Cheraman Perumal and Islam on the Malabar Coast: Anonymous (after ca. 545/1150)

The practice of Islam on the Malabar Coast of southern India has roots deep in Islamic history. Because of maritime connections across the Arabian Sea, the peoples of the region regularly hosted Muslim traders and missionaries. On their own travels westward, they visited early Islamic societies. As a result, today the Muslims of Kerala—the largest group among whom are known as the Mappilas—can plausibly lay claim to an Islamic heritage of great antiquity. Some claims of this kind have historically been made through a set of stories according to which an ancient South Indian king, Cheraman Perumal, who