Panniyūr (Anakkara, Palghat District and Chovvaram or Sukapuram (Edappal, Malappuram District) were two villages formed at the time of the early Brahman settlements in south Malabar. At the beginning Sukapuram or Chovvaram was on the side of Valluvanad, but then they leaned to the Zamorin.
The Brahmins of Panniyūr made an idol of Lord Siva in an awful disposition, presiding over death and disease. This was intended to be an insult on Chovvaram. The Nambootiris of Chovvaram stole the controversial idol from the shrine built by Panniyūr group. The leader of Panniyūr group, Tirumanassēri Nambootiri, who ruled Gowardhanapuram just south of Tirunavaya, with the help of his three thousand Nāir (Hindu) soldiers, attacked and burned the Chovvaram village.
The Chovvaram group appealed to the kings of Valluvanad (the Protector of that time) for help. But the leader of Panniyūr group, Tirumanassēri Nambootiri, did not accept the mediation of the powerful king of Walluvanād in this matter. This resulted in king of Valluvanad and the king of Perumpadappu (or king of Cochin as they came to be known later) declaring war simultaneously against Tirumanassēri Nambootiri, who appealed to Zamorin of Calicut, a rising power then. Nambootiri promised Zamorin full support in capturing the important port of Ponnāni from king of Valluvanad if he helped this time. Zamorin, looking for such an opportunity, gladly accepted the offer and this resulted in the Thirunavaya War.