It was after the dissolution of the kingdom of Cheras of Kodungallur in the early 12th century, the Samanthan Nair Eradis of Nediyiruppu (originally autonomous chiefs of Eranadu) demonstrated their political independence under the title of Zamorin.[6] The Zamorins maintained elaborate trade relations with the Muslim Middle-Eastern sailors in the Indian Ocean, the primary spice traders on the Malabar Coast in the Middle Ages. Calicut was then an important entrepôt in south-western India where Chinese and West Asian trade met.[1]