in reconstructing the early phase of the history of Kerala. Most historians are of opinion that this work contain not only many Brahmanical legends but also some historical facts. It is surprising to note that while almost all branches of study are representing in Sanskrit, history as a separate subject is not treated. None of the scholars of ancient Kerala took pains to compile genuine historical narratives in Sanskrit recording the events and developments of each epoch of history in regular chronological order. However, there were several works containing historical accounts. The authors of the works were poets who were under the patronage of various things and therefore they could include in their works only such materials as would be to their patrons. William Logan says that works like Kerala Mahatmya and Keralolpatti are a tarrago of legendary nonsense, having for definite aim the securing to the Brahmin caste unbounded power and influence in the country. [2]:kṛte kerala bhūbhāge yāni tīrthāni santi hi | kṣetrāṇi vividhānyadya tāni no veda vistarān || [3]:K.A. Neelakantha Sastri -History of South India, 1958, Madras, P 22 [4]:William Logan -Malabar manual -1951, Madras Vol. 1 P 283 ------------------------------ 1.2. The origin of Kerala - Historical details from Mahatmyas and Prashastis The 8th chapter[1] of Kerala Mahatmyam describes the origin of Kerala is as follows:— vāridhe śṛṇu vakṣyāmi saṅkaṭaṃ samupāgataṃ dānena rājyahīno'haṃ tvatsakāśamihāgataḥ | tasmāt kutrāpi me sthanaṃ dātavyamaparāṃbudhau bhārgavasya vacaḥśrutvā varuṇo hṛṣṭamānasaḥ | girāmadhurayā rāmamuvāca vinayānvitaṃ tvamevāsi jagatpūjyaścāgato'si śivājñayā | tasmāttavanivāsārthaṃ bhūmiṃ dāsyāmi bhārgava paścime payasārāṃśāvasmin bhṛgukulotbhava | vāmetareṇa hastena paraśuḥ preṣyatāṃ mayi sapate ca kiyadda?[Ý]raṃ tāvattvaṃ pālayakṣamāṃ | evamuktvā mahāteja varuṇena mahātmanā gṛhītvā paraśuṃ haste cikṣepākṣatavikramaḥ | papāta paraśusso'yaṃ gokarṇe paścimāṃbudhau daśayojana vistīrṇā śatayojanamāyatā | āvirāsīttadā bhūmirvāridherudarasthitā tasyāścottarasīmānte paraśuṃ kṣetrapālakaṃ | pratiṣṭhāpya mahātejā āsītpūrṇamanorathaḥ jāmadagnesya śirasi nipetuḥ puṣpavṛṣṭayaḥ || (Kerala Mahatmyam 8, Slokas 1-9) This is an unreliable and obscure document. The legends states that Parasurama was instructed by sages to make amends for the sin of having slain his mother and annihilating the Kshatriyas. As the suggestion of Vishwamitra, Parasurama gave away the land to Brahmins. The Brahmins it is said, in course of time turned him out of the land he then gifted. But with the assistance of God Subrahmanya, he obtained some new land by penance from the God of the sea (Varuna). He threw his battle axe from Gokarnam to Kanyakumari to determine the extend of the land. Atonce the sea receded and formed a long stretch of land of hundred yojana length and ten yojana breadth from Gokarnam upto Kanyakumari. He gave the name Kerala to the position of the land newly created. It is called Parasurama Kshethram or Bhargava Ksethram. Siva condescended to be worshiped in Gokarnam; the metropolis of the country thus newly reclaimed from the sea. Anyway, one may hold that Kerala was once under water the land might have been formed from the sea as a result of the operation of volcanic or seismological factors. Reverse might have brought down in their course large quantities of sand on the shore and vast stretch of land might have thus come into existence by the steady accumulation of silt and land. Hence the Parasurama legend throws some light on the Geological and Geographical factors in the formation of Kerala. The Origin of the name ‘Kerala’ The 9th chapter of Kerala Mahatmya deals with the origin of the name of the Kerala. The name according to the work signifies the receding of water in the sea. ‘Ke’ or ‘Jale’ means in the water ralanāt’ means receding.—jale ralanāt hetoḥ keralam. This is the first version mentioned in the work another version is that there was a good king named Keralan (the son of Jayantha) and the land was named after him. ke jale ralanāddhetoḥ keralākhyocitā mune jayantatanayoyastuḥ keralo nāma vīryavān teneyaṃ pālitā bhūmirmunīśvaraciraṃ purā tasmādasyāḥ keralābhyāṃ karomyacyutasannidhau ityevaṃ nāmakaraṇaṃ vidhāya parameśvaraḥ (Kerala Mahatmyam 9, Slokas 8-9) There are several views regarding the origin of the name. A view is that the word ‘Cheral’ in Tamil meaning the declinity of a hill or a mountain slope gave rise to the name. Another view holds that the words ‘Cheir’ = ‘Sand’ and ‘Alam’ = ‘Region’ formed the compound word ‘Cheralam’ from which ‘Keralam’ was originated. From very early times the name Kerala is met with in Sanskrit literature. According to one view the name has some connection with ‘Kera’ the coconut tree found in plenty in this region. A second view is that the word derived from the Tamil from ‘Cheram’ again meaning the coconut tree. Thus, there are different opinions about the origin of the name of the country. The view propounded by the author of Kerala Mahatmyam supports the leagend of Parasurama’s reclaiming the land from the sea. This explanation is fanciful even if not the correct one. But thus, nobody could say a final opinion about the origin of the name. ------------------------------------- 1.3. Temples of Kerala - Historical details from Mahatmyas and Prashastis There references to the construction of numerous temples in the course of narration [of the Kerala Mahatmyam]. Among the shrine there are many ascribed to Siva. Five of them are mentioned as most popular ones by the author. They are the Kottiyur Siva Temple, The Vykkom Siva [Vaikom Shiva] Temple, Suchindram Temple, Vadakkumnatha Shrine at Trichur. Parasurama has treated the Trichur temple as the Srimulastana or the source prosperity. He said to have returned to this spot after every important pilgrimage or journey. Numerous Ksetra-varnanas and Stala-mahatmyas like Sucindra-stalamahatmya also refer this work. The Krishna Temple at Guruvayur is the most one of the most famous and popular of all temples in Kerala. The origin an antiquity of this temple is not clear known. It, however, came in to prominence in the 16th century. There is a legend narrated in the first 6 verses of the 40th chapter, that the idol of Lord Krishna was got from his eternal abode Vaikuntha. Parasurama was advised by Sage Narada to transfer the image to a safe place with the help of Brhaspati. When Srikrsna departed from Dwaraka, the city was submerged in water and the holly image was being tossed in it. In the meantime, Brhaspati came in to the Dwaraka with his disciple Vayu, the God of Wind. The rescued the image from the water and passing through many countries came to Kerala where they found a safe place. Since the image was bought by Guru Brhaspati and Vayu, the place came to be called ‘Guruvayur’ in later times. K RAJARAM IRS 2824 3824 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZoroBJ%2BBK_i90G-JxbmCoh%2ByDSsjVaOWeMcBte1%3Dx%3DEvig%40mail.gmail.com.
