Magnates and their honours · The Kerala chiefdoms · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Valluvanad raja

The raja of Valluvanad holds the country from the Pandalur hills in the north to the Ponnani coast and the Bharatapuzha basin in the south, with Angadipuram as his seat and the Thirumandhamkunnu temple as the house shrine.

His great asset is the right to preside over the Mamankam at Tirunavaya, the twelve-yearly assembly of the whole country, which by tradition passed to him from the Perumals. The Eradis of Eranad, once part of Valluvanad, are his neighbours.

Who he is

Name
not known for 1 January 1200
Title
Valluvakonathiri (Vellattiri), Arangottu swarupam, Mankada kovilakam
Since
not pinned
Born
not known
Family
Arangottu swarupam (Mankada), whose guardian goddess is the Bhagavati of Thirumandhamkunnu; earlier Valluvanad rulers: Rajasekhara and Vellan Kumaran (tenth century, in a Thiruvottiyur inscription), Rayaran Chathan (about 1000, a witness in the Jewish copper plates)
Confidence
low

Wikipedia (Valluvanad): an independent state from the early twelfth century (infobox: about 1124); the Mamankam right passes by tradition to the Vellattiris after the Cheras; his Brahmin minister is Karuvayoor (Kariyur) Moosad and the Six Hundred are his militia; no list or dates for the twelfth century.

What it holds

  • Angadipuram and the Perinthalmanna country
  • the Tirunavaya ground and the protector's right at the Mamankam
  • Pattambi and the Bharatapuzha crossing
  • a Brahmin chief minister and the militia called the Six Hundred

How it was acquired

By inheritance from the Cheras.

Allies and rivals

Brahmin supporters at Sukapuram; rivals the Eradis (Eranad), Perumpadappu.

How things stand that morning

At his strongest: the Mamankam right in his hand.

Wealth

Rice land, the Bharatapuzha crossings, Mamankam dues.

Military

The Six Hundred and Nair levies.

Threats

  • The Eradis of Nediyiruppu

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

  1. about 1203 (the 12-year cycle; the researcher's own count, not a source)A Mamankam at Tirunavaya falls on the twelve-year count; counting back from 1755 puts one at about 1203 (our calculation, not a source).Depends on: The count is unbroken for five centuries. Stopped by: Not pinned for the twelfth century.

Places of note

  • Tirunavaya and the Mamankam ground: Nava Mukunda temple; the twelve-yearly assembly
  • Thirumandhamkunnu temple: guardian goddess of the house

Where the sources disagree

  • The campaign board entry says he 'loses the Mamankam to the Zamorins in the fifteenth century'; Wikipedia gives no date. We leave the loss undated and later.
  • Later: a Valluvanad ruler witnesses the Viraraghava plates in 1225 (Wikipedia, Valluvanad).
  • Later: the Eradis break Valluvanad's hold on the country and the Mamankam (Wikipedia, Zamorin of Calicut and Valluvanad); no date is pinned.

Evidence: A late tradition and a few dated witnesses; no name for 1200.

"The campaign board" is OMNIA's working map. These notes record where its earlier claims were checked against the sources.

Primary sources for Kerala chiefdoms

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

Sources and studies

  1. Valluvanad, Wikipedia (read for this sheet)
  2. OMNIA board notes for the place (a lead, checked against the other sources)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.