Chera Perumals of Makotai

Cheraman Perumal dynasty, also known as the Perumal dynasty of Kerala, or the Chera Perumals of Makotai or Mahodayapuram (fl. c. 844 — c. 1124 CE), was a ruling dynasty in present-day Kerala, south India. Mahodayapuram, or Makotai — the capital of the Cheraman Perumals — is identified with present-day Kodungallur in central Kerala. Initially, their influence appears to have been limited to the area between present-day Quilon and Quilandy, but it later extended up to the Chandragiri river in northern Kerala and to Nagercoil in the south.

The medieval Cheras claimed descent from the early historic Cheras who flourished in pre-Pallava south India. Present-day central Kerala probably detached from larger Kongu Chera or Kerala kingdom around 8th-9th century CE to form the Chera Perumal kingdom. The exact relationship between the different collateral branches of the Chera family remains unclear to scholars. The Chera Perumals are often described as members of the Surya Vamsa (the Solar Race).

The Chera Perumal kingdom derived most of its revenue from maritime trade (the Indian Ocean spice trade) with the Middle East. The port of Kollam, located within the kingdom, was a major point in overseas India trade to the West and the Southeast Asia. Nambudiri-Brahmin settlements of agriculturally rich areas (the fertile wetlands) were another major source of support for the Chera state. The Cheraman Perumals are known for primarily employing a single script (Vattezhuthu) and language (an early form of Malayalam) in all of their records in Kerala. It is speculated that the transformation of land relations, among other factors, played a crucial role in the collapse of the Chera state in the early twelfth century.