Arakkal kingdom

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Arakkal Kingdom
1545–1819
Flag of Arakkal Kingdom
Flag
Coat of arms of Arakkal Kingdom
Coat of arms
Capital
British India
1819
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Kolathunad
Presidencies and provinces of British India
Flag of Arakkal from the 18th century onwards

Arakkal Kingdom was a

Mysore Sultanate
as the opportunity to increase their own power at the expense of Chirakkal, and invited him to invade Kerala. Ali Raja Arakkal Sultan Afsal Ashraf living in Konni Panchayat of Pathanamthitta district is the living heir of the Arakkal dynasty.

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, from 1854 to 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

Mappila Bay with the old Arakkal kingdom in the distance
Mappila Bay harbor at Ayikkara. On one side, there is St. Angelo Fort (built in 1505) and on the other side is Arakkal palace.
A portrait of Kannur drawn in 1572, from Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg's atlas Civitates orbis terrarum, Volume I
Kannur fort and Bay; a watercolor by John Johnston (1795-1801)

As per legend, the last ruler 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 Muhammad Ali, who later became the first Arakkal Ali Raja.[3]
Cheraman Perumal went to Mecca from an erstwhile province named Poya Nadu(Governed by feudal governors named Randuthara Achanmar. The region comprises Edakkad, Anjarakkandy, Mavilayi etc.) now in Kannur district. Malik Deenar built a mosque in Madayi north of Kannur, the third oldest mosque in Kerala.[7]

Perumal's nephew Mabeli was an

Malabar region. When the Arakkal family took control of Laccadives
, they achieved near-royal status.

Another legend is that the daughter of

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 Muhammad Ali. The area given to Muhammad Ali was known as Arakkal and his family was called the Arakkal family[citation needed
].

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 place as it is a hilly island, however, it was governed by Arakkal kingdom, being the first Ali Raja's hometown. Arakkal kingdom was so powerful at 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 a military garrison in Dharmadam. So they were forced to build their base in Thalassery where there was a strong presence of French forces stationed few kilometers away in Mahé.[2]

Location

The palace is three kilometers from Kannur,

Kannur town
. The Arakkal family was the only Muslim royal family in Kerala.

Ali Rajas and Arakkal Beevis

Ruler Sultana Aysha Arakkal Beevi.

The Arakkal family followed a

matrilineal
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.

Hameed Hussain Koyamma Ali Raja, became the new head of the Arakkal royal family on 2nd Dec 2021.[9]

History

There had been considerable trade relations between

Madayi Mosque in Kannur records its foundation year as 1124 CE.[24]

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).

Ali Raja Mariumma Beevi Thangal
. After her rule, the family broke up.

During the time of the

Kanjirappalli, Mundakayam, Peruvanthanam, Muvattupuzha and Vandiperiyar in and around 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 Samuthiris that the title of Marakkar was created. Muslim influence reached its peak at the time of Kunjali Marakkar
, the fourth in the line.

Thalassocracy in the Arabian Sea

The Arakkal Ali Rajas sure put their navy to good use. Ali Moossa, the fifth ruler is said to have conquered some of the Maladweep (Maldives) islands in 1183-84 CE. Generally, these Rajas were known by different titles, viz. Adi Raja (the first king), Azhi Raja (Lord of the seas), Aliraja (noble king), and Aali Raja, which shows the origin from the first king Mammali. The connection with the Maldives and Lakshadweep (Laccadives) was well-known to the Portuguese and other Europeans, with the 9° channel separating Minicoy from the Laccadive group being referred to as the 'Mammali’s Channel'. Even during the beginning of the 16th century, the king of Maldives was a tributary of this House. The Jagir of Laccadive islands, received by the Ali Rajas from Kolathiris in the 16th century, enhanced the status of the House.[26] Kannur (Cannanore) could effectively be characterised as a Muslim thalassocracy, acknowledging that the religious identity of the Ali Rajas had a significant role in their political prominence. A link can be made of the income from importing horses from West Asia to the political power of the Ali Rajas throughout the sixteenth century.[27]

Arakkal Thalassocracy in the Arabian Sea.

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.[28]

Foreign relations of the Arakkal

In the year 1777 a letter was sent to 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 Portuguese and British encroachments during the Second Anglo-Mysore War.[29]

Arakkal Museum

Arakkal Museum
Main article: Arakkal Museum

The

Rs
. 9,000,000. The museum opened in July 2005.

The Arakkalkettu is owned by the Arakkal Trust, which includes 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
. 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

References

  1. ISBN 978-81-8264-046-7
  2. ^ a b Malabar Manual, Volume 1, William Logan
  3. ^ Kerala Muslim History – P A Syed Mohammed
  4. ^ A. Sreedhara Menon (1967). A Survey of Kerala History. Sahitya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society. p. 204.
  5. ^ N. S. Mannadiar (1977). Lakshadweep. Administration of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. p. 52.
  6. ^ Ke. Si. Māmmanmāppiḷa (1980). Reminiscences. Malayala Manorama Pub. House. p. 75.
  7. ^ "Madayi Mosque". Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  8. ^ a b c Kerala District Gazetteers: Malappuram, A. Sreedhara Menon, Superintendent of Govt. Presses, 1972, p. 92
  9. ^ "Kerala: Head of Arakkal royal family dies | Kozhikode News - Times of India". The Times of India. 30 November 2021.
  10. JSTOR 2800388
    .
  11. ^ 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 [1]
  12. ^ Sethi, Atul (24 June 2007). "Trade, not invasion brought Islam to India". Times of India. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  13. ^ Katz 2000; Koder 1973; Thomas Puthiakunnel 1973; David de Beth Hillel, 1832; Lord, James Henry 1977.
  14. ISBN 9788190250511
    .
  15. ISBN 9781136704918
    .
  16. ^ Minu Ittyipe; Solomon to Cheraman; Outlook Indian Magazine; 2012
  17. ISBN 9780765601049
    .
  18. ISBN 978-0-231-70024-5
    . Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  19. ISBN 978-90-04-07929-8
    . Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  20. ISBN 978-81-903887-8-8
    . Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  21. ^ Prange, Sebastian R. Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the Medieval Malabar Coast. Cambridge University Press, 2018. 98.
  22. ^ Pg 58, Cultural heritage of Kerala: an introduction, A. Sreedhara Menon, East-West Publications, 1978
  23. ^ "History". lakshadweep.nic.in. Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  24. ^ Charles Alexander Innes (1908). Madras District Gazetteers Malabar (Volume-I). Madras Government Press. pp. 423–424.
  25. ^ Kerala Source Book. India, Cruz Consultants for Kerala NRI Association, 2003. p25.
  26. JSTOR 44138504
    . Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  27. ^ Prange, Sebastian. Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the Medieval Malabar Coast.
  28. ^ Logan, William. Malabar Manual. Vol. 1. p. 408.
  29. ISBN 9004106324
    .

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