Some info. and some questions about chronology of Kerala kingdoms/ruling dynasties from 1000 AD to 2000 AD (2nd millennium AD)

I was curious to have some history timeline kind-of info. about Kerala kingdoms/dynasties at least from 1000 AD onwards as my parents grew up in Kerala before moving to Mumbai and their previous generations, on both parents' side, were based in Kerala. For more about this Kerala background of my parents & their previous generations, please visit my posts given towards the bottom of this post.

History of Kerala, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Kerala is an informative page. The section Medieval and Early Modern periods, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Kerala#Medieval_and_Early_Modern_periods , covers history of Kerala from 8th century CE onwards with just a mention of 6th to 8th century CE history being obscure. However it does not provide an easy to understand chronological list of rulers. Google searching for the term:

Chronological list of Kerala kingdoms/rulers

also did not return suitable results in top ten results.

So I decided to invest some time in digging up this info. from Internet sources and after I collected the info. I decided to put it up as a public post as it may be useful to some.

Some of the maps referenced in main part of this post are from the video: A New History of India: Every Year, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw9psR8MyPI , 9 min. 30 secs., published on 18th March 2018 by Ollie Bye. The video seems to have a mix of accurate and inaccurate information for the area (territory of modern state of Kerala) and history period covered by this post as some of its maps for this area and period are not in agreement with relevant Wikipedia pages. In this post, the acronym ANHIOB is used to refer to this video.

Chronological list of major kingdoms/rulers of Kerala from 1000 AD to 2000 AD (2nd millennium AD) - some info. & some questions

1) 1000 CE? to 1019 CE?: Chera dynasty ruling over 75% of Kerala and so dominant ruler, Ay dynasty ruling southern tip of Kerala, Chola dynasty ruling Eastern extemity of Central and Southern areas of Kerala

2) 1019? to 1102?: Chola dynasty rules all of Kerala perhaps through some vassals for at least some areas

3) 1102? to 1446?: Kerala split into many small kingdoms/individual areas (principalities) without any single major ruler. Key small kingdoms seem to be: Kozhikode, Venad, Kochi, Purakkad, Kolathanadu and Kayamkulam. Small area of Kerala is ruled by Chola dynasty followed by Pandya dynasty both of whose main territory is in Tamil Nadu.

4) 1446? to 1520?: Most or all of Kerala is under Vijayanagara empire; From 1500 Portuguese ruled port towns get established in Kerala

5) 1565? to 1755?: Kerala split (again) into many small kingdoms/principalities without any single major ruler. Key small kingdoms seem to be: Arakkal, Kozhikode, Kochi, Purakkad, Kayamkulam and Venad (Venad being tributary of Madurai Nayaks for some time), with small part of Kerala ruled (direct rule) by Madurai Nayaks. From around 1664 almost all, if not all, European port towns of Kerala are Dutch ruled (instead of Portuguese). Mahe was established as a French port town in 1724.

6) 1755? to 1766: Travancore kingdom becomes a major power of Kerala with around 50% of modern Kerala territory. Other smaller kingdoms/principalities are Kochi, Kozhikode and Arakkal. All European port towns seem to be Dutch ruled with the exception of Mahe which is ruled by the French.

7) 1766 to 1790: Travancore continues to be a major power of Kerala with around 50% of modern Kerala territory. Arakkal and Kozhikode become part of Mysore kingdom (under Hyder Ali/Tipu Sultan). Kochi (Cochin) kingdom becomes a tributary of Mysore kingdom.

8) 1792 to 1795: Travancore continues to be a major power of Kerala with around 50% of modern Kerala territory. Arakkal and Kozhikode come under British rule. Kochi (Cochin) kingdom becomes a vassal of the British.

9) 1795 to 1947-49: Travancore also becomes a vassal of the British. So whole of Kerala is under British rule either directly or through a vassal. Excepting Mahe which is ruled by the French, all other European port towns are now under British rule.

10) 1947-49 to now (2023): Whole of Kerala is under rule of independent India with a minor variation of Mahe coming under independent India rule a few years later in 1954.

Chronology of Kerala major kingdoms/ruling dynasties from 1000 AD to 2000 AD (2nd millennium AD) - Details

1) Chera Perumals of Makotai dyansty ruled most of Kerala in 1000 AD

Kerala was ruled (over 75% territory control) by the Chera Perumals of Makotai dyansty in 1000 AD as per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chera_Perumals_of_Makotai . See the map titled, "Chera Perumal Kingdom with respect to the Chola Empire", "c. 9th century CE–Early 12th century CE", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:South_India_in_early_11th_century_AD.jpg (wiki map pic page has the title "File:South India in early 11th century AD.jpg" implying it is showing the territory as of 10xx AD) . Most of Kerala is shown under Chera (Perumals). In the ANHIOB video, the map pic at around 5 min. 47 secs. for year 1000 AD shows the southernmost part of Kerala under Ay dynasty. 

Ay dynasty wiki page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ay_dynasty#History informs us, "The famous salai at Kantalur, somewhere near present-day Trivandrum, was located in the Ay country (865 AD, Huzur/Parthivapuram Plates, Karunanthadakkkan). The salai was sacked by Chola emperor Rajaraja I in c. 988 AD (fourth regnal year).[4][9]

The entire region to the south of Trivandrum, including the port of Vizhinjam and Cape Comorin, came under the control of king Rajaraja in the early 11th century.[4] The kings of Kollam (i. e., Venad), Kodungallur (the Chera Perumal), and Kolladesam (Mushika) were also defeated by the Cholas (Senur inscription, 1005 AD).[27] There is a possibility that the Venad chieftains tried to recapture the old Ay region after the raids by Rajaraja I. Chola Rajadhiraja claims to have "confined the undaunted king of Venadu [back] to the Chera kingdom [from the Ay country]......and liberated the [Ay] king of Kupaka...and put on a fresh garland of Vanchi after the capturing Kantalur Salai while the strong Villavan [the Chera king] hid himself in terror inside the jungle" (this event is dated c. 1018-19 AD[4]).[10]"

So perhaps in 1000 AD the southern tip of Kerala was under Cholas but that area would be less than 25% of Kerala territory. So clearly Chola cannot be viewed as a major power of Kerala in 1000 AD.

I think we can say:

*) 1000 CE? to ?: Chera dynasty ruling over 75% of Kerala and so dominant ruler, Ay dynasty ruling southern tip of Kerala, Chola dynasty ruling eastern extremity of central and southern areas of Kerala

2) When did Chera Perumal rule over most of Kerala end? Which dynasty replaced them as dominant or major power in Kerala?

