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Kottayam (Cotiote) is a former vassal feudal city-state in the erstwhile province of
Malabar Malabar may refer to the following: People * Malabars, people originating from the Malabar region of India * Malbars or Malabars, people of Tamil origin in Réunion Places * Malabar Coast, or Malabar, a region of the southwestern shoreline o ...
in present-day
Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
, in the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
. Kottayam (Cotiote) is famed for
Pazhassi Raja Pazhassi Raja () (3 January 1753 – 30 November 1805) was known as Kerala Varma and was also known as Cotiote Rajah and Pychy Rajah. He was a warrior Hindu prince and de facto head of the kingdom of Kottayam, otherwise known as Cotiote, in ...
, one of the principal leaders of the Wayanad Insurrection (Kotiote Palassi rebellion or
Cotiote War The Cotiote War (Kottayathu war) refers to a series of continuous struggles fought between the Cotiote king, Pazhassi Raja Kerala Varma, and the East India Company across a span of thirteen years between 1793 and 1806. Pazhassi Raja aimed to pr ...
). Pazhassi Raja was a member of the western branch of the Kottayam royal clan. When
Hyder Ali Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...
of the
Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in South India, southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary allia ...
occupied Malabar in 1773, the Raja of Kottayam found political asylum in
Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
. In 1790, the British recognized Pazhassi Raja as the head of Kottayam instead of the original Raja who had taken refuge at Travancore.


History

The origin of the Kottayam royal family is lost in obscurity. By tradition Harischandara Perumal who built a fort at Puralimala and resided there is regarded as the founder of the Kottayam family. The rajas of Kottayam were therefore called Puralisas and were also known as Purannattu rajas, who ruled over the land of Purainad. Descendants of the Puraikizhar family and are referred to in the Tirunelveli copper plate of Bhaskara Ravi Varman. At times, the part of Kolathunad, the Kottayam principality gradually acquired independent control over the territories lying in the
Tellichery Thalassery (), formerly Tellicherry, is a municipality, Commercial City on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district, in the state of Kerala, India, bordered by the districts of Mahé (Pondicherry), Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kasaragod and Kodagu (Karnat ...
taluk, shared the area with the Iruvazhinad Nambiars and also extended its jurisdiction up to the borders of
Coorg Kodagu (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State. It occupies ...
. The family came to have three branches: Eastern, Southern and Western. The first two had their seat at Kottayam and the last at Pazhassi.


Geography

The Kingdom of Kottayam covered what is today Talassery taluk,
Iritty taluk Iritty taluk is one of five taluks in Kannur district of Kerala, India. Iritty was established as a taluk in March 2013 when UDF government declared new 12 taluks for the state. Iritty taluk borders with Taliparamba taluk in the north, Thalass ...
(1000 km2) of Kannur District and
Wayanad District Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of Indian state Kerala with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, the southern ...
(2000 km2). The headquarters of this kingdom were located in
Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...
, a small town not far from
Tellicherry Thalassery (), formerly Tellicherry, is a municipality, Commercial City on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district, in the state of Kerala, India, bordered by the districts of Mahé (Pondicherry), Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kasaragod and Kodagu (Karnat ...
. The royal
dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
of the princely state of Kottayam was called Purannatt Swarupam. The Padinjare Kovilakam or Western Branch of this royal dynasty was located at Pazhassi and is famous for its heroic royal rebel,
Pazhassi Raja Pazhassi Raja () (3 January 1753 – 30 November 1805) was known as Kerala Varma and was also known as Cotiote Rajah and Pychy Rajah. He was a warrior Hindu prince and de facto head of the kingdom of Kottayam, otherwise known as Cotiote, in ...
.


Cradle of Kathakali

The institution of
Kathakali Kathakali ( ml, കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditional male actor-dancers. It is native to the M ...
gained in progress and richness during the time of the Raja of Kottayam, between 1665 AD and 1725 AD. The then-raja of Kottayam was a brilliant actor-dancer who structured several compositions to complete the transition of Kathakali from its earlier form,
Ramanattam Ramanattam (Malayalam: രാമനാട്ടം, IAST: Rāmanāṭṭaṃ) is a temple art in Kerala, India. The dance drama presents the story of Rama in a series of eight plays and was created under the patronage of Veera Kerala Varma (AD 16 ...
, developed by Kottarakkara Thampuran. The Kottayam family produced two distinguished scholars, Kerala Varma Thampuran, the author of ''Valmiki Ramayanam Kilippattu'' and Vidwan Thampuran, the great patron of Kathakali and composer of Attakathas. Many dedicated artists like Chathu Panicker also endeavoured to lay the foundations for what is known as Kathakali now. Their efforts were concentrated on the rituals, classical details, and scriptural perfection. Even now the basic details of Kathakali have not changed considerably from this format. Bakavadham, Kirmeeravadham, Kalyana Saugandhikam, and Nivathakayacha Kalakeyavadham are the four perfect Kottayam works. After this, the most important changes in Kathakali were brought about through the efforts of a single person, namely Kaplingad Narayanan Nambudiri. After basic instruction in various faculties of the art in Vettathu Kalari of
North Malabar North Malabar refers to the geographic area of southwest India covering the state of Kerala's present day Kasaragod, Kannur, and Wayanad District, Wayanad districts, and the taluks of Vatakara, Koyilandy, and Thamarassery in the Kozhikode Distri ...
, he shifted to Travancore and there in its capital and many other centres he found many willing to co-operate with him in bringing about these reforms.


See also

*
Kottayam-Malabar Kottayam-Malabar is a census town near Kuthuparamba in Kannur district of Kerala state in India. It is different from the city of Kottayam in Kottayam district of the same state. History Kingdom of Kottayam is a historic province of old Mal ...
*
Battle of Manacaud The Battle of Manacaud took place at Manacaud near Thiruvananthapuram in 1680 between the forces of the Kingdom of Venad and the Mughal Empire. Prelude The Kingdom of Venad was going through a political turmoil. Dissensions broke out between t ...


References


External links


The Royal 'Rebel'


by Shreekumar Varma (Macmillan, 1997)



{{Malabar Former countries in South Asia Former monarchies of South Asia Historical Indian regions Feudal states of Kerala History of Kottayam district