© 2017 JETIR July 2017, Volume 4, Issue 7 www.jetir.

org (ISSN-2349-5162)

A historical analysis of Christian traders as

progenitors of early medieval economic merchandise
in Kerala
MEGHA P ANTONY
UNIVERSITY OF HYDERABAD
Introduction
India had been a hub of trading activity right from the Indus times and was a preferred destination for traders within
and outside the continent. The most pertinent question that broods any historian is the role played by trade in
building a community especially its role promoting various forms of mercantile activities in a region. India
throughout its annals of times witnessed many such communities coming in either as traders or as colonisers and
establishing their settlements in India. The story of many nations of Asia also appears to be the same with India
being the core and focal point of such activities. Historical narrations may show considerable interest in such
mercantile involvements because no community or no ethnographic entity can ever remain hostile or closed to such
development which itself earmarks the beginning of new civilizations.
Maritime trade was a full fledge affair in the world merchandise map between Indian subcontinent and other Asian
as well as European countries. All we can say is that the arrival of Christianity was the by-product of this long
enduring trade which was happening. India was to the outside world known for its quality goods especially spices
and exotic goods. Indian economic centres were well connected with the outside world both via land routes and sea
routes. The Indus –Euphrates route and red sea route was the main routes which was operated by the traders for
their economic exchange. It was Hippolas a Greek sailor discovered a sea route from red sea to India crossing Indian
Ocean which was a huge discovery which changed the very cause of Indian Ocean trade maritime trade was
flourished during this time1. The author of the Periplus has testified the presence of roman traders in India and high
volume of trade that happened during that time2. By 3rd century the Western Roman Empire fell and the trade
monopoly goes into the hands of Arab merchants. These traders came to kodungallore which was the main port
centre at that period. Europeans got the Indian goods from mesopotomia.so these Arab, Egyptian merchants groups
form a caravan or middle men between the Indian good and European or roman merchants. Pepper was the main
item of trade as it was in a greater need to preserve the meat for the winter, around 1000tonnes of pepper was in
need for Europe for the whole year Mesopotamian traders sell these goods to Europe for double the price3. Trade
with Antioch and Edessa was much more familiar for India. This trade route was testified by Mar Aphrem in his
hymns that by 4th c mortal remains of St Thomas was brought back to Edessa4. COSMOS also written for the first
time that he had witnessed the presence of Christians in Kerala, he called Kerala as Malay5. Antioch was the
finishing point to silk route which brought goods from china and India to the west6. The Silk Road connected to
India also passed through Edessa with which Antioch was an important centre of early Christianity. Megasthenes
also points out the flourishing trade.
1. LW BROWN ,the Indian Christians of st Thomas,1956, p 59,Kunjunjukutty yohannan, using the heritage of the st sthomas Christians to develop an outreach
strategy, Andrews university
2. Schoff andWarmington , the commerce between roman empire and india pp145-272,the periplus of erthraean sea.
3. adamson and melitta Weiss, food in medieval times, west port , green wood press, p-65
4. 1001 hyms of mar aphrem, Oxford University press.
5. Velayudan panikkassery , Sancharikal kanda keralam,p-53
6. William Dalrymple,From the holy mountain a journey among the Christians of middle east p66

Ferguson also explain that there were diplomatic exchanges between India and Rome 7.Pearls silk ivory pepper were
the main items of export and tin lead, gold and silver, wine, glass, coral etc, were the import items8.Pliny the author

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of periplus of erythren sea and Plotomy also gives vivid account on the trade in the Indian ocean. Ships travelled
from Mesopotamia and Egypt via red sea to Malabar every year. More than 100 cargo ships were coming annually.
So technically coming of Christians or St Thomas itself is not a bigger technical or practical issue at that point of
time. So it is said that gospel travelled to Rome using the land route and to India via sea route9.It was said that st
Thomas preached the good news (gospel) to a Jew community who were already settled in kodungallore Prof
Mathias Mundadan is of the opinion that St Thomas established the first church in these Jewish colonies10. Kp
Padmanabha Menon in his book argue that the first Jews who arrived on the Malabar coast came in Solomon’s fleet
of merchants11.Jewish immigration of AD 68 to Kerala was the direct effect of early commercial contact with
Israel12. In honour of their trade Cheraman Perumal gave possession to the land and it was recorded in the Jewish
copper plate or ‘Jootha shasanam'. The head of the ‘Anjuvana’ was given the title of prince and thus considered
him as the King of the kingdom of Kodungallore
Essenians and other Jews came to Muziris in AD68 and settled in Palayur, Chathukulangara. Manimeghalai the
Tamil epic also says the presence of Essenians in Kancheepuram 13. The major event happened in 345AD with the
coming of Thomas of cana and seventy two other families to Kodungallur. The King of Kodungallur welcomed
them by giving land and other facilities required for trade. In 379 AD Bhaskara Ravi Varman granted copper plates
to these Christian Jews. Joseph Rabban, the leader of the group was uplifted to the position of a noble giving him
the full jurisdiction in his land. KP Padmanabha Menon points to their attainment of power, wealth and prosperity
in this land. The Syrian Christians occupied high social ranking in the society14.

