Kerala History. Fill in the Blanks

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1 Kerala History Fill in the Blanks 1. The first Hydro-electric project of Kerala is 2. The river mentioned in Kautilya s Arthasasthra is 3. The founder of the Second Chera Empire was 4. The author of Avantisundari Kathasara is 5. The most important event in the history of the Kerala Church in the Portuguese period was 6. The ancient plant encyclopaedia Hortus Malabaricus was written by the 7. The integration of Travancore and Cochin took place in the year 8. The first Malayalam dictionary was compiled by 9. The Augustan Age of Kerala Music was during the period of 10. The famous Temple Entry proclamation was issued by 11. The last district formed in Kerala was 12. Edakkal caves is in district. 13. The highest rainfall in Kerala is at 14. The first newspaper in Kerala is 15. The most scientific and the most elaborately redefined dance form of Kerala is 16. The Wagon Tragedy in Malabar was in the year 17. The Srimoolam Prajasabha was established in Travancore in 18. Battle of Kulachal was fought in the year 19. Kundara Proclamation was issued by Velu Thampi in the year 20. The first private hydroelectric power project is situated at 21. The only Malayalee President of the Indian National Congress was 22. Christianity was introduced in India by St. Thomas who first came to Kerala in 23. spread Islam religion in Kerala in A.D was the great Hindu philosopher who was responsible for the revival of Hinduism in India. 25. was the only Muslim Kingdom in Kerala. 26. Kollam Era began in 27. was the capital of Venad Kingdom. 28. The first Jewish Synagogue in Asia was set up in in The first Mamankom was held in 30. Vasco da Gama landed with his companies at Kappad, north of Calicut, on 31. was the first portuguese viceroy in Kerala. 32. was the capital of Kulashekharas. 33. The emperor of Kulasekhara Kingdom was known as 34. written by clement piyannus Pathiri, which was published in 1772, was the first book in Malayalam. 35. Dutch East India Company was established in 36. made primary education compulsory in Travancore in Velu Thampi Dalawa, who proclaimed, Kundara Proclamation in the year 1809, committed suicide at 38. Malabar district became a province of Madras presidency in 1 9 3

2 39. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) was formed in 40. The first general election in Travancore was held in 41. The inscription which throws light on the earliest reference to the Devadasis in Kerala is 42. Salt Satyagraha was started in Kerala from Answers to fill in the blanks 1. Pallivasal 2. Churni (Periyar) 3. Kulasekhara Alwar 4. Dandin 5. Synod of Diamper (Udayamperur) 6. Dutch , July I 8. Herman Gundert 9. Swathi Thirunal 10. Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma 11. Kasargode (1984), 12. Wayanad 13. Lakkidi, Wayanad 14. Rajya Samacharam 15. Kathakali Maniyar 21. C. Sankaran Nair 22. AD Malik Dinar 24. Shankaracharya (AD ) 25. Arakkal Kingdom 26. AD 825 (August 15/Chingam1) 27. Kollam 28. Kodungalloor AD Hermann Gundert Rev. Dr. Hermann Gundert was a German missionary and scholar, who compiled a Malayalam grammar book, Malayalabhaasha Vyakaranam (1868), the first Malayalam-English dictionary (1872), and translated the Bible into Malayalam. He worked primarily on the Malabar coast, in Kerala, India. Hermann Gundert obtained a doctoral degree in philology. In Kerala, he took a deep interest in the local culture and the Malayalam language, attempting a systematic grammar of the language. This was one of the prominent non-sanskrit-based approaches to Indian grammar. Gundert is held in high regard to this day among linguistic experts in Kerala for the high scholastic aptitude exhibited in his work. He published two Malayalam journals, of which Rajya Samacharam is considered to be the first newspaper in Kerala. Though Gundert came to Kerala as a missionary, he is remembered today mainly for his literary contributions. In Thalassery (Tellicherry), people have honoured him by a statue in the city. He was the grandfather of Hermann Hesse, German novelist and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature. There is a bungalow in Thalassery where he used to stay at times when he used to be there where now the NTTF is situated 30. May 20, De Almeida, 32. Mahodayapuram 33. Perumal 34. Samkshepa Vedartham Rani Gauri Parvathi Bai 37. Mannadi Chokkur inscription 42. Kozhikode One Word Questions 1. Where was Adi Sankaracharya born and what did he preach? 2. Who was the first Malayalam writer to win the first Joshwa Foundation Literary Award? 3. Whose pen name is Kakkanadan? 4. Name the patriot who started the newspaper Swadeshabhimani in Who introduced public transport system in Travancore? 6. Who is the author of the Malayalam novel, Enippadikal? 7. Name the novel which secured S.K. Pottakad, the Jnanpith Award. 8. Who directed the Film Vasthuhara? 9. Which is the largest irrigation project in Kerala? 1 9 4

