Zamorins and the Political Culture of Medieval Kerala

Title: Zamorins and the Political Culture of Medieval Kerala

Author: Haridas V V

Publisher: Orient Blackswan, 2016 (First)

ISBN: 9788125061281

Pages: 366

Kerala was a small political unit nestled under the protective canopy of the Western Ghats which shielded it from political hegemony by outside powers. At the same time, it was not impervious to trade or cultural contacts. With a vast sea in its backyard, Kerala engaged in a rich trade with Arabia and Eastern Africa from time immemorial. The assimilating mores of Hinduism and reformative principles of Jainism and Buddhism came in through passes in the mountain ranges. In spite of this, the country stood unconquered for most of its existence. The Cholas and the Muslim sultans of Mysore engendered the greatest challenges of conquest, but Kerala shook them off. It was only the British who could make a lasting dominance over the local kings and that too, without actually fighting them – local magnates like Pazhassi Raja and Veluthambi Dalawa were exceptions rather than the rule. The Zamorins of Calicut and kings of Kochi and Travancore were the three major rulers who remained in their thrones when India obtained its independence in 1947. This book examines the political culture of medieval Kerala under the Zamorins of Calicut and is the PhD thesis of the author. V V Haridas is an assistant professor of history at the University of Calicut.

Like any academic product, the author begins with a survey of existing literature and how his paper is markedly different from previous works which are brilliantly researched, yet had some flaws which are rectified in his own work. In the present book, much of the research is based on the Kozhikkodan Granthavari (palace chronicles of Calicut). The period covered by this volume is the five centuries from 1200 CE when Perumal rule ended to 1766 CE when Hyder Ali invaded Malabar. Scarcity of research material pertaining to this period is very acute, but a study by K V Krishna Ayyar in 1938 is the most pertaining one. Clearly, a fresh study was required to iron out the creases in that earlier work. The origin of the Zamorins is shrouded in mystery and some of the tales narrated indicate acquaintance with similar hagiographic stories elsewhere. One such anecdote speaks about Manichan and Vikkiran, who were two brothers employed in the Cheraman Perumal’s army. These so called Eradi brothers are said to have fought against Krishna Rayar of Anegundi (p.247). This more than casual allusion to the founding of the Vijayanagara state by the brothers Harihara and Bukka is noteworthy. Impressed by their courage, the Perumal is said to have handed his sword, entreating them to die and kill to annex. The Zamorins used only three names – Manavikrama, Manaveda and Viraraya. However, the chronology is simply not available. The senior most female member in this matrilineal family was known as Neduvirippil Mootha Kovil. Seniority was the sole criterion to achieve kingship among the three clans (thavazhi) of the royal family. This implied that a person could ascend the throne only at a very advanced age.

The Granthavari from which the findings of this book flows, is a compendium of accounts, payments and receipts at the local treasuries. The historian is thus compelled to weave the political culture of the dynasty from the heads and amounts of payment. This is as difficult as reconstructing a family’s history from its bank statement! Scarcity of material from which scholars could draw inferences is a serious hurdle in the historiography of medieval Kerala. It is an accepted fact that Indians were not very partial to writing history. The earliest extant text of Rajatarangini is sourced only from the twelfth century, which is very recent as compared to India’s vintage in culture, philosophy and literature. Kerala was even more loathe to write history. Unlike other South Indian rulers, Zamorins did not even carve their own sculptures in wood or stone. Paintings of them of an early period have not survived. Paucity of material resources of the kingdom is also a factor that must be considered here. Living in houses with tiled roofs and the ability to perform fireworks were privileges only the nobility could manage in Kerala.

