Kollam/Quilon Syrian copper plates, also known as Kollam Tarisappalli copper plates, or Kottayam inscription of Sthanu Ravi, or Tabula Quilonensis record a royal grant issued by the chieftain of Kollam (Ayyan Adikal) to a Syrian Christian merchant magnate (Mar Sapir Iso) in Kerala.[1] The royal charter is engraved in old Malayalam in Vattezhuthu (with some Grantha characters) on six copper plates.[1] The document is the oldest Chera Perumal inscription from Kerala.[2]
The charter is dated to the 5th regnal year of the Chera Perumal ruler Sthanu Ravi Kulasekhara (849/50 AD).[3] The sixth plate contains a number of signatures of the witnesses to the grant in Arabic (Kufic script), Middle Persian (cursive Pahlavi script) and Judeo-Persian (standard square Hebrew script).[4] Until recently (2013) it was believed that the six plates formed two separate grants (dated c. 849 and c. 883 AD) issued by Kerala rulers to the Syrian Christian merchants.[5]
One part (four plates) of the copper plates is kept at the Devalokam Aramana of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church while the other (two small plates) is at Poolatheen Aramana (Thiruvalla) of Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church.
The grant is dated the 5th regnal year of king Sthanu Ravi, 849-50 AD (old Malayalam: Ko Tanu Ravi).[6][3] It was drafted in the presence of Chera Perumal prince Vijayaraga, Venad chieftain Ayyan Adikal Thiruvadikal, junior chieftain Rama Thiruvadikal, other important officers of the chiefdom (the adhikarar, the prakrithi, the punnathala padi, and the pulakkudi padi) and the representatives of merchant guilds anjuvannam and manigramam.[6][3]
The charter grants land to Mar Sapir Iso, the founder the Kollam trading city (the nagara), to build the Church of Tarisa at Kollam. The land, evidently a large settlement with its occupants, is donated as an "attipperu" by Ayyan Adikal.[6][3] Sapir Iso also recruited two merchant guilds (the anjuvannam and the manigramam) as the tenants of the nagara (the karanmai). The Six Hundred of Venad, the Nair militia of the chiefdom, was entrusted with the protection of the nagara and the church. The charter also granted serfs to the nagara and the church. This included personnel like agricultural laborers (the vellalars), carpenters (the thachar), toddy tappers (the ezhavar) and salt-makers (the eruviyar). [3]
The charter granted Sapir Iso several titles, rights and aristocratic privileges.[3] All revenues from the donated land and its occupants were 'exempted' (which perhaps meant that these were to be made over to the church).[2][3]
The vertical plate contains a number of signatures of the witnesses to the grant in Arabic (Kufic script), Middle Persian (cursive Pahlavi script) and Judeo-Persian (standard square Hebrew script).[4]
Arabic signatures ― Kufic script
- Maymun, son of Ibrahim
- Muhammad, son of Manih
- Sulh, son of Ali
- Uthman, son of al-Marzuban
- Muhammad, son of Yahya
- Amr, son of Ibrahm
- Ibrahim, son of al-Tayy
- Bakr, son of Mansur
- al-Qasim, son of Hamid
- Mansur, son of Isa
- Ismail, son of Yaqub
Middle Persian signatures ― Pahlavi script
- Farrox, son of Narseh, son of Sahraban
- Yohanan, son of Masya, son of Wehzad
- Sahdost, son of Mardweh, son of Farroxig
- Senmihr, son of Bayweh
- Sina, son of Yakub
- son of Mardweh
- Mareo, son of Yohanan
- Farrbay, son of Windad-Ohrmazd
- Mard-Farroz, son of Boysad
- Azadmard, son of Ahla
Judeo-Persian signatures ― Hebrew script
- Hasan Ali
- Sahaq
- Samael
- Abraham Quwami
- Kurus Yahiya
Thomas of Cana copper plates (early 9th century AD) are a lost set of copper-plate grants issued by the unidentified Chera Perumal king to the Christian merchants in the city of "Makotayar Pattinam" (present day Kodungallur).[7]
Translations of the Kollam Syrian Plates made by the Syrian Christian priest Ittimani in 1601 as well as the French Indologist Abraham Anquetil Duperron in 1758 both note that the fourth plate mentioned a brief of the arrival of Thomas of Cana.[8][9]It is believed that this was a notation of the previous rights bestowed upon the Christians by Cheraman Perumal.[9] The contemporary fourth plate however does not mention this paragraph and is believed to be a later copy. Scholar of Early Christian history Istavan Percvel theorizes that at one time the Kollam Syrian plates and the Thomas of Cana copper plates were kept together.[8]
1758 translation by Indologist Abraham Duperron: [10]
“The History of the founding of the Town of Cranganore when Pattanam was the city, (he) visited, revered and requested the Emperor and the Minister at Kolla Kodungalloor for a marsh where thickets grow. Measured by Anakol (elephant kol) 4,444 kols of land was granted in the year of the Jupiter in Kubham, on the 29th of Makaram, 31 the Saturday, Rohini and Saptami (7th day of the moon),' the palace, great temple and school at Irinjalakuda also were founded. The same day that place was called Makothevar pattanam (the town of the Great God), and it was made the city (capital). From there privileges such as drawbridge at gates, ornamented arches, mounted horse with two drums, cheers, conch blowing, salutes were granted in writing to the Christian foreigner called Kynai Thomma with sacred threat and libation of water and flower. The sun and the moon are witnesses to this. Written to the kings of all times.”
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