3 10. According to 2001 census which district in Kerala has the highest density of population? 11. Who is known as 'Kerala Kalidasan'? 12. Which district in Kerala produces most rice? 13. Who wrote the novel Yanthram? 14. The work Thottangal fetched Muttathu Varkey Literature Award. Who is the author of the work? 15. Which day is celebrated as Coconut day? 16. Who was the Diwan of Travancore during the Punnapra - Vayalar agitation? 17. What is Laurie Baker s chief contribution? 18. Who composed the popular devotional song Bhaja Govindam? 19. Who was the author of the famous lullaby Omanathinkal Kidavo? 20. In which book does Perinjakkodan appear? 21. Who was the head of the navy force of Zamorin? 22. Which is the first polio free district in India? 23. Who compiled the first Malayalam dictionary? 24. Which was the first authoritative work in Malayalam grammar? 25. Whose period is referred to as the Golden Era of Travancore? 26. Which award is given for the life long contribution to Malayalam language and literature? 27. Who introduced coconut cultivation commercially in India? 28. Who wrote Tirukkural? 29. When was Kozhikode city established? 30. Who wrote Tuhafat - Ul - Mujahiddin? 31. When and where did Vasco da Gama die? 32. Name the ships in which Vasco da Gama undertook his voyage? 33. Name the battle which shattered the hope of the Dutch to establish their political power in India? 34. What is the importance of 1831 in the history of Travancore? 35. Who was known as the Kerala Simham? 36. Who abolished slave trade in travancore in 1812? 37. Who shifted the capital from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram? 38. Who introduced a scheme for the development of Vizhinjam Port? 39. Who was popularly known as the Jhansi of Travancore? 40. During whose reign General Hospital Thiruvananthapuram was established (in 1864)? 41. Who published the monthly A1-Essam? 42. Who founded Sahodara Samajam? 43. Who was elected as the first Chief Minister of Travancore? 44. When was the first railway line in Kerala opened for traffic? 45. Which is the first baby friendly state in India? 46. Which is the 6th Medical College in Kerala? 47. Name the first Chief Minister of Kerala who completed one full term? 48. Who is the second Chief Minister of Kerala? 49. Who was the first Congress Chief Minister of Kerala? 50. Who was the first speaker of the Kerala Assembly? 51. Name 5 corporations of Kerala? 52. Who is the single member ombudsman for Local Self Government in Kerala? 53. In Kerala Assembly, how many reservation seats are there for scheduled castes? 54. Which is the Kerala s only export processing zone (EPZ)? 55. Name the first ship built in cochin shipyard? Answers 1. Kaladi, Advaita, 2. O.N.V. Kurup 3. George Varghese 4. Vakkom Abdul Khadar Maulavi 5. Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma 6. Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, 7. Oru Deshathinte Katha 8. G. Aravindan 9. Kallada 10. Alappuzha 11. Kerala Varma Valiakoyi thampuran 12. Palakkad 13. Malayattoor Ramakrishnan, 14. Kovilan 15. September C.P. Ramaswamy Iyyer 17. Low cost and environment friendly housing 18. Shankaracharya 19. Irayimman Thampi 20. C.V. Raman Pillai s Rama Raja Bahadur 1 9 5

