The Hindu : Kerala News : Continuous prosperity hallmark of Ponnani: historian

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Continuous prosperity hallmark of Ponnani: historian

Staff Reporter

Seminar at MES College takes a
look at the golden days of the
harbour town.

PONNANI: The harbour town of Ponnani stands apart from other centres of Kerala with a history of continuous prosperity, M.G.S. Narayanan, historian, has said.

Delivering the keynote address at a seminar on “Ponnani in history” at MES Ponnani College on Saturday,

Dr. Narayanan said the harbour town was a goldmine for archaeological excavations.

Considering the continuous prosperity, Ponnani should be treated with respect from a historical point of view, he said, calling upon the people not to destroy the legacies of the land.

Death knell

Dr. Narayanan said it was the disappearance of sail ships that sounded the death knell of Ponnani as a harbour. The steam ships did not find enough depth to dock there.

He said the history of Mamangam held at Tirunavaya every 12 years was closely connected with that of Ponnani.

“Sail ships in those days could enter the Bharatapuzha and anchor at Tirunavaya,” he said.

Zamorin’s choice

Even the Zamorin had chosen Ponnani as his southern capital. “In fact, Zamorin had been at Ponnani when Vasco da Gama came to Kozhikode,” said Dr. Narayanan, who has authored several books on the history of Malabar.

Dr. Narayanan, who had studied at A.V. High School, Ponnani, alma mater to several great men such as Kelappaji and Edassery, said that it was the harbour and the gap in the Western Ghats at Palakkad that gave Ponnani a unique place in ancient history.

The seminar marked the culmination of a three-day programme on Ponnani organised jointly by the Kerala Historical Research Society and the college as part of the latter’s 40th anniversary celebrations. An exhibition on Ponnani had pulled large crowds.

Dr. Narayanan released historian Velayudhan Panikkasseri’s latest book, Kerala in the 15th and 16th Centuries.

Abdussamad Samadani, former MP, inaugurated the function. T.B. Vijayakumar, president of the Kerala Historical Research Society, presided. Joseph John Keethra, general secretary of the society, introduced the topic.

Sufi impact

Presenting a paper on “Ponnani and its fight against colonialism,” Velayudhan Panikkasseri said that Ponnani had been a forerunner of the country’s struggle against foreign imperialism.

He said it was due to the Sufi influence on Ponnani that it remained a symbol of communal amity today despite being a large centre of conversions.

M.N. Namboothiri and Husain Randathani, historians, presented papers on different aspects of Ponnani.

Alankode Leelakrishnan, poet, delivered the valedictory address.

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