KUNJALI MARAKKARS Dr. Anand Lali Seena Asst.Professor of History Sree Ayyappa College for Women Chunkankadai

Home , Barkur, Chaliyam, Kozhikode, Kunjali Marakkar, Marakkar, Nuno da Cunha

JNROnline Journal Journal of Natural Remedies ISSN: 2320-3358 (e) Vol. 21, No. 3, (2020), pp.96-99 ISSN: 0972-5547 (p)

ABSTRACT The Kunjali Marakkar was the title given to the naval chief of the Zamorin of Calicut (Kozhikode Samoothiri) in present-day Kerala, during the 16th century. There were four Kunjali Marakkars ,who were the naval commanders of Zamorin in his naval war against the Portuguese from 1507 to 1600. The Kunjali Marakkars are credited with organizing the first naval defense of the Indian coast. The title of Marakkar was given by the Zamorin. It may have been derived from the Malayalam language word marakkalam meaning ‘boat,’ and kar, a termination, showing possession.The four Kunjali Marakkars are :Kutti Ahmed Ali – Kunjali Marakkar I (1520 – 1531)Kutti Pokker Ali – Kunjali Marakkar II (1531 – 1571)Pattu Marakkar – Kunjali Marakkar III (1571 – 1595)Mohammed Ali – Kunjali Marakkar IV (1595 – 1600). Marakkars were originally Muslim marine merchants of port Kochi who left for Ponnani in the Zamorin's dominion when the Portuguese fleets came to Kingdom of Cochin. They offered their men, ships and wealth against the Portuguese to the Zamorin of Calicut-the king took them into his service and eventually they became the Admirals of his fleet.The end of Kunjali Marakkars is one of the tragic episodes in Kerala history and it is all the more so in view of the ignoble treachery of the Zamorin who was once his lord and master. It was indeed an irony of history that the Kunjali Marakkars who had all along been the main props of the Zamorin’s power and strength in his fight against the Portuguese tyranny had to be crushed by an unholy and opportunistic Alliance between the Zamorin and his traditional enemy. The former did not crowned himself with Glory by his unpatriotic conduct. The treatment meted out to Kunjali by the Zamorin in the hour of victory has always remained a blot on his family escutcheon. The patriotic exploits of the Kunjali Marakkar continue to evoke heroic memories among the people of Malabar event today. there can be no doubt that the lives of these chiefs reflect glory and honour on all Malabar, for their achievements against the naval Tyranny of the Portuguese form injured a great chapter in the history of Malabar

Keywords: Kunjali Marakkar, marakkalam Chaliyam, Zamorin, Kottakkal, Portuguese, Panthalayani kollam

I. INTRODUCTION The Kunjali Marakkar or Kunhali Marakkar was the title given to the naval chief of the Zamorin of Calicut (Kozhikode Samoothiri) in present-day Kerala, during the 16th century. There were four Kunjali Marakkars ,who were the naval commanders of Zamorin in his naval war against the Portuguese from 1507 to 1600. The Kunjali Marakkars are credited with organizing the first naval defense of the Indian coast. T The title of Marakkar was given by the Zamorin. It may have been derived from the Malayalam language word marakkalam meaning ‘boat,’ and kar, a termination, showing possession. The origin of Kunjali Marakkar is not clear.According to tradition they were original Marine merchants of Cochin who left for Ponnani in the Zamorin’s dominion when the Portuguese came to Cochin and got favours from the Raja. The Zamorin took them in to his service and eventually they became

Journal of Natural Remedies Vol. 21, No. 3, (2020) the admirals of Calicut fleet. Another version suggests that they were merchants of Cairo, Egypt who settled in Kozhikode and joined the Samoothiri's navy. The Kunjalis chose the very best man to man the Navy ,Kutti Ali was the bravest of the persons so chosen .In 1524 the Calicut fleets under his command inflicted heavy damage on Portuguese vessels .Kutti Ali used light and fast moving armed boats to attack the heavy Portuguese vessels and developed his own technique of guerrilla warfare on the sea. His hit and run practice caused the considerable havoc to Portuguese shipping and trade. Henrique De Menezes organised a powerful expedition against Kutti Ali and destroyed several of his ships in the port of Ponnani .In 1525 he attacked Panthalayani Kollam which was a stronghold of the Kunjalis .The Arayan of Purakkad who was present at this attack as an ally of the Portuguese was shot at and wounded by the Portuguese governor who suspected him of disloyalty .The chief of Purakkad thereafter turned against the Portuguese and helped their enemies in several ways in the future wars

