Some excerpts...be sure to read the last one in this post...as to the location of vanchi..
Periyar>>
Periyar is known as `Chhoorni Nadhi' in Sangham poetry. It was also known as Thamraparni Nadhi' (Sukasandesam stanza 66). A land route existed in the Sangham age from Muzuris (present-day Kodungalloor) to Madurai which passed near the banks of the river Periyar. Tamil poems from the 'Sangham' period are the earliest reference to the Chera Empire. The Sangham period refers to the time when academies or sanghams flourished for the cultivation of poetic arts in various capitals of the Pandiyan kingdom. There were three of these Sanghams. The first two existed in cities that were taken over by the sea. The third existed in Madurai.
Muthuvans>>
There is a tribe living in the Western Ghats known as Muthuvans, who claim that their ancestors left Madurai with Kannagi. There are a number of Muthuvan settlements in the forest near Edamalayar reservoir. The area south west of Valpara is a beautiful valley with the gushing Periyar at the bottom. The Muthuvans believe that after Kannagi brought fire down on Madurai, she wandered away. Some of Madurai's good citizens saw Kannagi and followed her. They took with them the royal musical instruments--drums and flutes, as well as the dead king's sword, ear studs, and bracelet. They played the instruments as they walked away toward the west. Soon the distraught Kannagi became tired, so these people carried Kannagi on their back, thus earning their name, Muthuvans, which means, "those who carry."
KODUNGALLOR The Chera capital was Vanchi near Muzuris. There is strong archeological evidence that the ancient city of Vanchi, capital of the Chera dynasty, lies in the outskirts of modern day Kodungallur though historians are divided on this issue. Muzuris was a major port. There were at least five ports on the Malabar coast to which sailors came according to the Greek mariner who compiled `Periplus of the Erythraean sea'. The most important port was Muzuris which stood at the mouth of the Periyar. The location was where Cranganore (Kodungallore) stands today. The other ports were Kottayam, Tripunithura, Pantalayani near Kollam and Calicut. It was also the capital of Cheraman Perumal, King of Kerala, whose famous palace Allal Perumkovilakam was situated near the great pagoda at Thiruvanchikulam. The area where the palace stood is called the `Cheramanparambu'.
will post a detailed note on muzuris later>>>>>
The Kodungallur temple is believed to have been erected by Cheran Senkuttuvan, the famous Chera king, for Kannagi the legendary heroine of Shilappadhikaram, a famous Tamil literary work. There is a myth in Kodungallur that Kannagi gained her ascension here, and she has been enshrined here.
Kodungallur is an ancient center of Kali worship (Kali is the goddess of Death). In a striking example of how Hinduism enshrines mortals (and story characters), in this area Kannagi came to be perceived and worshipped as an avatar of Kali, who had been worshipped for millennia before Kannagi's appearance around the second century AD. There is an open-air shrine on a main street near the central Kali temple. The 'shrine' consisted of an empty space surrounded by a waist-high iron spike fence with some dried flower-garlands on it. The local people say that the idol of Kannagi--supposedly 1700 years old, brought here from the Himalayas--stood in that space until the recent past. Inside the Kali temple there is an idol portraying Kali with one breast: because it has only one breast it is identified with Kannagi. Kannagi was led through the wilderness by a Jain monk; she was immortalized in writing by another monk--Jain or Buddhist. Historians are of the view that this was a Jain Temple in the past.
kallil temple
It is a 9th century Jain temple shaped out from a huge rock in a picturesque surrounding situated 8 miles south of the Periyar. There are 120 steps to reach the temple. It is at the top of a hill. The idols of Theerthankaran and Padmavathi Devi are carved on the rock inside the cave. On the top of the large rock the footprint is also carved
BHOOTHATHANKETTU>>
A myth associated with the place explains its name and how it came about. According to it Bhoothams (evil spirits/ghosts) wanted to destroy the temple at Thrikariyoor dedicated to Lord Shiva. They decided to flood the region by damming the river Periyar. To do this the Bhoothams rolled down massive stones from the surrounding hills into a narrow portion of the river. Lord Shiva, realizing their intention came up with an ingenious plan to deter them. Ghosts being scared of daylight, he tricked them into believing that morning had arrived. To do this Lord Shiva imitated a rooster's crow, the most common announcement of dawn's arrival, on hearing which the evil spirits fled, leaving the dam incomplete. Visitors can see the structure downstream from the present dam. Hence the name Bhoothathankettu (fort of the spirits) has been given to this place.
