Ezhimala, an ancient capital, forgotten

Cargo ships were compelled to land here for reason that if anything went wrong with ship, it would float naturally back to Ezhimala & pirates wouldn't spare anybody claiming that loot was godsend gift
Participants of a sailing competition in the waters of the Ettikulam Bay, at Ezhimala in Kannur, Kerala. Representative image. (File photo | IANS)
Participants of a sailing competition in the waters of the Ettikulam Bay, at Ezhimala in Kannur, Kerala. Representative image. (File photo | IANS)

In the ’70s and ’80s, Ezhimala was the favourite destination for picnicking for the youngsters of my town in North Kerala. To reach Ezhimala, we would take a ride to Ramantali, a sleepy village in the valley of Ezhimala. From there, it is a long walk toward the hill. Reaching the top, on the northern side of the hill, we see the lush green valleys on both sides and the Arabian Sea on the west.

Walking on the forest path atop the hill towards the south gives you a panoramic view of the whole region with a few rivers entering the sea, creating natural ports, and the contour of the land making a beautiful bay. In the 1980s, a small ship abandoned somewhere on the Konkan coast floated down to Ezhimala, creating panic, suspicion and excitement among the locals.

The story of the ancient Greek shipwreck resurfaced, forcing the local picnicking population to strain their eyes to look for a wooden mast somewhere in the blue expanse of the sea. Ibn Batuta did mention the interesting feature of this area which he considered dangerous as pirates inhabited it. The cargo ships were compelled to land here for the reason that if anything went wrong with the ship, it would float naturally back to Ezhimala, and pirates would not spare anybody claiming that the loot was a godsend gift to them.

The foundation legend of the dynasty that ruled this area also mentions a broken ship making its way to Ezhimala. It says after the destruction of Dwarka and the death of Krishna, one of his wives escaped on a boat and came to Ezhimala. Her son was Ramakhata Musaka, alias Iramakuda Muvar, the founder of the Musaka dynasty, which ruled North Malabar before the Kolattiris.

The mystery over the Musakas initiates from the name of the dynasty itself. Sarkar and many historians consider it Musika, the Sanskrit word for rat and their abode as Eli mala, a Malayalam equivalent for “the mountain of the rats”. Chirakkal T Balakrishnan Nair, a descendant of the Kolattiri dynasty and a local historian, explains that the name is derived from the Sanskrit word Musaka, denoting a kind of Sirisa Tree [Mimosa Sirisa]. According to Balakrishnan Nair, the hill should be pronounced Ezhimala, meaning seven hills. He again suggests that the Kolattiris, the later rulers of the region, must have appropriated the insignia of the Musakas, depicting a boat, a bunch of Musaka flowers and a sword.

Sarkar agrees with VK Subrahmanya Ayer that the capital of Musakas was at Kolam, which Ayer identifies as Kollam or Pantalayini Kollam, 30 km north of Kozhikode, the port city. Ayer, however, could not comprehend the absence of epigraphic references to Musakas in this region and the existence of the same in the Kannur district around Ezhimala. This confusion is expected, as the Musakas never held sway over the geographical area suggested by Ayer.

The artists of the local ritual dance Teyyam refer in their incantations to Kolaswarupam--the landmass--the present-day Kannur District. Balakrishnan Nair argues that Kolam should be considered as the kingdom’s name and not as the capital of Musakas. There are many towns in Kannur District which can claim the position of the erstwhile capital. The word tali in north Kerala denotes a capital city. We have the example of Tali from Kozhikode, the capital of the Samutiris. The small village in the valley of Ezhimala, called Ramantali [Raman + Tali, meaning the capital of Rama], was probably the first capital of Musakas under Ramakuda Musaka [Ramakuda Muvar], the founder of the dynasty according to the legend.

Extensive reference to the Musika or Musakas can be derived from the Sanskrit poem by Atula titled Musaka Vamsam, written in the 11th century. The kavya does mention the Musakas as the descendants of Musakas of Haihayadesa on the foothills of the Vindhya region. The poem provides the names of a few kings of the dynasty -- Isana II and his sons Nrparama and Palaka. Palaka’s nephew and successor were Validhara, followed by Vikrama Rama. The inscription, datable to 928 CE from the Narasimha temple at Narayan Kannur on the western phase of Ezhimala, mentions Vikrama Rama as the Koil Adhikari [crown Prince]. Sarga XIV of Musaka Vamsa mentions Ramakhata Jayamani of the Musaka dynasty as deputing his nephew to assist the Kerala king in his war against the Cholas, which can be authenticated further by the Rajadhiraja of the Chola dynasty mentioning in his inscription the defeat of one Iramaguda.

The lack of epigraphic records and other source materials created difficulties in reconstructing the genealogy of this dynasty and other details like the location of their capital city. The presence of a royal inscription at Narasimha Temple at Narayan Kannur about Manigramam, a powerful merchant guild of ancient India who controlled the Indian Ocean trade, points to the region’s importance. Moreover, the popularity of the Narayan Kannur temple and the Sankara Narayana temple demonstrates the connection the local population had with their ancient capital, Ramantali, the capital of Rama of the Musaka dynasty. An ancient capital, forgotten.

Head, Department of Art History & Aesthetics, Faculty of Fine Arts, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Gujarat

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