Chola dynasty, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chola_dynasty has a main map titled, "Map showing the greatest extent of the Chola empire c. 1030 under Rajendra Chola I: territories are shown in blue, subordinates and areas of influence are shown in pink.", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chola_Empire_map_corrected-01.svg . This map shows entire Kerala area under the Cholas. So, as per above wiki page, by 1030 AD all of Kerala had come under Chola rule. The ANHIOB video shows 1019 AD as the year that all of Kerala came under Cholas. It also shows that in 1102 a good part of Kerala (excluding south-eastern Kerala) had come out of Chola rule.

History of Kerala wiki page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Kerala#Medieval_and_Early_Modern_periods states:

The Kulasekhara dynasty [Ravi: Chera Perumals of Makotai] was finally subjugated in 1102 by the combined attack of the Pandyas and Cholas.[84] However, in the 14th century, Ravi Varma Kulashekhara (1299–1314) of the southern Venad kingdom was able to establish a short-lived supremacy over southern India.[citation needed] After his death, in the absence of strong central power, the state was fractured into about thirty small warring principalities under Nair Chieftains; the most powerful of them were the kingdom of Samuthiri in the north, Venad in the south and Kochi in the middle.[99][100] The port at Kozhikode held the superior economic and political position in Kerala, while Kollam (Quilon), Kochi, and Kannur (Cannanore) were commercially confined to secondary roles.[101]

--- end wiki extract ---

So what was the period of Chola rule over most of Kerala? It is quite confusing as the ANHIOB video start date of 1019 AD is not corroborated by the History of Kerala wiki page related extract. Neither is the end date of 1102. In fact, the wiki page extract gives 1102 as year when Cholas "finally subjugated" the Chera Perumals!

But the Chola dynasty wiki page referred earlier has a map showing all of Kerala under Chola rule in 1030! This matches ANHIOB video map of 1030.

Further the Chola dynasty wiki page states: "They ruled a significantly larger area at the height of their power from the later half of the 9th century till the beginning of the 13th century. They unified peninsular India south of the Tungabhadra River, and held the territory as one state for three centuries between 907 and 1215 CE.[6]" [Ref. "6: K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, A History of South India, p 157"]

Tungabhadra river wiki page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungabhadra_River , has a map of the river, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Karnataka_topo_deu.png . The river begins in the Western Ghats (mountain range) which is close to the Western coast but there is a small strip of land between them. If in the above wiki extract "peninsular India south of the Tungabhadra River" means whole area from eastern coast to western coast that is south of Tungabhadra river, which is what I think it must mean, then all of Kerala is included in this area. So I think that the above wiki extract implies that Kerala area was under Chola rule from 907 to 1215 CE. But that conflicts with Chera Perumal wiki page whose map states that Kerala was under Chera Perumals rule in early 11th century (10xx) CE!

Perhaps what we can simply take the ANHIOB dates as possible periods by adding question marks. So we can say:

*) 1000 CE? to 1019 CE?: Chera dynasty ruling over 75% of Kerala and so dominant ruler, Ay dynasty ruling southern tip of Kerala, Chola dynasty ruling Eastern extemity of Central and Southern areas of Kerala

*) 1019? to ?: Chola dynasty rules all of Kerala perhaps through some vassals for at least some areas

3) When did Chola dynasty rule over most of Kerala end?

The History of Kerala wiki page extract given above seems to imply that Chola dynasty rule of most of Kerala was from 1102 when (Chera) Kulashekara dynasty was subjugated by Cholas (and Pandyas). 

In 1102, in ANHIOB video maps, Chola dynasty rule over most of Kerala (excluding eastern part of central and southern Kerala) ends. Chola dynasty is not replaced by another dynasty or unified kingdom and instead former Chola ruled part gets divided into many principalities/small kingdoms. These principalities/small kingdoms initially in 1102 were: Kolathunadu, Valluva, Purakkad and Venad with Cholas ruling only small part of Kerala (eastern part of central and southern Kerala). In 1124, Valluva is removed from the map and Kozhikode, Kochi and Kayamkulam are added.

Perhaps what we can simply take the ANHIOB dates as possible periods by adding question marks. So we can cay:

*) 1019? to 1102?: Chola dynasty rules all of Kerala perhaps through some vassals for at least some areas

*) 1102? to ?: Kerala split into many small kingdoms/principalities without any single major ruler. Key small kingdoms seem to be: Kozhikode, Venad, Kochi, Purakkad and Kayamkulam. Small area of Kerala is ruled by Chola dynasty whose main territory is in Tamil Nadu.

4) Chola rule is replaced by Pandya rule in Southern Tamil Nadu and small part of Kerala in 1216

As per ANHIOB video, in 1216, Chola territory in Tamil Nadu is reduced significantly with southern Tamil Nadu coming under Pandya rule. This Pandya territory includes the small part of eastern area of Kerala that was earlier under Chola rule.

Does Wikipedia support this? From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandya_dynasty :

Chola emperor Rajaraja I (r. 985–1014 CE) is known to have attacked the Pandyas.[72] He fought against an alliance of the Pandya, Chera and Sri Lankan kings, and defeated the Cheras and "deprived" the Pandyas of their ancient capital Madurai.[81] Emperor Rajendra I continued to occupy the Pandya kingdom, and even appointed a series of Chola viceroys with the title "Chola Pandya" to rule from Madurai (over Pandya and Western Chera/Kerala countries). The very of beginning of Chola emperor Kulottunga's rule (r. from 1070 CE) was marked by the loss of Sri Lanka and a rebellion in the Pandya country.[81]

The second half of the 12th century witnessed a major internal crisis in the Pandya country (between princes Parakrama Pandya and Kulasekhara Pandya). The neighbouring kingdoms of Sri Lanka, under Parakramabahu I, Venadu Chera/Kerala, under the Kulasekharas,[81] and the Cholas, under Rajadhiraja II and Kulottunga III, joinined in and took sides with any of the two princes or their kins.[82][81]

Pandya kings (10th century–first half of 11th century CE):

---snip---

Jatavarman Kulasekara I (1190–1216 CE)[83]

--- end wiki extract ---

Ravi: Looks like most of the Pandya kings from 10th century (9xx) CE till 1216 CE were vassals of Cholas (which probably is why the ANHIOB video shows their territory as Chola territory) for most of the time even though there were some periods of rebellion by Pandyas against the Cholas. 

The wiki page of the last king in list in above wiki extract, "Jatavarman Kulasekara I (1190–1216 CE)" (links to:) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadayavarman_Kulasekaran_I (and) seems to at least partly support this. Related extracts from this wiki page:

Sadayavarman Kulasekaran I (Tamil: முதலாம் சடையவர்மன் குலசேகரன்) was a Pandyan king, who ruled regions of South India between 1190–1216.[1][2]

..

Kulasekaran was a vassal of the Chola empire. When Kulothunga was warring with Hoysalas in the north, he refused to pay tribute to the Cholas. This led to a Chola invasion in retribution. In 1205, the Chola armies defeated the Pandyan army and sacked Madurai. 

...