7 encyclopaedia of early Christianity, Ferguson New York, pp570-571, 1990

8 gillman and klim kiet, Christians in Asia before1500, 1999, googlebooks.co.in
9 Peter j frost, ancient trade routes and mission of the apostle Thomas in India, 2010, p-7
10 a Matthias mundandan, history of Christianity in India vol-1, p-19
11 k p padmanabha menon, history of kerala vol1, p 298
12 a sreedhara Menon, survey of kerala history, p-20
13p v Mathew, sughandhanadu nasrani charithram, pp-57-58
14 k p padmanabha menon, history of kerala vol-2, p-5

In AD800 the king of Kollam granted these Persian Christians with copper plates grand. Prof Mundadan says to
keep the status on par with the high caste Hindus the Christians accepted the caste hierarchy and never questioned
the validity of the system and evils of the slavery15. LW Brown pointed out that they never try to cooperate lower
class people or others to the faith of the church. So these Christians took advantage in their status given by the rulers
and maintained like higher class Hindus in the society. The Christians had an important role in the trade with other
western Asian countries. Stories attributed Mar Sapir to be the founder of the city of Quilon 16. Vasco da Gama in
his memoir writes that Calicut was inhabited by Christians17
Prof Malekandathil also points to the fact that the rulers gave these privileges to Christian traders because of their
link and contacts with west Asian trade and thus gave autonomy to regulate their community affairs and customs 18.
Marignolly writes that the pepper gardens of Malabar were owned by St. Thomas Christians he further testified that
these Christians were given the charge of public distribution and weighing office19. Barbosa also writes on the
penetration of Christian churches into the interiors of Malabar especially to the hilly region. When we analyse the
trade route between Persian Gulf and China port, India was considered as a land of sojourn for these maritime
traders for rest and trade as the monsoons in Indian Ocean is a villain for the journey. Indian cost became a fulcrum
point to meet the west and east coast. The items of procurement has been identified in these areas and further more
trade has been happening here. The economic importance of trade, production of goods export and import became
a daily basis process. The Indian markets began to produce goods on these trade demands.

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15 am mundandan, Indian Christians search for identity and struggle for autonomy, Bangalore p-19
16 Abraham Meera, two medieval merchants’ guilds of south India, p-27, delhi-1998
17ravenstein, a journal of the first voyage of vascodagama1497-1499, p49, Asian educational services
18 pius malekandathil, coastal polity and changing port hierarchy of Kerala. P-78, ed Yogesh sharma,coastal
histories ;social and ecology in premodern India Delhi 2013
19 velayudhan panikkassery , sancharikal kanda keralam,p-176

