LATE P.C.N. RAJA
INTRODUCTION
Tipu Sultan had, ruled his kingdom
only for sixteen-and-a-half years, from December 7, 1782 to May 4, 1799.
The territory of Malabar was under his effective control only for a short period
of eight years. If he had not secured the assistance of the wily Purnaiyya,
there would not have been so many Muhammadans in the states of Kerala and
Karnataka. Hindus also would not have become less prosperous, and fewer in
number.
When that Brahmin Prime Minister, Purnaiyya, presented to Tipu
Sultan 90,000 soldiers, three crore rupees, and invaluable ornaments made of
precious stones, he was tempted to rule as the Emperor of the South India. Tipu
did not consider the Hindu rulers of Maharashtra, Coorg and Travancore or the
Muslim ruler Nizam as impediments. He was afraid of only the British. He had
convinced himself that he could easily become the Emperor of South India if he
could somehow vanquish the British. Because of his intense and-British attitude,
the so-called progressive and secular historians have made a vain attempt to
paint Tipu Sultan as a great national hero.
Opposition to foreign powers need not always be due to love for
one's country. To achieve his selfish goal and to face the British forces, Tipu
Sultan sought the assistance of another foreign power, the French, who were
manoeuvring to establish their own domination in the country. How is it
possible, therefore, for Tipu Sultan to be an enemy of foreign forces when he
himself had sought help from Napoleon who was then a prisoner in St. Helena
Island and also the French King, Louis XVI?
Besides, he also wanted to establish Islamic rule in the
country; to achieve that he had to first defeat the British. For this purpose,
Tipu Sultan solicited the assistance of Muslim countries like Persia,
Afghanistan and Turkey. It is true that Tipu did not harm the Raja of Cochin or
anyone for that matter who surrendered and pledged loyalty to him. But how does
that make him a friend of Hindus?
Tipu and the Nizam were the only Muslim rulers in the Deccan at
that time and hence he wanted to avoid any dispute with the Nizam. He insisted
that the Nizam should agree to give his daughter in marriage to his son. But the
Nizam, considering Tipu as an upstart with no aristocratic heredity, refused the
offer. (According to Bhagwan Gidwani, Hyder Ali Khan had suggested earlier to
the Nizam that he should agree to the marriage of his daughter to the young
Tipu, then in his teens.) As if to spite the Nizam, Tipu Sultan got another of
his sons married to the daughter of Arackal Bibi of Cannanore mainly to secure
the loyalty of Malabar Muslims for subjugating the entire Malabar region. The
result was for everybody to see in due course. It may be noted that the family
of Arackal Bibi, though converted to Islam, followed the matriarchal system a
system which the Muslim fanatic, Tipu, wanted to reform.
HE WANTED TO BE A PADISHAH
He wanted to become an Emperor after defeating the British. He
wanted to achieve his ambition after consulting the astrologers. There were a
few Brahmin astrologers in Sree Ranganatha Swami Temple. They predicted that if
some of the suggested remedial rituals were performed, Tipu would achieve his
cherished ambition. Believing that he could become the undisputed ruler of the
whole of South India, after defeating the British, he performed all the
suggested rituals in the Sree Ranaganatha Swami Temple, besides giving costly
presents to the astrologers. This act is being widely interpreted by secularist
historians as love and respect for Hindu religion and traditions! They also
doubt if there were any Hindu temples which were desecrated or destroyed by Tipu
Sultan and his Islamic army in Malabar.
The reputed historian, Lewis Rice, who wrote the History of
Mysore after going through various official records, stated as follows: "In
the vast empire of Tipu Sultan on the eve of his death, there were only two
Hindu temples having daily pujas within the Sreerangapatanam fortress. It is
only for the satisfaction of the Brahmin astrologers who used to study his
horoscope that Tipu Sultan had spared those two temples. The entire wealth of
every Hindu temple was confiscated before 1790 itself mainly to make up for the
revenue loss due to total prohibition in the country."