Kulasekaran surrendered to Kulothunga with his wife and son. Kulothunga acknowledged the surrender and gave his kingdom back. Madurai remained under Chola dominance until 1216.[6] These excesses of Kulothunga directly led to the later Pandyan reprisal under Kulasekaran's younger brother and successor Maravarman Sundara Pandyan I.[7]

--- end wiki extract ---

From Maravarman Sundara Pandyan, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maravarman_Sundara_Pandyan :

Maravarman Sundara Pandyan I was a Pandyan king, who ruled regions of South India between 1216–1238 CE.[1] He laid the foundation for the Pandya revival, after being dominated by the Cholas for several centuries.[2]

...

Sundara Pandyan came to power in 1216 CE after his elder brothers death Jatavarman Kulasekara Pandyan. Kulasekara Pandyan was a vassal of the Chola King Kulothunga Chola III. He had opposed and been defeated by Kulothunga Chola III in 1205 CE, when the victorious Chola armies burned down the ancient Pandyan coronation hall in Madurai. This sowed the seed for revenge when Sundara Pandyan took power.[3]

...

To avenge his brother's humiliation in the hands of Kulothunga Chola III, Sundara Pandyan invaded the Chola kingdom soon after his accession.[4] Kulothunga Chola III was nearing the end of his long 40-year reign and was hampered by old age and the swiftness of the Pandyan invasion. Sundara Pandyan sacked the Chola cities of Thanjavur and Uraiyur and drove both the Chola king and his crown prince Rajaraja Chola III into exile. 

...

Kulothunga Chola III appealed for aid to his son-in-law, the Hoysala monarch Veera Ballala II. Ballala sent an army under his son, the crown prince Vira Narasimha II. Buckling under the Hoysala threat Sundara Pandyan agreed to restore the Chola kingdom to Kulothunga, but only after the Cholas acknowledged his suzerainty.

...

Kulothunga made his formal submission to Pandyan rule in 1217 CE at Pon Amaravathi, ending nearly three centuries of Chola domination in the Tamil country and other major parts of South India. This was the beginning of the Pandyan revival and the second Pandyan empire was born and between 1215-1345 AD the Pandyas were the paramount power in South India.[7] During the following five decades from 1215 AD, following their defeat to the Pandyas, the Cholas experienced a constant decline in terms of extent of territory, political importance, prestige and remained largely subordinate and subservient to the Pandyas.

--- end wiki extract ---

The above wiki page extracts confirm that from around 1216 CE, the Pandya dynasty kings who were vassals of Cholas, became independent of Cholas and became sovereign rulers of their territory which included small part of Kerala (eastern part of central and southern Kerala).

5) Did Venad kingdom under Ravi Varma Kulashekhara become major power in Kerala for brief period around 1312 to 1316/17? What was the impact of Delhi Sultanate territorial expansion in 1323 into South India including Tamil Nadu, on Kerala? Did some territory of Kerala come under Delhi Sultanate then?

As per History of Kerala wiki page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Kerala#Medieval_and_Early_Modern_periods :

The Kulasekhara dynasty was finally subjugated in 1102 by the combined attack of the Pandyas and Cholas.[84] However, in the 14th century, Ravi Varma Kulashekhara (1299–1314) of the southern Venad kingdom was able to establish a short-lived supremacy over southern India.[citation needed] After his death, in the absence of strong central power, the state was fractured into about thirty small warring principalities under Nair Chieftains; the most powerful of them were the kingdom of Samuthiri [Ravi: Zamorin of kingdom of Kozhikode as Samuthiri links to Zamorin wiki page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamorin ] in the north, Venad in the south and Kochi in the middle.[99][100] The port at Kozhikode held the superior economic and political position in Kerala, while Kollam (Quilon), Kochi, and Kannur (Cannanore) were commercially confined to secondary roles.[101]

--- end wiki extract ---

But which principality ruled Kannur port? As per ANHIOB video, Kolathunadu principality ruled Kannur port area. This leads us to Kolathunadu wiki page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolathunadu . An interesting extract from its introduction text:

Kolattunādu (Kola Swarupam, as Kingdom of Cannanore in foreign accounts, Chirakkal (Chericul) in later times) was one of the four most powerful kingdoms on the Malabar Coast during the arrival of the Portuguese Armadas in India, along with Zamorin, the Kingdom of Cochin and Quilon. Kolattunādu had its capital at Ezhimala and was ruled by the Kolattiri royal family and roughly comprised the North Malabar region of Kerala state in India. Traditionally, Kolattunādu is described as the land lying between the Chandragiri river in the north and the Korappuzha river in the south.[1] The Kolathunadu (Kannur) Kingdom at the peak of its power, reportedly extended from the Netravati River (Mangalore) in the north to Korapuzha (Kozhikode) in the south with the Arabian Sea on the west and Kodagu hills on the eastern boundary, also including the isolated islands of Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea.[2]

--- end wiki extract ----

Before we dig in deeper into history of Ravi Varma Kulashekhara of Venad kingdom, the above two wiki extracts gives us vital information about the small kingdoms/principalities that Kerala got split into after Chola dynasty rule over all of Kerala ended (but with small part of Kerala continuing under Chola rule). Summary of above key info. is as follows:

*) After Chola dynasty rule over all of Kerala ended in 1102? , Kerala got split into thirty (warring) principalities

*) The most powerful of these principalities was kingdom of Kozhikode (Zamorin) with Kozhikode port being in the most important economic and political power position. Note that trade through such ports seems to have been the major source of revenue for the kingdoms/principalities of Kerala in this period.

*) Other powerful principalities were:

 **) Venad with Kollam (Quilon) being an important port of this principality, though less important than Kozhikode port

 **) Kochi with Kochi port being an important port of this principality, though less important than Kozhikode port

 **) Kolattunadu (Kolathunadu) with Kannur being an important port of this principality, though less important than Kozhikode port.

----

Now let's dig into Ravivarman Kulashekhara.

From Ravivarman Kulaśēkhara, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravivarman_Kula%C5%9B%C4%93khara :

Ravivarman (c. 1266/7 – 1316/7), styled Maharaja Ravivarman, Kulasekhara was the ruler of Venatu [Ravi: Venad, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venad_(Kingdom) ], with capital at port Kolambam (Quilon), southern India between 1299 – 1316/7. He – in all likelihood – was a descendant of the ancient Cheras through his father Jayasimhadeva and was the son-in-law of the Pandya ruler of Maravarman Kulasekhara.[4] Ravivarman raided large parts of southern India in a short period (1312 – 1316[1]) by skillfully taking advantage of the weakening of the Pandya kingdom and the confusion prevailed after the Khalji raids (1311).[4][5]

...

When the Pandya king Māravarman Kulaśēkhara was apparently killed sometime before May 1310, Ravivarman "declared" independence from the Pāndyas.

...

