History of Pulicat

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Dutch trading ships on the Coromandel Coast Circa 1680

The History of Pulicat revolves around the early role of

Pulicat lake
. Worth a visit to AARDE Pulicat Museum located in Kottai Kuppam road at Pazhaverkadu will give the detailed account on the history of Pulicat.

Summary

Described as a grand port, starting with early 300

Tamil, Telugu and Muslim
rulers fought to garner benefits from rich port revenues. Thereafter, some
Arabs and Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and the British
dominated the port till 1825. In the early 16th century, it had a multi-cultural population exceeding 50,000 and was the most important Indian port on the Bay of Bengal. Later, it was a fishing village and a health resort under British rule.[1]

In the 17th century, Dutch agents in Pulicat operated a large

Nagapatnam
and Devanampatnam.

The history of Pulicat is traced to eight periods of Indian kings and foreign

post independence period
.

Period Kingdoms/Rulers
3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE
Ancient Tamil kingdoms
3rd to 10th century The
Pallava
Period & first Arab settlement in the 9th century
10th to 12th century The
Chola
Period
13th to 17th century Vijayanagara Empire & Arab migrants
1502 to 1606 Vijayanagara Empire & Portuguese outpost
1606 to 1825 Dutch East India Company Trading center & Vijayanagara Empire
1825 to 1947 British Raj outpost
Post independence Period
Republic of India
, fishing village

Early history (300 BCE – 1279 CE)

Palar river) and the R. Ganges (Ganges river). [2]

Ancient Tamil Kingdoms

From the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century XE, Pulicat was a northern outpost of the

Sangam Cheras
. [3] In the 1st century, the anonymous mariner who wrote Periplus of the Erythraean Sea listed Podouke (Pulicat) as one of the three ports on the east coast of India.[4] In the 2nd century,
Ptolomey's list of ports on this coast included Podouke emporion.[5]

Pallava and Chola periods

In the 3rd century, Pulicat came under the power of the

Rajendra Chola on the Arani River, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) southwest of the lake at Tirupalaivanam near Pulicat.[7][8][9][10]

Arab migrants

In the 9th century, Pulicat contained settlements of Arab maritime traders.

Dhufar regularly stopped at Pulicat.[13] In the 12th and 13th century, as a result of their trade links with Arabian Peninsula and Indian Ocean ports, Pulicat and other Coromandal port towns came to be identified as centers of formal Islam
in South India. A significant number of their
Arabian Muslims, are still found in the area. Some remaining resident families claim records in Arabic testifying their migration to this area.[16][17]

Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646)

In 1336, at the beginning of the

Harihara Raya I and Bukka Raya I, the area now called Pulicat was known as Pralaya Kaveri.[18] In 1422, at the beginning of the reign of Deva Raya II this port city was renamed Anandarayan Pattinam after the new governor Anandaraya. This name was retained till 1521, when it was changed to Palaverkadu during the reign of Krishnadevaraya.[19]

Krishnadevaraya ruled Pulicat 1509–1529

In the 15th and early 16th century, Pulicat rose to importance due to stabilization of the Vijayanagar empire and firm links, including a road, to the great imperial capital of Vijayanagara.

Pegu (Burma).[24]

In 1505, Pulicat was stated to be the most active and richest port on the Coromandel Coast.From here there was a barter trade which included exchange of local colored cotton goods for precious rubies from Burma and elephants from

Import taxes on commodities and export taxes on cloth and corn were also levied.[26]

After the 1556,

Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah Wali, the third ruler of the Kingdom of Golkonda took control of Palaverkadu. In 1570, the new king Tirumala Deva Raya divided the kingdom and allowed Sriranga Deva Raya to rule the area. Palaverkadu was renamed as Prelaya Kaveri.[27]

The Chandragiri Fort from where Venkatapati Deva Raya reigned and his wife Oboyoma ruled Pulicat

In 1586, Oboyoma, the favorite queen of

Venkatapati Deva Raya, the Vijayanagaar emperor, now operating from the new capital at Chandragiri
, was bequeathed Pulicat to rule. She gave aid to Portuguese
Jesuits
to build a residence at Pulicat.

