Historic Alleys

Rajarshi Rama Varma’s final abode

First, let us get an insight into the illustrious raja. HH Maharaja Sri Sir RAMAVARMA XV ruled over Cochin 1895-1914, Maharaja [cr.1921], G.C.I.E., G.C.S.I., K.C.S.I., born 27^th December 1852, passed away in 1932 at Trichur. It is said that he ruled Cochin during crucial times and was not only a legendary figure but also one of the greatest rulers of modern times. An erudite scholar in Sanskrit and English and was considered - A scholar among princes and a prince among scholars. This Raja brought permanent reforms to the Department of Revenue and Accounts. The Village Panchayat Bill was a valiant attempt to get the people at the grassroots involved in administration. The Tenancy Act was a personal triumph of Rajarshi. But after all these decorations and successes, he abdicated his throne in1914. There are many reasons attributed to his abdication. One of the very talked about version is that he had differences with British Empire because of his proximity with Germans. There is also another version in his biography that says he resigned due to ill health. Some mentions can be found about his disputes with the British Resident at Madras and the Resident’s high-handed attitude and treatment of the monarch. He died in January 1932 and is also known as Ozinja Vallia Thampuran (Note that the king is typically mentioned in contemporary times as Kochi Valiya Thampuran, not as Kochi Rajavu as we know today).

The Kamal, or the Rapalagai

Curiosity, adventure, and profits were always the lure for exploration. While travel across land masses was recorded from the oldest times, sailing the seas proved to be less costly and usually faster. However, it was virtually impossible to shelter in place when the weather turned foul, and shipwrecks and losses continued to grow. Nevertheless, human enterprise, inventions, and refinements with aids to assist navigation across vast stretches of sea or ocean allowed sailors to discover lands and conduct trade with faraway shores.  The spice trade became a prime motivation for medieval sailing and proved to be very profitable over time.

Ummini Thampi’s (Marthandam Thampi Iravi, Womana Tomby) overtures against the British.

I wrote about the Munro years in Travancore in 2017, and introduced to readers a fascinating character named Ummini Thampi – Well, I mentioned therein that he was an intriguer in Travancore, the cause of so many misfortunes and deaths and was involved in what was known as the 1812 Quilon plot or the Quilon revolt. How this Dewan, who was squarely on the British side, changed sides and went against them is the thread of the plot, leaving behind questions on whether he was a patriot or schemer.

And it's Cannanore connection!!

Many articles have been written about Higginbotham’s in the past and the consensus is that the founder and original owner was Abel Joshua Higginbotham. This has been documented so by the chronicler of Madras, the venerable S Muthiah, in his Madras books, as well as other authors who wrote specifically about the bookshop and its run through the ages. During my stay in Madras, in the 80’s it was a favorite haunt, just a quick trot from Ambika Nivas on Pycroft’s road to the Higginbotham’s building. I spent many an enchanted hour among the thousands of lined-up books, taking in those titles and smells. But more than that, it was omnipresent at all major railway stations and had been the source of ‘pocketbooks’ as they were called, those by James Hadley Chase, Perry Mason (ES Gardener), Nick Carter, Sudden, Louise L Armor, and so on, during school days.

 Taking charge at Kallayi…

It has been said that in the distant past, a new Zamorin taking charge of his kingdom would make a ceremonial procession from one of his residential kovilakoms (usually at Ponnani) to Calicut, stooping at Kallayi. At Kallayi, he would receive a betel nut wrapped in a betel leaf from a Moplah woman or a Moplah boy dressed as a woman, as part of an elaborate reception ceremony. Many writers who alluded to this as well as the ceremonial presence of Moplah chiefs at the Mamankam in Tirunavaya, cited these as an example of the religious harmony which existed in Calicut at that time.

 A sanctioned ritual, a social evil, or disciplining?

I still remember that in our younger days, women going to temples or neighboring houses in the village always took along – or were told by the elders of the house, to take one of the youngsters, strong, or weak, as ‘Thuna’ (accompanying protector). To a certain extent, I now feel that it was perhaps to assuage the fear of getting abducted.  It was indeed a strange custom of unknown origins and though initially observed and documented by the renowned Portuguese scribe Barbosa and later, the revered Muslim Cleric Zainuddin Makhdoom, it has only been studied sparingly by two or three academics and a few enthusiasts. The academics do not quite agree with each other and offer widely differing theories to its origins.

