History
states that Kerala's original inhabitants were animists, followed by the Dravidians.
Later, the Indo- Aryans with their military superiority drove the Dravidians down east and
south wards.The south was eventually dominated by three powerful kingdoms - The Cheras,
Cholas, Pallavas and pandyas.
The Dravidian-Aryan encounter led
to a complex social pattern in Kerala called "Marumakkathayam" or the
matrilineal system, which allowed women the right to inherit the family property. The
Brahmins or priestly class were called - Nambudiris.The former chieftains displaced by the
Aryan influx, were absorbed into the Kshatriya or the princely class. Regular Warfare
among local chieftains led to the evolution of a special community of warriors called
Nairs.The Nairs were bred to be fighters. Some of them were trained like the Samurai as
suicide squads. Known as 'Chavers', these warriors would fight their way through an enemy
attack in an orgy of death, that astonished even the portugese.
The pepper vine has played a
vital role in shaping Kerala's history. When the queen of Sheba made her celebrated entry
into Jerusalem, she carried in her train "spices,gold, precious stones and the wood
of the almug tree" (sandalwood) from Ophir. Scholars believe Ophir is the town of
Puhar that existed close to where the city of Thiruvananthapuram is today. Remnants from
the temples and palaces of Nebuchadnezzar included hardwoods, that must have come from the
tropical forest of Kerala. Pliny the Elder complained in the first century, that the Roman
nobility of his time had depleted the treasury with their greed for pepper.
Almost upto the 16th century, the
Arabs monopolized the pepper trade. After Alexander's triumphant sweep over Asia Minor,
the greeks provided some competition. Gradually the ports of Kerala became a link between
the Middle East, the Mediterranean and China. Remnants of the chinese influence include
the giant fishing nets at Kochi, Alapuzha and Kollam, the 'Cheena chutty', the use of flat
copper tiles on temple roofs and the shallow sampan-like boats.
In 1498, Vasco da Gama made
his historic Landing on the Malabar Coast. Throughout the next century, the Danes, the
Portugese, the French and the British went on a flag planting spree to establish their
rights. It was a Dutch hike in the price of pepper by one shilling that led to the
formation of the East India Company in December, 1599. The Portugese passage through
Kerala, was a stormy one. They worked very hard at annoying the native Keralites, by
stirring up the local christian population and stopping rice shipments. In contrast, the
Dutch concentrated on trade and remained in the area for more than 130 years.
In 1723, the East India
Company signed a strategic treaty with King Marthanda Varma. For a few decades, Hyder Ali
and his son -Tipu sultan proved to be a thorn in the flesh of the British, sweeping down
several times into Kerala. Ultimately Tipu's luck ran out and suffered a humiliating
defeat. The British took over and pensioned off the old rulers.