The rulers of the land gave privileges to the immigrant traders for the economic prosperity and for their personal
political stability. The markets began to grow in these places, more and more traders began to migrate and establish
settlements on these trade points or trading centres. The Quilon plate of Mar Sapir and Mar Prod was such an
example of economic privileges from AY kingdom to the Persians these grands indirectly helped in spreading
Christianity and directly to the economic prosperity of the land, thus Christian merchants evolved out to be a strong
hold people in wealth and social status. These linkages helped them in maritime trade and hinder land trade. It is
said that these Jews and Christians had a military group of their own to protect their wealth family and church.
When we talk on the socio economic significance of these Christian traders in early medieval India the Tarisapally
copper plates had a significant role to play. The Persian merchants Mar Sapor and Mar Prod built a church in Kollam
for their prayer activities and later it became the most important centre of social, economic and cultural life of
people lived around. The Christian merchants of Kollam and the Tarisapally were the custodian of weights and
measures. Later these privileges were handed over to the church and made it as the custodian of a company to
ensure the unification and honesty in their trade.
The chera feudal lord presented forty three Ezhava families, four vellalas, one thatchan and one vannan family to
the church and also given the right to collect the taxes from them20. The church was given permission to collect
money from Quilon market the vaniyom and kasu were collected by the tarisapally21. The merchant’s guilds such
as Arunnoottuuar, Manigramam and Anjuvannan were entrusted with the protection of tarisapally22. They were
given their duties to enquire into to the matters of dispute and to fix the problems on the question of the grands of
Church.
Anjuvannan was basically a Jewish merchant guild while Manigramam belonged to Christian traders23. The guild
became strong trading company among the Christian traders and for maritime as well as inland trade 24. These
trading activities were testified by Nestorian annals as well as Indian literary sources.
The inland trade was not going smoothly in Kerala so the rulers knew the fact that by keeping these Christian traders
in favour for their trade activities only for the personal profits to acquire power because the feudalisation and its
effects were started to affect the society25. The trading activities were controlled by the cholas in south east asiaand
in kerala or the western coast it was controlled by the cheras.manigramam and anjuvanam were the trumb cards for
the cheras to cop up with the cholas. The development of the port city of kollam was an important turning point in
the course of the trading activities in kerala. The Christian migrants to India as well as the missionaries have a good
knowledge on the Indian Ocean trade that is the trade between Persian Gulf, Red sea and Levant regions. Mar
Abraham, Christian monk Cosmas etc. had a clear cut understanding on the sea trade routes and markets 26. The
frequent war between the Chera and Pandiyan kingdoms and seizing the Vizinjam port by the pandyas made the
AY kingdom to look for another port to continue their economic negotiations 27. This led to the development of
Quilon port for gathering the income from the trade and for the political progress and stability for the chera kingdom.
By 11th century the activities of the merchant guilds began to decline and the maritime activities were taken over
by Muslims and they started to continue with the works into the interior lands. These guild were supported by the
local temples in return they were given donation. Gradually the Christian traders and other Christians lost their
power. The trade extension into the inland made them more close to their Hindu counterparts. Daniel KN write that
the Manigramam nairs of Quilon were the Christian converts thus economic stability directly links with the religious
status people move out from one religion to another on the basis of economic prosperity and vice versa 28.

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20 t a Gopinath Rao, Travancore archaeological series vol-2 pp63-71

21 ibid pp-63-70.
22 ibid pp-67-71.
23 MGS Narayanan ,Perumal’s of kerala,p-155
24 pius malekandathil,Christians and cultural shaping of india in the 1 st millieunem,journal of st Thomas Christians
vol -17, no1 p-10
25 rajan gurukkal , the kerala temple and early medieval agrarian system .1992
26 priyatosh sharma, Christian traders in maritime world of Kerala c1000-1300ce some reflections, ijrss 2019, vol-
19, issue -2 page-4
27mgs Narayanan, cultural symbiosis in Kerala tvm pp-32-33
28 daniel kn, the anchuvanam and the manigramam of the Kottayam plates of tanu iravi of the jews and the
Christians of Malabar, p-261, 1924

While we look into the trade and commerce of medieval period we come across the conclusion that Indian ports
were highly developed in terms of export import processing of goods and grabbing markets. And also a highly
sophisticated step towards urbanization. Ranbir Chakravarthy says early Indian urban centres can be characterized
as agro cities29.
In the beginning of the ninth century the concept of nagaram or cites came up in Kollam, Panthalayani Kollam etc.
The perumals of mahodayapuram and the second chera kingdom understands the possibilities of these cities and
have taken several steps to develop these so that directly they were funding and getting back the surplus from the
trading corporation. The development of nagaram and processing up of angadis or market made society into more
engaged way of economic surplus. New ports make way for new wayfarer’s foreign traders and geographers.
Demand for more goods accelerated full time trade. Commercial crops from the mainland was connected with these
ports. Riverline routes, ghat routes got revamped and trade began to start in these routes thus trade played as a
catalyst for accelerating urbanization.
New economic centers like Kodungallur, Koyilandi, Madayi, Mathilakam, Thazhakadu kudavoor, Calicut the great
Cochin began to grow. With the development of markets the foreign Christian traders were carrying out the
maritime trade while the Indian counterparts began to spice production especially pepper in the forest regions. The
networks began to grow stronger in terms of production quality of goods and exchange. Local markets began to
form around the churches which was indirectly mediating the trade between maritime trade and hinterland. Cities
and urban centres began to develop around these churches. The economic identity of the Christians as traders was
preserved and maintained in the inland Christian settlements with the development of angadis or local markets 30.
The merchant guild started to expand to other places. The tazhekadu church inscription of 1024 AD is one such
example of giving privileges on Christian traders in Inland trade. The Christian traders like chathan vadakkan and
Iravi chatan the members of the Manigramam were given the privileges by king Rajasimhan31.
In central Kerala, the local markets were connected with Kodungallur, Kayamkulam, Kollam and Cochin by the
end of 1490’s. Another merchant guild named Korran or Kurran came up in Cochin which was referred in
Alberque’s diary. In 1502 the queen of Quilon sent a Christian merchant as emissary to invite Vasco D Gama. The
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notable names of Christian merchants at that period was Matihias in Quilon and Tharakan Thomas in Kayamkulam,
from whom the Portuguese took their pepper. With the coming of Portugese Christian mechants began to act like
middle men between the Inland traders and Portugese. They played as emissaries or ambassador to invite the
Portuguese to the Quilon port, with the arrival of the Portuguese the trade had been taken over by them. Thus the
Christian traders began to focus more on spice production in the interior land. Beginning of the 10 th century
witnessed more Christian traders into the hinder land with spice farms and production units. They established new
churches in their surroundings most of these churches were in the central parts of Kerala that is modern
Pathnamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulum, Thrissur and Allappey.

