| ANCHAL AAPPEES
(Post Office) |
|
Colonel John Monroe
introduced the Anchal (Postal) system in Thiruvithamkur in 1811. Originally
restricted to carrying royal implements, government letters and flowers as
offering to Shri Padmanabha temple at Thiruvananthapuram, the facility was
later extended to all for a fee of one chakram ( coin of Thiruvithamkur) for
any article to any distance. The Post master was universally known as "Anchal
Pillai" and was a man of considerable influence. The postal runners by royal
decree were allowed to occupy the centre of the road and any obstruction was
deemed to be a serious offence. |
AMMACHI PLAVU( Mother
of all Jack fruit Trees) |
|
Famous in the local
folk lore as the tree which sheltered King Marthanda Varma while on the run.
A huge hole in it helped the king hide in its hold. |
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES |
| Thiruvithamkur had distinctive
weights and measures. Some of them are given below : |
|
FOR WEIGHING |
MEASURES |
| Gold |
| 3 nellida |
|
= |
1 kunni |
| 4 kunni |
|
= |
1 panamida |
| 21 panamida |
|
= |
1 pawan ( equivalent to 8
grams of gold) |
|
| Rice |
| 2 ozhukku |
= |
1 uri |
| 2 uri |
= |
1 nazhi |
| 4 nazhi |
= |
1 edangazhi |
| 10 edangazhi |
= |
1 para |
|
| Distances |
| 8 nellida |
|
= |
1 angulam
|
| 24 viral |
|
= |
1 kol |
| 4 kol |
|
= |
1 dandu |
| 800 dandu |
|
= |
1 nazhika (equivalent to a
mile) |
|
|
AZHIKODE
|
| The word comes from Azhi Kotta and
is the first fortification built by the Europeans near Kodungalore.
|
ARAKKAL ROYAL FAMILY |
| The prominent Muslim Royal Family of
Malabar. The family had suzerainty over Male and the Lakshadweep Islands.
|
EMMANUEL FORT |
|
The fort was
constructed in Kochi by the Portuguese in 1503. The Dutch under Van Goyan
attacked the fort and captured it. By 1795 the fort was in British hands. To
ensure no more wars were fought over it, the British destroyed the fort.
Today's town Fort Kochi stands in its place. |
SYNOD OF DIAMPER |
|
The Synod at Diamper
(Udayamperoor near Kochi) was called in 1599 to convert the Thomas
Christians to Latin rites and make the Pope of Rome the supreme religious
head. The synod had limited success. |
EDAKKAL CAVES |
| In Wayanad in North Kerala, these
caves are believed to have been used by the cave dwellers in 7000 BC.
|
ETTUVEETILl PILLAIS
|
|
The local chieftains
who were considered to be rivals to the power of the King Marthanda Varma .
Their riotous reign was finally ended by the king and all were hanged.
|
OPHIR
|
|
The port of Ophir is
mentioned in Biblical times. King Solomon is supposed to have traded
extensively with Ophir. One school of thought puts Ophir as Poovar in South
Kerala while others think it could be Beypore in the North. |
MUSIRIS
|
|
This was the ancient
world's name for Kodungalloor or Crangannoor near Kochi. Many consider it as
the Manhattan of the ancient world. A major natural calamity in the 14th
century obliterated the ancient city. The exact location of the old city is
much debated upon, but never really pinpointed. In this same calamity, some
nearby places emerged from the seas. One such small opening which came up
towards the South was referred to as the kochu thura which today is known as
Kochi, the major commercial centre and Port of Kerala. |
KAVU THEENDAL |
|
In a temple near
Kochi, in Kodungalloor a peculiar brand of temple rites is known by the name
of Kavu Theendal. The king accepts coconut water from a commoner, a hen is
slaughtered and all commoners for once were allowed to rush into the temple.
The most interesting part of this ceremony which still takes place, is the
ritualistic singing of dirty songs (something like Rugby Songs). The how or
why this originated is lost in time, but one version hints at this type of
singing was intended to chase away the Buddhist sanyasins (priestesses) from
the temple premises in the 8th or 9th century AD. |
SACRED GROVES(Kavu)
|
|
The sacred groves or
forests (kavu) is perhaps the oldest eco-friendly project of ancient Kerala.
The evergreen forests with temples within them used to be considered sacred
and protected . There was a more earthly reason for this. The kavu normally
was surrounded by paddy fields ( most important agricultural crop). The
birds which made the kavu their home feasted on the vermin from the fields,
thus ensuring crop protection and plentiful harvest. The forests also helped
in water conservation, and conservation of plant species especially
medicinal herbs. Very few kavu survive to this day. The most famous kavu is
situated near Perumbavoor, 20 kms from Kochi. |
KOONAN CROSS (Koonan
Kurissu ) |
| The Syrian Christians wowed not to
accept the suzerainty of the Roman Pope as their spiritual head. To make
sure of the sanctity of the oath , some tied themselves to the cross for
extra effect. The cross can be seen in Mattancherry (in Fort Kochi).
|
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|
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|
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