'' (1st century CE) The ancient maritime port of
Tyndis, which was then a centre of trade with
Ancient Rome, is roughly identified with Tanur.
Pliny the Elder (1st century CE) states that the port of
Tyndis was located at the northwestern border of
Keprobotos (
Chera dynasty). The
North Malabar region, which lies north of the port at
Tyndis, was ruled by the kingdom of
Ezhimala during
Sangam period. According to the
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a region known as
Limyrike began at
Naura and
Tyndis. However, the
Ptolemy mentions only
Tyndis as the
Limyrike's starting point. The region probably ended at
Kanyakumari; it thus roughly corresponds to the present-day
Malabar Coast. The value of Rome's annual trade with the region was estimated at around 50,000,000
sesterces.
Pliny the Elder mentioned that
Limyrike was prone by pirates. The
Cosmas Indicopleustes mentioned that the
Limyrike was a source of peppers. The name "Tanur(Thanni-ur)" is derived from the
Malayalam language. "Thanni" refers to the Bastard myrobalan tree,
Terminalia bellirica, while "ur" refers to the settlement. Tanur was an important trading port with trade connections with Middle East during the early medieval period. When
Kingdom of Tanur became vassal to the
Zamorin of Calicut, Tanur also became a major port like other port towns in the kingdom.
Vettathunad was known for its trade relationship with the Middle Eastern merchants in the medieval period. Tanur was a major port town in the
Malabar Coast during the medieval period. Tanur was also an important trade centre. The Veṭṭathunāṭu rulers owed their allegiance to the kings (Zamorin) of
Calicut, a regional power on the Malabar coast. With the emergence of the Portuguese in India, the Veṭṭathunāṭu ruler sided with them against his overlord at Calicut. It is believed that
St. Francis Xavier visited Tanur in 1546AD. The Raja converted to Christianity though only for a few months in 1549. It is also known that during the
Battle at Chaliyam Fort in 1571 carried out by the naval force of Zamorin with the support of native
Mappilas, which ousted the Portuguese from the region of
Zamorin of Calicut,
Chaliyam was the northern border of
Kingdom of Tanur.
Vettathunadu had sea coast and four major rivers (
Chaliyar,
Kadalundi River,
Tirur River, and
Bharathappuzha river).
Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, who is considered as the father of modern
Malayalam literature, was born at
Tirur (
Vettathunadu) during Portuguese period. The Kerala school was mainly based at
Kingdom of Tanur. The naval chiefs of Zamorin, commonly known as
Kunjali Marakkars, had close relationship with the medieval port town of Tanur. In 1532 with the help of the ruler of Tanur, a chapel was built at
Chaliyam, together with a house for the commander, barracks for the soldiers, and store-houses for trade. Diego de Pereira, who had negotiated the treaty with the Zamorin, was left in command of this new fortress, with a garrison of 250 men; and Manuel de Sousa had orders to secure its safety by sea, with a squadron of twenty-two vessels.) to break with the Portuguese, even going to war against them. During the last decades of 18th century CE,
Vettathunadu became a part of
Kingdom of Mysore. Tanur is located on
Tirur-
Kadalundi Tipu Sultan Road. It was an important town in
Malabar District during the
British rule. During the first decades of British era
Vettathunadu was the name of a Taluk in
Malabar District consisting of Tanur and
Tirur regions of present-day
Tirur Taluk, and it was situated on the northern bank of the River
Bharathappuzha. In 1957, the region was separated from
Ponnani taluk to form
Tirur Taluk. ==Civic administration==