The succession struggle between princes Sundara and Vira Pandya, sons of Maravarman Kulasekhara, and the confusion created by the Khaljī general Malik Kāfūr’s south Indian expedition (1311) helped Ravivarman in his ambitions. The distracted political conditions in the Pāndya kingdom gave him an admirable opportunity to plan raids on territories east of the Western Ghats. Prior to his raids in 1312 AD, almost certainly, Ravivarman professed allegiance to Sundara Pandya.[4] By November 1310 Vira Pandya was in the ascendancy, after an overwhelming victory over his brother Sundara.[1]

Ravivarman started raiding the Pāndya kingdom in 1312 AD, deep in the Tamil homeland, and defeated the armies of prince Vira Pandya. His presence at Madurai prevented Vira Pandya's return thither. Soon the entire Pāndya regions, once ruled by Jatavarman Sundara Pandya, came under Ravivarman.[citation needed] He performed his coronation at the Pandya capital Madurai (1312) and then continued his march northwards. His presence at Virattaneswaram Temple, Tiruvati, South Arcot is attested by an inscription dated to December, 1313.[4][14]

... Ravivarman died at Quilon due to natural causes. He was followed by his nephew, Udaya Marttanda Varma (ruled 1312/13 – 1344), who ruled only in Travancore.[c][9][18] 

--- end wiki extracts ---

So Ravivarman even got coronated in Pandya capital of Madurai! But, as the above wiki page details, these conquests of Pandya regions in Tamil Nadu were shortlived as he was forced to retreat back to his Venad kingdom in Kerala. The period of Ravivarman's rule of the Pandyan regions in Tamil Nadu seems to be less than or around five years (1312 to 1316/17) as Ravivarman died in 1316/17. The above wiki page does not seem to mention any expansion of Venad territory in areas other than Pandya and Chola regions with only small part of Kerala being under Pandyas then [Kochi or Kozhikode are not mentioned in the wiki page]. So expansion of Venad territory in what is modern Kerala today may have been only into what was under Pandya dynasty rule, and that expansion too was for only five years or less!

The ANHIOB video does not show this change in Venad territory in 1312 to 1316/17, and shows the Pandya kingdom territory to be the same in this period.

The big event resulting in major territorial changes in South India in this period was in 1323 as many areas of South India came under Delhi Sultanate rule, including almost all (if not all) of Pandya territory. What was the impact on Kerala? Did territory of the major kingdoms/principalities of Kozhikode, Kochi and Venad change then?

The History of Kerala wiki page does not have any mention of Delhi Sultanate (Malacca Sultanate is the only Sultanate mentioned in it), Khalji (or Khilji) or Malik Kafur! Hmm. That is quite surprising! As per ANHIOB video, in 1323 some part of Pandya territory of today's Kerala (eastern part of Central Kerala) came under Delhi Sultanate rule. But south eastern part of today's Kerala which was earlier under Pandya rule is shown to be under Musunur Nayaks. Note that Pandya kingdom and Kakatiya kingdom are removed from the ANHIOB video in 1323. 

6) Changes in small kingdoms/principalities in Kerala from around 1317 till 1335

As per an earlier point we have said that around 1102? (possibly) Kerala split into many small kingdoms/principalities without any single major ruler. Key small kingdoms from 1124 were: Kozhikode, Venad, Kochi, Kolathanadu, Purakkad and Kayamkulam. Additionally, a small area of Kerala was ruled by Cholas.

In 1216, as mentioned above, small Chola territory of Kerala (Pandya as vassals of Chola) becomes Pandya territory (Pandyas as sovereign rulers).

As mentioned above, in 1323 some part of Pandya territory of today's Kerala (eastern part of Central Kerala) came under Delhi Sultanate rule and remaining part of Pandya territory of Kerala (south eastern part of today's Kerala) is shown to be under Musunur Nayaks in ANHIOB video.

As per ANHIOB video, in 1335 the Musunur Nayaks territory comes under Pandya rule (again) and so the small south eastern part of today's Kerala would have changed hands from Musunur Nayaks to Pandyas. Also, in 1335 itself, the Delhi Sultanate is replaced by Ma'bar Sultanate (Madurai Sultanate) in Southern part of Tamil Nadu, and so the small part of Kerala territory that was under Delhi Sultanate would have been ruled by Ma'bar Sultanate (Madurai Sultanate) from 1335.

7) Did parts or whole of Kerala come under Vijayanagara rule? If so and it was partial, which small kingdoms/principalities of Kerala came under that rule and for what period? If it was whole of Kerala, what was that period?

Prior to studying this topic using free Internet sources, going by some wikipedia maps that I had seen as well as the ANHIOB video, I presumed that whole of Kerala was under Vijayanagara rule for substantial period like half a century or more. The wiki page of Vijayanagara empire, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijayanagara_Empire has a main map with the title, "Extent of Vijayanagara Empire, 1446, 1520 CE" which shows whole of Kerala as under Vijayanagara empire. 

As per ANHIOB video, in 1370, all of Kerala excluding small part of Kerala held by Pandyas and Madurai Sultanate, come under Vijayanagar empire. As per ANHIOB video, in 1378 all of Pandya and Madurai Sultanate territory (in Tamil Nadu as well as small part of Kerala they ruled) come under Vijayanagar empire. So in 1378 all of Kerala comes under Vijayanagara empire.

As per ANHIOB video Vijayanagara empire rule over Kerala ended in 1565. It shows the whole of Kerala under Vijayanagara rule in 1564 and no part of Kerala under Vijayanagara rule in 1565 when Vijayanagara empire is shown as having drastically reduced territory. [Vijayanagara lost the battle of Talikota to an alliance of Deccan sultanates (to its north mainly) in 1565,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Talikota ,which was a major blow to Vijayanagara empire. Perhaps all small kingdoms/principalities in Kerala stopped paying tribute to Vijayanagara empire after that battle.] Vijayanagara empire wiki page does not seem to give any specific information on when Vijayanaraga rule over (part or whole of) Kerala ended.

Now let us look at Kerala history related wiki pages.

The History of Kerala wikipedia page has only a small section on Vijayanagara empire titled, "Vijayanagara Empire Influences". The whole of that section is given below:

The king Deva Raya II (1424–1446) of the Vijayanagara Empire conquered about the whole of present-day state of Kerala in the 15th century.[115] He defeated the Zamorin of Kozhikode, as well as the ruler of Kollam around 1443.[107] Fernão Nunes says that the Zamorin had to pay tribute to the king of Vijayanagara Empire.[115] Later Kozhikode and Venad seem to have rebelled against their Vijayanagara overlords, but Deva Raya II quelled the rebellion.[citation needed] As the Vijayanagara power diminished over the next fifty years, the Zamorin of Kozhikode again rose to prominence in Kerala.[citation needed] He built a fort at Ponnani in 1498.[citation needed]

--- end extract ---

There is just one more reference to Vijayanagara empire in the main text of the wiki page, which is just a one sentence reference: "In the 16th century, Venad became a vassal of the Vijayanagara Empire." This Venad reference is supported by the Venad (Kingdom) wiki page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venad_(Kingdom) : "Venad ruler Vira Udaya Marthanda Varma (1516–1535) acknowledged the supremacy of the Vijayanagara rulers. Minor battles with Vijayanagara forces in the subsequent period are also recorded.[10]"

The Zamorin (of Kozhikode) wiki page section on Vijayanagara,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamorin#Vijayanagara_conquests , is similar to History of Kerala section "Vijayanagara Empire Influences" text extract given above.

