The Zamorin-ruler of the kingdom of Koikkou in modern-day Kerala-left an indelible mark on world history when he welcomed Vasco da Gama in 1498. But a few centuries earlier, the Zamorin was only a local chief, heading a few villages. How did he become an independent ruler after the disintegration of the Ceras in the twelfth century? How did the Zamorin come to be recognised and legitimised as the ‘king’? This story of the creation of an image of ...
