In Indian history the long eighteenth century between 1650 and 1850 may be seen as a period of transition. In Kerela, the old order of the Nayar-power gradually changed to a more centralized state formation. Upto 1795 the Dutch East India Company participated in this process. In the lands around Cochin the Rajas tried to enhance their power over Nambuthiri and Nayar chiefs and they expanded their influence to the north in their struggle with the Zamorins of Calicut. Advised by Konkanis and Pattars they used the power of the Dutch as much as possible to their own advantage. Based on the archives of the Dutch East India Company this study shows how a special reading of these sources throws a new light on the history of the realm of Cochin in the period 1663-1720.
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