# Quilon Syrian copper plates

The Kollam (Quilon) Syrian copper plates, also known as the Kollam Tarisappalli copper plates, or Kottayam inscription of Sthanu Ravi, or Tabula Quilonensis (c. 849 CE) are a copper plate grant issued by Ayyan Adikal, the chieftain of Kollam, conferring privileges upon a Syrian Christian merchant named Maruvan Sapir Iso in the name of Tarissapalli in Kollam, southern India. The inscription — notably incomplete — is engraved on five copper plates (four horizontal and on vertical) in Tamil using Vattezhuthu script with necessary Grantha characters. It is considered the oldest available inscription from the Chera Perumal dynasty.
The charter is dated to the fifth regnal year of medieval Chera ruler Sthanu Ravi Kulasekhara (849/850 CE). Until 2013, it was believed that the five plates represented two separate grants (dated separately), issued at different times, to Syrian Christian merchants on the Malabar Coast. A second inscription mentioning another "Tarisappalli" was discovered in Periyapattinam in 2022 (Periyapattinam Inscription). The fifth plate contains signatures of witnesses to the grant in Arabic (Kufic script), Middle Persian (cursive Pahlavi script), and Judeo-Persian (standard square Hebrew script), possibly indicating the presence of Jewish and Muslim communities in Kerala. The record also contains few characters in some undeciphered script/language(s).
One part of the copper plates (four plates) is preserved at the Devalokam Aramana of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, while the other two smaller plates are kept at the Poolatheen Aramana in Thiruvalla, belonging to the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church.

## Summarized prescription

The grant is dated the 5th regnal year of king Sthanu Ravi, 849-50 CE (Tamil: Ko Tanu Ravi). It was drafted in the presence of Chera Perumal prince Vijayaraga, Venad chieftain Ayyan Adikal Thiruvadikal, junior chieftain Rama Thiruvadikal, other important officers of the chiefdom (the adhikarar, the prakrithi, the punnathala padi, and the pulakkudi padi) and the representatives of merchant guilds anjuvannam and manigramam.
The charter grants land to Mar Sapir Iso, the founder the Kollam trading city (the nagara), to build the Church of Tarisa at Kollam. The land, evidently a large settlement with its occupants, is donated as an "attipperu" by Ayyan Adikal. Sapir Iso also recruited two merchant guilds (the anjuvannam and the manigramam) as the tenants of the nagara (the karanmai). The Six Hundred of Venad, the Nair militia of the chiefdom, was entrusted with the protection of the nagara and the church. The charter also granted serfs to the nagara and the church. This included personnel like agricultural laborers (the vellalars), carpenters (the thachar), the ezhavar and salt-makers (the eruviyar).
The charter granted Sapir Iso several titles, rights and aristocratic privileges. All revenues from the donated land and its occupants were 'exempted' (which perhaps meant that these were to be made over to the church).

