WITH THE BREAKDOWN OF THE CHERA DYNASTY THE NEXT PHASE OF KERALA HISTORY BEGAN. THIS WAS THE PERIOD OF THE PROVINCIAL RULERS. PROVINCIAL RULERS WERE THOSE WHO TOOK CONTROL OF A SMALL PROVINCE RATHER THAN A LARGE EMPIRE. THESE PROVINCES WERE ONCE PART OF THE CHERA EMPIRE. THE PROVINCIAL RULERS WERE CONFINED TO SMALL AREAS BUT THEY FREQUENTLY FOUGHT EACH OTHER FOR DOMINATION. THE KINGS OF VENAD AND KOCHI AND ZAMORINS OF KOZHIKODE WERE THE PROMINENT RULERS. VENAD WAS A MEDIEVAL KINGDOM LYING BETWEEN THE WESTERN GHAT MOUNTAINS AND THE ARABIAN SEA ON THE SOUTH-WESTERN TIP OF INDIA WITH ITS HEADQUARTERS AT THE PORT CITY OF KOLLAM/QUILON.

              VENAD WAS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL KINGDOMS THAT AROSE FOLLOWING THE DISINTEGRATION OF THE CHERA KINGDOM OF MAKOTAI. VENAD MEANS THE LAND OF VEL CHIEFTAINS. THEY CONTROLLED THE AGRARIAN TRACTS FROM KOLLAM TO NANCHINADU. DURING THE EARLY SANGAM AGE, VENAD WAS PART OF THE AY KINGDOM. IN THE PERUMAL AGE, VENAD HAD THE STATUS OF A FEUDATORY POWER. IT GOT AN INDEPENDENT STATUS ONLY AFTER THE 12TH CENTURY. DURING THIS PERIOD, THEY SHIFTED THEIR POWER FROM KILIPERUR TO THRIPPARAPPU. THEY SHIFTED THAT CENTER WITH THE OBJECT OF CONTROLLING THE RESOURCES OF THRIPPARAPPU WHICH WAS ALREADY A MERCANTILE TOWN. THEY HAVE ALSO ACQUIRED CONTROL OVER THE ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT TEMPLE OF PADMANABHA AT THIRUVANANTHAPURAM. AYYAN ATIKAL TIRUVATIKAL WAS THE FIRST PROMINENT RULER OF VENAD. THE TERESAPPALLY COPPER PLATE (849 AD) HAD IMMORTALIZED HIS NAME IN HISTORY.  THE THRIKKODITHANAM TEMPLE INSCRIPTION AND THE JEWISH COPPER PLATE (1000 AD) MENTION GOVARDHANA MARTHANDA AS THE THIRD RULER OF VENAD. VENAD PASSED THROUGH A PERIOD OF STRESS AND STRAIN DURING THE CHERA-CHOLA CONFLICT. RAMA VARMA KULASEKHARA, THE LAST OF THE PERUMALPERUMALS OF MAHODAYAPURAM WAS THE FIRST RULER OF THE VENAD ROYAL HOUSE. HE SHIFTED HIS HEADQUARTERS FROM KUDANGALLUR TO KOLLAM. 

         RAVI VARMA KULASEKHARA (1299 – 1314) RAVI VARMA KULASEKHARA IS THE MOST OUTSTANDING KING OF VENAD. HIS REIGN IS REMARKABLE FOR INNUMERABLE CONQUESTS, SETTLED ADMINISTRATION, ECONOMIC PROSPERITY RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT, AND CULTURAL ETHOS. THE INSCRIPTIONS OF HIS REIGN FOUND SCATTERED IN SUCH PLACES AS TRIVANDRUM, KANCHI, POONAMALLE AND SRIRANGAM GIVE US INFORMATION ABOUT HIS ACHIEVEMENTS.

SEVERAL KINGS SUCH AS KODAI KERALA VARMA, UDAYA MARTANDA VARMA (1175–1195), VIRA RAMA KERALA VARMA, RAVI KERALA VARMA, RAVI VARMA KULASEKHARA (1299–1314), VIRA MARTHANDA VARMA RULED OVER THE KINGDOM. AFTER THE 14TH CENTURY, THE VENAD RULERS GRADUALLY INTERMARRIED WITH THE NAMBOOTHIRI’S, AND SOMETIMES WITH THE NAIRS, ADOPTING THE CUSTOM OF MATRILINEAL DESCENDANCY.