Arakkal Kingdom: Dynasty Led By Muslim Women
By
Grace Mubashir, New Age Islam
16 June
2023
Arakkal
Swaroopam (Kingdom) was the only Muslim ruling dynasty in Kerala. It was a
full-fledged country that resisted colonial invasions and lingered till
independence. It was a royal kingdom with independent coinage, the court
system, army and navy. Still, the family ceremonial position and managed vast
swathes of hereditary property.
Arakkal
Museum
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The Arakkal
Kingdom (Kingdom Of Cannanore, Sultanate of Laccadive & Cannanore) is the
one and only Muslim independent maritime state in Kerala which existed before
the invasion of British colonialism. Cannanore, namely Kannur was its main
centre. It consisted of Kannur City, some northernmost provinces and
Lakshadweep- the most prominent Island in the Arabian Sea. The Arakkal Kingdom
played a pivotal role in reforming the Cannanore port a major among other
foreign countries which exported more precious handcrafts and local goods to
other neighboring countries. The Kingdom was under the full surveillance of
Chirakkal Dynasty (Kingdom Of Kolathiri). Later on, it gradually became more
independent and powerful which came to be entitled as The Arakkal Kingdom,
fully fledged with naval and cavalry forces.
The family
follows matriarchal tradition. The oldest person in the female lineage assumes
power, irrespective of gender. Like the Travancore kingdom, the Arakkal family
also continued this tradition. In the history of the dynasty, the kingdom was
ruled by Bivis (princess) at various points of time.
Genesis
Various
folklores are available about the origin of the dynasty. But the common thread
of all stories converges at amicable religious harmony between Hindus and
Muslims. In the first phase of its origin, Mammalis (vassals) of Kolathiri
Kings of Kochi assume significance. The Arakkal family was a branch of the
Kolathiri kingdom, converted to Islam.
According
to one oral history, Kolathiri King gifted the Arakkal to one Mammali when he
saves a drowning princess. As per the caste system of North Kerala, one who
offers ‘Pudava’ (clothes) to a woman is regarded as her groom. As Mammali saved
the princess and offered the dresses to cover her, the Kochi ruler gifted the
Arakkal village as a gift. The princess in question later converted and
accepted the name of Fathima with the blessings of the Hindu ruler of the Kochi
kingdom.
Another
folklore goes like this: Kolathiri King gifted some villages to Mammali in
Ezhimala and Madayi. Today these places are called Arakkal Kettu (Arakkal Palace). Muslim Mammalis serves the Hindu Kolathiri
rulers and fought along with Kochi rulers against the adversaries. The fifth
Mammali, Ali Moosa, captured the Agathi, Kavarathi, Minicoy and Kalpeni islands
of Lakhwadeep and gifted them to Kolathiri.
The story
of family signifies the shared heritage of Hindu-Muslim love and cooperation.
For the prosperity of subjects, the rulers shredded religious propensities and
religion was not a marker of identity. The lamp still burned in the Arakkal
place is an everlasting witness to this impressive religious fraternity of the
bygone period in Kerala.
The founder
of the Arakkal royal family was a king named Muhammad Ali. In Malabar Manual,
Logan has given a list of rulers up to that time. The first five are: (1)
Muhammad Ali (2) Uzzan Ali (3) Alimusa (4) Kunhimusa (5) Alimusa. It is also
recorded that the last king conquered the Maldives in 1183-84.
All the
rulers of Arakkal Swarupam had Aliraja added to their names. There are
differences of opinion among historians regarding this. commentators say that
Adi Raja was the first Muslim ruler of Kerala.
After
conversion from Dharmapatnam, this family settled in Kannur. They built forts
and places of worship there and tried to make Kannur an important port city. As
a result of this Kannur and Arakkal dynasties got a significant position in the
industrial and political spheres of medieval Kerala. Kannur's prosperity was
due to its trade with countries like Egypt, Africa and Arabia. Kannur town
played an important role in the export of pepper, coffee, cardamom, betel nut,
timber, rope products, etc. Kannur port was a place where traders could anchor
safely even if there were storms, floods and rough seas. Arakkal Swarupam, who
was able to seize foreign markets, and was able to attract Muslim merchants and
sailors from different parts of Malabar to Kannur. Arakkal kings were called
Ali Rajas because of their sea trade and naval power.
The main
advantage of the Arakkal dynasty was that they were able to bring the
archipelagos into the Arabian Sea under their control. There is little basis
for the speculation that Maldives and Lakshadweep may have been purchased from
Kolathiri by the Arakkal kings. Only those who had naval superiority could
conquer these islands in the Arabian Sea. A strong naval force was also needed
to maintain this supremacy over the archipelago, so the Arakkal kings who took
care in that regard were able to rule as the owners of the sea for a while. The
strait separating Minicoy and Lakshadweep is described as the 'Mammali Canal'
in Portuguese records. It is clear from this how much sovereignty Ali Raja's
sailors had in the seas.