Haridas has made some valuable contributions to knowledge about the period under consideration. It was widely established that the pathinettara kavikal (literally, eighteen and a half poets) was a group of nineteen poets who adorned the Zamorin’s court as a showcase of literary grandeur. The author casts doubts on the historicity of this claim. He terms it to be an invented tradition dating back only to 1907, when an anonymous author wrote that the scholars who received kizhi (a sachet containing money) for the Revathi Pattathanam literary festival were the pathinettara kavikal. William Logan and Herman Gundert, who had written their treatises much before this year were notably silent on this point. Even the Granthavari, on which Haridas leans so much, does not mention it. This crucial finding has its impact on one of the widely believed literary traditions of the Malayalam language too. The author’s research also dwells on the description of chavers (suicide warriors) who attempted to assassinate the Zamorin while presiding over the Mamakam festivities at Tirunavaya on behalf of their master, the lord of Valluvanadu. It is distressing to learn that in the year 1683 alone, 55 young Hindu fighters tried to break through Zamorin’s security cordon comprising of battle-hardened and trusted veterans only to get skewered to pieces in a style eerily reminiscent of fidayeen attacks. Their only hope of redemption was the glory gained from ballads composed for extolling their martyrdom. Haridas also gives a detailed account of the rituals of mamakam and taippuyam celebrations.

A notable feature the readers observe is the mobility of castes, at least in the upper half of the hierarchy. The Zamorins belonged to the Shudra class being Eradis, but could assume kingship of the country. They claimed the status of Samantha Kshatriyas later, in an effort to claim legitimacy. It was too late for them to demand full kshatriya status by professing descent from Surya or Chandra vamsa. So they made do with Agnikula instead. To reiterate their raised position, they reduced the number of days on which pula (ceremonial pollution caused by the decease of a close relative) is maintained to 14, one day less than Nairs who were Shudras. There were other nobles in the state who were functionally subordinate to the Zamorin but born in a higher caste such as the Vettom Utaya Mutha Kovil, who was the second in the political pecking order. As a king, the Zamorin was entitled to mete out punishment to Brahmins also. He degraded the Namputiris of Panniyur as Moosads in early eighteenth century on account of some malpractices in the local temple. They were reinstated to their earlier position in 1760 after they paid a fine of 23,000 panams to the royal treasury. Many designations and titles solidified into caste names later. Tarakkal Iremma Menon was the title of an aristocrat who in fact belonged to Variyar caste. Over time, the term ‘Menon’ came to be a surname used only by the Nairs.

A serious drawback of the book is the total silence on the role Muslims played in the political culture of Calicut. This is unexplainable as the Zamorin’s prominence among the rulers of Kerala was indebted in no small measure to the wealth he generated from maritime trade with the Arabs facilitated by Muslim intermediaries. They excelled in naval warfare and it is probable that they moonlighted as pirates of the western coast – keep in mind that it was the time of Francis Drake, the sea captain, explorer and naval officer of Queen Elizabeth I who doubled as a pirate and slave trader. The Portuguese put a stop to piracy, which infuriated the Muslim sailors. This in turn led to unrest among them that ultimately boiled over as an invitation to Hyder Ali of Mysore to come and invade the kingdom of the infidel Zamorin. We are clueless in this book on all these aspects. The USP of the book is its comprehensive use of the Kozhikkodan Granthavari, a collection of palm leaf documents, which have not been put to good use so thoroughly before. On the other side, there is practically little coverage of the pre-Portuguese period. Tall claims of the history of five centuries notwithstanding, it effectively envelops only two and a half centuries after Vasco da Gama’s arrival at Calicut.

The book is surprisingly interesting to read, considering its pedigree as a PhD thesis. Evidently, the author had imbibed the face of a hapless reader on his mind. However, he is not so generous with the transliteration of Malayalam terms. The scheme he uses is more amenable to Tamil. Even people whose mother tongue happens to be Malayalam find it an exceedingly uphill task to get a hint of the meaning. I had had to repeat a word three or four times in my head to get a clue of what it sounded like. The book is provided with an impressive bibliography and a very good index.

The book is highly recommended.

Rating: 3 Star