Mappila
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The Mappilas (historically called Moplahs in Malayalam :മാപ്പിള) are a Syrian Malabar Nasrani and Muslim community in Kerala and neighbouring states and territories of India. The Muslim Mappilas are the earliest known Indian Muslim community, having existed since the 8th century AD, when Arab merchants who had long been trading with the Chera kingdom converted to Islam, based on the preachings of monotheism by Muhammad in Arabia.
They propagated their faith along the Malabar Coast.
In the 16th and 17th centuries they are known for their fight against Portuguese inquisition and conversion to Christianity of native people of malabar coast. 19th and early 20th centuries, Mappilas were known for active armed attacks against the British, including the 1921 Moplah rebellion.
Mappilas fought hand in hand with their Hindu brothers to stop European invaders and protected coast of Kerala from cultural and religeous conversions. Their cooperation and intimacy with Hindu community is well known. During Zamorins, Mappilas commanded good positions in the rule. It is interesting to notice that, the letter handed over to zamorin from the Portugese King was in Arabic language. During the Moplah Rebellion,arsonists took to the street, burning and destroying government property. The initial focus was on the government, but when the limited presence of the government was eliminated, Moplahs turned their full attention on the Hindus. One Mohommed Haji was proclaimed the Caliph of the Moplah Khilafat and flags of Islamic Caliphate were flown. Ernad and Walluvanad were declared Khilafat kingdoms.
By the end of 1921 the situation was brought back under control. The British administration raised a special quasi-military (or Armed Police) battalion, the Malabar Special Police (MSP). These police recruits were trained by the British Indian Army, and during its initial days the recruits were non-Muslims. The MSP attacked the rioters, eventually subduing them.
Arrested Muslim rioters were to be transferred to the Central Prison in Pothanur (near Coimbatore). They were bundled into a Goods/Freight wagon, and the train started its journey. At Pothanur it was found out that the jail was full to its maximum capacity, and the prisoners were ordered to be taken back. During this time, 66 of the 100 or so rioters had suffocated to death in the closed iron wagon.
According to official records, the government lost 43 troops with 126 wounded while the Moplahs lost 3,000 (with Moplah accounts putting the number at over 10,000). The rebellion was considered as a jihad against all non-Muslims (Hindu and British) to impose Islamic rule in the area.
In recent years, many Kerala Muslims have found work in the Middle East (especially in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates ), sending remittances home to support families in Kerala.
This makes Kerala one of the main contributors of foreign exchange to Indian economy.
Most Mappila Muslims follow the Shafi'te school of Muslim Jurisprudence.
According to the 2001 census, about one-quarter of Kerala's population (or 7,863,842 people) were Muslims. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of Mappilas have left Kerala to seek employment in the Middle East, and some have settled in other states within India. There are substantial numbers of Mappilas in nearby Lakshadweep and Kodagu (Coorg).
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[edit] History of Mappila orgin
In Kollavarsham 149 (AD1051) the Chera king Vallabhan kotha of Mampally Sasanam had given a Chepped to the Chengannoor Church conferring the title Mappila to all the Syrian Chrstians. The Syrian churches existing at that time were known as Mother Churches. After this Chepped was given, members of those churches were given the title ‘Mappila’ or children of Mother Churches and they suffixed Mappila with their names as a title of honour.
Many of the Syrian Malabar Nasrani got converted to Islam during the Tipu invasion in Malabr.
During the attack by Tippu the Kozhikode Zmuthiri (Zamorin), Manorama Thampuratti accompanied by many Syrian Christians came for shelter under Travencore State ruled by Karthikathirunal. Such Christians were settled in places like Ennakadu, Cheppadu, Kannankode, Mavelikara, etc where there were already Christians. During the time of Ramayan Delava a census of such Christians were taken. Inorder to identify them their houses were named after the tree closest to their houses. Thus names like Plamood, Mammootil, Pulimootil, Alumootil etc were given which exist till today. The earlier Christians in those places had "Thalackal", "Oor", "kode"etc added to their house name; examples are Poovathoor, Thalakode, Kizhakethalackal etc. They were Christians settled down there from St.Thomas time.These Syrian Christians still use the Mappila name. The Mammen Mappila of Malayala Manorama is from one of those families.
[edit] Mappilas of Tirunelveli
Indian Muslims who followed Shafi'i from the coastal state of Kerala – which borders Tamilnadu – were forced by Portuguese brutal attacks on their villages in the 16th century to flee into the rural interior. They began migrating to the villages near Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. Many of the present-day Tirulnelveli Muslims claim to be descended from the Kerala mapillais (“grooms”), follow Malabari religious teachers and social culture.
[edit] Mappilas of Kadayanallur
Kadayanallur is one of many traditional Muslim weaving villages in Tirulnelveli, a district in the state of Tamilnadu. Practically every household in Kadayanallur once worked a handloom, and the occupation was passed down from generation to generation. But in the 19th century, the weaving industry in South India was twice transformed because of the industrial revolution in Britain. In the early 19th century, India’s hand-spinning industry was destroyed by the import of machine-spun yarn from Britain and the establishment of local spinning mills. With a plentiful supply of cheap yarn, however, the handloom sector flourished until about 1860, when the East India Company imposed a handloom tax to suppress competition to the British textile industry. Many of the traditional weavers (nesavali) found themselves without income and were forced to migrate to places like Penang, Singapore. By one estimate, there are about 20,000 Kadayanallur Muslims in Penang itself today. Today, Kadayanallur itself is transformed into a township. A few households do still work in handloom, but most households depend on income from jobs in the Middle East.
The name Kadayanallur comes from "Kadayaleeswara", the name of the presiding deity of Kadayaleeswarar Kovil, a Hindu temple located in Kadayanallur.
[edit] Citation
- The Cochin State Manual by Mr. C. Achutha Menon ,Government of Kerala,1995
- The Christian Churches in Kerala by Mr. K.U.John, November1995
[edit] External Citation
[edit] See also
- Culture
