kozhikode zamorins followed a self-imposed style of monarchy. rule for 12 years and then take your life before the crowd on the last day of the 14 day mamaankam festival. coz they considered 12 was maximum time required for a ruler to do good/bad for the subjects. don't know how much of this actually happened. anyways later day zamorins chucked the idea. instead of taking their own lives, they would give chance to chekavers to take their life, that too during mamaankam festival which was then changed to being held once in 12 years. the zamorin would sit in the middle and there would be a circle of protection around him comprising the most skilled of his royal warriors, numbering to 50 and more. the 18-member chekavar team would then have to weave their way fighting through the circle and reach the zamorin (ee sambhavam nalla grand aayittu action choreo okke cheythaa, will be a visual treat). yet again, no historical referance whether chekavars ever killed a zamorin. most of this is recorded in logan's malabar manual.