Divisions among the royal houses, and wars thence arising. Character and manners of Rajah Wierlam. Customs at the decease of the Rajahs. Observations on the conduct which ought to be observed by the Dutch Government in its intercourse with these princes.
NOT only is the whole of Malabar occupied by a multiplicity of kings and potentates, a circumstance causing in itself endless dissension, but these again are broadly ranged into two parties, whose hatred is the more effectual, and probably the more interminable seeing that it arises from the unfair distinctions introduced by the original laws of this kingdom.
The adherents of the two parties are called the Pandelakoers and the Chodderakoers: and just as Italy was formerly torn by the two rival factions of the Guelp and Ghibelliner, and England distracted by the wars of the white and red roses, and the Netherlands had to shed tears of blood owing to the ravages of the Kaabeljancos* and Flocks so has the trumpet of war blown by the Pandelakoers and Chodderakoers often summoned the princes of Malabar to mutual hostilities. Regarding the origin of these two parties, I find two different accounts, which are not unworthy of record. Some will have it that the great Cheramperoumal who partitioned Malabar and made laws for it which are still observed, instituted them for two important reasons, the first of which was to confirm the distribution of kingdoms that he had made; for, being about to undertake a journey, either to the Ganges in fulfilment of a vow, or, as the Moors say, to visit Mahomet in Arabia for the purpose of embracing his religion, he divided among his favourites the whole of Malabar. Now, he assigned the kingdom of the Zamorin to his illegitimate children, who according to the law could not inherit: and it was natural to suppose that this would cause umbrage to his nephews who were the lawful heirs of the crown, and to whom he had only given the kingdom of Cochin. They would probably use every endeavour to recover their rights when opportunity offered. For this reason he originated these two parties, and he regulated the number of princes, noblemen, &c., who should belong to each, with the express command that if a king, prince or landowner should be attacked by one of the opposite faction, he should be assisted by all the members of his own party, under pain of loss of privileges. The Zamorin king was appointed chief of the Pandelakoer, and received a sword in token of his authority: and the king of Cochin as chief of the Chodderakoers received a shield. Cheramperoumal’s second reason for establishing these factions was to create a martial spirit: lest, living in perpetual peace, the Malabar people should sink into effeminacy and thus become a prey to the surrounding nations.
There are a kind of sham combats still held in many kingdoms of Malabar, which probably owe their origin to this institution. In these jousts or combats, many hundred, perhaps a thousand, persons attack each other, armed with sword and shield, and inflict mutual wounds, sometimes indeed death, as happened at Kully Quilon when I was there last October.
From this account of the rival factions you perceive that the Zamorin is no emperor of Malabar, as the Portuguese used to tell us in their books, for he is no greater than three other chief princes of Colastri, Cochin and Travancore, and inferior in dignity, indeed, to the rajah of Cochin as being of inferior race. Nevertheless, the opinion has always held ground that he is the most powerful and possesses the best army of them all.
But to return from this digression. I said before that there are two traditions regarding these parties. The other tradition is that there were formerly two families, possessors of two pagodas. The name of the one was Pandel, that of the other Choddar; and the former being the strongest and most powerful, attacked the latter and plundered them, until the Choddars implored help from the prince of Walwonatti in order to revenge themselves on the Pandels. These now being unable to withstand their enemies alone, conspired with the Zamorin against them : and thus drove them to apply in their turn to the king of Cochin, who consequently became the head of the Choddar party, while the Zamorin assumed the character of protector of that of the Pandels. Each of these monarchs enticed others to espouse their causes, and the dissensions thus originating have descended to posterity.
Most serious consequences have arisen from these divisions. In the first place, it was inculcated by law upon the principal States (Stenden) of each of these kingdoms that they must always espouse the faction of the supreme Rajah : Cochin has four of these States, which are called the pillars of the kingdom. They are Porcad and Paroe, the rajahs of which belong to the spiritual order, and Berkenkoer and Mangatti, having temporal rajahs. Though there are other princes in the kingdom of Cochin even more powerful than some of these Stenden, yet these are bound as Chodderakoers to assist the Cochin monarch in his wars against the Zamorin, and in return have a voice in the election of a new prince to the succession of the Cochin throne.
Secondly, to this division may be attributed the continual warfare which exists between the kingdoms of the Zamorin and Cochin. No firm or lasting peace is ever made, but merely, so to speak, a cessation of hostilities, invariably followed by a renewal of war. The irreconcileable hatred arising from the violence of these party feelings, was rendered more inveterate by the murderous deed of a Zamorin prince of bygone times, who caused three Cochin Princes to be killed. Animosity was exasperated by this to such an extent that even to this day members of the rival factions will never meet voluntarily or speak to each other. A reconciliation will never be effected until the law of retaliation be satisfied, which, according to their customs, demands the death of an equal number of princes of the murderer’s family.
