Pazhassi Raja : a Revisit
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
*************************************** PAZHASSI RAJA : A REVISIT A MINOR RESEARCH PROJECT WORK SUBMITTED TO UNIVERSITY GRANT COMMISSION BY SIJESH.K ASSISTANT PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY GOVERNMENT COLLEGE MADAPPALLY VATAKARA 2015 *************************************** DECLARATION I, Sijesh. K, hereby declare that this Minor Research Project entitled ‘PAZHASSI RAJA:A REVISIT’ submitted to University Grant Commission is a bonafide record of work carried out by me and that no part of this work has been presented earlier for the award of any degree, diploma or any similar recognition or title. Madappally 15-11-2015 Sijesh.K ASSISTANT PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY GOVERNMENT COLLEGE MADAPPALLY VATAKARA 1 Contents Preface 2- 7 Introduction 8 -21 Chapter 1: Mysore Invasion and its Consequences 22-38 Chapter 2: The Restoration of Old System 39-48 Chapter 3: The Era of Pazhassi Raja 49-68 Conclusion 69-80 Bibliography 81-85 Glossary 86-87 2 PREFACE Pazhassi Raja, the ruler of the princely state of Kottayam in northern Kerala, has been given a revered position in the history of modern India mainly for his struggle against the British. The role of Pazhassi raja in the struggle against British colonialism has been studied by many a scholars and they projected and glorified his heroic struggles against the British and thus adorned him the characterization of martyr for that cause. Pazhassi’s relentless struggle against the British has been subjected to criticism in the light of the discovery and re- interpretation of some firsthand materials1. Recently a forthcoming book jointly authored by noted historians M.R. Raghava Warrier and Rajan Gurukkal has sparked off a heated debate among historians regarding the relationship of Pazhassi Raja with the British2. The re- reading and re-interpretation of Pazhassi’s letters to the East India 1 These are letters which were first preserved at the Bombay Archives and later has been shifted to the Regional Archives at Kozhikode 2 The New Indian Express Daily, 29 August 2015 3 Company officials in Malabar and Bombay revealed that Pazhassi Raja was loyal, submissive and subservient to the British authorities. Responding to this observation, eminent historian M.G.S.Narayanan3 remarked that Pazhassi Raja’s relationship with the British has to be distinguished as two phases and to portray him as a pliant to the British was not correct. K.K.N.Kurup who has studied in detail the struggles of Pazhassi raja against the British, opined that the ruler could not be characterized only on the basis of his letters. Pazhassi raja was the de facto ruler of the princely state of Kottayam after the Mysore army withdrew from Malabar with the Sreerangapattanam treaty of 17924.There was a terrible episode of the persecution of Mappilas during the reign of Pazhassi Raja particularly in the first half of the last decade of the eighteenth century which hitherto remained untouched by historians. The atrocities on the Mappilas were committed at the instance of Pazhassi and by his Nair 3 Who was the former chairman of ICHR and author a large number of books on Kerala history 4He was only the de facto ruler of Kottayam. The struggle for power within the royal family has not been dealt with in detail. For more details see Pazhassi Samarangal of K.K.N.Kurup,Pp.19-32 4 warriors. In fact Pazhassi was taking revenge on the Mappilas for their support extended to the Mysore army in subjugating Hindu rulers in Malabar. Perhaps, this part of Pazhassi’s reign in Kottayam might have been either overlooked or trivialized by historians who wrote works on him in their zeal to glorify Pazhassi’s heroic struggles against the British. The present study is an enquiry into the persecutions meted out on the Mappilas during the era of Pazhassi in Kottayam after Raja assumed power of Kottayam and the background of such a situation. For such a study, I have mainly consulted secondary sources and the first hand materials used for the study are letters written by Pazhassi to the Company officials. These first hand materials are now preserved in the Regional Archives at Calicut. The secondary works, I could mainly make use of, are available in Malayalam and English. Mappila Muslims of Kerala, Malabar Manual and Pazhassi Samarangal are the chief works which were found very much useful in tracing the most 5 important part of the present work, that is, persecution of the Mappilas. I express my heartfelt gratitude to U.G.C for sanctioning the financial aid to carry out this minor research project. I should like here to record my deep sense of obligation to K.K.N.Kurup who was a former faculty member at the department of History, Calicut university and had served as the Vice Chancellor of the same University, and his library at Vatakara named ‘Malabar Institute for Research and Development’ which is very much useful for undertaking studies related to local histories especially in Kozhikode and Kannur districts. It was his work in Malayalam entitled ‘Pazhassi Samarangal’ that greatly motivated me to undertake such a study on Pazhassi. In this work he has made references about some of the anti-Mappila deeds of Pazhassi. When I made an interview with K.K.N.Kurup he was not ready to accept the fact that Pazhassi was an anti-Muslim. 