Glimpses into the Ancient History of Cochin
Summary
This article reconstructs the early history of Cochin (Kochi) on the Malabar coast by examining traditional ballads, temple chronicles and Portuguese records. The author argues that the Perumal or Chera ruler of Mahodayapuram moved south to Cochin around the 12th century during a war with the Kolathiri raja. He draws on the Cochin temple chronicle to show that two brothers, Rama Varma Kulasekhara and Rama Varma Keralendra, jointly shifted the royal family and sacred idols to Cochin after losing their northern capital. The story of the brothers founding two branches of the Cochin royal house is corroborated by Portuguese traveller Duarte Barbosa. The article also discusses the role of Namboodiri Brahmins in legitimising the new capital through rituals at the Perumpadappu temple and notes that the Cochin raja’s alliance with the Portuguese in the early 16th century was part of a long tradition of seeking foreign support. By tracing the migration of the royal family and the establishment of Cochin as a fortified port city, the paper challenges the assumption that Cochin was always an independent polity and emphasises its origin as a refuge for the Chera dynasty.
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Conclusion
The author concludes that Cochin’s emergence as a royal capital was not an indigenous development but a strategic relocation of the Perumpadappu Chera dynasty during a time of conflict. Two brothers of the royal family moved south with their idols and established a new seat of power, later allying with foreign traders such as the Portuguese. This narrative, supported by local chronicles and traveller accounts, revises the notion of Cochin’s antiquity and shows it as the product of dynastic migration and foreign alliances.