You have read in the Portuguese narratives of their voyages published by Vander Aa., (accounts no doubt containing many fictions and exaggerations, after the wont of these masters of the sea as they style themselves) how when rejected by the Zamorin they were received with open arms by the Rajah of Cochin : and now you can understand his motive for the kind reception he gave them; he hoped with their assistance to accomplish his revenge upon his enemy, which he had not sufficient strength to do unaided, and he immediately plunged into hostilities.
The East India Company who established themselves as protectors of the kingdom of Cochin, were consequently also involved in these interminable wars.
It is the duty of a wise and prudent Commandant to take care that the Rajah of Cochin is not the aggressor, which, influenced by the noted hatred he bears his enemy, he is always ready to be, in the hopes of being able, assisted by the Company’s arms, to acquire from the Zamorin certain territories to which he lays claim. Had this rule always been observed, the Company might have been spared many of the expensive wars they have been engaged in, and of which they had sad experience during the reign of the late Rajah.
This Rajah was a man of average height, dark and ugly, for which reason he was commonly called by the towns people, the charcoal burner; he was crafty and designing, and was in the habit of clandestinely injuring other princes in order to provoke them to hostilities against each other.
He delighted in wars, though with his own soldiers he did but little execution, and laid the chief burden of prosecuting it upon the Company. His private interests occupied all his thoughts; he paid his soldiers so badly that they were sometimes forced when garrisoning a place to make a sortie to provide themselves with food. This was the case at Eunemakke. His extortions were unrivalled: he was always devising fresh means of levying funds, so that from being one of the poorest he became the richest of the Cochin rajahs. Confiding in no one, he would shut up his money in the pagoda, or bury it under ground, or carry it about with him in boxes. He condescended to traffic in the commonest commodities; thus, he sold to his court rice and cocoa-nut shells both burnt and raw; and by keeping the monopoly of these things in his own hands he enhanced the price of them. He lived on bad terms with Commandant Hertenberg, who did not relish his rogueries and refused to co-operate in his artful and underhand practices. He died after a long and painful illness. It is said that on his death-bed he enjoined upon his successor to live on good terms with the Company, though he had neglected to do so himself latterly. Death carried him off on the 9th October of last year (1732); he had reigned 20 years, and had nearly attained the 70th year of his age. He was little known by his own name, Wierlam, among his subjects ; for their custom is never to call the Rajahs by their names but by their titles, as the Rajah of Cochin, Cranganoor and so forth. The individuals in the line of succession are not named after the properties of which they are sometimes the owners, but according to the order in which they stand with respect to the succession ; as the first prince (that is the rajah) the second, third, fourth, &c. The private territorial lords (landsheren) or grandees are called after their estates, dignities, or offices, as Kaimal, Ragiadoor, &c. The Rajah does not put his name as a signature to his letters (which are called Olas) but a mark, each kingdom having its own peculiar mark which never varies ; so that on merely seeing these letters one can tell at once from what kingdom or monarch they come, though the rajah’s name does not appear.
The successor to the late rajah was, up to the time of his accession to the throne, the second prince, and thus by his elevation all the others below him attained a step in the order of succession ; and to keep the number full, a new prince, chosen from the legitimate royal family was incorporated among them. From this constitution it is apparent that a prince seldom attains the throne in his youth, unless in case of some extraordinary mortality. All who are above him, sometimes seven or eight, must precede him, before he can hope to enjoy the crown.
These princes either live on their own estates or on incomes allowed them by the Rajah. As these are but small, they often live in a very impoverished condition, and are for state reasons excluded generally by the Rajahs from the administration of affairs. The present Rajah is a man of little or no judgment, and was despised by his predecessor. His whole bearing and conduct betoken his inferiority ; he is rude and unpolished, extravagant in his conversation, irresolute in counsel, and violent in behaviour : not only do his courtiers and grandees esteem him but lightly, the Company too have little hope of getting any good out of him ; and perhaps they have as little reason to fear mischief, as he has not sense enough to injure them in any underhand manner. Yet they had better keep on good terms with him, in order to detach him from uniting against them with those who bear them no good will, of whom the most to be dreaded is the Paliat with his family. He is the General in Chief of the kingdom at this time. Hitherto this dignity has belonged to another family. His vast estates, and his excellent army combine to make him a dangerous neighbour, even to his sovereign, in the island of Vypeen, where he resides and a great portion of which belongs to him. His enterprising spirit was manifested four years ago, when he had the effrontery to slay a wealthy and influential Canarese called Malpa, one of the Company’s merchants, and to boast of the deed: and, as the Company, probably fearing more serious consequences, let the crime go unpunished, his arrogance increases. Time will shew how far his turbulent spirit will carry him; at present, he is occupied with endeavours to foment angry feelings against the Rajah and the Company.