After the death of Venkatapati Deva Raya in 1614 and a succession struggle, his son

Muttu Virappa paid a tribute of 600,000 Pagodas to Venkatapati Deva Raya at Chandragiri.[29]

European trading outpost (1502–1825)

Portuguese trading outpost

In 1502, the Portuguese traders established a trading outpost here during the rule of Krishnadeva Raya and soon dominated the port until 1560.[30] These private merchants were out of reach of the official authority in Goa and some were viewed as renegades, bandits and pirates.[31] In 1515, they built a church dedicated to Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres (Our Lady of Joys) which was renamed to Our Lady of Glory. It is the oldest church in the present Madras-Mylapore Diocese and is still used, but in poor condition.[17][32]

In 1520, there were 200 – 300 Portuguese inhabitants in Palaverkadu.[33] By 1545, there were 600 – 700 families and from 1565 their population was in decline. [34] By 1600, Pulicat had only two or three thousand residents.[35]

Dutch trading center

Aerial view of Pellacata
Circa. 1656[36]

In 1606, a Dutch ship stopped on the shores of the Karimanal Village, north of the mouth of the lake requesting water.[37] Local Muslims offered food and help to the Dutch. They struck a trade partnership to procure and supply local merchandise to the Dutch for trade in the East Indies.[16]

Queen Eraivi, a wife of King

permission to build a fort and do trading.[7]
They built a fort named Geldria at Pulicat as a defense from local kings and the Portuguese, from where they soon monopolized the lucrative textiles trade with the East Indies and other countries in the region.[38] Under pressure from the Dutch, an English trading post established in 1619 was disbanded in 1622.[39] The Dutch establishment here met with early stiff resistance from the Portuguese, including several attacks on the harbor. In 1611, Venkatatapati turned against the Portuguese and the Jesuits were ordered to leave Chandragiri and the Dutch were permitted to build a fort at Pulicat.

In 1614, subsequent to the death of Venkatapati and taking advantage of a predicament in naming his successor, the Portuguese attacked the Dutch at Pulicat.[40] In 1623, the Portuguese attacked the harbor and burned two ships.[41] In 1633, the Portuguese again attacked the Dutch at Pulicat with a promise of land support from the Vijayanagar ruler which never materialized. After the Portuguese had withdrawn their fleet, the Vijayanagara King (Sri Ranga) residing at Ratnagiri then attacked the Dutch at Pulicat but was paid a handsome tribute by the Dutch. Thereafter, the Dutch were not troubled.[42]

Dutch East-India trading ship 1600
Map of the fort at Paliacatte[43]

During the Dutch occupation Pulicat was known by the name Pallaicatta[19] From 1616 to 1690, Pulicat was the official headquarters of Dutch Coromandel. It then shifted to

Negapatnam but with ceding of Negapatnam to the British in 1784, the headquarters shifted back to Pulicat.[44]
The VOC was established to protect Dutch trade in the East Indies and fight their enemies from Europe who wished to enter east India trade. They held power for 200 years as the largest trading company. The trading involved spices including
cloves, cinnamon, pepper, and tea, silk and Chinese porcelain.[45]

Coromandel coast showing Paliacate and the Buckingham Canal in 1753

Manufacture of cloth for export was the sole occupation of several indigenous groups in Pulicat and the hinterlands of Tamil, Telugu and Kannada territories, and it is likely that over 1,000 handlooms operated in Pulicat alone.

Ceylon.[47]

Dutch's dominance in the coasts of India during the 16th century was partly attributed to the Hindu ruler, Zamorin. Zamorin welcomed the Portuguese and in turn prospered from the trade from the entry point ports he commanded.[45]

Among the many trading voyages that departed from Pulicat, in 1658 the Dutch trading ship Avondster (captured as the Blessing from the British in 1653 and renamed) transported money and valuable cargo from Pulicat to Bengal.[48]

Cochin

By the early 17th century, Pallaicatta's population has been estimated to have declined to just over 10,000.

Chingleput District (which included Pulicat village) to the British in 1825.[51]

Pulicat today bears silent testimony to the Dutch, with the Dutch Fort dating back to 1609 in ruins, a Dutch Church and Cemetery with 22 protected tombs dating from 1631 to 1655 and another Dutch Cemetery with 76 tombs and mausoleums protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). [17][52][53] Netherlands (Dutch) architects and scholars now intend to support efforts to restore this early Dutch settlements.