4 21. Kunjali Marakkar 22. Pathanamthitta 23. Herman Gundert 24. Kerala Panineeyam 25. Swathi Thirunal 26. Vallathol award 27. Portuguese 28. Thiruvalluvar Shaik Zainuddin 31. On December 24, 1524 at Cochin 32. The Berrio, the saint Gabriel & the saint Raphael 33. Battle of Kulachal 34. The first census was conducted in Travancore 35. Pazhassi Raja 36. Rani Lakshmi Bai 37. Rama Varma 38. Dalava Ummini Thampi 39. Accamma Cheriyan 40. Ayilyam Thirunal 41. Abdul Khader Maulavi 42. K. Ayyappan 43. Pattom Thanupillai 44. On March 12, 1861 (Between Beypore and Tirur), 45. Kerala, 46. Kannur Medical College (Started in 1995) 47. Achuta Menon (1970 to 1977), 48. Pattom Thanupillai 49. R. Shankar 50. R. Sankara Narayanan Thampy 51. Thrissur, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode & Cochin, 52. Justice K.P. Radhakrishnan Menon Kochi 55. Rani Padmini (Launched on January 27, 1980), Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (17 April April 1999) was a novelist and short story writer of Malayalam. He is popularly known as Thakazhi, after his place of birth. He focused on the oppressed classes as the subject of his works, which are known for their attention to historic detail. He has written several novels and over 600 short stories. His most famous works are Kayar (Coir, 1978) and Chemmeen (Prawns, 1956; film adaptation, 1965). He was awarded the Indian government s highest literary award, the Jnanpith in His novels and short stories basically discussed various aspects of societies in Kerala in the mid-20th century. His novel Thottiyude Makan (Scavenger s Son, 1947) is considered a pioneer work in Malayalam realistic novel. It is about modernity challenging the rationale of the caste system, that one s profession should depend on pedigree. His love epic Chemmeen (Prawns, 1956) which was a departure from his earlier line of realism, met with immense popularity. It tells a tragic love story set in the backdrop of a fishing village in Alappuzha. Despite the popularity of Chemmeen, his novel Kayar (Coir, 1978) is quite widely considered as his masterpiece. Short Notes 1. Chattampi Swamikal 2. Temple Entry Proclamation 3. Reign of Zamorins 4. Battle of Kulachal (1741) 5. Malayali Memorial 6. Wagon Tragedy 7. Mamamkom 8. Sri Narayana Guru and his contributions 9. Kurichiya Revolt (1812) 10. Salt Satyagraha 11. Nivarthana Agitation 12. Electricity Agitation (1936) 13. Vaikam Satyagraha Answers 1. Chattampi Swamikal was born on August 25, 1853 in a Nair family at Kollur in the outskrits of Trivandrum. His original name was Kunjan Pillai. He acquired a high level of proficiency in such languages as Malayalam, Sanskrit and Tamil by his own efforts. In his late twenties, Swamikal plunged himself into social and religious activities aimed at the eradication of social evils like untouchability and customs like Talikettukalyanam, Tirandukuli etc. He formulated the theory that Sanyas should not be mistaken for asceticism and proved by his personal example that a Sanyasi can do immense good to society by working among the people. Chattampi Swamikal was an eminent scholar and man of letters and he came to be known as Vidyadhiraja. 2. When Sri Chithira Tirunal personally took over the administration of Travancore in November 1931, the climate for the introduction of social 1 9 6

5 reforms of a more radical nature had already been generated. It may be noted that by this time the campaign for the eradication of untouchability as an integral part of the constructive programme of the Indian National Congress under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi had made a profound impact all over the country. The Guruvayur Satyagraha ( ) and the activities of caste organisations like the SNDP Yogam and the Nair Service Society within Kerala had also helped to mould public opinion in the State in favour of the more progressive step of throwing open the temples to all Hindus, irrespective of any consideration of caste. It was also a fact that there had been some erosion from among the ranks of the Avarnas in Hindu society who felt attracted to religions like Christianity and Islam in view of the social disabilities to which they were subjected for ages. Under the traditional Hindu caste system there was increasing awareness in higher quarters of the fact that the time was ripe for the introduction of temple entry itself as a kind of shock treatment to Hindu society in order to give a conscious and decisive push to social change among the Hindus in all directions. On the advice of Sir C.P. Ramaswami iyer, Sri Chithira Tirunal Balarama Varma issued his famous Temple Entry proclamation on November 12, 1936 throwing open the temples of Travancore to all Hindus, irrespective of caste. 3. The Zamorins of Calicut have immortalised themselves in the history of Kerala by their generous patronage of literature and learning. The most important of the Zamorins who distinguished himself in this field was Manavikrama, the Great ( ), the author of the Vikramiya commentary on Murari s Anargharaghava. His court was adorned by some of the brightest stars on the literary firmament of Kerala at the time. Tradition speaks of the celebrated poets known as Patinettarakavikal, a phenomenon similar to the Navaratnas in the court of Chandragupta Vikramaditya or the Ashtadiggajas in the court of Krishnadeva Raya. Most of these scholars came to the court of the Zamorin from far and near to participate in the annual assembly of scholars called Revati Pattathanam held under the Zamorin s patronage in the Tali temple, Calicut, to honour scholars and men of letters. 4. The Dutch felt humiliated by their discomfiture and decided to wreak vengeance on Martanda Varma by launching an attack on his kingdom from the south. A Dutch force equipped with artillery landed at Kulachal from Ceylon and advanced towards the rich town of Eraniel harassing the inhabitants and plundering the land all along the way. The region between Kulachal and Kottar came under Dutch control. But Martanda Varma soon arrived on the scene as the head of a large army and retrieved the situation. In the famous battle of Kulachal (10th August, 1741), the Travancore army fought valiantly and forced the Dutch to retreat to the fort leaving behind many of their men dead or wounded. The Travancore army now stormed the fort itself and forced the Dutch to take refuge in their ships. A large number of traditional weapons of war and a few pieces of cannon fell into the hands of the victorious Travancore army. The Dutch finally abandoned their possessions leaving several persons wounded and 24 Europeans including the Dutch Captain D Lannoy as prisoners. The battle has great significance in the history of India as the Dutch failure spoiled their colonial ambition in India. 5. On January 1, 1891 a petition signed by 10,028 persons belonging to all castes and creeds was presented to Maharaja Sri Mulam Tirunal. It highlighted the denial to the natives of a fair share in the administration of the State and particularly their systematic exclusion from the higher grades in government service. It was prayed that rules be framed for giving appointments to the natives in preference to non- Travancoreans, to the maximum possible extent. this petition came to be known as the Malayali Memorial. The reply given to the Malayali Memorial was not encouraging. Neverthless the Malayali Memorial agitation is a distinct landmark in the 1 9 7