I must return to the accounts of the Rajahs, and the customs observed at their deaths and accessions. On his deathbed a Rajah presents 200 or 300 cows to the Brahmins, and other gifts: he also distributes among his relations, money, jewels, &c. for all that he dies possessed of devolves on his successor. At his decease, the grandees assemble and prepare all the necessaries for the burning of his remains, which ceremony must take place within 36 hours, and is performed, as is the custom among the Brahmins, with but little pomp. Money and other alms are distributed in the interval; and the Olas are made out, which are circulated to notify the Rajah’s decease. It is not a matter of indifference to the Rajahs at what place they expire: when they find themselves dangerously ill they retire to certain spots which are especially sanctified for the purpose. These are Trichore (where the late Rajah died) Kankanoer and Tripontorah. The first twelve days are the days of great mourning, when all the subjects manifest their grief by tearing their hair and letting their beards grow; no business may be transacted, not even buying and selling provisions, throughout the country. For the first three days the successor is bound to furnish food for all the Brahmins present, and to give them money: this is repeated on the 40th day, and again at the expiration of three months. He wears mourning for a whole year, and during that period must submit to certain restrictions, such as not being allowed to shave his beard, chew betel, eat more than once a day, sleep on anything but a mat, &c. Neither may he enter any of the Company’s factories or forts, or any other unholy place where cows are killed or eaten, so that the Commandant is obliged to wait upon him, at his Court or elsewhere if he wish to see him. After the first twelve days are ended, his principal subjects must pay their court to him occasionally and offer him presents. First comes the head of the fishermen, who, after making his obeisance, lays before him a golden fish, a silver net, and an earthen dish containing sand and salt. On the anniversary of his predecessor’s death, the Rajah gives a great feast to his court, for which preparations are made on a grand scale. I have been assured that sometimes as many as 14,000 or 15,000 of the venerated caste flock to these banquets, and these must be all regaled for three days with rice, butter, sugar, milk, piesang, &c., which, not being much used to such good cheer, they devour with voracity, and, besides furnishing all this, the host is bound to give all his guests money according to their rank, so that the amount of money spent at these ceremonies, is enough to maintain them for years if they are not rich. Similar feasts, but attended with less pomp, are given in memory of the Queen mother and the Princes of the kingdom.
The people of high caste also celebrate the memory of their deceased parents, wives, &c. They give a banquet on the first anniversary, and in the following anniversaries they double each time the triple cord they wear as the badge of their rank ; so that they who, in the beginning of the year, wear one triple cord, in the sequel wear three or four of them ;—which mode of wearing the cords is peculiar to the Brahmins, Chettis and Vaysias.
On the birth of a royal child in the line of succession, he is laid on earth brought from Wanneve, near Baliancotte, whence the royal family sprang, in the regal house of Chetria Gouron.
The Chettriahs in ancient times came here from the country of Hindostan in the North. There they might have lawful wives, but here they are not permitted to have them.
I must add a few remarks on the finances of the Rajah of Cochin. Some time ago the authorities in Batavia thought good to give him a grant of the Alfandigos, pepper customs, and 500 kandies of pepper, together with other privileges. Their object was so to enrich him, as to enable him to make head against the Zamorin. This policy seems to me nugatory, because in the first place their avaricious dispositions induces these Rajahs to appropriate all that they can get to their private use ; we saw a specimen of this in the late Rajah, who from the poorest became one of the wealthiest of his race, whilst no one ever paid his troops so poorly, and his army was consequently in a wretched condition ; and as his wealth increased his spite and enmity towards the Company augmented. In the second place, a Rajah is generally poor on his accession to the throne, though he is heir to all the property and wealth that his predecessor died possessed of, for they generally distribute before their death all the wealth they have amassed together, consisting principally of jewels and money, among their nearest relatives (excluding the next heir.) Thus the late sovereign made his nephew the third prince his heir in these things, so that he can afford to laugh at the new king who is poor : and so the kingdom is no gainer by the wealth of the king.
Add to this, thirdly, the dread of the Zamorin’s arms which has taken deep root in the hearts of the remaining princes. I believe it would have been better had the East India Company from the beginning reserved for themselves all that they have conquered from the Zamorin, and therewith made a fund to defray the expenses of the succeeding wars.