Since at least the 1st century CE, the town was recorded as a port alongside other ancient cities like Kollam, Cheran, and Pandyan.

Together with its sister ports, it ranks among the ancient costal settlements of Peninsular India, with Kodungallur and Barugachha (Broach) in Gujarat serving the west coast.

[3] Kulasekharapatnam, during the reign of the Pandyas, the city was also known as the Rowthers Palayam, a section of Muslims that had military cavalry, traditional people, and horse traders.

According to many other historians, Moppila or Moplah is Maha Pillai (great son) and Marakkar means (Marakkalam is a wooden boat) 'boatmen'.

Thurston in his Tribes of South India, states the following - The word Marakkar is usually derived from the Tamil 'marakalam', a boat.

KVK Iyer clarifies in his history of Kerala that Marakkar was a prized title given by the Zamorin of Calicut.

[4] The Maraicars can be found in coastal areas of South India, including Kerala and Tamil Nadu.