>Rodw at 09:13, 4 July 2021

2021-07-04T09:13:16Z

New page

{{More citations needed|date=May 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox country
|native_name = Arakkal Kingdom
|conventional_long_name =
|common_name = Arakkal Kingdom
|capital = [[Cannanore]] , [[Konni, Kerala|Konni]] (now [[Kannur]]
|government_type = [[Monarchy]]
|year_start = 1545
|date_start =
|year_end = 1819
|date_end =
|event_end= Annexed to [[British India]]
|p1 = Kolathunad
|flag_p1 =
|s1 = Presidencies and provinces of British India
|flag_s1 = British Raj Red Ensign.svg
|image_flag = Arakkal_flag_1.png
|image_coat = Coat_Of_Arms.png
|symbol =
|image_map =
|image_map_caption =
|
|national_anthem =
|common_languages = [[Malayalam]]
|religion = [[Islam]]
|leader2 =
|leader3 =
|year_leader1 =
|year_leader3 =
|title_leader =
}}
[[File:Flag of the Arakkal Kingdom (18th century).svg|thumb|Flag of Arakkal from the 18th century onwards]]
'''Arakkal kingdom''' was a [[Sultanate|Muslim kingdom]] in [[Kannur]] town in [[Kannur district]], in the state of Kerala, [[South India]]. The king was called [[Ali Raja]] and the ruling queen was called [[Arakkal Beevi]].<ref>Logan, William (2006). Malabar Manual, Mathrubhumi Books, Calicut. {{ISBN|978-81-8264-046-7}}</ref> Arakkal kingdom included little more than the [[Kannur|Cannanore]] town and the southern [[Laccadive Islands]] ([[Agatti]], [[Kavaratti]], [[Andrott|Androth]] and [[Kalpeni]], as well as [[Minicoy]]), originally leased from the Kolattiri. The royal family is said to be originally a branch of the [[Kolattiri]], descended from a princess of that family who converted to Islam. They owed allegiance to the Kolattiri rulers, whose ministers they had been at one time. The rulers followed the [[Marumakkathayam]] system of matrilineal inheritance, a system which is unique to a section of Hindus of [[Kerala]]. Under Marumakkathayam, the succession passes to the male offspring of its female members, in other words from a man to his sister's son and so forth. As the only Muslim rulers in Malabar, they saw the rise of [[Hyder Ali]], de facto ruler of the [[Mysore Sultanate]] as the opportunity to increase their own power at the expense of Chirakkal, and invited him to invade Kerala. [[Arakkal Sultan]] is a living descendant of the Arakkal dynasty at [[Konni, Kerala|Konni]] in [[Pathanamthitta]] district.

The Bibi received no special treatment after the treaties of [[Srirangapatam]], and settlement negotiations were long and difficult but she finally signed an agreement in 1796 that guaranteed continued possession of the city of Cannanore and the Laccadive Islands, but deprived her of any claim to sovereignty. Yet, as late as 1864, the Bibi of Cannanore was included in an official list of "native sovereigns and chiefs" as being entitled to a seven-gun salute. Because of the outbreak of the war with France shortly after the 1796 agreement, as well as other considerations, the Laccadive Islands remained unnoticed and the Bibi continued to rule them with no restrictions. The islands were misgoverned throughout the 19th century, and the British Government had to assume their administration at least twice, in 1854-1861, and again (permanently as it turned out) in 1875. In 1905, in exchange for the remission of overdue tribute, the payment of an annual pension to the head of the family, and the title of Sultan, the Ali Raja at last agreed to cede all rights, whether as sovereign or tenant, to the Laccadive Islands, including Minicoy, which the family claimed as their private property.

The king's palace, which he purchased from the Dutch in 1663, was named [[Arakkal Palace]] after the ruling dynasty.