Malabar & Istanbul – Late 19^th Century

Two things made me pick up this topic for study. One - the fact that Sayyid Fadl spent his last years in Istanbul, a city I love, and two -the remark made by his recent biographer WC Jacob. Jacob was kind in mentioning a couple of my earlier articles on the Cherman Perumal in his book and remarked - That the myth is still relevant today, even in far-flung exotic locales such as North Carolina, is evinced in online blogs and amateur history sites. The blogger going by the name Maddy who is an electrical engineer in North Carolina maintains the blog Historic Alleys: Historic Musings from a Malabar Perspective. Well, Jacob, I doubt if anybody in N Carolina is interested in the Perumal, or Malabar, it just so happens that this Malabar history enthusiast who has written scores of articles on Malabar, lives in N Carolina, just like you are a resident in California. But your studies on Sayyid Fadl are top-notch, and I had the pleasure of reading all of them.

The princess among hill stations and the many stories it hides.

I will always remember the hill station and the few times I have visited the place. At that time, I did not know any of these stories, and other than visiting the few important tourist spots and wandering around the lake, we just lazed it out. It was while researching the story of the so-called escape road from Kodai to Munnar that I got deeper into the history of this hill station and learned so much more, along the way. So, I will first start with the escape road and then get to the other aspects.

Some years ago, I wrote about the famous sea battle of Calicut fought during the early months of 1503, preparations having been made for it by Vasco Da Gama of Portugal, as he sailed into Malabar during 1502.  A showdown was expected and as the Zamorin was preparing his flotilla, the Portuguese armada of 5 light caravels and 15 heavy ships, including the flag Ship San Jeronimo sailed in with Gama in command. After their arrival and restocking at Cochin and Cannanore, they started enforcing the blockade of all Malabar ports. The Zamorin had in the meanwhile prepared and re-equipped his fleet, two flotillas had already been fitted out. The first flotilla consisted of comparatively heavy ships, about a hundred in number, mostly Sambuks, under the command of Khoja Ambar, and the second flotilla was placed under the command of Khoja Kasim.

The White and the Black Jews of Cochin

Several books and papers feature the white and the Black Jewish community which lived in Cochin. Many of the descendants have since taken up their Aliyah and moved to Israel and there is hardly a family or two left in Cochin. Interestingly, though early accounts from the East India Company officials do mention the community and provide copies of some of their ancient documents, starting with Hamilton Buchanan, most accounts fail to mention the role played by the righteous T.H. Baber, who used to be a magistrate and collector at Tellicherry. His accounts provide an interesting and slightly differing aside from what we already know.

Murdoch Brown – The Valia Saheb of Anjarakandy

History enthusiasts and the inhabitants of North Malabar though familiar with this name, may not know much about this Scotsman. Many myths and legends have been connected to his name, and he has been routinely derided as an avaricious colonialist. A detailed study (a first) reveals that he was a hardcore capitalist, the first British landlord of Malabar, a keen botanist, a sharp observer of local culture and laws, and a brash and opportunistic trader, serving only himself. Like spices and provisions, people were also commodities as far as he was concerned and he was a tough slave owner, also supplying Malabar slaves to Mauritius and other French states. He would bend rules, twist arms, and resort to violence, so long as the end benefits were his and only his. Close friends remained friends for life and enemies remained enemies. Always skirting the edges of legal provisions, he changed nationalities and sides as the situation demanded, mastering foreign and several South Indian languages, along the way. To summarize, he was one heck of a man.

Some of the prominent families

In the 19^th century and until the 21^st, there were several Parsi merchant families resident in Calicut. I had written about them briefly some years ago, but it needed some revisions and improvement.  Raghu Karnad covered them briefly in his lovely book, ‘Farthest Field’, but details the Mugaseth’s, to some extent. So, let’s go back and check on some of the families and their contributions to the colorful cultural fabric of Calicut. Marshall in one of his interviews mentions their influx in the early parts of the 19^th century and a number close to 200-300 at its peak. However, one could assume that the Persian merchants mentioned in many travelers’ records well before that could have been the Zoroastrians among or with the Gujaratis. Let's take a look at some of them.