Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai

Elamkulam P. N. Kunjan Pillai (8 November 1904 – 4 March 1973), known as Elamkulam, was an Indian historian, linguist and academic from southern Kerala, India. He was a pioneering scholar of southern Indian history, particularly the history of Kerala. Although only holding academic degrees in Sanskrit and Malayalam, and having no formal training as a historian, Elamkulam is considered one of the pioneers of modern Kerala historiography. He was also considered one of the top authorities in Vattezhuthu script and Old/Early Malayalam language.

Life and career He was born in Elamkulam village in Travancore to Krishna Kurup and Purackal Nanukutty Amma on 8 November 1904. His family is from present-day Trivandrum and Kollam districts. Kunjan Pillai had his school education at Trivandrum and Quilon.

He graduated with an honours degree in the Sanskrit language from Annamalai University, Madras. His studies at Madras had a great influence on his life. His views on Kerala's history changed after he returned back from Tamil Nadu.

He started his career as a school teacher and later became lecturer in Malayalam at Government Arts College, Trivandrum. Elamkulam retired as the Head of the Department of Malayalam, University College, Trivandrum.

Elamkulam published most his research findings only in his later years.

Pillai died on 4 March 1973. Kanjiracode Valiaveettil Bhargavi Amma was his wife. The couple had five children.

Unitary/Imperial state model Elamkulam had studied comprehensively Old/Early Malayalam - Vatteluttu inscriptions from the ninth century CE, and with the help of literary texts, claimed they belonged to a single line of kings ("the Kulasekharas") that ruled Kerala from Kodungallur. He had challenged the very foundations of the then existing William Logan-K. P. Padmanabha Menon construction of Kerala history.

The Elamkulam version of historiography had believed that this "Second Chera Empire", or "Kulasekhara Empire" was a highly centralised kingdom. However, critical research in the late 1960s and early 1970s by offered a major corrective to this. Recently (2002), suggestions pointing to the other extreme, that the king at Kodungallur had only a "ritual sovereignty" and the actual political power rested with "a bold and visible Brahmin oligarchy" has emerged.

Selected works

In Malayalam Unnuneeli Sandesam Koka Sandesam Leelathlakam Chandrolsavam Unnuneeli Sandesam Charithradrishtiyilkoodi Nalachritham Attakkatha Gandhidevan Keralabhashayude Vikasaparinamangal Bhashayum Sahityavum Noottandukalil Sahityamalika 108 Shivalaya Sothram Sahityacharithrasamgraham Keralacharithrathile Iruldanja Edukal Annathe Keralam Chila Kerala Charithra Prasnangal (Part I, II, & III) Janmi samprdayam Keralathil Keralam Anchum Arum Noottandukalil Cherasamrajyam Ompathum Pathum Noottandukalil Samskarathinte Nazhikakkallukal

In English Studies in Kerala History Some Problems in Kerala History

In Tamil Pandai Keralam