==Origins==
[[File:Moppilah Bay.JPG|thumb|left|[[Mappila Bay]] with the old Arakkal kingdom in the distance]]
[[File:Mappila Bay Fishing Harbour3.jpg|thumbnail|[[Mappila Bay]] harbour at [[Ayikkara]]. On one side, there is [[St. Angelo Fort]] (built in 1505) and on the other side is [[Arakkal kingdom|Arakkal palace]].]]
[[File:City of Cannanore, 1572.jpg|thumbnail|A portrait of Kannur drawn in 1572, from [[Georg Braun]] and [[Frans Hogenberg]]'s atlas ''Civitates orbis terrarum'', Volume I]]
[[File:Cannonore fort & Bay'; a watercolor by John Johnston, c.1795-1801.jpg|thumbnail|Kannur fort and Bay; a watercolor by John Johnston (1795-1801)]]
As per mythology, the last ruler of the Chera Empire, Rama Varma Kulashekhara Perumal, is claimed to have been converted to Islam by [[Malik Deenar|Malik Bin Dinar]],<ref name="Logan">Malabar Manual, Volume 1, William Logan</ref> an Islamic missionary. Perumal along with Malik Deenar came from Mahodyapuram (Old name of [[Kodungallur]] -The capital of the [[Chera Empire]]) to Thalassery, to visit Perumal's sister and nephew residing there. Perumal's sister Sridevi and nephew Mabeli were residing in a place called Dharmadam north of Thalassery. The relics of their fort is located in the vicinity of Govt. Brennan College, Thalassery. Mabeli was converted to Islam and he accepted the name Muhammed Ali, who later became the first Arakkal Ali Raja.<ref>Kerala Muslim History – P A Syed Mohammed</ref>
<ref>{{cite book | title = A Survey of Kerala History | author = A. Sreedhara Menon | publisher = Sahitya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society | year = 1967 | page = 204}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title = Lakshadweep| author = N. S. Mannadiar | publisher = Administration of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep | year = 1977 | page = 52}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title = Reminiscences| author = Ke. Si. Māmmanmāppiḷa | publisher = Malayala Manorama Pub. House | year = 1980 | page = 75}}</ref> According to folklore, Cheraman Perumal went to Mecca from an erstwhile province named ''Poya Nadu''(Governed by feudal governors named ''Randuthara Achanmar''. The region comprices Edakkad, Anjarakkandy, Mavilayi etc.) now in Kannur district. Malik Deenar built a mosque in Madayi north of Kannur, the third oldest mosque in Kerala.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.elatrip.com/categoryspot/spotdetails/8/498/2/Madayi-Mosque.html |title=Madayi Mosque |access-date=25 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929051520/http://www.elatrip.com/categoryspot/spotdetails/8/498/2/Madayi-Mosque.html |archive-date=29 September 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Perumal's nephew Mabeli was an Arayankulangara Nair, and hence the Nair matrilineal system is observed by the Arakkal royal family.<ref name="Arayankulangara">''Kerala District Gazetteers: Malappuram'', A. Sreedhara Menon, Superintendent of Govt. Presses, 1972, p. 92</ref> His wife was the daughter of Kolathiri, and they later came to be known as Arakkal Beevi.<ref name="Arayankulangara"/> Muhammad Ali continued in the service of the Kolathiris even after his conversion, and his successors known as the Mammali Kidavus were the hereditary ''Padanairs'' of the Kolathiri.<ref name="Arayankulangara"/> Around this time, many Muslim merchant families became financially influential in the [[Malabar region]]. When the Arakkal family took control of [[Lakshadweep|Laccadives]], they achieved near-royal status.

Another legend is that the daughter of Chirakkal Raja began to drown while bathing in the Chirakkal kulam (pond). Her friends cried and shouted but were unable to rescue her. Muhammed Ali heard the shouting and came to find out what was wrong. He recognized the girl drowning in the pond as the princess, but was hesitant about saving her because of untouchability and if a lower-caste person touched an upper-caste person it was considered a sin, possibly punishable by death. However, he rescued her and gave her his dhoti to cover the princess. When the news reached the Chirakkal Raja, he called his daughter and the Muhammed Ali. At that time, if a man gave a ''pudava'' (a long cloth used for covering the body) to an unmarried woman, they were considered married. The scholars of the court told the Raja that since his daughter was touched by a Muslim, she was no longer allowed to enter the palace. However, the man had given her his pudava so she was married to him as well. As per the custom the Raja had no other choice but to give his daughter to the Muhammed Ali. The area given to Muhammed Ali was known as Arakkal and his family was called the Arakkal family{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}.

