MARUMAKKATHAYAM MARRIAGE COMMISSION. ANSWERS TO INTERROGATORIES BY M. R RY. K. R. KRISHNA MENON, AVARGAL, RETIRED SUB-JUDGE, WALLUVANAD TALUK. 1. Amongst Nayars and other high caste people, a man of the higher divi­ sion can have Sambandham with a woman of a lower division. 2, 3, 4 and 5. According to the original institutes of Malabar, Nayars are divided into 18 sects, between whom, except in the last 2, intermarriage was per­ missible ; and this custom is still found to exist, to a certain extent, both in Travan­ core and Cochin, This rule has however been varied by custom in British Mala­ bar, in Avhich a woman of a higher sect is not now permitted to form Sambandham with a man of a lower one. This however will not justify her total excommuni­ cation from her caste in a religious point of view, but will subject her to some social disabilities, which can be removed by her abandoning the sambandham, and paying a certain fine to the Enangans, or caste-people. The disabilities are the non-invitation of her to feasts and other social gatherings. But she cannot be prevented from entering the pagoda, from bathing in the tank, or touch­ ing the well &c. A Sambandham originally bad, cannot be validated by a Prayaschitham. In fact, Prayaschitham implies the expiation of sin, which can be incurred only by the violation of a religious rule. Here the rule violated is purely a social one, and not a religious one, and consequently Prayaschitham is altogether out of the place. The restriction is purely the creature of class pride, and this has been carried to such an extent as to pre­ vent the Sambandham of a woman with a man of her own class, among certain aristocratic families. For instance, a lady of the Zamorin's family is not allowed to consort with a man of Ei-adi, Vellodi, or Nedungadi sect, although he is of the same sect with her. In like manner, amongst the Kiriyam, Pallichan and Charnna sects Avho have attained some Edaprabhu-ship (middle lordship), the ladies are not permitted to consort even with men of their own sect. In the families of Pozhavayi Nayar, Kavalappara Nayar, Kongat Nayar, Mannur Nayar and those of other Edaprabhus, this rule is strictly observed, as they still think that it is more honorable to allow their ladies to be kept by Brahmans than being allowed to consort with" the men of their own sect. This prohibition is somewhat similar to that obtaining among the Brahmins on the other side of the ghauts, where it is not customary for a man of Oadama sect to marry an Ashta Sahasrom girl, and vice versa. But when a marriage actually takes place between them, I do not think that the Law will go to the length of declaring the marriage invalid on that ground. It is true that the relatives will at first kick up" a row, but they will become gradually cooled, especially when the married parties are influential. 6. Kora river, which is styled "Ghlra" in Sanskrit, is the recognised boundary between North and South Malabar for caste purposes. 2 7 and 8. Nayars of North Malabar, usually consort with* women of South Malabar. There are few instances of the Nayars of South Malabar consorting with women of North Malabar. For instance, the late Karampally Sekhara Kurup, who was a native of South Malabar, married a lady of Palliyil house in North Malabar; and one Eroman Nayar, late Deputy Jailor and a native of South Malabar, married the daughter of the late Nazir of Che Sub Court, Tellicherry, who is a native of North Malabar. I have heard 2 or 3 other instances also. The women of North Malabar are, as a rule, uneducated, and the men even in well-to-do families allow their women to work in the field, and in personal attractiveness and in refined manners, they are far inferior to their sisters in South Malabar, and they cannot cross the Kora river. These circumstances account for the fewness of such in­ stances. Mutual intercourse between them is expressly permitted by the follow­ ing text in Kerala Mahatmyam, viz :—Translation of Sloka—(The sons of Deva and Gantharwa women may have mutual intercourse with the daughters of Gantharwa and Deva females respectively, and vice versa in the country of Kerala). In this passage, the sons of Deva females are the Nayars of South Malabar,.and the daughters of the Gantharwa females are the women of North Malabar, because according to this Mahatmyam, the country between Cape Comorin and Ghora river was colonised by the descendants of a Deva female and those of her six handmaids, and the country between the Ghora river and Paysasini river in Kizhoor, at Kasar- god, by the descendants of a Gantharwa female and those of her six handmaids, and the country between Payassini river and Ghokarnam in North Canara, by the descendants of an Asura female and those of her six handmaids. 