History of Kerala, Volume 4: Written in the Form of Notes on Visscher's Letters from Malabar

The History of Kerala is a monumental work in four volumes. Chaplain of Cochin (1717-23), Jacobus Canter Visscher wrote descriptive letters to his friends and which were edited and published. K.P. Padmanabha Menon re-edited the English translation of the letters with an extensive and exhaustive commentary. His notes speak eloquently of his wide range of information and study and no less of his power to present the varied material into a highly readable historical narrative. The author has used Visscher's book as the thread on which to string the ancient History of Kerala.

It contains cameos on many of the important events and institutions, customs and manners and the salient features of the region, and of its social, political and economic conditions, based as far as possible, on contemporary records. The author has brought into lime light a part of India about which not much was known earlier and has brought out in an orderly fashion some of the events and institutions, manners and customs of the place to give one an idea of the eminent position which Kerala had held even in those early days of her social and political evolution.

Table of Contents

• Foreword—by the Editor.
• List of Illustrations XVI
• Letter XXIII. 1-5
• Malabar temples. Religious service. Revenue attached to the temples. Mode of consecration. Letter XXIV. 5-9
• Superstitions of the Natives. How they consecrate their houses. Their charms against the evil eye. Auguries on building their houses. The respect for the Kalu tree, and the state of deParted souls. Exorcisms. Lucky and unlucky Omens. 9-13
• Letter XXV.
• Discrepancy between the Chronologies of Holy Scripture, and those of the Gentile Nations. An account of the feast days of the Malabars.
• Letter XXVI. Account of the Pepper, Turmeric, Cardamom and Areca of Malabar. 14-18
• Letter XXXII. Description of the Cocoa Palm, the Malabar Cinnamon, and Coffee Shrub. Sanctity of Cows and Snakes in the eyes of the Malabars. Great Snakes. Quantity of Crocodiles. Dan-gerous Kites. Fire Flies. 18-23