Portuguese acquisition of Chaliyam In the meantime the Portuguese who were being hard pressed by the Zamorin’s army on land demolished their fort at Calicut and left the place. Kutti Ali’s fleets continued to harass the Portuguese vessels on the sea. Lopo Vaz de Sampayo who succeeded Menezes as governor took vigorous measures to put an end to Kutti Ali’s menace.The Portuguese fleets again went into action and Kutti Ali was captured prisoner of Barkur. The Zamorin reorganized the fleet under Pachachi Marakkar,a relation of Kutti Ali. Ali Abraham ,a merchant of Cairo and Kunjali II,the young son of Kutti Ali.The Kunjali Marakkars now took the bold step of attacking the Portuguese possessions in Ceylon and on the east coast.In view of the activities of the Marakkars the Portuguese trade in Indian waters almost came to a standstill Governor Sampayo was sacked by the home government and Nuno da Cunha came in his place in October 1529 .The new Viceroy re-established Portuguese Supremacy in Indian waters by erecting a port at Chaliyam and garrisoning it with Portuguese Troops. \It may be noted that Chaliyam fell in the territory of the Raja of Tanur and it was with this consent that the Portuguese built the new Fort 15 13. The possession of Chaliyam gave the Portuguese ample opportunities to harass the Zamorin’s fleet whenever they wanted.It also provided them with a base from where they could advance to the heart of the Zamorin’s territory in the event of war ,which was like a pistol held at the Zamorin’s throat.

Treaty between the Zamorin and the Portuguese in 1540 The Portuguese acquisition of Chaliyam did not,however, dishearten the Kunjali Marakkar,Kutti Ali Marakkar the leading captain of Zamorin’s fleet was killed in 1531 and his place was taken by Kunjali II. It was almost a past time with Kunjali II to capture Portuguese vessel and massacre the entire crew .The two fleets confronted each other on the high Seas on many occasions .During the Siege of Edappally by Martin D'Souza Kunjali appeared before Cochin and compelled the Portuguese forces to withdraw from Edappally . In the meantime the Zamorin and made an attempt to obtain help from the Turks who had become masters of Egypt but was not successful in his efforts. The Egyptian flips however appeared of the cost of Gujarat and returned home after a show of strength without actually engaging the Portuguese in battle. The Zamorin had by this time become weary of Fighting and his treasury became bankrupt owing to the loss of revenue from the declining trade of Calicut. He entered into a formal treaty with Portuguese in January 1540 .Under this treaty the Zamorin undertook to sell paper from his territories to the Portuguese at Calicut at the rates prevailing in Cochin and also to accept Portuguese passport for the navigation of Arab vessels. The Treaty also provided for Portuguese neutrality in the wars between the Zamorin and other local powers.Tthe treaty of1540 proved advantageous to both the parties ,the Portuguesee getting the monopoly of trade at Calicut

Journal of Natural Remedies Vol. 21, No. 3, (2020) port and the Zamorin unrestricted freedom of action against the local powers in view of the Portuguese assurance of non intervention in their wars. It also paved the way for similar treaties between Portuguese and the Rajas ofPurakkad and Quilon. whereThe Raja of Purakkad was even given the title of brother in arms to the king or Portugal

Capture of Chaliyam in 1571 The Treaty of 1540 between the Zamorin and the Portuguese proved itself to be only an uneasy truce. In 1550 war again broke out following interference by the Portuguese in a dispute between the Rajas of Cochin and Vadakkumkoor. The Raja of Vadakkumkoor was slain in the battle of Vaduthala. The Zamorin invaded Cochin to avenge his friends death .The Portuguese who were on the side of Cochin bombarded several of the coastal towns in the Zamorin’s kingdom particularly Pantalayani Kollam. In 1555 hostilities ended on condition that Portuguese ship passes would be taken out by Arab traders .In 1564 the Kolathiri’s men assisted by the Zamorin besieged fort Angelo at Kannur and destroyed Portuguese ships in the harbour .The defeat of the ruler of Vijayanagar ,the Ally of the Portuguese in the battle of Talikota in 1565 emboldened the Zamorin to start large scale military operations against the Portuguese. In 1570 the Calicut ruler entered into an alliance with Adilkhan of Bijapur and Nizam Shah of Ahmednagar against the Portuguese .In 1571 the Zamorin’s army laid siege to the Portuguese for tat Chaliyam and forced the Portuguese to abandon it. The fort was completely demolished leaving not one stone upon another the sZamorin gave Chaliyam to the Parappanad Raja as that as a reward for the assistance rendered by him on the occasion