Chronology of Dutch rule in India (1608–1825)

Description Period (CE)
Masulipatnam
 1605
Pulicat a Dutch possession 1610–1784
Tuticorin
a Dutch possession 		1658–1795
Negapatnam
a Dutch possession 		1658–1781
Dutch Coromandel Coast settlements occupied by British Raj 1780–1784
British occupation of Dutch
Malabar
settlements 		1795–1817
Dutch
British India
 1818
Dutch Coromandel ceded to British Raj 1825 [54]

Slave trade

For most of the 16th and 17th centuries Europeans on the Coromandal coast were extensively involved in the trading, brokering and shipment of slaves from India to Ceylon and the West Indies. The Dutch were "the nexus of an enormous slave trade"

guilders in "expensive years" to as little as 4 guilders in "cheap years".[56]

Normally 150 – 400 slaves were shipped each year from central Coromandel ports, including Pulicat,

Nagapatnam and Devanampatnam. This trade increased greatly during several famine
periods. Between 1659 and 1661, eight to ten thousand slaves were shipped from central Coromandel ports including Pulicat.[57] Domestic slavery was officially recognized by the English at Madras[58] and run mainly by the Dutch at Pulicat.[59]

Slave labour was a defining element of the high production levels and luxury standards of Dutch colonial settlements throughout the Indian Ocean. Slaves empowered the elite groups, and formed 25% – 66% of the total population of the major settlements, including Pulicat.[60]

British rule (1825–1947)

Though the Pulicot area was ceded to the English in 1760 as a Jagir (estate), and the town was finally captured by the English in 1795, Dutch control of Pulicat lasted till 1825 when it was annexed to

Chingulput district, which had been taken from the French by the English in 1753.[51] Thereafter it served as a fishing village and a British health resort.[38]

In 1889, Pulicat had a population of about 5,000.

Madras
, 25 km (15.5 mi) to the south. It got relegated to a village level, with land access becoming difficult due to dense forest growth. Even the Lighthouse, which was rebuilt in 1895, served only to warn passing ships of the dangerous Pulicat
shoals.[62]

Religious traditions

Pulicat was an atypical multi-religious community with a history of three prosperous religious traditions.[63]

Murugan, Amman (mother goddess) and the Gramma Theyvathai (family goddesses). Unlike the Brahmin temples, the Amman temples were open to members of every Jāti.[51]

The

Arab maritime traders. After the Dutch fortification of Pulicat, two large mosques
and some small places of worship and scripture reading were built by the Moslem traders in Pulicat proper. The mosques built earlier were then used by Moslem boat builders.[64] The traders, descendants of the Khadems from Medina who were previously socially undifferentiated from the boat builders, became a distinct group of "nobility" called Labbay.[12]

Roman Catholic priest appointed by the Madras Bishopric.[65]

