Tipu Sultan and the Modernisation of Kerala

By Grace Mubashir, New Age Islam

30 June 2023

Tipu Sultan was an important ruler of the Mysore Kingdom that grew in southern India in the late 1700s. It was his and his father Hyder Ali's hard work and efficiency that made Mysore an kingdom that stretched from the Krishna River in the north to Kerala in the south, although he had no claim to royal succession or a distinct family legacy. Through his reign that lasted from 1782 to 1799, he was able to not only lead southern India to progress but also mount strong challenges against European invasion.

The 18th century for India was a time of disintegration of Mughal rule and clear signs of British dominance. To lead a society firmly entrenched in patriarchy and in the grip of foreign tyranny to freedom is not a heavy responsibility but one that is met with fierce resistance and counter-attacks.

The Mysore invasion of 1766 caused a change in Kerala's socio-political environment. The territory of the Zamorin of Calicut and neighbouring regional kingdoms was invaded by Hider Ali Khan, the monarch of the Mysore kingdom, for the second time. Ali Raja of the Cannanoare Arakkal kingdom made the appeal to delay Hider Ali Khan's second invasion. The King of Palghat, a long-time enemy of the Zamorin troops, requested the first invasion, which took place in 1756–1757. Hyder was at that time working for the Wodeyars of Mysore as the Faujdar of Dindigul.

The Kingdom of Cochin, which is located close by and to the south of Malabar, became a subordinate kingdom of Mysore after the takeover of Zamorin territory. In 1767, Hider Ali's first attempt to overthrow the British ally state of Travancore failed, and his son Tipu Sultan's second attempt, made in 1789 and 1790, fell short. However, Tipu Sultan instigated the Third Anglo-Mysore War, which led to the British invasion, by assaulting the Kingdom of Travancore. Thus, Travancore was the only region of the modern state of Kerala that was independent of Mysore rule.

Kerala during the Mysore invasion

In Kerala, the Mysore sultans ran into a cultural and economic environment riddled with caste hierarchies and subaltern hegemony after the arrival of the Aryans (Namboothiris). It was a society where anarchy and immorality were rampant. In Namboothiri families only the eldest son had the legal right to marry from his own caste. The stipulation was that the younger sons should have convenient relations with young women of the Nair community. For this, legal marriages in the Nair community were banned due to caste laws. "Shudra women are not to observe half-fasting and are to devote themselves to the fulfilment of the wishes of the Namboothiris; The Brahmins dealing with these suggest that they were commanded by Parasuraman, who gave the code of conduct to the Malayalees'' (C. Achyutamenon, Cochin State Manual 1910 Ernakulam, 193) This was the general attitude of the Kerala people at that time. It was also the practice of women here to take more than one husband. Therefore, the responsibility of looking after the family has become that of the uncles, as the father being unrecognizable. It became a practice that prevailed throughout Kerala under the name Marumakkathayam (Matriliny).

Life has become difficult for the lower class and other people by the Namboothiri community's monopoly in agriculture, dominance in the power sector, dominance in the financial sector, leadership in the spiritual domain and material comforts. Increased use of intoxicating substances, depravity and moral decay spread among the Kerala people. While describing the situation in 1800, Dr. Buchanan says, "The renters are the dogs here." Except for the Namboothiri women, the freedom to cover was denied. For women belonging to the lower castes to cover up was considered grossly indecent and a violation of the law.

Most of the countries were ruled by Hindu kings. Muslims remained second-class citizens under these local rulers. Although they emerged as economic powers because they were important links in the trade chain, they had to get special permission from the village to build a mosque. Even if a Muslim was as wealthy as he was, it was obligatory to stand up and perform the ritual at the sight of the Hindu Pramani (feudal lord). Isolated objections to this did not fail to arise in the early seventeenth century. The invasion of Malabar by Hyderali and Tipu Sultan took place at a time when the opposition of the Mappilas against Hindu supremacy was at its peak.

Tipu was able to implement many progressive schemes in the country within a short period of time. Important among them are the social, cultural and economic reforms in the Malabar region. Timely, progressive and anti-foreign, his style of governance impressed even his enemies.

Social Reforms

Tipu mainly tried to eliminate the prevailing customs in the society. He firmly believed that women's social life has to be improved. That is why he insisted that caste culture should be abandoned. Polygamy was banned and extreme caution was exercised in radically reorganizing the Kerala social structure. In a proclamation issued from Kuttipuram in Kattanadu in 1788 advising the people of Malabar, he presented a new outline of social reform. Tipu exhorted them to stop all the previous riots and adopt the path of peace, pay taxes on time and live as good subjects. Tipu's proclamation emphasized the need to live like a civilized man, abandoning polygamy, which the Sultan described as uncivilized, immoral, and more shameful than among animals. He also warns that if they violate his orders and return to their old ways, he will take steps to bring their leaders under the government's rule.

