Malayalam Calendar or Kollam Era
is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used in Kerala. The origin of the
calendar has been dated as 825 CE. This day is celebrated in Kerala as Vishu
today and it coincides with similar new year festivities in several other parts
of India.
There are many theories regarding
the origin of the era, but according to recent scholarship, it commemorated the
foundation of Kollam after the liberation of the region (known as Venadu) from
the Pandya rule by or with the assistance of the Chera king at Kodungallur.
The earliest record mentioning Kollam Era is a royal order by Sri Vallava Goda, the chieftain of Venadu, dated to c. 973 CE (Kollam Era 149).