### Text

Following is a widely accepted English translation of the inscription (Narayanan, in "Cultural Symbiosis in Kerala", 1972). The 2013 study on the plates do not provide an English translation.
Change in plate arrangements :
| 1972 Arrangement | 1972 Arrangement | 2013 Arrangement | Notes |
| Grant No. 1 (Grant No. A2) | Plate 1 (on one side only) | Plate 1 | Epigraphically dated to an earlier period |
| Grant No. 1 (Grant No. A2) | Plate 2 (on both sides) [interrupted] | Plate 4 [interrupted] | Epigraphically dated to an earlier period |
| Grant No. 2 (Grant No.A6) | Plate 1 (on both sides) | Plate 2 | Epigraphically dated to a later period (possible re-engraving) |
| Grant No. 2 (Grant No.A6) | Plate 2 (on both sides) | Plate 3 | Epigraphically dated to a later period (possible re-engraving) |
| Grant No. 2 (Grant No.A6) | Vertical Plate | Vertical Plate | |
No. 1. (A2) First and Second Plates (Plate 1 and Plate 4)
   "Hail Prosperity! The fifth year of the many hundreds of thousands of years during which king Sthanu Ravi is destined to rule victorious after conquering his enemies. In this year while Ayyan Atikal Tiruvatikal, who is the governor of Venatu, Adhikarar, Prakriti, Manigramam and Ancuvannam, and the Pati of Punnaittalai sat together, Ayyan Atikal Tiruvatikal granted as gift to the church of Tarsa, established at Kurakkeni Kollam by Esoda Tapirayi, four families of Ilavar and eight Ilava males belonging to these families, making up twelve in total, and one family of Vannar. No Talaikkanam or Enikkanam or Manaimeypan Kollum irai or Cantan mattu menipponnu or Polipponnu or Iravu Coru or Kutanali shall be collected from any of these people. I have also granted Varakkol, Kappan and Paincakkanti which were formerly enjoyed by them. I have granted as mentioned in this copper-plate these four families of Ilavar, one family of Vannar and all forms of taxes to the authorities of the church of Tarsa. These Ilavar may bring their cart to the bazaar and the fort and do business there. The Vannan may also come to the bazaar and the fort and ply his trade. The Tiyamalvan, the Matinayakan, and others shall not obstruct them on account of any offence. If they commit any offence whatsoever, the Palliyar alone shall enquire into them. I have granted all these privileges mentioned in the copper-plate to last as long as the world, the moon and the sun endure. Maruvan Sapir Iso caused Ayyan Atikal Tiruvatikal to grant these privileges to the church of Tarsa. May God bless those who protect this grant. This is the writing of Ayyan. (Signature) This is agreed to by Velkulasundaran. (Signature) Vijaya..."
No. 2. (A6) First and Second Plates (Plate 2 and Plate 3)
   "This is the land which Maruvan Sapir Iso, who received this Nagaram with libation of water, presented to the church of Tarsa after making arrangements for two families of —, one family of Tachar, and four families of Vellalar who are the tenants of the gift land, to guarantee that the church is not lacking anything in the form of oil etc. by sowing what is to be sown and giving what is to be given. Ayyan Atikal Tiruvati, Rama Tiruvati the crown prince, Adhikarar, Prakriti, Arunurruvar, and the Patis of Punnaittalai and Pulaikkuti sitting together with Vijayaragadeva the Koyil Adhikarikal, and after performing the ceremony of walking the female elephant and pouring out water, fixed the boundaries of this land thus:— Vayalkkatu shall be the boundary in the east; The wall of Ciruvatilkkal along with the palace shall be the boundary in the south east; the sea shall be the boundary in the west; Toranattottam shall be the boundary in the north; and Punnattalai Antilantottam shall be the boundary in the north east. I have granted with copper-plate the land within these four boundaries after the ceremony of walking the female elephant so that it shall remain as long as the world, the moon and the sun endure; I did this sitting together with Ayyanatikal Tiruvati, Rama Tiruvati, and the Koyiladhikarikal. The Palliyar alone shall fine and … the settlers on this land on account of any offence. The Palliyar alone shall receive head price and breast price. None of our servants shall, on account of any offence, encroach upon this land. The Arunurruvar, Ancuvannam and Manikkiramam shall protect the church and its land. The Ancuvannam and Manikkiramam shall protect the church and its land. The Ancuvannam and Manikkiramam shall serve these people as mentioned in the copper-plates as long as the world, the moon and the sun endure. The following are the privileges granted to these people when Ayyan Atikal Tiruvati and Irama Tiruvati sat together with Koyiladhikarikal Vijayaragadeva. They are exempted from the one-sixtieth duty at the time of entrance and at the time of sale. Slave-tax shall not be realised for the slaves purchased by them. They shall pay eight Kasu per carriage at the time of entrance and at the time of departure, and four Kasu per boat at the time of entrance and departure. Taxable articles shall be taxed in consultation with them. His majesty’s business in anything like the fixation of the price of articles shall be conducted in association with them. The Ancuvannam and Manikkiramam shall keep the duty collected each day after affiixing the seal. When any land within the four gates of the fort is obstructed and leased out to tenants, the one-tenth share of the sovereign shall go to the prince and the one-tenth share of the lord shall go to Ancuvannam and Manikkiramam. Ayyan Atikal Tiruvati, Rama Tiruvati, Prakriti, Adhikarar, Arunurruvar, Punnaittalai Pati, and Pulaikkuti Pati sitting together with Koyil Adhikarikal Vijayaragadeva, conferred on these people the seventy two privileges beginning with earth and water on elephant back for marriages. The Ancuvannam and Manikkiramam shall enjoy all these privileges and act according to the copper-plates as long as the world, the moon and the sun endure. If they have any grievance they are authorised to reddress the grievance even by obstructing the payment of duty and weighing fee. The Ancuvannam and Manikkiramam who took up the tenancy of the Nagaram with libation of water shall themselves enquire into offences committed by their people. That which is done jointly by these two heads alone shall be valid. In the case of The Varakkol and Pancakkanti which Maravan Sapir Iso who received this Nagaram with libation of water had earned for the Palliyar earlier, Maruvan Sapir Iso shall keep the measure and hand over the measuring fee to the church. I have given all this with absolute rights to last as long as the moon and the sun endure."