9 and 10. There is no caste or religious prohibition for a Woman of North Malabar crossing the Korapuzha river; but tradition says that a political reason existed for the prohibition. When the Chirakkal Raja and the Zamorin Avere at war, certain ladies of North Malabar who came to the Zamorin's territory were ravished by certain Mapilla subjects of the latter, and the Chirakkal Raja then ruled that no female of his kingdom should come over to the Zamorin's territory. This appears to be the sole reason of the existing prohibition. As the reason of the rule has ceased, the rule also ought to cease. 11 and 12. Taii-kettu Kalyanam is not a marriage in any sense of the word as undrstood by the civilized world. The principle object of a marriage is sexual intercourse, and this idea never enters into the heads of either man or woman who goes through this ceremony. This is somewhat analogous to what a Devadasi (dancing girl attached to pagodas) of#other countries undergoes before she begins her profession. Among Royal families and those of certain Edapra- bhus a Kshathriya, and among the Charna sect, a Nedungadi, is invited to the girl's house at an auspicious hour appointed for the purpose, and in the presence of friends and castemen ties tali around her neck, and goes away after receiving certain fee for his trouble. Among the other sects, the horoscope of the girl is examined along with those of the boys of her Enangan (a reconciled member of ones own clan) families, and the boy whose horoscope is found to aoree with hers is marked out as a fit person to tie the tali, and a day is fixed for the tali-tying ceremony by the astrologer and information given to the Karanavan of tho boy's family. On the appointed day the boy is invited to a house near that of the girl where he is fed with his friends by the head of the girl's family. This feast is called "Ayani Onu" and the boy is henceforth called "Manavalan" or "Pillai." From the house in which the Manavalan is entertained a procession is formed 3 preceded by men with sword and shield shouting a kind of war-cry. In the mean­ time a procession starts from the girl's house, with similar men and cries, and headed by a member of her Tarawad, to meet the other procession and after meeting the Manavalan he escorts him to the girl's house. After entering the Pandal erected for the purpose, he is conducted to a seat of honor and there his feet are washed by the brother of the girl, who receives a pair of clotHs on the occasion. The Manavalan is then taken to the centre of the Pandal, where bamboo-mats, carpets and white cloths are spread, and seated there. The brother of the g»d then carries her from inside the house, and after going round the Pandal three times, places her at the left side of the Manavalan, and the father of the girl then presents new cloth tied in a Kambli to the pair, and with this neAV cloth (technically called "Manthravadi") they change their dress. The wife of the Karanavan of the girls Tarawad, if she be of the same caste, then decorates the girl by putting anklets &c. The " Purohit" • called "Elayath" (a low class of Brahmans) then gives the tali to the Manavalan and the family astrologer shouts " Muhoortham" (auspicious hour) and the Mana­ valan, putting his sword on his lap, ties taii around the girl's neck, who is then required to hold an arrow and a looking-glass in her hand. In rich families, a Brahmini sings certain songs intended to bless the couple. In ordinary families Avho cannot procure her presence, a certain Nayar who is versed in song performs the office. Tbe boy and the girl are then carried by Enangans to a decorated apart­ ment in the inner part of the house, where they are required to remain under a sorb of pollution for three days. On the 4th day they bathe in some neighbouring tank or river, holding each others hands. After changing clothes they come home preceded by a procession, which varies in importance according to the wealth of the-girls family-Tom-toms and elephants usually form part of the procession, and saffron water is sprinkled. When they come home the doors of the house are shut which the Manavalan is required t'o force open.