The British Military was very eager to make Dharmadam as their base and built a fort there. This small island village was strategically more secure than any surrounding places as it is a hilly island, however it was governed by Arakkal kingdom, being the first Ali Raja's home town. Arakkal kingdom was so powerful in that time as an ally of Mysore, even to defy the British. British East India Company was not allowed by the Arakkal kingdom to build military garrison in Dharmadam. So they were forced to build their base in Thalassery where there was strong presence of French forces stationed few kilometers away in Mahe.<ref name="Logan"/>

==Location==
The palace is three kilometers from Kannur, [[Kerala]], India, in what is now called [[Kannur town]]. The Arakkal family was the only Muslim royal family in Kerala.

==Ali Rajas and Arakkal Beevis==
[[File:Arakkal Beevi.jpg|thumb|Ruler ''Sultana Aysha Arakkal Beevi''.]]

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 27 September 2006.
Octogenarian Adiraja Mariyumma, alias Cheriya Bikkunhu Beevi, becomes the new head of the Arakkal family on 4 May 2019.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/mariyumma-is-new-head-of-arakkal-royal-family/article27073246.ece | title=Mariyumma is new head of Arakkal royal family | date=9 May 2019 | newspaper=The Hindu | first=Mohamed | last=Nazeer | access-date=25 August 2019 }}</ref>

