| Thirunavaya Wars | |||||||
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| Part of the Zamorin's conquests | |||||||
Nila river |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Zamorin's Calicut, His subordinate kings like Vettathuraja | Walluvanad, Perumpadappu | ||||||
Thirunavaya Wars were a series of battles between the Saamoothiri Raja and the kingdoms of Perumpadappu and Walluvanad. The Saamoothiri was successful in capturing Thirunavaya(Walluvanad) and Vanneri(capital of Perumpadappu) and he styled himself as Rakshapurusha ("Protector of the People"). The grudges held by the defeated princes was the foundation of the Mamankam festival, where blood feuds would be resolved by Chavers (suicide squads composed of Nair warriors from kingdoms).
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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 Walluvanad, but then they leaned to the Zamorin.
In the beginning, the two villages, Panniyur and Sukapuram, were the centre of higher Vedic learning. But, later they competed as Panniyūr belonged to the Vaishnavite sect and Chovvaram belonged to the Saivaite sect.
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 Gōwardhanapuram just south of Thirunāvāya, with the help of his three thousand Nāir (Hindu) soldiers, attacked and burned the Chovvaram village.
The Chovvaram group appealed to the kings of Walluvanād (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 Walluvanād 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 Walluvanād if he helped this time. Zamorin, looking for such an opportunity, gladly accepted the offer and this resulted in the Thirunāvāya War.
In Thirunāvāya Wars (Approx. 1351 to 1363) the Zamorin's army and the combined armies of his subordinate kings, together attacked the allied army of the king of Walluvanād and king of Perumpadappu from the north continuously.
Thirunāvāya was a very important place in Walluvanād near Vettattnād where the Mamankam festival takes place.Vanneri, the capital of the Perumpadappu kingdom, was very near to Thirunāvāya.
Meanwhile another huge force under the Zamorin prince or Erālpād commanded the navy across the sea and anchored at Ponnāni, with intention to attack Thirunāvāya from the south with the army of Tirumanassēri Nambootiri of Panniyūr, and also to prevent the army of the king of Perumpadappu joining Walluvanād's armies. The Moplah commanders in Ponnāni, won over the side of Zamorin earlier, supported this army with food, transport and provisions. In spite of the fact that the soldiers of Walluvanād did not get the timely help of Perumpadappu, they fought vigorously and the war dragged on. It was only through machinations and tact that Zamorin gained in the war. News became afloat that Zamorin was able to ‘win’ over the tutelary deity of Walluvanād kings, the Goddess of Tirumantāmkunnu, by propitiating her at Calicut.
| WHO WAS WITH WHOM ? | ||
|---|---|---|
| With Chovvaram (Savaite) Village | With Tirumanassēri Nambootiri's
Panniyur (Vaishnavaite) Village |
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| King of Walluvanad | Zamorin of Calicut | |
| King of Perumpadappu | Zamorin’s subordinate kings | |
Nāir (Hindu) soldiers of Walluvanād were gradually unnerved by a growing feeling that their Goddess was deserting them.
Zamorin's minister was also successful in turning a junior branch of Walluvanād dynasty to Zamorin's side. In the ensuing war, two of the Walluvanād princes fell dead in the battlefield. Thus deserted by his tutelary deity and disowned by his own men, Walluvanād at last withdrew from Thirunāvāya.
As Thirunāvāya was captured, Zamorin proclaimed himself as the Protector and took over sole right of conducting the Māmānkam festival. I.e., the Thirunavaya Wars led to the annexation of Vanneri from Perumpadappu. The Perumpadappu kings subsequently shifted their capital to Thiruvanchikkulam. The next Māmānkam at Thirunāvāya was conducted under the support of Zamorin with great spectacle and splendor.
Later, in 1405 A.D, Zamorin's army defeated the Perumpadappu who then shifted their capital from Thiruvanchikkulam to Cochin. This was followed by the king of Cochin accpeting the over lordship of the Zamorin and became a feudatory of the later. The wars on Walluvanad by the Zamorin continued for longer duration.
Zamorin's land extended from Koyilāndi to Paravūr during the early part of 15th Century. During the Māmānkam festivals all his feudatories including the Vettam king were used to send flags to Thirunāvāya as a symbol of regard to the Zamorin (the Protector).