Story of Kolla-varṣa

(MALAYĀLAM ERA). Several opinions have been brought forward about the starting of the Malayālam Era. There is great controversy as to the causes of starting this new era. The opinion of Śaṅkuṇṇi Menon is as follows. The King Udayamārtaṇḍavarmā called together at Quilon, an assembly of the learned men and astronomers of the time, in Kalivarṣa 3926 (A.D. 825) and made astronomical researches and taking into account the movements and positions of the various planets in the solar system, started a new era beginning with the month of Ciṅṅam (August-September). This new era commenced on the 15th of August 825 A.D. All the learned men and scholars of the time welcomed this Malayālam era. The neighbouring kingdoms also recognized this new era. Reckoning of dates based on this Malayālam Era is seen in the 'Madura and Tinnevelly Stone-edicts and copper edicts.' On the fifth day of Ciṅṅaṃ of the first year of M.E., five royal families of Travancore met together and took a decision that the festival days of the temples should be reckoned according to the Malayālam Era. The controversy is not about the starting of the new Era, but the reasons for starting the new era.

Logan says that the Malayālam Era was started in commemoration of the conversion of Ceramān Perumāl to Islam and his pilgrimage to Mecca. But there is impropriety in thinking that the Hindu subjects of a King would commemorate the conversion of their King into Islam religion. Some say that the new era was started to commemorate the erection of a Śaivite temple. Another argument is that a new era was started in memory of the exhortation of Śrī Śaṅkarācārya to the Brahmins of Quilon, to do away with the irregularities seen in the Hindu religion. The period of Śaṅkarācārya has not yet been decided definitely. The opinion accepted by scholars on this subject is that of K.B. Pathak, according to whom Śaṅkarācārya lived from 787 to 819 A.D. If this is accepted as true, the exhortation made in 825 A.D. should be by somebody else and the Malayālam Era should have been established for some ot her reasons.

Another opinion is that the new era was established to commemorate the independence given to the two Kolattiri Kings (North and South) by the Perumāl. The North Kolattiri family should have begun the new era on the first day of Kanni (the second month) and the South Kolattiri family on the first day of Ciṅṅaṃ (the first month). (Because in Malabar area, the era commences on the first day of Kanni.). Another opinion that is prevalent is that Kollavarṣa was started to commemorate the erection of the two towns of Quilon (North and South). But even two centuries before A.D. 825 the town of South Quilon had become famous. So it is an objection to this argument. Some are of opinion that a new era was started in commemoration of Śaṅkaravijaya (the victory of Śaṅkara) due to the fact that the Brahmins of the north and the south alike accepted the teachings of Śaṅkarācārya. But it is difficult to believe that the northerners and the southerners accepted the teachings of Śaṅkarācārya on a particular date and issued a declaration to that effect and started a new era. Some connect the starting of the New Era with the 'Tiruvoṇam' a grand festival of the Malayālees. But it cannot be believed that a national festival was started by a single man. According to Logan it would appear that the grand festival of Tiruvoṇam was started to commemorate the journey of Perumāl to Mecca. But the conversion episode is more likely to be considered as a blasphemy and the Kings and people of Malayāla land are not likely to commemorate it. Prof. Sundaran Pillai has cut all the arguments given above and brought forward a new theory. His inference is that the new Era is the transformation of an old era known as Saptarṣivatsara (year of the seven sages) or Śāstrasaṃvatsara (scientific year) which prevailed throughout India and is still in force in Kaśmīra. In A.D. 897 Saptarṣi-Vatsara was 4972 and it was known as merely 72, and that if all the hundreds are taken away, the remaining figure will be the same as that of the Kollavarṣa. That is, at the expiry of each century the Saptarṣivatsara begins as one, two and so on. But the Saptarṣivatsara begins in the month of Meṭam (9th month) whereas Kollavarṣa begins in Ciṅṅam. He explains this difference also. His opinion is that the Nambūtiri Brahmins took some time to reach the country of Malayāla from North Indian countries and they had been using their Saptarṣivatsara up to the time of their arrival in Malayāla and after their arrival they adopted some slight modifications in the era according to the requirements of the new settlement, and renewed the Saptarṣivatsara. Gopala lyer, the great exponent of the Vedānta philosophy, says as follows about Kollavarṣa in his 'Chronology of Ancient India': "Kaliyuga and Kollavarṣa commenced in B.C. 1176." But Kollavarṣa is divided into groups of recurring thousands. This has a close connection with Saptarṣi Vatsara, which also might have commenced in B.C. 1176. The year mentioned above completed 2000 by A.D. 824. The third recurring thousand begins in A.D. 825, under the name Kollavarṣa.

Princent, Buchanan and Burnell are the three memorable western scholars who have expressed their opinions about Kollavarṣa. Pṛncent connected Kollavarṣa with Paraśurāma. Buchanan said that the Malayālees have a recurring of every millennium. Burnell has stated in his book "South Indian Paleography", that the theory of recurring Millennium is wrong.

An astronomer who was a contemporary of the King who established the Malayālam era has stated in his work called 'Śaṅkaranārāyaṇīya' (a manuscript in Palm leaves) that an astronomical movement was reckoned and a new era was started at Quilon. This palm leaf manuscript is kept in the Manuscripts Library at Trivandrum.