I think we can take the Vijayanagara empire wiki page main map dates of 1446 and 1520 as possibly the start and end date of Vijayanagara empire rule over (all of) Kerala. 

So we can say:

*) 1102? to 1446?: Kerala split into many small kingdoms/principalities without any single major ruler.  Key small kingdoms seem to be: Kozhikode, Venad, Kochi, Purakkad, Kolathanadu and Kayamkulam. Small area of Kerala is ruled by Chola dynasty followed by Pandya dynasty, both of whose main territory is in Tamil Nadu.

*) 1446? to 1520?: Most or all of Kerala is under Vijayanagara empire

8) European port (towns?) got established in Kerala from 1500 as per ANHIOB video with first such port (not only in Kerala but all of India) being Cochin (Kochi town) established by Portuguese

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kochi#History : "The Portuguese arrived at Kappad Kozhikode in 1498 during the Age of Discovery, thus opening a direct sea route from Europe to India.[48] Portuguese navigator, Pedro Álvares Cabral founded the first European settlement in India at Kochi in 1500.[49] From 1503 to 1663, Fort Kochi (Fort Emmanuel) was ruled by Portugal. This Portuguese period was a harrowing time for the Saint Thomas Christians, Muslim Mappilas, and the Jews, as the Inquisition was active in Portuguese India."

Some additional info. from above wiki page of general interest is given later on (towards end) in the post.

As per ANHIOB video by 1564/65, besides Cochin port/town, Portuguese had Cannanore, Calicut, Chaliyam, Cranganore and Quilon ports/towns in Kerala. 

As per ANHIOB video, in 1636 Cannanore port/town got ruled by Dutch instead of Portuguese. Further, from 1660 to 1664, all the other European ports of Calicut, Cranganore, Cochin and Quilon in Kerala got ruled by Dutch instead of Portuguese. Note that Chaliyam port/town is not shown in ANHIOB video from around 1570. Hmm. Very interesting to know that, as per ANHIOB video, Dutch influence in Kerala became the major and only European influence from 1664 till British took over with exception of Mahe being mostly a French ruled port from around 1724!

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mah%C3%A9,_India#History : "The French East India Company constructed a fort on the site of Mahé in 1724, in accordance with an accord concluded between André Mollandin and Raja Vazhunnavar of Vatakara three years earlier."

The above wiki page mentions that there were periods of Maratha and later British rule but that for most of the time, Mahe was French ruled till 1954.

So we can say:

*) 1446? to 1520?: Most or all of Kerala is under Vijayanagara empire; From 1500 Portuguese port towns get established in Kerala

*) From around 1664 almost all, if not all, European port towns of Kerala are Dutch ruled (instead of Portuguese).

*) Mahe was established as a French port town in 1724.

9) After Vijayanagara empire rule over Kerala ended, which major kingdoms/principalities ruled parts of Kerala?

As per ANHIOB video after 1565 Kerala had the following principalities/small kingdoms: Arakkal, Kozhikode, Kochi, Purakkad, Kayamkulam and Venad. Further small part in eastern extremity of central and sourthern Kerala was ruled by Madurai Nayaks who held large territory in Tamil Nadu.

Also Venad kingdom seems to have been a tributary of Madurai Nayaks as per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venad_(Kingdom) : "In the 17th century, the rulers of Venad paid an annual tribute to the Nayaks of Madurai.[11][12]" Another such reference comes from the Madurai Nayaks wiki page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madurai_Nayak_dynasty which states, "Later in 1635, Travancore stopped paying tribute to Madurai so Tirumala Nayaka sent armies to attack him, which forced Travancore to resume tribute payments." Note that instead of Travancore the above extract seems to have meant Venad as Travancore kingdom was formed only in 1729.

So we can say:

*) 1565? to ?: Kerala split (again) into many small kingdoms/principalities without any single major ruler. Key small kingdoms seem to be: Arakkal, Kozhikode, Kochi, Purakkad, Kayamkulam and Venad (Venad being tributary of Madurai Nayaks for some time), with small part of Kerala ruled (direct rule) by Madurai Nayaks. From around 1664 almost all, if not all, European port towns of Kerala are Dutch ruled (instead of Portuguese).

10) Travancore kingdom

As per ANHIOB video, in 1729 Venad kingdom has gone and Travancore kingdom has come in its place. This is supported by above Venad kingdom wiki page which states the period for "Vēṇāṭu" as "c. 8/9th century CE/12th century CE[1]–1729" and also states 1729 as "Formation of Travancore".

It seems that as per ANHIOB video, till 1735 (from 1565?) Madurai Nayaks ruled eastern extremity areas of Kerala. In 1736, most of Madurai Nayaks territory came under rule of Nawab of Carnatic but some of the eastern extremity areas of Kerala that was under Madurai Nayaks earlier, came under rule of Kerala small kingdoms including Travancore. But there is no reference to Madurai Nayaks in Travancore wiki page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travancore . Also the references to Travancore in Madurai Nayaks wiki page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madurai_Nayak_dynasty , do not mention that when Madurai Nayak territory came under rule of Nawab of Carnatic, the eastern extremity of Kerala territory moved into hands of Kerala kingdoms. So this change in ANHIOB video map from 1735 to 1736 does not seem to be supported by the main wiki pages of the related kingdoms/dynasties.

As per ANHIOB video, in 1746 Travancore kingdom expands further and seems to now rule around 50% of Kerala territory. Purakkad and Kayamkulam come under Travancore territory and are no longer labelled in the map. But the Travancore wiki page does not seem to mention a major event in 1746 resulting in this expansion. Instead it has the following:

In 1741, Travancore won the Battle of Colachel against the Dutch East India Company, resulting in the complete eclipse of Dutch power in the region. In this battle, the Dutch Captain, Eustachius De Lannoy, was captured. He later defected to Travancore.[34]

De Lannoy was appointed captain of His Highness' bodyguard[34] and later Senior Admiral ("Valiya kappittan")[8] and modernised the Travancore army by introducing firearms and artillery.[34] From 1741 to 1758, De Lannoy remained in command of the Travancore forces and was involved in annexation of small principalities.[35]

Travancore became the most dominant state in the Kerala region by defeating the powerful Zamorin of Kozhikode in the battle of Purakkad in 1755.[8] Ramayyan Dalawa, the prime minister (1737–1756) of Marthanda Varma, also played an important role in this consolidation and expansion.