Realizing that the hill tribes in Malabar's Wayanad region and other hilly areas were living completely naked, the Sultan summoned the elders and promised to arrange the distribution of free clothes if poverty was the cause. But they ridiculed his action and begged to be relieved of this obligation. Threatened to flee into a violent storm if they were forced to dress, the Sultan let them go with a good word.

Socio-cultural revival was Tipu's passion and idea. Therefore, he strictly prohibited the use of alcohol and intoxicating substances, which are the main causes of moral decay. A letter written by the Amir of Bangalore on 4th January 1787 says thus. "Besides prohibiting the manufacture and marketing of intoxicating substances, it is said to make written agreements with those who produce them not to manufacture and sell them anymore, and to get an agreement that they will engage in some other occupation. Their lives should be secured by giving them other jobs. The practice of putting young women to domestic work was discouraged. He found out that his Kozhikode Faujdar was having an affair with a Nair woman and ordered it to stop. He was also willing to provide her with new means of livelihood while enforcing prohibition laws. Trusts and institutions to help the needy and helpless were established in all the important places of the country. Professor Mohibbul Hassan Khan in his book quotes from the Mackenzie records about a trust set up to marry off the children of destitute and poor people of marriageable age. The tax system implemented in Tipu's country and the State Training Corporation were good enough to uplift the underprivileged.

Mysore rule in Malabar ushered in the decline of the clan system and the introduction of innovative and progressive ideas for state administration. Along with introducing a centralized administrative system, the taxation system was modernized to benefit the commoners. The amount of land was determined according to the yield of the land. A second land survey was conducted in 1788-89, confiscation of unjustly held lands and new taxes were assessed. He issued special orders and implemented many reforms in the field of agriculture. This led to the Janmi system, the zamindari system that existed in Malabar for centuries, to decline. The revolution initiated by Tipu Sultan in the agricultural land was strongly opposed by the natives of Malabar.

Some of the agrarian reforms included giving annual loans to farmers, fixing taxes on crop yields, fixing land ownership, providing tax relief in case of disaster, and allowing a small percentage of net profits to be paid as taxes.

The Sultan tried to experiment with foreign farming systems. More attention was paid to wheat, barley, millets, sugarcane and fruit crops. New laws were enacted to conserve forest resources and the planting of good types of wood for shipbuilding was encouraged. Trade in pepper, cardamom and sandalwood became a government monopoly. Government godowns were opened in many parts of North Kerala to collect these. Vadakara, Koyilandi, Kozhikode and Mayyazhi were selected for this purpose. These goods were stored in these godowns and sold to foreign traders at a fixed price. This helped the farmers to get fair price for their produce. British historian Edward Moore records the economic progress in Malabar during this period. In Kochi and Malabar, EMS records in his book ‘Keralam’ that there was no land tax until recently, and Tipu Sultan was the first person to impose a tax.

Trade and industry flourished in Malabar during the reign of Tipu Sultan. Tipu was the only Indian ruler who understood that industrial growth and trade development were necessary for the country to have prosperity. Muhibbul Hassan Khan narrates: ‘A keen observer of international movements, Tipu was in touch with the major European nations that were enjoying the benefits of the industrial revolution. He was able to establish a systematic and exemplary administration through the industrial policy implemented with a view to its success. Agriculture and trade flourished. Sultan was associated with foreign countries for their advancement.’ "The farmers in his country are safe. Their efforts are encouraged,” John Shore wrote. Tipu's administration was concerned with planting trees and beautifying the country by constructing irrigation schemes and dams for agriculture. Science and art literature also flourished then.

Trading posts were opened in Muscat, Jeddah, Darmuz and Peru (Burma) to promote foreign trade. Sultan also set up a trading company selling shares to interested parties. A mechanism was created to ensure 50% dividend to the shareholders. An oyster hatchery was also established on the Malabar coast. Divers were also imported from Muscat for this purpose. This was the beginning of industrialisation of Kerala economy.

As part of the industrial revolution, public works were carried out on a large-scale during Tipu's reign. It was his way to always be doing something new. It included new towns, new roads, new irrigation schemes, ever-changing place names, currency systems, administrative department reorganizations, provincial reorganizations, and many necessary and unnecessary reforms.

History records that Tipu was the first to open navigable roads on demand in the Malabar region. Before his time wheeled carts were not seen in the district. It was only after the arrival of Tipu's big guns that the need for lines began to be seen. It was during the Sultan's time that most parts of Malabar were connected and there were many roads that made it possible to walk through the jungles of the country.