6 political history of Kerala. It marked the emergence of the new educated middle class as a force to be reckoned within the public life of Travancore. 6. Mappila rebels were arrested and dumped into a closed railway goods wagon by the armed British troops at the point of the bayonet. In the course of its journey from Tirur to Coimbatore on the way to the Bellary Jail, the inmates suffered from oppressive heat and hunger and when the train reached Pothannoor and the wagon was opened, sixty-one of the inmates were found to have died of suffocation and the remaining on the verge of death. The incident which is known as the Wagon Tragedy served to highlight the in human methods adopted by the British to suppress the Malabar Rebellion. It came as a profound shock to the public all over the country. 7. The Mamamkom was held at Thirunavaya during the reign of zamorins of Kozhikode. It was one of the greatest old regional festivals. The first Mamamkom was held in 829 A.D. and the last one was held in It was celebrated once in 12 years. before the zamorins, mamamkom was conducted by Valluvakonathiri. 8. If the place of Chattampi Swamikal on the Hindu reform movement in Modern Kerala is that of the rising sun Sri Narayana Guru is the glowing mid-day sun. They represented same social urges, and spiritual aspirations and having worked together for a while in pursuit of the same goal. Born as an Ezhava in 1854 at Chempazhanthi, Narayana Guru developed a deep knowledge in Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy in which he became one of the most original thinkers of the last 100 years. He severely criticised and campaigned against the rigorous caste system, the Brahmin hegemony and the numerous social disabilities of the Ezhavas and other lower castes. Guru voluntarely took to the life of a wandering Sanyasi and in 1887 founded a small siva temple at Aruvippuram. When the savarna Hindus questioned the propriety of an avarna erecting temple, Guru gave the answer that the temple is dedicated not to the Brahmin Siva but to an Ezhava Siva served by Ezhava priests. At a later stage he created a mirror rather than any particular diety. This came to be known as Kannadi Prathishta. In 1899 May 5, a small yogam was formed to look after the management of the Aruvippuram temple and within a short period it grew into the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (in May 5, 1904). Guru s work later paved the way for the famous temple entry proclamation, The Ezhavas also gave up, on his advice, the practices of Talikettu Kalyanam, Thirandukuli etc; which stood in the way of their progress. Guru also persuaded them to take the western education and to industrial and commercial pursuits; so that they acquire material wealth too and improve their standing in the social order. In 1904 Guru made a permanent, residence at Varkala. His philosophy was One Caste, One Religion, One God for man. Sri Narayana Guru entered Samadhi at Sivagiri in Guru is called as The Father of Modern Kerala Renaissance. 9. During the period of Velu Thampi s revolt there was practically no disturbance in Malabar. In 1812 the Kurichiyas and Kurumbas of Wynad rose in revolt as a protest against the British Government s policy of collecting revenue from them in cash rather than in kind. They besieged the British garrisons at Sultan s Battery and Manantoddy. The British moved troops into Wynad from Mysore and the coast and put down the insurrection. The Kurichya revolt was the last of the early revolts that broke out in Malabar against British supermacy. 10. The Salt Satyagraha which began under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi in March 1930 had its repercussions in Kerala as well. Payyannur was the main venue of the Salt Satyagraha in Malabar. Several batches of Satyagrahis from Calicut, Palghat and other parts of Kerala marched to Payyannur to take part in the struggle. The Satyagraha went off peacefully in the early stages, but with the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi on May 5, affairs took a new turn. The government resorted to a series of repressive measures 1 9 8