6 I am very much indebted to the Public Libraries at Kozhikode and Vatakara and to the library of the Department of History, Calicut University for giving me permission to refer books related to the topic. I extend gratitude to the libraries of the departments of Histories at Government Brennen College, Thalassery and Government College Madappally for issuing me books on Pazhassi Raja. I would like to express sincere gratitude to the staff of the Regional Archives of Kozhikode. Some of the official correspondence of the British and letters of Pazhassi Raja to the British officials have been found useful to the present studies which are preserved in the archives. Much of these letters and documents were earlier kept in the Mumbai Archives and were recently transferred to Kozhikode archives. Finally I acknowledge my sincere thanks to my colleagues at Department of History, Government College Madappally who helped me a lot by providing relevant works related to the topic. The work is mainly intended to point out the hitherto untouched aspect of Pazhassi 7 raja’s life and it has been done in a fairly and truthful manner. The present work, I think, would be a motivation to others to undertake studies on the hitherto hidden or buried areas of history. 8 INTRODUCTION The salient feature of Kerala culture, as of Indian culture in general, is “unity in diversity.”It was Kerala’s foreign contact from the earliest days which helped in the evolution of a way of life and culture noted for its catholicity and universality. The neighbouring states of Tamilnadu and Karnataka have also exercised some influence on the evolution of the life and culture of the Kerala people. At the same time the peculiar geographical position of Kerala, as the southernmost part of the Indian peninsula, separated from the rest of the country by the natural barriers of the Western Ghats and from the rest of the world by the high seas has helped the people of the land to develop a culture marked by the virtues of unity and cohesion in every sphere of life and activity. The gradual evolution of a composite and cosmopolitan culture led to the emergence of a spirit of tolerance and catholicity of outlook. 9 The religious atmosphere that prevailed in Kerala was one of tolerance and amity. In spite of the existence of diverse sects within Hindu religion itself and the prevalence of several other non-Hindu faiths in the land, there was absolutely no religious rancor of any kind in the outlook of the people of Kerala. The Hindus as a whole treated the followers of other religions like Jainism, Buddhism Christianity and Islam in a spirit of extreme friendliness. Notwithstanding the predominant position occupied by the Hindu religion in the life of the people, the other religions like Islam, Christianity etc. existed side by side with it were in no way looked upon as inferior in any respect. The first eight centuries of Mappila1 growth following the establishment of Islam in Kerala were marked by a calm forward movement. Reports of travellors of this period to the Kerala coast indicate an increasing number of mosques in the port cities2.The Muslims of Calicut, during the days when the Zamorins of Calicut were 1 Hindu converts to Islam in Malabar are generally called Mappilas. 2 For more details see Roland E Miller’s Mappila Muslims Of Kerela,Pp.52-60 10 in full power, were a power to be reckoned with. Nevertheless, it did not succeed in making as many converts as did the Portuguese to Christianity, for the reason that it did not make such sustained efforts in the direction of effecting conversions, or display the latter’s proselytizing fervor or ruthlessness in dealing with the inhabitants of this country. It was the Portuguese who planted the seed of the spirit of militancy among the Mappilas3. The results of the Portuguese period for the Mappilas can be summarized as: the economic retrogression4, estrangement from Hindus, bitterness against Christians, and a new militancy5. While Islam permits the use of force, however interpreted, there is no record of the Mappilas being engaged in any militant activity defensive or offensive, prior to the Portuguese period. The terrible 3 For more details see Shaykh Zainuddin Makhdum’s Tuhfat al-MujahidIn translated from Arabic with annotations by S Muhammad Husayn Nainar, Calicut, 2007 4 The Portuguese domination compelled them to turn inward from the profitable seaward commerce in search for new avenues of economic well-being.