The remnants of the temples, muniyaras and the other old structures are of great historical value. Historians are yet to formulate a unanimous view over the same. It calls for much more serious study and research. These structures are in a very pathetic condition. There is an urgent need to take steps to preserve them before they vanish. Here are the places, which can be documented by historians. Bhoothathankettu Temple Thundathil Temple Karimpani Temple (inside the Mahogany Plantations) Kariyachiram Muniyara Tippu's Bridge adjacent to Karimpani forest station Muniaras of Moonja Poika Temples Remnants of the township at Mangattuthotty near Koottickal (partially submerged by the Periyar Valley Reservoir) Temples at Ovungal near Palamattom Chelamalai Thattekkadu Temple Muniaras on the Muniarappara near Kuttampuzha. The temple at Knacheri Temple at Kuttampuzha The remnants of Nandagadies seen on the road near Knacheri The Nandagadies at Thatteekkad (cemetery) The remnants of an irrigation system at Thundathil
Chelamalai is also believed to be the "Vanchinagaram" or "Vanchi" of AD first century, which was the capital of the early Chera Kingdom. The ruins of roads, pathways, wells, fort, cemetery etc. lead towards this
> > will post a detailed note on muzuris later>>>>> > According to K.A. Nilakanta Sastri in his book, A History of South India.
The author of 'The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea' (c A.D. 75) gives the most valuable information about this trade between India and the Roman empire. He mentions the ports of Naura (Cannanore), Tyndis-- the Tondi of the poems, identified with Ponnani--and Muziris (Musiri, Crangannore), and Nelcynda very near Kottayam, as of leading importance on the west coast. Muziris abounded in ships sent there with cargoes from Arabia and by the Greeks. Some claims the Periplus - refes to Vizhinjam as Balita
A Sreedhara Menon in his book, A Survey of Kerala History writes that there is no doubt that the present Kodungallor is the ancient Musiris. Now Dr. Shajan, an archeologist has proposed based on some evidence that Muziris, the legendary seaport of the ancient world, stood at Pattanam, a small town some 12 km south of the Periyar rivermouth (present day Kodungallur)
Radiocarbon dating of peat samples showed that Kodungalloor and Paravur areas were part of the sea some 5,000 years ago. By about 1,000 B.C., however, the sea had regressed and the coastline had more or less stabilised about two km west of the area where these two towns are situated at present. Another clue that led the team to Pattanam was the finding, based on remote-sensing data, that Periyar had changed course during the millennia, and the river course was in the Pattanam area 2,000 years ago. "My view is that the Paravur Thodu, which flows near Pattanam, was the old channel of the Periyar," says Dr. Shajan.
The most important find was the rim and handle of a classic Italian wine amphora, which came from Naples and belonged to the late first century B.C. The amphora, which was used to transport wine and olive oil, had been identified from a number of Roman sites in India, including Arikamedu and Alagankulam in Tamil Nadu. [via The Hindu]
Historians and archaeological studies have confirmed that there were two headquarters of the Adi Chera Kings_Karur and Muziris.
At least half-a-dozen songs are there in Tamil about Muziris. Muziris was also mentioned in literature as a place at the mouth of the Periyar from where Roman ships, loaded with gold, anchored for buying pepper, Mr. Narayanan said. Mr. Narayanan opined that the name Pattanam could be the abbreviated form of Muziripattanam.