There are people who proclaim to the world that Tipu Sultan's
rule was fair and progressive in his own state of Mysore. It would be
appropriate to have a look at what a Mysorean, M.A. Gopal Rao, stated a few
years ago in one of his articles: 'In a deliberately designed taxation scheme,
the religious prejudice of Tipu Sultan became quite clear. His co-religionists,
Muslims, were exempted from house tax, commodity tax and also the levy on other
items of household use. Those who were converted to Muhammadanism, were also
given similar tax exemptions. He had even made provisions for the education of
their children. Tipu Sultan discontinued the practice of appointing Hindus in
different administrative and military jobs as practised by his father, Hyder Ali
Khan, in the past. He had deep hatred towards all non-Muslims. During the entire
period of sixteen years of his regime, Purnaiyya was the only Hindu who had
adorned the post of Dewan or minister under Tipu Sultan. In 1797 (two years
before his death) among the 65 senior Government posts, not even a single Hindu
was retained. All the Mustadirs were also Muslims. Among the 26 civil and
military officers captured by the British in 1792 there were only 6 non-Muslims.
In 1789, when the Nizam of Hyderabad and other Muslim rulers decided that only
Muslims would be appointed henceforth in all Government posts, Tipu Sultan also
adopted the same policy in his Mysore State. Just because they were Muslims,
even those who were illiterate and inefficient, were also appointed to important
Government posts. Even for getting promotions, one still had to be a Muslim
under Tipu Sultan's regime. Considering the interest and convenience of only
Muslim officers, all the records relating to tax revenue, were ordered to be
written in Persian rather than in Marathi and Kannada as followed earlier. He
even tried to make Persian the State language in place of Kannada. In the end
all the Government posts were filled by lazy and irresponsible Muslims. As a
consequence the people had to suffer a great deal because of those fun-seeking
and irresponsible Muslim officers. The Muslim officers, occupying important
posts at all levels, were all dishonest and unreliable persons. Even when people
complained to him with evidences against those officers, Tipu Sultan did not
care to inquire about the complaints lodged."
EVEN THE PLACE-NAMES WERE CHANGED
Gopal Rao had written all these on the basis of the writings of
Tipu's own son, Ghulam Muhammad, and Muslim historians like Kirmani. Even the
Hindu names of places, the Sultan could not tolerate. Therefore, Mangalapuri
(Mangalore) was changed to Jalalabad, Cannanore (Kanwapuram) to Kusanabad, Bepur
(Vaippura) to Sultanpatanam or Faruqui, Mysore to Nazarabad, Dharwar to
Quarshed-Sawad, Gooty to Faiz-Hissar, Ratnagiri to Mustafabad, Dindigul to
Khaliqabad, and Calicut (Kozhikode) to Islamabad. It was after the death of Tipu
Sultan that the local people reverted to old names.
ISLAMIC ATROCITIES IN COORG, BEDNUR, AND MANGALORE
The cruelties which Tipu Sultan committed in Coorg, has no
parallel in history. On one occasion, he forcibly converted over ten thousand
Hindus to Muhammadanism. On another occasion, he captured and converted to Islam
more than one thousand Hindu Coorgis before imprisoning them in the
Sreerangapatanam fortress. In the period of confusion and anarchy prevailing in
Sreerangapatanam during the last war of Tipu Sultan against the British, all the
Coorgi prisoners escaped from the prison and became Hindus again after reaching
their native kingdom. Against the solemn oath given to the Raja of Coorg, Tipu
Sultan forcibly abducted a young princess from the Coorg royal family and made
her his wife against her will.
The atrocities committed by Tipu Sultan in Bidnur in North
Karnataka during and after its capture by him, were most barbarous and beyond
description. Ayaz Khan who was Kammaran Nambiar from Chirackal Kingdom before
his forcible conversion to Islam by Hyder Ali Khan, had been appointed as
Governor of Bidnur. Tipu Sultan was jealous of and opposed to Ayaz Khan from the
very beginning because Hyder Ali Khan had considered the latter more intelligent
and smart. When Ayaz Khan learnt that Tipu Sultan was scheming to kill him
secretly, he escaped to Bombay with plenty of gold. Tipu Sultan came to Bednur
and forcibly converted its entire population to Islam. The people accepted Islam
for the sake of their lives.
