Kingdom of Tanur
| Tanur | |
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| Kingdom | |
A fishing boat off the coast of Tanur
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 Tanur
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| Coordinates: 10°58′N 75°52′E / 10.97°N 75.87°ECoordinates: 10°58′N 75°52′E / 10.97°N 75.87°E | |
| Country |
 India
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| State | Kerala |
| District | Malappuram |
The Kingdom of Tānūr (Malayalam: വെട്ടത്തുനാട്, Veṭṭattunāt - literally "kingdom of light") was a coastal city-state in south-western India that prevailed during the period of Portuguese domination of the Indian Ocean. One of the numerous similar Hindu principalities along the Malabar Coast at the time, Tanur was ruled by a line of Nair rulers claiming Kshatriya status in the Hindu varna order.
Tanur comprised parts of the present day Tirur and Ponani talukas in the state of Kerala . The Tanur rulers owed their allegiance to the kings of Calicut, a regional power on the Malabar coast. With the arrival of the Portuguese, Tanur ruler Dom João (Christian name, real name unknown) sided with them against his overlord at Calicut. Believing the offers put forward by the Portuguese missionaries, João converted to Christianity—though only for a few months—in 1548. He later assisted the Portuguese in the construction of a fort at Chalium, a river island just south of Calicut. The Tanur ruling line became extinct on the death of their last raja on 24 May 1793. Subsequently, the estate was handed over to the English East India Company and the Hindu temple of the ruling family was transferred to the Zamorin of Calicut in 1842.
The Tanur rulers were noted patrons of arts and learning. One raja (r. 1630-1640) is said to have introduced innovations in the native art form Kathakali, which has come to be known as the "Bettut tradition".
Before the arrival of the Portuguese Armadas, the political history of Tanur is largely obscure, although the origin of the ruling clan is often dated back to Chera times (c. 9th – 12th century AD). It is generally assumed that the Tanur chief was one of the hereditary provincial governors under the Chera Perumals.
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