Tipu's implementation of the concept of the road ushered in the education of the people, mutual cooperation, familiarity, exchange of visions and a new closeness of human relations. A separate department was working for the development of roads and canals in Malabar. All the long travellers used to travel through them. For the convenience of travellers, inns were occasionally established on the main roads. A colony was established by bringing some Hindu families from outside to provide hotel facilities for Hindu travellers from Tritala near Ponnani. Hindus were brought in from outside because the local Hindus considered it a disgrace to work in hotels. These projects were implemented with the revenue from Malabar.

A military college in Mangalore was appointed to train the navy. This navy was at the fore in arresting pirates. Two large weaving mills were established at Kannur and Kasaragod to make clothes for soldiers and to solve unemployment in Malabar. English historians have also commended him for his laudable work in reviving the declining weaving industry in South India. Factories for the manufacture of daily use goods, a company for the procurement and trading of forest products, a dyeing business, and small-scale enterprises for the manufacture of hats are examples of his business interest and financial acumen.

Tipu curbed the extravagance shown in spending money on celebrations. Buchanan records in his book that the custom of Malabar is to spend all that is in one's own hands and then borrow and spend as much as one can get. Tipu ordered that no village in his country should spend more than one percent of its total income on celebrations. (Mappila Community - History Culture - T Muhammad). The people were allowed to visit the Sultan at any time and express their grief. The Sultan had instructed that Hindus should live by their creed just as Muslims practice Sharia law. Expensive gifts were given to Hindu monks. The Sultan directly gave gifts to those who were interested in agricultural development and new inventions. (Kerala Muslim History. P.A. Zaid Muhammad)

Tipu's conquest of Malabar led to economic and social transformations. It helped to wipe out the prevailing Namboothiri supremacy and eradicated customs and vices. Many Mappilas were appointed to important posts in the administration and the army. With the relaxation of birth right, the Mappilas became the owners of land. (Malabar Struggle M.P. Narayana Menon) The Mysore administration helped the lower castes to understand that they had the right to question the upper castes and to develop a sense of their dignity and power. With this, the Nayars had their right cut down among the lower castes. The excessive socio-political importance of the Nair community disappeared and the lower castes gained social acceptance. (Kerala Muslim Directory)

Under Mysore rule, Kerala Muslims could build mosques without anyone's permission. It was also possible to rest in graves without paying taxes. Muslims gained glory. But being Muslims did not exempt them from tax liability. But they became a protected people.

Social Consequences of Reforms

The Malabar region were viewed with suspicion and considered an unjust encroachment on the caste system. Therefore, strong objections were raised against it. They assumed that Tipu Sultan, a Muslim, was carrying out conversion schemes. Tipu's failure was that he could not convince them for who’s good he was doing this.

The Mysore army put up a strong defence against the British who encroached on the country's sovereignty. Therefore, Tipu became a bitter enemy of the British. When they got the chance, they broke all bounds of politeness and clashed with the Sultan. The British portrayed Tipu Sultan as a religious fanatic and a temple destroyer in order to overthrow Tipu who strongly resisted and to gain support for their political conquest.

The heavy blow to the caste system also fuelled the protest against Tipu. So upper caste Hinduism and the British wrote Tipu Sultan in history like this. "The cruelties committed here by Hyder Khan and his son Tipu Sultan were inhumane: no complaint, no indignation. But it is useless to turn a blind eye to the fact that the fate of weapons has resulted in a crash in the customs, deeds, actions, beliefs, ideals and theories that the Malayali people have taken care of for centuries. Many were sad. It was so brutal that I couldn't even remember it except with shock. It was terrible." (Kerala in the 19th century. P. Bhaskaranunni) 

But if we look at the facts, we can understand that Tipu Sultan was very cautious in showing respect and dignity to the people of other religions. The temple in front of the Palakkad fort is proof of this. Many Hindus worked in his army. Tipu's army chief himself was a non-Muslim named Apparao. After Tipu, Dewan Purnaiya was the most powerful in the country. Shyama Iyer was in charge of the police department. How can a ruler who shows broad-mindedness only to produce non-religious people even in administrative matters, be a bigot and a fanatical religious thinker?

Many incidents can be found in the history books which support Tipu's religious harmony stance. Some historical accounts paint Tipu as more of a religious fanatic and a poisoner of communalism. The results of Tipu's social reforms are still present in Kerala in the form of abolition of caste supremacy, roads and progress in agriculture.

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A regular columnist for NewAgeIslam.com, Mubashir V.P is a PhD scholar in Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia and freelance journalist.

 

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