==History==
There had been considerable trade relations between [[Middle East]] and [[Malabar Coast]] even before the time of [[Prophet Muhammad]] (c. 570 - 632 AD).<ref>{{cite journal|last=Fuller|first=C. J.|date=March 1976|title=Kerala Christians and the Caste System|journal=Man|series=New Series|publisher=Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland|volume=11|issue=1|pages=53–70|doi=10.2307/2800388|jstor=2800388}}</ref><ref name="PPRazakAbdul2">P. P., Razak Abdul "Colonialism and community formation in Malabar: a study of muslims of Malabar" Unpublished PhD thesis (2013) Department of History, University of Calicut [http://hdl.handle.net/10603/13105]</ref> Muslim tombstones with ancient dates, short inscriptions in medieval mosques, and rare Arab coin collections are the major sources of early Muslim presence on the Malabar Coast.{{cn|date=June 2021}} Islam arrived in [[Kerala]], a part of the larger [[Indian Ocean]] rim, via spice and silk traders from the [[Middle East]]. Historians do not rule out the possibility of [[Islam]] being introduced to Kerala as early as the seventh century CE.<ref name="indiatimes3">{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Trade-not-invasion-brought-Islam-to-India/articleshow/2144414.cms |title=Trade, not invasion brought Islam to India |last=Sethi |first=Atul |date=24 June 2007 |work=Times of India |access-date=24 September 2014}}</ref><ref name="autogenerated20002">Katz 2000; Koder 1973; Thomas Puthiakunnel 1973; David de Beth Hillel, 1832; Lord, James Henry 1977.</ref> Notable has been the occurrence of [[Legend of Cheraman Perumals|Cheraman Perumal Tajuddin]], the Hindu King that moved to [[Arabia]] from [[Dharmadom]] near [[Kannur]] to meet the Islamic [[Prophet]] [[Muhammad]] and converted to Islam.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Varghese |first1=Theresa |title=Stark World Kerala |date=2006 |publisher=Stark World Pub. |isbn=9788190250511 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lDhuAAAAMAAJ&q=cheraman+perumal+tajuddin |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kumar |first1=Satish |title=India's National Security: Annual Review 2009 |date=27 February 2012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x-esAgAAQBAJ&q=cheraman+perumal+tajuddin&pg=PA346 |publisher=Routledge |language=en|isbn=9781136704918 }}</ref><ref>Minu Ittyipe; [[Solomon]] to Cheraman; Outlook Indian Magazine; 2012</ref> According to the [[Legend of Cheraman Perumals]], the first Indian mosque was built in 624 AD at [[Kodungallur]] with the mandate of the last the ruler (the Cheraman Perumal) of [[Chera dynasty]], who converted to Islam during the lifetime of [[Muhammad|Prophet Muhammad]] (c. 570–632).<ref>{{cite book |author=Jonathan Goldstein |title=The Jews of China |publisher=M. E. Sharpe |year=1999|isbn=9780765601049 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Z6DlzyT2vwC |page=123}}</ref><ref name="SimpsonKresse2008">{{cite book |author1=Edward Simpson|author2=Kai Kresse|title=Struggling with History: Islam and Cosmopolitanism in the Western Indian Ocean|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w0qHKA7zEaEC&pg=PA333|access-date=24 July 2012 |year=2008|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-70024-5|pages=333}}</ref><ref name="Kupferschmidt1987">{{cite book|author=Uri M. Kupferschmidt|title=The Supreme Muslim Council: Islam Under the British Mandate for Palestine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ChEVAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA458|access-date=25 July 2012|year=1987|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-07929-8|pages=458–459}}</ref><ref name="Raṇṭattāṇi2007">{{cite book|author=Husain Raṇṭattāṇi|title=Mappila Muslims: A Study on Society and Anti Colonial Struggles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xlb5BrabQd8C&pg=PA179|access-date=25 July 2012|year=2007|publisher=Other Books|isbn=978-81-903887-8-8|pages=179–}}</ref> According to ''[[Qissat Shakarwati Farmad]]'', the [[Mosque|''Masjids'']] at [[Kodungallur]], [[Kollam]], [[Madayi]], [[Barkur]], [[Mangalore]], [[Kasaragod]], [[Kannur]], [[Dharmadam]], [[Koyilandy|Panthalayini]], and [[Chaliyam]], were built during the era of [[Malik Dinar]], and they are among the oldest ''Masjid''s in [[Indian Subcontinent]].<ref>Prange, Sebastian R. ''Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the Medieval Malabar Coast.'' Cambridge University Press, 2018. 98.</ref> It is believed that [[Malik Dinar]] was died at [[Thalangara]] in [[Kasaragod]] town.<ref name="ch">Pg 58, Cultural heritage of [[Kerala]]: an introduction, A. Sreedhara Menon, East-West Publications, 1978</ref> According to popular tradition, [[Islam]] was brought to [[Lakshadweep]] islands, situated just to the west of [[Malabar Coast]], by [[Sheikh Ubaidullah|Ubaidullah]] in 661 CE. His grave is believed to be located on the island of [[Andrott]].<ref>{{cite web|title=History|url=http://lakshadweep.nic.in/KL_History.html|publisher=lakshadweep.nic.in|access-date=1 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514235511/http://lakshadweep.nic.in/KL_History.html|archive-date=14 May 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The [[Arabic]] inscription on a copper slab within the [[Madayi Palli|Madayi Mosque]] in Kannur records its foundation year as 1124 CE.<ref name="Madayi">{{cite book
| author = Charles Alexander Innes | year=1908
| title= Madras District Gazetteers Malabar (Volume-I) | publisher=Madras Government Press |page=423-424
| url= https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.358941/mode/2up
}}</ref>

Thus history of Muslims in Kerala is closely intertwined with the history of Muslims in the nearby [[Laccadives]] islands. Kerala's only Muslim kingdom was Kannur's Arakkal family. Historians however, disagree about the time period of Arakkal rulers. They see the Arakkal kings come to power in the 16th or 17th century.

By 1909, Arakkal rulers had lost Kannur and the Cannanore Cantonment. By 1911, there was a further decline with the loss of ''chenkol'' (sceptre) and ''udaval'' (sword). They allied and clashed with the [[Portugal|Portuguese]], the Dutch, the French and the British. The British played the biggest part in removing all vestiges of titles and power from the Arakkal rulers. One of the last kings, [[Abdu Rahiman Ali Raja]] (1881–1946), was active in helping his subjects. The last ruler was [[Ali Raja Mariumma Beevi Thangal]]. After her rule, the family broke up.