7 to break up the struggle. On 12th May the Satyagrahis who assembled at Calicut beach to break the salt laws were attacked by the police party and more than 30 persons were wounded. P. Krishna Pillai and R.V.Sarma exhibited rare heroism in defending the National Flag from forcible seizure by the police on this occasion. The Satyagraha camp at Payyannur was raided and its inmates were lati-charged. All the top leaders of the Congress like K.Kelappan, Muhammed Abdur Rahman and K. Madhavan Nair were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment. 11. The agitation known as Nivarthana movement was started as a protest against the constitutional reforms of It was feared by the Ezhavas, the Muslims, and a section of the Christian community that under the new scheme they would get only a lesser number of seats in the State Legislature than they were entitled to on a strict population basis while the Nairs being the largest body of tax payers would get more seats than what they really deserved on the basis of their voting strength. These communities therefore demanded that they should be given representation in the Legislature in propotion to their numerical strength. The Nivarthana agitation spread to all parts of the state. A specific number of seats were alloted to the Ezhava, Muslim and Christian communities. The changes in electoral law were formally announced by the government in August The most spectacular of the agitation in Cochin was the one organised in Trichur town in 1936 as a protest against the decision of the Cochin Government under the Diwan Sir R.K.Shanmuk-ham Chetti to entrust the distribution of electric power in the town to a private company. The agitation in spite of its localised character and limited objectives, helped to bring the people of all castes and communities on a common platform and as such it was a truly popular movement. Leaders like E. Ikkanda Warrier and Dr.A.R.Menon came into the linelight during this agitation. The government of Cochin adopted repressive measures to put down the agitation and ultimately it fizzled out. Pattom A Thanu Pillai 13. The Satyagraha s ( ) aim was to get the approach roads to the Vaikam temple opened for the Avarnas of the Hindu Community. One of the highlights of the Satyagraha was the Savarna Jatha organised under the leadership of Mannath Padmanabhan, by the caste Hindus who supported the movement. The members of the Jatha came to Trivandrum and submitted their demand before the Regent Sethu Lakshmi Bai. The Vaikom Satyagraha and the Savarna jatha helped to influence public opinion in the State in favour of temple entry. Finally, the approach roads to temple were formally opened to all Hindus, irrespective of caste Pattom A. Thanu Pillai was a participant in the Indian independence movement who later served as the Chief Minister of Kerala from February 22, 1960 to September 25, His actual name was A. Thanu Pillai. Since he came from Pattom in Thiruvananthapuram, he was called Pattom Thanu Pillai. Popularly he was known as just Pattom. The struggle for a responsible government in the princely state culminated in the ousting of the Diwan, Sir C.P. Ramaswami Iyer. Sir C.P. left Travancore on August 19, After Indian Independence and before the formation of Kerala state in 1956, he became Prime Minister of Travancore from March 24, 1948 to October 22, After independence, the princely states of Travancore and Cochin were amalgamated to form Travancore-Cochin State on July 1, As a PSP member Pillai became Chief Minister of Thiru-Kochi (or Travancore-Cochin) from March 16, 1954 to February 14, The State of Kerala was formed on November 1, 1956 and the first state elections held there in March 1957 and resulted in a Communist Party-led administration. Pillai was an MLA for Thiruvananthapuram II representing the PSP

School of Distance Education UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION. (2013 Admn. - ccss) VI SEMESTER. Elective Course for

School of Distance Education UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION. (2013 Admn. - ccss) VI SEMESTER. Elective Course for UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION (2013 Admn. - ccss) VI SEMESTER Elective Course for BA POLITICAL SCIENCE STATE & SOCIETY IN KERLA 1. First Malayalam Dictionary was compiled by (A)Dr.Herman