Keralolpathi
The Keralolpathi (Malayalam: കേരളോല്പത്തി; IAST: Kēraḷōlpatti; transl. Origin of Kerala), formerly transliterated as “Kerala Ulpathy”, is a Malayalam Hindu prose chronicle that deals with the mythical origins and legends of Kerala in southern India.
The Keralolpathi covers the history of Kerala and its people from ancient times through the medieval period to the colonial era, serving as an early attempt to historicize Kerala as a distinct entity. The narrative is generally regarded as “an expression of the historical consciousness” rather than “a source of history”. The text contains multiple historical layers, with the earliest influenced by Brahmins and the later ones shaped by non-Brahmin regional rulers. Some versions of the Keralolpathi were likely intended for public or community performances.
The currently available Keralolpathi texts were primarily composed in the Calicut (Samoothiri) and Cannanore (Kolathiri) countries of northern Kerala. The tradition was also adapted by the rulers of Cochin (Perumpadappu) in central Kerala.
The date of the Keralolpathi remains a subject of debate among Kerala historians. The existing versions of the text are generally dated between the 15th and 19th centuries. By the 18th century, modified versions of the text had begun to appear, varying from kingdom to kingdom and region to region across different parts of Kerala.