The arrival of the

monotheistic religions of Islam and Christianity, combined with the breakdown of the earlier Hindu ruled kingdoms and imposition of colonial rule, evolved new forms of rank and communal affiliation among the areas' religious communities. South India was not always a strictly "orthodox" Hindu Society. To the contrary, Christianity, Islam and Brahmanical Hinduism were forces which all came to impinge on the warrior cultures of South India.[66]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d Pandian pp.72–75
  2. ^ Milleri, Conradi (1887–1888). Tabula Peutingeriana. BIBLIOTHECA AUGUSTANA ca. 250.
  3. ^ a b Natarajan p. 72
  4. ^ Nambiar, O.K. (2006). "the Cholas". "AN ILLUSTRATED MARITIME HISTORY OF INDIAN OCEAN" HIGHLIGHTING THE MARITIME HISTORY OF THE EASTERN SEA BOARD. Archived from the original on 19 June 2009.
  5. ISBN 978-0-8248-2332-0
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  6. ^ Azariah pp.34–35
  7. ^ a b Azariah p.10
  8. ^ Sewell, Robert (22 January 2008) [1882]. Lists of the Antiquarian Remains in the Presidency of Madras. Item notes: v. 1. Madras: E. Keys, at the Government Press. p. 173. Tirupalaivanam. Original from Harvard University.
  9. ^ Krishnan, Shamala (2008). "Thirupalaivanam: Siva temple built by Rajendra Chola". Retrieved 29 November 2008. [dead link]
  10. ^ Wikimapia: Thirupalaivanam-Sivan-Koil
  11. ^ Muhanna, Waleed; Tawfig Alrabiah (8 December 1992). "Gregorian-Hijri Dates Converter". rabiah.com. Archived from the original on 9 December 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
  12. ^ a b Pandian p.130
  13. ISBN 978-3-515-07967-9
    .
  14. ^ Bayly p. 78
  15. ^ Županov p. 100
  16. ^ a b SANJEEVA RAJ, P.J. (19 October 2003). "... and a placid Pulicat experience". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 26 August 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  17. ^ a b c CRENIEO (2005). "Alternative Development Paradigm". Proposed preplanning activities. CRENIEO. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
  18. ^ a Forgotten Empire by Robert Sewell, Fernão Nunes, Domingos Paes Ppp 1,2 pp.7,25
  19. ^ a b Azariah pp.35–41, 48
  20. ^ Subrahmanyam p.94
  21. ISBN 978-0-521-80904-7
    .
  22. ISBN 978-0-521-84644-8
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  23. ^ Subrahmanyan p. 23
  24. ISBN 978-81-261-2305-6
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  25. ^ Lach pp. ?
  26. ^ Azariah pp. 40,41,49
  27. ^ Azariah p.13
  28. ^ Sewell et al. p.399
  29. ^ Sewell et al. p.385
  30. ^ Bethencourt p.211
  31. ^ Županov p.101
  32. ^ SANJEEVA RAJ, P. J. (29 October 2004). "Ancient church on the shore". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 26 November 2004. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  33. ^ Županov pp. 91, 94
  34. ^ Ramerini, Marco (12 February 2006). "Population of the Portuguese Settlements in India". Dutch Portuguese Colonial History. colonialvoyage.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
  35. ISBN 978-0-86078-508-8
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  36. ^ Azariah pp. 63–68
  37. ^ Pandian p.131
  38. ^ a b Pandian pp.?
  39. ^ Pandian p.73
  40. ^ Lach pp. 1008–1011
  41. ^ Mukund p. 57
  42. ^ Sewell et al. pp.232,233
  43. ^ Nationaal Archief, Den Haag, Verzameling Buitenlandse Kaarten Leupe, nummer toegang 4.VEL, inventarisnummer 1092: http://www.gahetna.nl/collectie/archief/inventaris/index/eadid/4.VEL/inventarisnr/1092/level/file
  44. ^ a b Kavan Ratnatunga (2006). "Paliakate – VOC Kas Copper Dumps, 1646 – 1794 – Dutch India]". Dutch India coins – Pulicat. lakdiva.org. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
  45. ^ a b Adsoks. "Dutch East India Company – VOC". History of India. indohistory.com. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
  46. ^ DIJK, Wil O. (November 2001). "The VOC's Gunpowder Factory". IIAS Newsletter #26. International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS). Archived from the original on 19 October 2007. Retrieved 28 November 2008.
  47. ISBN 978-90-04-15092-8
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  48. ^ Maritime Archaeology Unit (2005). "The Avonster: the Ship and Her Wrecking". Story: The Ships History. Maritime Lanka. Archived from the original on 12 November 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  49. ^ Subrahmanyam pp.23–24
  50. ^ Mukund pp.68–67
  51. ^ a b c Pandian p.75
  52. ^ Azariah ch. 5 pp. ?
  53. ^ "Alphabetical List of Monuments – Tamil Nadu". Archaeological Survey of India. 2008. SI No. 197. Archived from the original on 1 July 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  54. ^ Dutch India
  55. ^ Vink 1
  56. ^ Dijk, Dr. Wil O. (Winter 2008). The Dutch Trade in Asian slaves: Arakan and the Bay of Bengal, 1621–1665 An end to the history of silence? (PDF). NEWSLETTER. Vol. #46. The Hague, Netherlands: International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS). p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  57. ^ Vink ¶¶15–17
  58. ^ Natarajan pp. 247–8
  59. ISBN 978-0-86131-491-1
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  60. ^ Vink ¶¶ 24,25
  61. ^ Hunter, William Wilson; Paul Ernest Roberts (1900). A History of British India. Vol. 2 (Original from the University of California ed.). Longmans, Green, and co. p. 70.
  62. ^ Pandian pp.75,82
  63. ^ Pandian pp.72,75
  64. ^ Pandian p.76
  65. ^ Pandian pp.75,77
  66. ^ Bayly pp. 3, 15

References

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