Against
Colonial Forces
This naval
supremacy was challenged by the arrival of the Portuguese. Trade with foreign
countries also began to lose. It was Aliraja's family that created the
strongest navy to face this newly emerging European power on the seas and waged
wars lasting over a century. Realizing that the power most detrimental to their
trade existence was the Ali dynasty, the Portuguese gathered all their power
and organized naval wars against this dynasty. In 1553, they drove out the
sailors of the Ali Raja from Lakshadweep and occupied the island. But they
could only hold on to the island for a few years. Ali Raja's navy defeated the
Portuguese and recaptured the island. It is described in the book Tuhfatul
Mujahideen when the harassment of the Portuguese pestered, Ali Raja sought help
from Sultan Adil Shah of Bijapur. The Bijapur-Egyptian fleets came forward to
help Ali Raja and thus Ali Raja was able to resist the Portuguese advance.
These naval conflicts that lasted for a century and a half were the only reason
why the Portuguese could not establish their dominance in Kerala and India. But
these wars adversely affected the economic structure of Kannur, which was
progressing through trade and commerce, and disrupted the growth of the Arakkal
dynasty.
The Dutch,
who succeeded the Portuguese, had strengthened their friendship with the Ali
dynasty from the very beginning. This friendship was fueled by the fact that
both groups were enemies of the Portuguese. It was the Ali kings who helped the
Dutch against the Portuguese and provided them with necessary trade assistance.
In 1663, the Dutch conquered the Portuguese fort near the city of Kannur. The
name of the fort was 'Fort Angelo'. Hamilton, Baladue and other travelers have
given many descriptions of this fort and the city of Kannur, which was the seat
of Ali Raja. According to a treaty signed in 1664, friendly and commercial
relations were established between the Dutch and Arakkal Swarupam. But he did
not fully respect this treaty as Ali Raja was prohibited from procuring pepper
and other spices from the lands of Kochi Raja and Zamorin. The same year the
Dutch made another treaty with the Raja of Ali. However, instead of feeding the
Dutch with all the pepper that could be stored, Ali Raja shipped most of it
abroad under his control. Due to this, it can be understood from the
memorandums written by the governors of that time about the Dutch
administration in Malabar that the Dutch did not get the profit expected from
their Kannur factory.
The
Arrival Of Hyder Ali
The Arakkal
dynasty has often maintained friendly relations with the neighboring Kolathiri
dynasty. Mammals of the Arakkal family were the chief stewards of the Kolathiri
kings. They controlled their trade and naval activities. But with the entry of
European powers, there were changes in the policies of the local kings
throughout Kerala. Desperate to settle their dues, the local kings sought the
help of foreign powers. In this environment, the Arakkal kings who were
fighting the Portuguese had to oppose the local kings who were their allies. By
the late 18th century, the French and English had established trading posts at
Mahi and Thalassery. This also became a new threat to the Arakkal family which
gave more importance to trade. All the Muslims of Malabar considered Kannur as
their refuge and it became annoying to the other Kerala kings. Hyder Ali
(1722-82) came to power in Mysore at a time when there were ongoing conflicts
between the local kings of Kerala and foreign powers on one side and the
Arakkal dynasty on the other.
Hyder Ali
was invited to Malabar by Kapu Tampan, the younger king of the Kolathiri clan,
and Raja Ali. Using this opportunity to expand his jurisdiction, Hyder Ali set
out to attack Malabar in 1766. Ali Raja mobilized twenty thousand infantry and
his naval force to aid Hyder Ali's attack and work towards Hyder Ali's goal of
conquering Malabar. Hyder Ali who had conquered Malabar, handed over the
administration of the kingdom to Ali Raja and appointed his brother as the
commander of the Mysore navy in the Arabian Sea. The Kolathiri king returned
from Travancore in 1774 and informed Hyder Ali that he should restore the rule
of his country and pay the tribute correctly, and Ali replaced the king and
gave the position to the Chirakkal king. During the period from 1766 to 1790,
Arakkal Swarupam had grown into an irresistible force in the Malabar region as
a close friend of the Mysore rulers. But as the political fortunes of Mysore
changed, so did the power of the Arakkal Swarupam.
In the
Second and Third Mysore Wars, the foundations of the Arakkal family were shaken
by the strong attack of the English. Both these times the British were able to
conquer Kannur palace even though it was very difficult.