--- end wiki extract ---

So perhaps Travancore expansion into Purakkad and Kayamkulam territories happened sometime in 1755.

The other interesting point in above extract is about Dutch power being "eclipse"d by Travancore after winning Battle of Colachel in 1741. However an earlier sentence in the same wiki page states, "This rule also included Travancore-Dutch War (1739–1753) between Travancore and the Dutch East India Company ..." 

But Dutch Malabar wiki page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Malabar states :

Dutch Malabar (Dutch; Nederlandse Malabar. Malayalam; ഡച്ച് മലബാർ.) also known by the name of its main settlement Cochin, was the title of a commandment of the Dutch East India Company on the Malabar Coast between 1661 and 1795, and was a subdivision of what was collectively referred to as Dutch India. Dutch presence in the Malabar region started with the capture of Portuguese Quilon, and ended with the conquest of Malabar by the British in 1795.[1] They possessed military outposts in 11 locations: Alleppey, Ayacotta, Chendamangalam, Pappinivattom, Ponnani, Pallipuram, Cranganore (from 15 January 1662), Chetwai, Cannanore (from 15 February 1663), Cochin (7 January 1663 – 1795), and Quilon (29 December 1658 – 14 April 1659 and from 24 December 1661 – 1795).

...

The Dutch never succeeded in establishing a pepper trade monopoly in Malabar and were all the more frustrated in their attempts when the young ruler of Travancore, Marthanda Varma, started to expand his kingdom. The Travancore–Dutch War that followed culminated in the Battle of Colachel, which proved disastrous for the Dutch. Eustachius De Lannoy, a naval commander in the Dutch army, was taken prisoner and subsequently became a commander in the Travancore army. De Lannoy later helped Travancore to establish an organized army, introduce better firearms and artillery, and to build European style forts in his state.

As a result of the Kew Letters, Dutch settlements on the Malabar Coast were surrendered to the British in 1795, in order to prevent them from being overrun by the French. Dutch Malabar remained British after the conclusion of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814, which exchanged the colony for Bangka Island.

--- end extract ---

So the Malabar coast Dutch ports including Quilon (which seems to have been surrounded by Travancore kingdom on one side and the sea on the other) did not come under Travancore kingdom rule, as per above wiki page extracts!

1755 may be a safe date for Travancore holding around 50% of Kerala territory. After Vijayanagara empire rule ended in Kerala in 1564/65 (as per ANHIOB video), this is the first time any kingdom of Kerala had such a large part of Kerala under their rule (all other kingdoms have smaller territory of Kerala under their rule).

The only principalities/kingdoms of Kerala other than European ruled ports, shown in ANHIOB video from 1746 (but the right date for it could be 1755) are: Travancore, Kochi, Kozhikode and Arakkal. 

So I think we can say:

*) 1565? to 1755?: Kerala split (again) into many small kingdoms/principalities without any single major ruler. Key small kingdoms seem to be: Arakkal, Kozhikode, Kochi, Purakkad, Kayamkulam and Venad (Venad being tributary of Madurai Nayaks for some time), with small part of Kerala ruled (direct rule) by Madurai Nayaks. From around 1664 almost all, if not all, European port towns of Kerala are Dutch ruled (instead of Portuguese). Mahe was established as a French port town in 1724.

*) 1755? to ?: Travancore kingdom becomes a major power of Kerala with around 50% of modern Kerala territory. Other smaller kingdoms/principalities are Kochi, Kozhikode and Arakkal. All European port towns seem to be Dutch ruled with the exception of Mahe which is ruled by the French.

11) Rule over parts of Kerala by Mysore kingdom under Hyder Ali followed by Tipu Sultan; British defeat Mysore and begin rule over parts of Kerala, followed by rule over all of Kerala with some kingdoms as vassals

As per ANHIOB video, in 1766, Arakkal and Kozhikode come under Mysore rule. It is not clear from the map whether Kochi also came under Mysore rule then but the wiki extract given below says that Kochi (Kingdom of Cochin) became a tributary state of Mysore. This Mysore rule continues till 1790 when British influence/rule starts in some parts of Kerala that was previously under Mysore rule. 

From Mysorean invasion of Malabar, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysorean_invasion_of_Malabar :

The Mysorean invasion of Malabar (1766 –1792) was the military invasion of the Malabar region of Kerala, including the territories of the Zamorin of Calicut, by the then-de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, Hyder Ali. After the invasion, the Kingdom of Cochin to the south of Malabar became a tributary state of Mysore.

...

In 1766, he descended into Malabar and occupied the Kingdoms of Chirakkal (former Kolathunad), Kottayam, Kadathanad, Calicut, Valluvanad and Palghat. The king of Cochin accepted his suzerainty and paid him tribute annually from 1766 to 1790.[5] Faruqabad, near Calicut, was the local capital of the Mysorean-ruled area.

Ali's 1767 attempt to defeat Travancore failed; a second effort by his son Tipu Sultan in 1789–1790 triggered the Third Anglo-Mysore War.[6] Only Travancore stood outside the Muslim Mysore authority in the area.[7]

In the Treaty of Seringapatam (1792), Tipu ceded half of his territories, including Malabar, to the East India Company and their allies, and paid 3.3 crores (33 million) rupees as indemnity. By 1801, Richard Wellesley created the Madras Presidency by attaching Malabar and the Carnatic territories seized from Mysore. The Company asked Travancore to pay all the expenses of the Third Anglo-Mysore war on the rationale that the war was undertaken in its defence. The treaty of 1795 reduced the status of Travancore from friend and ally of the East India Company to protected ally. The king was forced to entertain a subsidiary force far beyond his capacity to subsidise. The Company also claimed a monopoly on the country’s black pepper trade.[2]

--- end extract ---

As per ANHIOB video, in 1792, Arakkal and Kozhikode come under British rule. It further seems that Kochi then became a vassal under British rule (and a small part of Travancore territory seems to have been made part of Kochi territory). This seems to match above Wikipedia extract.

As per ANHIOB video, in 1795, Travancore kingdom also becomes a vassal under British rule. Arakkal and Kozhikode are not shown on the map indicating that they are fully under British rule now. So almost whole, if not whole, of Kerala is under British rule directly or indirectly through a vassal. This too seems to match above Wikipedia extract.

Note that the Dutch ports/towns in Kerala did not come under Mysore rule, as per ANHIOB video. But by 1795, going by ANHIOB video, it seems that these ports/towns also come under British rule directly or indirectly through a vassal. From 1795 onwards in Kerala, the only other European rule/influence other than the British, is the French rule in Mahe port/town.