### Witnesses to grant

The vertical plate (plate number 5) contains a number of signatures of the witnesses to the grant in Arabic (Kufic script), Middle Persian (cursive Pahlavi script) and Judeo-Persian (standard square Hebrew script).
   Arabic signatures ― Kufic script
   * Maymun, son of Ibrahim
   * Muhammad, son of Manih
   * Sulh, son of Ali
   * Uthman, son of al-Marzuban
   * Muhammad, son of Yahya
   * Amr, son of Ibrahm
   * Ibrahim, son of al-Tayy
   * Bakr, son of Mansur
   * al-Qasim, son of Hamid
   * Mansur, son of Isa
   * Ismail, son of Yaqub
   Middle Persian signatures ― Cursive Pahlavi script
   * Farrox, son of Narseh, son of Sahraban
   * Yōhanan, son of Mašya, son of Wehzād
   * Šāhdōst, son of Mardweh, son of Farroxīg
   * Sēnmihr, son of Bayweh
   * Sīnā, son of Yākub
   * [...], son of Mardweh
   * Marōē, son of Yōhanan
   * Farrbay, son of Windād-Ohrmazd
   * Mard-Farrox, son of Bōyšād
   * Āzādmard, son of Ahlā
   Judeo-Persian signatures ― Standard Square Hebrew script
   * Hasan Ali
   * Sahaq
   * Samael
   * Abraham Quwami
   * Kurus Yahiya

## Mention of Thomas of Cana

The presently available text of Quilon Syrian copper plates are notably incomplete (interrupting at the end of plate 4). However, two seemingly complete transcripts of the inscription are extant. These are the Garshuni Malayalam script transcript (17th century) and the French text of du Perron (18th century). The interrupted content of plate 4 continues in du Perron’s French text (with the names of seventeen local notables, some of whom were mentioned earlier). After that comes a passage mentioning the famous Thomas of Cana or "Knai Thoma" episode (available in both transcripts). This passage too is later interrupted (and the signatures in Arabic and Persian follows).
It is speculated that this portion is nothing other than the first part of the lost Thomas of Cana copper plates. This grant was issued by an unidentified Chera Perumal king to the Christian merchants in the city of "Makotayar Pattinam" (Mahodayapuram, present day Kodungallur). The record has variously been dated between c. 4th century CE (345 CE) and 9th century CE.
Quilon Syrian copper plates also contain an indication to the presence of a previous grant (with rights bestowed upon the Christians by the Chera king at Mahodayapuram).
French text of du Perron (translation):
   “The history of the founding of the town of Cranganore when Pattanam was the City, (he) visited, revered and requested the Emperor and the Minister at Kolla Kodungalloor for a marsh where thickets grow. Measured by Anakol (elephant kol) 4,444 kols of land was granted in the year of the Jupiter in Kubham, on the 29th of Makaram, 31 the Saturday, Rohini and Saptami (7th day of the moon),' the palace, great temple and school at Irinjalakuda also were founded. The same day that place was called Makothevar pattanam (the town of the Great God), and it was made the city (capital). From there privileges such as drawbridge at gates, ornamented arches, mounted horse with two drums, cheers, conch blowing, salutes were granted in writing to the Christian foreigner called Knaye Thoma with sacred threat and libation of water and flower. The sun and the moon are witnesses to this. Written to the kings of all times.”
Scholar Perczel gives the following explanation for the presence of Thomas of Cana text within Quilon Syrian copper plates transcripts (the author is quite ambiguous regarding the vertical plate with Arabic and Persian signatures).
Both Quilon grant and Thomas of Cana grant were initially issued as two physically separate copper plate inscriptions. However, after a period of time, both grant texts were re-engraved together (as a unified copy; on six copper plates, excluding the vertical plate). In this copy, the text of Thomas of Cana grant began immediately after the end of the text of Quilon grant [on the same plate, Plate 4]. Further later in time, grants needed to be separated (but the separation could not be made perfectly. So the beginning of the text of Thomas of Cana grant became physically separated from the rest of the text). Thus the Syrian Christian community at Kollam preserved the first four plates (plates 1-4) and the Knanaya at Mahodayapuram-Kodungallur preserved the last two plates (plates 5-6, later set at Kodungallur, generally called Thomas of Cana copper plates, was lost at some point in time).
The fourth plate at Kollam (4) was re-engraved onto two plates (4a and 4b) at a further later date (and the plate 4 was probably abandoned). The presently available interrupted plate is thus the first part (4a) of plate 4. The modern transcripts of the inscription thus contain the lost portions from the second part (4b) of plate 4.
* Quilon grant remained with the community at Kollam
** Plate 1 (writing on one side only)
** Plate 2/3 (writing on both sides)
** Plate 4 (writing on both sides) (abandoned)
*** Re-engraving for the second time
**** 4a (on both sides) (presently interrupted plate)
**** 4b [Quilon grant ending and Thomas of Cana grant beginning] (lost)
* Thomas of Cana grant remained with the community at Mahodayapuram
** Plate 5/6 (writing on both sides) (lost)