During the time of the [[Samuthiries]] the Muslims of Kerala played a major role in the local army and [[navy]], as well as acting as ambassadors to Arabia and China. Even before this period they had settlements in Perumathura, Thakkala, Thengapattanam, Poovar and Thiruvankottu. Muslims from ''Pandi Desham'' migrated to trade with [[Erattupetta]], [[Kanjirappalli]], [[Mundakayam]], [[Peruvanthanam]], [[Muvattupuzha]] and [[Vandiperiyar]] in and around [[Kottayam|Kottayam district]] of Kerala. In the 17th century, trade links were established with places like [[Kayamkulam]] and [[Alappuzha]] in the west. It was during the time of [[Zamorin|Samuthiris]] that the title of ''Marakkar'' was created. Muslim influence reached its peak at the time of [[Kunjali Marakkar]], the fourth in the line.

===Relations with the Kingdom of Mysore===
After being appointed the Naval Chief of Hyder Ali's army, Ali Raja Kunhi Amsa II's first course of action was to capture the unfortunate [[Sultan of the Maldives]] [[Hasan 'Izz ud-din]] and present him to Hyder Ali after having gouged out his eyes, he had also defeated Sultan Muhammad Imaduddin III of the [[Maldives]], who died in captivity.<ref>{{cite book|title=Malabar Manual|volume=1|first=William|last=Logan|page=408}}</ref>

==Foreign relations of the Arakkal==
In the year 1777 a letter was sent to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] by Ali Raja Kunhi Amsa II, a dedicated ally of [[Hyder Ali]] of the [[Sultanate of Mysore]] and mentioned how the region received Ottoman assistance two hundred and forty years ago by [[Hadim Suleiman Pasha]]. Ali Raja Kunhi Amsa II also stated that the dynasty had been fighting for its authority for the last forty years against various hostile forces and also requested assistance against the [[British East India Company]], two years later in 1780 another letter was sent by his sister Ali Raja Bibi Junumabe II requesting urgent assistance against [[Portugal|Portuguese]] and [[British Empire|British]] encroachments during the [[Second Anglo-Mysore War]].<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s04pus5jBNwC&q=tipu+sultan+and+ottoman&pg=PA11 |title = Pan-Islamism: Indian Muslims, the Ottomans and Britain, 1877-1924|isbn = 9004106324|last1 = Özcan|first1 = Azmi|year = 1997}}</ref>

==Arakkal Museum==
[[File:Arakkal.JPG|thumb|top|right|Arakkal Museum]]
{{Main|Arakkal Museum}}

The [[Durbar (court)|Durbar Hall]] section of the ''Arakkalkettu'' (Arakkal Palace) has been converted into a museum housing artifacts from the times of the Arakkal dynasty. The work was carried out by the [[Government of Kerala]] at a cost of [[Indian Rupee|Rs]]. 9,000,000. The museum opened in July 2005.

The ''Arakkalkettu'' is owned by the Arakkal Trust, which includes the some members Arakkal royal family. The government had taken a keen interest in preserving the heritage of the Arakkal Family, which had played a prominent role in the history of [[Malabar (Northern Kerala)|Malabar]]. A nominal entry fee is charged by the Arakkal Trust.

===Reigning Arakkal rajas and Arakkal beevis===
*Ali Raja Ali (1545–1591)
*Ali Raja Abubakar I (1591–1607)
*Ali Raja Abubakar II (1607–1610)
*Ali Raja Muhammad Ali I (1610–1647)
*Ali Raja Muhammad Ali II (1647–1655)
*Ali Raja Kamal (1655–1656)
*Ali Raja Muhammad Ali III (1656–1691)
*Ali Raja Ali II (1691–1704)
*Ali Raja Kunhi Amsa I (1704–1720)
*Ali Raja Muhammad Ali IV (1720–1728)
*Ali Raja Bibi Harrabichi Kadavube (1728–1732)
*Ali Raja Bibi Junumabe I (1732–1745)
*Ali Raja Kunhi Amsa II (1745–1777)
*Ali Raja Bibi Junumabe II (1777–1819)

==See also==
* [[Arakkal Museum|Arakkalkettu]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Kannur |state=expanded}}
{{Malabar}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord missing|Kerala}}

[[Category:History of Kannur district]]
[[Category:Feudal states of Kerala]]
[[Category:1545 establishments in India]]

Arakkal kingdom - Revision history

>Rodw at 09:13, 4 July 2021