The fall of Chaliyam marked the beginning of the end of Portuguese power in Kerala in spite of their discomfiture the Portuguese continue to bombard the coastal areas and harass the Zamorin’s subjects. In 1578 they formally approached the Zamorin\ with the request for permission to build a fort at Ponnani but the latter was not in a mood to oblige them. The Portuguese persevered in their efforts and in 1584 they obtained permission from the Zamorin to open a factory at Ponnani. In 1588 they settled again at Calicut with the Zamorin’s permission. In 1591 the Zamorin donated to the Portuguese land and building materials to erect a church at Calicut and himself laid the foundation stone. The growing friendship between the Zamorin and the Portuguese was brought about by the gradual estrangement between Zamorin and the Kunjali Marakkars.

Zamorin’s quarrel with the Kunjalis The Kunjalishad became extremely powerful after the expulsion of the Portuguese from Chaliyam. Kunjali III who was now the head of the Marakkar family built a fortress at Kottakkal with the Zamorin’s permission.He . enjoyed all the powers and privileges of a Nair chief of the Zamorin .The Zamorin’s action in allowing the Portuguese to build a factory at Ponnani was deeply resented by the Kunjali .In two important Naval engagements1586 and 1589 the Kunjalis inflicted crushing defeat on the Portuguese .In 1591 the Portuguese patchedup their quarrels with the KunjaliMarakkars through the mediation of a Catholic priest

In 1595 Kunjali IV became the chief of the Kunjali Marakkars. He strengthened the fortress at Kottakkal and openly challenged his master the Zamorin by assuming the titles king of the Moors and Lord of Indian seas. He cut off the tale of one of the zamorins elephants and ill treated a Nair noble who had been sent toget his explanation .The overbearing attitude of his vassal exasperated the Zamorin and he entered into an agreement with the Portuguese to crush the power of the Kunjalis. In 1593 a joint expedition of the Portuguese and the Zamorin in against Marakkar ended in dismal failure.The allies suffered of heavy losses. The lack of co-ordination between the army and the Navy

Journal of Natural Remedies Vol. 21, No. 3, (2020) was the main cause of this failure. It was since agreed to by the Zamorin and the Portuguese that the former would mobilize the land forces required for the attack and the latter the fleet.

Fall of the Kunjalis In 1600 the Zamorin besieged the Fortress of Kunjali with an army of 6000 men and he was ably supported by the Portuguese fleet under Andre Furtado. Having found his position hopeless Kunjali surrendered to his erstwhile master the Zamorin on a solemn promise of pardon but the Zamorin broke his word and handed over his old Admiral to the Portuguese.Kunjali IV and his men were taken to Goa and executed. Kunjali’s body was cut into pieces and exhibited at the beach at Bardes and Panjim. His head was salted and send to Cannannore and it was displayed there on a standard as a warning to the local Muslims.

II. CONCLUSION The end of Kunjali Marakkars is one of the tragic episodes in Kerala history and it is all the more so in view of the ignoble treachery of theZamorin who was once his lord and master. It was indeed an irony of history that the Kunjali Marakkars who had all along been the main props of the Zamorin’s power and strength in his fight against the Portuguese tyranny had to be crushed by an unholy and opportunistic Alliance between the Zamorin and his traditional enemy. The former did not crown himself with Glory by his unpatriotic conduct. The treatment meted out to Kunjali by the Zamorin in the hour of victory has always remained a blot on his family escutcheon. The patriotic exploits of the Kunjali Marakkar continue to evoke heroic memories among the people of Malabar event today. there can be no doubt that the lives of these chiefs reflect glory and honour on all Malabar, for their achievements against the naval Tyranny of the Portuguese form injured a great chapter in the history of Malabar

REFERENCES 1. A. Sreedhara Menon, A Survey of Kerala History, Madras, 1994 2. A. Sreedhara Menon, Kerala and Freedom Struggle, Kottayam, 1997 3. E. M.S.Namboodirippad, Kerala Yesterday Today, Calcutta, 1968 4. T. K.Velupillai, Travancore State Manual, Trivandrum, 1999 5. V. Nagam Aiyah, Travancore State Manual, Trivandrum, 1996