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| About Pattanam |
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Pattanam means 'town' in the local language Malayalam and is a calm and quite place, 8 km south of Kodungallur and 25 km north of Kochi in Ernakulam District in the southern Indian state of Kerala in the Chittattukara Panchayat on the northern shore of river Paravur, a branch of Periyar River.
Pattanam, located 8 km south of Kodungalloor, is said to have been first occupied around 1,000 BC and continued to be active till the 10th century AD.
Recent archaeological excavations have unearthed signs of early Roman trade and commerce in beads and ornaments from this hamlet. obviously this hamlet was part of Muziris which flourished during the reign of First Chera dynasty of South India. |
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| Archaeological excavations at Pattanam |
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The site for archaeological research at Pattanam (10°09.434’N; 76°12.587’E) covers about 45 hectares. Due to habitation activities it is a “disturbed” site; some parts are partially destroyed due to sand quarrying.
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| Roman amphora pieces abound in Pattanam |
The archaeological excavations (2007, ‘08 & ‘09) undertaken by the Kerala Council for Historical Research [KCHR] at Pattanam are the pioneering initiatives of inter-disciplinary research in Kerala Archaeology. British Academy (BASAS) recently accorded recognition for the formation of an international research group based on Pattanam.
Recent archaeological excavations have unearthed signs of early Roman trade and commerce in beads and ornaments from this hamlet. obviously this hamlet was part of Muziris which flourished during the reign of First Chera dynasty of South India. The name of this ancient trade centre was Muchiri. Both the names Muchiri and Muziris was not much used thereafter, but it was called Muchiri Pattanam at a time. It later came to be known as Shingly, Mahodhayapuram, Makothevarpattanam etc in later centuries. The trade centre was active until the attack of Tippu Sulthan of Mysore in 1790 AD.
There is place called Maliankara, on the same island in which Pattanam is located. Syrian Christians of Kerala believe that Thomas the Apostle landed here in 52 AD. It is also believed by them that St. Thomas established a church in Kodungallur along with other churches in different trade centres of Kerala during his time.
Archaeological investigations conducted recently unearthed a Chera coin, Amphora and semi-finished beads from the area. Foundation of a brick structure possibly used by artisans as their workshop is also found there. Pattanam is a very small place, which could not contain one of the important ancient trade centers of India. However, Pattanam was definitely a part of Muziris Trade Center. Roman coins were unearthed from another village, Kochal near Valluvally, on southern side of North Paravur. While Chittattukara is on the banks of one of the five branches of Periyar River, Kochal is on the banks of a canal connecting two other branches of River Periyar. As per Sangam literature the trade center, Muchiri (Muziris) was on the banks of River Periyar, then known as Chulli.
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