[Minor note: In 1791, the Mahe port/town flag changes in the ANHIOB video. It seems that the earlier flag is the coat of arms of the French East India company, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_East_India_Company . The flag that replaces it seems to be the flag (in period 1790-94) of the French First Republic, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_First_Republic . As per the wiki page, this flag changes in 1794 with the positions of the red and blue bars being interchanged (which is how it is in the current flag of the Republic of France, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_France though there seems to be a slight change in the shade of the blue colour used). The ANHIOB video continues to use what seems to be the French First Republic flag beyond 1794. end-Minor-Note]

From the above Mysorean invasion of Malabar wiki extracts and the ANHIOB video, I think we can say:

*) 1755? to 1766: Travancore kingdom becomes a major power of Kerala with around 50% of modern Kerala territory. Other smaller kingdoms/principalities are Kochi, Kozhikode and Arakkal. All European port towns seem to be Dutch ruled with the exception of Mahe which is ruled by the French.

*) 1766 to 1790: Travancore continues to be a major power of Kerala with around 50% of modern Kerala territory. Arakkal and Kozhikode become part of Mysore kingdom (under Hyder Ali/Tipu Sultan). Kochi (Cochin) kingdom becomes a tributary of Mysore kingdom.

*) 1792 to 1795: Travancore continues to be a major power of Kerala with around 50% of modern Kerala territory. Arakkal and Kozhikode come under British rule. Kochi (Cochin) kingdom becomes a vassal of the British.

*) 1795 to ?: Travancore also becomes a vassal of the British. So whole of Kerala is under British rule either directly or through a vassal. Excepting Mahe which is ruled by the French, all other European port towns are now under British rule.

12) British rule goes on till 1947 when India becomes independent

In 1947 to 1949 (Travancore in 1949 as per its wiki page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travancore ), all of Kerala excepting Mahe, comes under independent India rule.

So we can say:

*) 1795 to 1947-49: Travancore also becomes a vassal of the British. So whole of Kerala is under British rule either directly or through a vassal. Excepting Mahe which is ruled by the French, all other European port towns are now under British rule.

*) 1947-49 to now (2023): Whole of Kerala is under rule of independent India with a minor variation of Mahe coming under independent India rule a few years later in 1954 as per its wiki page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mah%C3%A9,_India#Liberation_of_Mah%C3%A9 .

=======================

Conclusion: Chronological list of major kingdoms/rulers of Kerala from 1000 AD to 2000 AD (2nd millennium AD) - some info. & some questions

1) 1000 CE? to 1019 CE?: Chera dynasty ruling over 75% of Kerala and so dominant ruler, Ay dynasty ruling southern tip of Kerala, Chola dynasty ruling Eastern extemity of Central and Southern areas of Kerala

2) 1019? to 1102?: Chola dynasty rules all of Kerala perhaps through some vassals for at least some areas

3) 1102? to 1446?: Kerala split into many small kingdoms/individual areas (principalities) without any single major ruler. Key small kingdoms seem to be: Kozhikode, Venad, Kochi, Purakkad, Kolathanadu and Kayamkulam. Small area of Kerala is ruled by Chola dynasty followed by Pandya dynasty both of whose main territory is in Tamil Nadu.

4) 1446? to 1520?: Most or all of Kerala is under Vijayanagara empire; From 1500 Portuguese ruled port towns get established in Kerala

5) 1565? to 1755?: Kerala split (again) into many small kingdoms/principalities without any single major ruler. Key small kingdoms seem to be: Arakkal, Kozhikode, Kochi, Purakkad, Kayamkulam and Venad (Venad being tributary of Madurai Nayaks for some time), with small part of Kerala ruled (direct rule) by Madurai Nayaks. From around 1664 almost all, if not all, European port towns of Kerala are Dutch ruled (instead of Portuguese). Mahe was established as a French port town in 1724.

6) 1755? to 1766: Travancore kingdom becomes a major power of Kerala with around 50% of modern Kerala territory. Other smaller kingdoms/principalities are Kochi, Kozhikode and Arakkal. All European port towns seem to be Dutch ruled with the exception of Mahe which is ruled by the French.

7) 1766 to 1790: Travancore continues to be a major power of Kerala with around 50% of modern Kerala territory. Arakkal and Kozhikode become part of Mysore kingdom (under Hyder Ali/Tipu Sultan). Kochi (Cochin) kingdom becomes a tributary of Mysore kingdom.

8) 1792 to 1795: Travancore continues to be a major power of Kerala with around 50% of modern Kerala territory. Arakkal and Kozhikode come under British rule. Kochi (Cochin) kingdom becomes a vassal of the British.

9) 1795 to 1947-49: Travancore also becomes a vassal of the British. So whole of Kerala is under British rule either directly or through a vassal. Excepting Mahe which is ruled by the French, all other European port towns are now under British rule.

10) 1947-49 to now (2023): Whole of Kerala is under rule of independent India with a minor variation of Mahe coming under independent India rule a few years later in 1954.

======================================================================

Some additional info.

From Kochi, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kochi#History : 

The ruler of the Kingdom of Tanur, who was a vassal to the Zamorin of Calicut, sided with the Portuguese, against his overlord at Kozhikode.[44] As a result, the Kingdom of Tanur (Vettathunadu) became one of the earliest Portuguese Colonies in India. The ruler of Tanur also sided with Cochin.[44] Many of the members of the royal family of Cochin in 16th and 17th centuries were selected from Vettom.[44] However, the Tanur forces under the king fought for the Zamorin of Calicut in the Battle of Cochin (1504).[50] However, the allegiance of the Mappila merchants in Tanur region still stayed under the Zamorin of Calicut.[9] Kochi hosted the grave of Vasco da Gama, the first European explorer to set sail for India, who was buried at St. Francis Church until his remains were returned to Portugal in 1539.[51] The Portuguese rule was followed by that of the Dutch who renamed Fort Immanuel as Fort Stormsburg. In meantime, the Royal Family of Kochi relocated the capital of Kochi Kingdom to Thrissur, leaving nominal authority over Islands of Kochi. In 1664, Fort Kochi Municipality was established by Dutch, making it the first municipality in Indian subcontinent, which got dissolved when Dutch authority got weaker in the 18th century. The remaining part of Kochi were governed by governors of Kochi Kingdom. By 1773, the Mysore ruler Hyder Ali extended his conquest in the Malabar region to Kochi forcing it to become a tributary of Mysore. The hereditary Prime Ministership of Kochi held by the Paliath Achans ended during this period.[52]