29 ranbir Chakravarty, trade and traders in early Indian society, p-15

30 Pius Malekandathil, Portuguese Cochin and the Maritime Trade of India, pp.50-80
31 a sreedhara menon kerala charithram, p135

These churches and trading centres were along the resourceful soil and nearby rivers and lakes. This spice producing
Christian communities were testified by Bishop Marignoli as he writes the Christian were people rich and pepper
producers32. Portuguese documents also testify about the spice production of Christian merchants. These merchants
were also trained fighters for the King and have their own Kalaris. One such Christian panicker was Vallikadu
Panicker and his Kalari was at the banks of Muvattupuzha33. These Christian forces also held the Portuguese in
their later land accusations. The pre Portuguese inland trade with Madurai was intiated by the St. Thomas
merchants. Churches especially Kothamangalam, Mudalakudam, Aruvithara, Kanjirapally etc were established on
the interiors of forest which were considered to be the trade routes connecting the central Kerala and Tamil nadu.
There were ghat routes which also connects Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Christian merchants were the producers
as well as the traders. The church benefitted from the profit they got from trading. The pepper trade with Madurai
and Din Digul were pre dominant trade routes of that period.
In 1613 Jesuit Robert De Nobili travelled in these routes to reach Cochin from Madurai. The St. Thomas Christians
as well as the Ravuthars of Madurai had a full-fledged trade links in these ghat routes, which marked smooth flow
of pepper from interiors of Kerala to Tamil Nadu 34. The inland spice production prior to Portuguese period was
majorly concentrated in the ghat routes began to continue in Portuguese period too. When the Portuguese began to
interfere in the religious matters of these Christians, they began to concentrate on the ghat route trade and it
flourished even more. As the spice production was mostly under the control of these Christians they started tricking
the Portuguese by not giving the goods as an opposition to their religious policies. This further accentuated more
trouble in the region and played a pivotal role in re- aligning the course of history by triggering in incidents like the
Oath of the Coonan Cross and the Orthodox schism and the reunification of the Orthodox and the Catholic factions
etc. Here we are peculiarly tracking down how mercantile and trading intervention had played an important role in
altogether reshaping the destiny of a community in Kerala.

Concluding Observations
The gaze of a historian becomes incomplete unless he looks into a historical underpinning from various dimensions
say economic, social, political, intellectual and cultural. These dimensional points create turns and twists in history
and moves it in various trajectories of time. Here also we see how Indian Christianity as a mercantile community
and its multifaceted commercial endeavours did play a crucial role in re articulating the history of Kerala. In the
new millennium also this process remains relevant though more closely connected with globalization, fragmentation
and with the development of various demographic and contextual trends. When we analyse the importance of trade
and mercantile activities in Kerala history as well as Indian, the role played by these Christian traders is undeniable.

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32velayudan panikassery,sancharikal kanda keralam,p-176

33 o m Varghese olickal ,vazhakulam oru charithra veekshanam,p-37
34 S Rajamanickam, the first oriental scholar, p-37
Pius Malekandathil, Portuguese Cochin, pp54-57, pp-114-116

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