page_title: Chera/Perumals of Makotai
section_title: Major chieftaincies
hierarchical_section_title: Chera/Perumals of Makotai / Major chieftaincies
caption_attribution_description: English: Royal charter (plate I, side I) issued by the Chera/Perumal king of Kerala, south India to Joseph Rabban, a Jewish merchant magnate of Kodungallur. The charter shows the status and importance of the Jewish colony in Kodungallur (Cranganore) near Cochin. 28 lines on three sides of two copper plates Date: Early 11th century AD Script: Vatteluttu (with Grantha/Southern Pallava Grantha script) Language: early form of Malayalam This is a photo of a 2-D artwork created before the 11th-century CE. Therefore Wikimedia Commons PD-Art licensing guidelines apply. Any rights I have as a photographer is herewith donated to Wikimedia Commons under CC 4.0 license.
context_page_description: Chera/Perumals of Makotai, also known as the Perumal dynasty of Kerala, or Cheraman Perumal dynasty of Mahodayapuram, were a ruling dynasty in present-day Kerala, south India. Makotai, or Mahodayapuram, the seat of the Cheraman Perumals, is identified with present-day Kodungallur in central Kerala. Initially, their influence appeared limited to the area between present-day Quilon and Quilandy, but later extended to up to Chandragiri river in north Kerala and to Nagercoil in the south.
  The medieval Cheras claimed that they were descended from the Cheras who flourished in pre-Pallava south India. Present-day central Kerala probably detached from Kongu Chera/Kerala kingdom to form the Chera/Perumal kingdom. The exact relationship between the two branches of the Chera family is not known to scholars. The Chera/Perumals are often described as the members of Surya Vamsa.
  The Perumal kingdom derived most of its wealth from maritime trade relations with the Middle East. The port of Kollam, in the kingdom, was a major point in overseas India trade to the West and the East Asia.
context_section_description: Koyil Adhikarikal/Al Koyil ― the Chera/Perumal royal present in a chiefdom. This prince collected regular dues (the attaikkol and arantai) from the chiefdoms for the Perumal at Kodungallur.
  The Hundred (the nutruvar) ― military organisation of the each chiefdom (with no defined limits of territorial jurisdiction). - the Hundred multiple indicates the number of households in the nadu that could join the militia.
  The Shadow (the nizhal)/Companions of Honour ― personal protection guards of the Udaiyavar.
  Prakrithi ― a body of non-Brahmin/Vellala notables assisting the Udaiyavar.
  Adhikarar ― temple/royal servants involved in management and collection of dues/local arbitrator.
  Padai-Nair ― Nair commander of the armed forces of the chiefdom.
  The Chera/Perumal held direct authority over the country that extended from Palakkad to Vembanad Lake (including Kodungallur in the Periyar Valley). Within this country, the nadus were present as militaristic/revenue units (with members of martial families serving the Chera/Perumal king appointed as the Udayaivar).
caption: Jewish copper plates of Cochin (plate I, side I).
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