At the
beginning of the Third Mysore War (1790), Aber Crombie's army conquered Kannur
and allied with Bivi, the ruler. After the war, when Malabar came under the
control of the English, the Arakkal dynasty also came under English rule. This
dynasty came to a position where the English East India Company dictated its
policies and the dynasty lost independence.
The
Matriarchal System
The Arakkal
family followed a matriarchal system of descent: the eldest member of the
family, whether male or female, became its head and ruler. While male rulers
were called Ali Rajah, female rulers were known as Arakkal Beevis. Sultana
Aysha Aliraja was the ruler until her death on the morning of September 27,
2006.
Here the
eldest member of the family, be it male or female, is entrusted with the
leadership of the family. Therefore, the Arakkal dynasty has had leadership and
rule by women for many periods. If the eldest member was a woman, she usually
assumed the burden of the kingdom. They were described as the ‘Great Wife’. As
part of the transfer of power, the sword, shield and silverware will be handed
over to the new sultan at the coronation ceremony the next day. An unbroken
dynasty tradition. And the rarest of a rare succession of female rulers. War,
peace, trade and international exchange were all safely in the hands of the
Sultans. Many Bivis were conversant in several languages, including Persian and
Hindustani.
The unique
face of female members in Arakkal Swarupam is perhaps surprising not only to
the conservative mind of the Muslim community but even to the modern women's
status argument among Muslims. Women achieved many things that men could not
achieve in Arakal Swarupam. War, truce, trade, international exchange, even the
justices in the courts of the country were under the supervision of the female
charioteer. Arakkal family was literally ruled by the wives. According to the
Malabar Joint Commission document, the minister or the husband of the daughter
is the Chief Justice of the day. Sharia-compliant judgments are reviewed in
court by a group of scholars. That is to say, the scholars are only in the
capacity of judicial officers under Bivi.
One-third
of the Arakkal kings were matriarchs of the house. Sharia-compliant matriarchy
was followed by the house. Male and female ascended each other's thrones
according to the female line. All 19 kings who ruled for almost three-quarters
of the 17th century (1777) were men. Interestingly, the Biwees ruled a large
part in the period when the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British circled to
usurp Arakal's glory and the political weakness of Arakal. This is because
imperialism introduced many cheats and exclusionary policies by trampling on
the inherent feminine weakness of wives. However, some women faced colonialism
more aggressively than men.
In 1728,
the first Arakkal Bivi (Harabichi Katavubi Adirajabivi-1728-1732) who came to
power had to contend with colonialism. Finally, she had to sign a treaty with
the English. It was Sultana Impichibivi Adiraja who had to surrender
Lakshadweep to the English after constant resistance, legal wars and contract
violations. In 1793, Junummabi, the then 23rd ruler, suffered a lot of torture
when she was surrounded in Kannur Palce and the Arakkal army was massacred.
They were imprisoned in the fort. It was under Bivi who fought for three years
continuously against the atrocities committed by the Portuguese in the Arabian
Sea against the Mappilas. On the way to Mecca, the sea warriors killed Bivi's
son. On that day, Bivi Sulthal Ali appealed to Adil Shahi to save the Muslims
from Portuguese slavery. The Sultan accordingly came up to Goa and confronted
the Portuguese.
Theirs was
a complicated time of contracts and court battles. Historical records show that
many of the Arakkal wives were bilingual. Some wives were educated in
Hindustani and Persian. Some English documents mention that Major MacLeods, who
attacked Kannur in the 1780s, spoke Bivi without the help of a interpreter.
Later they became proficient in English as well.
Harabichi
Kadavoombi (1728-1732) Janummabi (1732-1745) Junummabi (1777-1819) Mariambi
(1819-1838) Ayishabi (1838-1862) Impichibivi (1907-1911) Aishabivi (1921-1931)
Mariyumbimmavi (1907-1911) 46-1957) amino acids (1957-1980) Ayeshamuthubevi
(1998-2006) and Zainaba Ayeshabeevi (2006-2010) are the female gems who have
inherited the Arakkal title. 11 of the 37 crown princes were women. A look at
the reigns of the early crown princes may have left out the names of some of
the intervening ones. Because it is recorded in the records that Abu-Bakr Ali
Adiraja the ninth of Arakkal ruled for 93 years, Muhammadali Adiraja the eighth
for 87 years and Isa Abu-Bakr Adiraja the seventh for 81 years. This reign is
fascinating, given the extent of their longevity. However, the example of those
who have 'centralized' the rule in women is much more.
Currently,
studies are rare on matriarchal Islam in India as colonialism supported the
patriarchal interpretation of history. More. Studies are to be conducted about
how women defied orthodoxy and legal supremacy to claim royal titles. These
studies will enable a women-friendly interpretation of Islam in South Asia.
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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.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/arakkal-kingdom-dynasty-muslim-women/d/130006
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