Meanwhile,[clarification needed] the Dutch, fearing an outbreak of war on the United Provinces, signed the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 with the United Kingdom, under which Kochi was ceded to the United Kingdom in exchange for the island of Bangka, east of Sumatra. However, there are evidences of English habitation in the region even before the signing of the treaty.[53] In 1866, Fort Kochi municipality was reinstalled. Fort Kochi, which was a part of Malabar District until 1956, was made a municipality on 1 November 1866, along with Kannur, Thalassery, Kozhikode, and Palakkad, according to the Madras Act 10 of 1865 (Amendment of the Improvements in Towns act 1850)[54][55][56][57] of the British Indian Empire. Its first Municipal Council seating contest was conducted in 1883. In 1896, H.H. Rama Varma XV, The Maharaja of Cochin, initiated local administration by forming town councils in Mattancherry and Ernakulam. In 1907, the Governor of the Madras Presidency, Sir Arthur Lawley and his brother, Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock, Governor of Madras, 1891 to 1896, left for an official tour of Cochin and Travancore, which lasted from 25 January to 14 February. On 26 January, they were met by His Highness the Rajah of Cochin who gave a State Dinner in their honour at Ernakulam.[58][59][60][61] By the 1870s, the capital of Kochi Kingdom was relocated again to Kochi Suburb of Tripunithura. In 1910, Ernakulam became the administrative capital of Kochi Kingdom with establishment of Royal Secretariat and State Durbar. The offices of the Diwan and High court were soon moved into Ernakulam.[62]

In 1925, Kochi legislative assembly was constituted due to public pressure on the state. Towards the early 20th century, trade at the port had increased substantially, and the need to develop the port was greatly felt. Harbour engineer Robert Bristow was brought to Kochi in 1920 under the direction of Lord Willingdon, then the Governor of Madras. In a span of 21 years, he transformed Kochi as one of the safest harbours in the peninsula, where ships berthed alongside the newly reclaimed inner harbour equipped with a long array of steam cranes.[63]

In 1947, when India gained independence from the British colonial rule, Cochin was the first princely state to join India willingly.[46] In 1949, Travancore-Cochin state came into being with the merger of Cochin and Travancore. The King of Travancore was the Rajpramukh of the Travancore-Cochin Union from 1949 to 1956. Travancore-Cochin, was in turn merged with the Malabar district of the Madras State. Finally, the Government of India's States Reorganisation Act (1956) inaugurated a new state—Kerala—incorporating Travancore-Cochin (excluding the four southern Taluks which were merged with Tamil Nadu), Malabar District, and the taluk of Kasargod, South Kanara.[64] On 9 July 1960 the Mattancherry council passed a resolution—which was forwarded to the government—requesting the formation of a municipal corporation by combining the existing municipalities of Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, and Ernakulam. The government appointed a commission to study the feasibility of the suggested merger. Based on its report, the Kerala Legislative Assembly approved the corporation's formation. On 1 November 1967, exactly eleven years since the establishment of the state of Kerala, the Kochi Municipal Corporation came into existence. The merger leading to the establishment of the corporation, was between the municipalities of Ernakulam, Mattancherry and Fort Kochi, along with that of the Willingdon Island, four panchayats (Palluruthy, Vennala, Vyttila and Edappally), and the small islands of Gundu and Ramanthuruth.[65] The Kochi and Ernakulam districts formed on 1 April 1958 carving areas of the erstwhile Travancore-Kochi-Malabar regions. A major portion of the district is from the Kochi kingdom.[3]

--- end additional wiki extract ---

Some additional info. from Ravivarman Kulaśēkhara wiki page,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravivarman_Kula%C5%9B%C4%93khara :

Ravivarman, the son of Umadevi, was a major contender to the throne after the death of his father.[citation needed] He came out successful in the succession struggle and ascended the throne of Quilon in 1299-1300, at the age of 33 (Saka 1221). For more than a decade, he ruled as a vassal under the Pandya ruler Maravarman Kulasekhara, as is evidenced by the Trivandrum Chalai Inscription in which he uses the Pāndya title "Māravarman" along with his name.[4]

...

When the Pandya king Māravarman Kulaśēkhara was apparently killed sometime before May 1310, Ravivarman "declared" independence from the Pāndyas.

...

He performed another coronation at the Telugu-Choda capital Kanchi, on the bank of River Vegavati, in 1312 - 13 after ejecting the weakened Chola monarch Manma Siddha III, Raya Gandagopala. At the time of the coronation at Kanchi, he was 46 years old, in accordance with inscription at Varadarajaswami Temple, Kanchi. He crowned himself as the Tribhuvana Chakravarti - the ruler of Chera, Chola, and Pandya kingdoms - at Kanchi.[4][14] A Kanchipuram Inscription - dated to 1315- 16 - says that Ravivarman again defeated Vira Pandya and drove him into "Konkana" and from there into the forests, and then [again] conquered the northern country. Ravivarman also defeated Sundara, as said in the Ponamallee Inscription, the brother of Vira Pandya. If we are to believe A. S. Menon, the military garrisons established in the region by Malik Kāfūr were expelled by him in the expedition. Vira Pandya may have joined hands with Ravivarman in the midst his effort. Ravivarman established supremacy over most of the region between Cape Comorin and Madras, and as far north as Nellore.[citation needed][1]

...

The Kakatiya army under the command of Muppidi Nayaka (Devari Nāyaka, governor of Nellore) marched to Kanchi in early 1316, and captured the city in sometime between March and June, 1316. The army defeated Vira Pandya and Ravivarman Kulasekhara at Tiruvadikundram and established Sundara Pandya at Viradhavalam (Bir Dhul).

...

Following A. S. Menon, Ravivarman died at Quilon due to natural causes. He was followed by his nephew, Udaya Marttanda Varma (ruled 1312/13 – 1344), who ruled only in Travancore.[c][9][18] He may have lost his life when defeated at Kanchi by Muppidi Nayaka, but there is no proof of this.[1]

...

The Pandya overlordship of over parts of Venatu continued even during early 14th century, as shown by the reference to a Vira Pandya in an epigraph by Vira Udaya Marttanda Varma. However, Marttanda Varma acted as an autonomous chief while making the grant. Hoysala Ballala continued rule from Dorasamudra, and Kakatiya Pratapa Rudra in southern Andhra. Sultan Alaud-din Khalji died in 1316, which was followed by the assassination of Malik Kafur. The Pandya king Maravarman Kulasekhara II ruled central Tamil Nadu, including Tanjore, and Jatavarman Vira Pandya in southern Tamil Nadu. His authority over Tinnevelly is attested in October, 1317.[1]

--- end wiki extracts ---

Posts about my parents' and their previous generations' Kerala background

*) My great-grandfather Thuravoor Narayana Sasthrigal, noted Sanskrit scholar in grammar, and principal of Govt. Sanskrit College, Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) from 1909-1911, https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2018/12/my-great-grandfather-thuravoor-narayana.html

*) Our family's (father's side) grateful plaque obeisance at our Kula Daivam Koodalmanikyam temple in Irinjalakuda, Kerala; Our family (father's side) hierarchy and history, https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2019/05/our-familys-fathers-side-grateful.html

*) My family history and how we moved from traditional South Indian Brahmin occupations to others over generations, https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2016/07/some-info-and-speculation-about-my.html

[I thank Wikipedia and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extract(s) from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]