Port · The Kerala chiefdoms · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Kozhikode (Calicut), the site

A sandy shore with a small port at the mouth of the rivers, in the Polanad chief's coastal strip.

It is a landing, not a great harbour.

Who holds it

Name
The chief of Polanad on the shore (not named); the Eradi of Eranad are inland
Title
lord or governor
Confidence
low

Lord in 1200

The chief of Polanad on the shore (not named); the Eradi of Eranad are inland

How things stand that morning

A modest landing.

Places of note

  • Kozhikode (Calicut), the site: port village on the sea strip

Where the sources disagree

  • Common accounts make Calicut the greatest port of the Malabar coast and give its Zamorin a twelfth-century foundation (a date of 1124 or 1156 is often quoted); we found nothing to support a Zamorin in 1200 and treat it as later.

Evidence: See Eradis of Nediyiruppu.

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. Zamorin of Calicut, 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.