The Eradis of Nediyirippu in Ernad (somewhere around present Kondotty) were land-locked and sought an outlet to the sea to initiate trade and commerce with distant lands. Sreedhara Menon (who entirely rejects the story of Cheraman Perumal's disappearance, his conversion to Islam and the subsequent gifts to his feudatories), immediately following the 'fall' of the Rama Kulasekhara, Calicut and its suburbs formed part of the Polanad Kingdom ruled by the Porlatiri, which was a vassal state to the Kolathunadu based at North Malabar. There is some ambiguity regarding the exact course of events that led to the establishment of the zamorin's rule over Calicut. Although there is no basis for the last Perumal's conversion to Islam and pilgrimage to Mecca, it is now accepted that following his mysterious disappearance the land was partitioned and that the governors of different Nadus (fiefdoms) gained independence, proclaiming it as their 'gift' from the last sovereign. It is now clear that the Cheraman Perumals ruled in the 8th, 9th and 10th centuries and that the last Cheraman Perumal was Rama Varma Kulasekhara (1089–1102).
The date of this partition is a significant turning point in the history of Kerala. Īccording to the Keralolpathi ( Genesis of Kerala), the last of the Chera kings, Cheraman Perumal, partitioned the kingdom among his feudatories and secretly left for Mecca with some Arab traders where he embraced Islam and lived the rest of his life in obscurity in Arabia. Krishna Ayyar has assigned 1034 CE as the year of the foundation of the city. This provides a clue to a plausible date for the rise of Calicut as a major kingdom on the Kerala coast. He does, however, mention the kingdom of Eli. While the first reference to the Kingdom of Calicut and Saamoothiri is made by Ibn Battuta in his accounts (1342–1347), there is no reference to Calicut by Marco Polo, who visited Kerala towards the end of the 13th Century. The rulers of Eranad were known by the title Eralppad/ Eradi. Eranad was ruled by a Samanthan Nair clan known as Eradis, similar to the Vellodis of neighbouring Valluvanad and Nedungadis of Nedunganad. Later it was the Eradi (The ruler of Eranad), who came to be known as Zamorin, and developed the port at Kozhikode. His headquarters was Nediyiruppu in Kondotty. The Zamorin of Calicut was originally the ruler of Eranad, which was a minor principality located in the northern parts of present-day Malappuram district. The rise of Calicut as a major trading centre and a port city does not seem to have happened before the 13th century. The Cheras (also known as Perumals) ruled the territory until 1102. During the 9th century, this region became a part of the Second Chera Empire. According to scholars, Tyndis or Tondi (present-day Kadalundi or Ponnani) to the south of Kozhikode was a flourishing seaport. The ports of the Chera empire played an important role in fostering trade relations between Kerala and the outside world. The dominion of the Cheras extended as far as present-day Vatakara, beyond which lay the kingdom of Eli ( Ezhi). This land, part of the larger Tamilakam partly fell within the Kudanad (Western land west of Kongunad) to the south and partly within Puzhinad (marshy tract) to the north. ĭuring the Sangam period (3rd – 4th century BC), the land where Kozhikode now stands was an uninhabited region of the Chera Empire. The Cosmas Indicopleustes mentioned that the Limyrike was a source of peppers. Pliny the Elder mentioned that Limyrike was prone by pirates. The value of Rome's annual trade with the region was estimated at around 50,000,000 sesterces.
The region probably ended at Kanyakumari it thus roughly corresponds to the present-day Malabar Coast. However the Ptolemy mentions only Tyndis as the Limyrike's starting point. According to the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a region known as Limyrike began at Naura and Tyndis. The North Malabar region, which lies north of the port at Tyndis, was ruled by the kingdom of Ezhimala during Sangam period.
Pliny the Elder (1st century CE) states that the port of Tyndis was located at the northwestern border of Keprobotos ( Chera dynasty). Tyndis was a major center of trade, next only to Muziris, between the Cheras and the Roman Empire. The suggested locations are Ponnani, Tanur, Beypore- Chaliyam- Kadalundi- Vallikkunnu, and Koyilandy. Its exact location is a matter of dispute. The ancient port of Tyndis which was located on the northern side of Muziris, as mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, was somewhere around Kozhikode. Note that most of the parts of present-day state of Kerala was under the influence of the Zamorin of Kozhikode.