Calicut in the context of Guruvayoor

The Ming treasure voyages were maritime expeditions undertaken by Ming China's treasure fleet between 1405 and 1433. The Yongle Emperor ordered the construction of the fleet in 1403. The grand project resulted in seven far-reaching ocean voyages to the coastal territories and islands of the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. Admiral Zheng He was commissioned to command the fleet for the expeditions. Six of the voyages occurred during the Yongle Emperor's reign (r. 1402–1424) and the seventh voyage occurred during the Xuande Emperor's reign (r. 1425–1435). The first three voyages reached up to Calicut on India's Malabar Coast, while the fourth voyage went as far as Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. In the last three voyages, the fleet traveled up to the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa.

The Chinese expeditionary fleet was heavily militarized and carried great amounts of treasures, which served to project Chinese power and wealth to the known world. They brought back many foreign ambassadors whose kings and rulers were willing to declare themselves tributaries of China. During the course of the voyages, they destroyed Chen Zuyi's pirate fleet at Palembang, captured the Sinhalese Kotte kingdom of King Alakeshvara, and defeated the forces of the Semudera pretender Sekandar in northern Sumatra. The Chinese maritime exploits brought many countries into China's tributary system and sphere of influence through both military and political supremacy, thus incorporating the states into the greater Chinese world order under Ming suzerainty. Moreover, the Chinese restructured and established control over an expansive maritime network in which the region became integrated and its countries became interconnected on an economic and political level.

The Kingdom of Tanur (also referred to as Vettathunadu, Vettam, Tanur Swaroopam, and Prakashabhu; or the Kingdom of Light) was a feudal principality on the Malabar Coast of the Indian subcontinent during the Middle Ages. It was governed by the Tanur dynasty, a Hindu ruling family that claimed Kshatriya status. The kingdom encompassed parts of the coastal taluks of Tirurangadi, Tirur, and Ponnani in present-day Malappuram district, including locations such as Tanur, Tirur (historically known as Trikkandiyur) and Chaliyam. The kingdom also contained the coastal villages of Kadalundi and Chaliyam in the southernmost region of Kozhikode district.

The rulers of Vettathunadu were long-standing feudatories of the Zamorin of Calicut. With the arrival of the Portuguese on the Malabar Coast, the Vettathunadu kings began to manoeuvre between the Portuguese and the Zamorin. They were among the first vassals of Calicut to stand up against the Zamorin with Portuguese support. In 1546, Francis Xavier visited Tanur and the Keraladeshpuram Temple located there.

Guruvayur IPA: [guɾuʋɐːjuːr]) is a municipal temple town in Thrissur district, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located 26 kilometres (16 mi) from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at a distance of 292 km (181 mi) from the state capital Trivandrum towards the north-west, 86 km (53 mi) from Kochi towards the north, 95 km (59 mi) from Calicut towards south.