After the capture of Mangalore, thousands of Christians were
also forcibly sent to Sreerangapatanam where all of them were circumcised and
converted to Islam. Tipu Sultan's justification was that during the Portuguese
domination, prior to the arrival of the British, many Muslims had been converted
to Christianity by their Missionaries. He proudly proclaimed his action as a
sort of punishment for the conversion of many Muslims by the Portuguese.
Then he marched upto Kumbla on the northern borders of Kerala,
forcibly converting to Islam every Hindu on the way. This time, his argument
(repeated by the Muslim and secularist historians of today) was that if all
belonged to one religion - Muhammadanism - there would be unity and consequently
it would be easy to defeat the British!
INSIDE MALABAR
In Malabar, the main target of Tipu Sultan's atrocities were
Hindus and Hindu temples. According to Lewis B. Boury, the atrocities committed
by Tipu Sultan against Hindus in Malabar were worse and more barbarous than
those committed against the Hindus in Hindustan by the notorious Mahmud of
Ghazni, Alauddin Khalji, and Nadir Shah. He disputes in his book Mukherjee's
version that Tipu Sultan had converted only his opponents. Normally even a cruel
person kills or tortures only his enemies. But that argument does not justify
the cruelties committed by him against innocent women and children.
DANCE OF THE ISLAMIC SATAN
According to the Malabar Manual of William Logan who was
the District Collector for some time, Thrichambaram and Thalipparampu temples in
Chirackal Taluqa, Thiruvangatu Temple (Brass Pagoda) in Tellicherry, and Ponmeri
Temple near Badakara were all destroyed by Tipu Sultan. The Malabar
Manual mention that the Maniyoor mosque was once a Hindu temple. The local
belief is that it was converted to a mosque during the days of Tipu Sultan.
Vatakkankoor Raja Raja Varma in his famous literary work,
History of Sanskrit Literature in Kerala, has written the following about
the loss and destruction faced by the Hindu temples in Kerala during the
military regime (Padayottam) of Tipu Sultan: "There was no limit as to the loss
the Hindu temples suffered due to the military operations of Tipu Sultan.
Burning down the temples, destruction of the idols installed therein and also
cutting the heads of cattle over the temple deities were the cruel
entertainments of Tipu Sultan and his equally cruel army. It was heartrending
even to imagine the destruction caused by Tipu Sultan in the famous ancient
temples of Thalipparampu and Thrichambaram. The devastation caused by this new
Ravana's barbarous activities have not yet been fully rectified."
KOZHIKODE MADE A GRAVEYARD
As per the provisions of the Treaty of Mangalore of 1784, the
British had allowed Tipu Sultan to have his suzerainty over Malabar. 'In
consequence, the Hindus of Malabar had to suffer the most severe enormities the
world had ever known in history,' observes K.V. Krishna Iyer, in his famous
book, Zamorins of Calicut, based on historical records available from the
royal house of Zamorins in Calicut. "When the second-in-line of Zamorins,
Eralppad, refused to cooperate with Tipu Sultan in his military operations
against Travancore because of Tipu's crude methods of forcible circumcision and
conversion of Hindus to Islam, the enraged Tipu Sultan took a solemn oath to
circumcise and convert the Zamorin and his chieftains and Hindu soldiers to
Islamic faith," he adds.
L.B. Boury writes: "To show his ardent devotion and steadfast
faith in Muhammaddan religion, Tipu Sultan found Kozhikode to be the most
suitable place. It was because the Hindus of Malabar refused to reject the
matriarchal system, polyandry and half-nakedness of women that the 'great
reformer' Tipu Sultan tried to honour the entire population with Islam." To the
Malabar people, the Muslim harem, Muslim polygamy and the Islamic ritual of
circumcision were equally repulsive and opposed to the ancient culture and
tradition in Kerala. Tipu Sultan sought a marriage alliance with the matriarchal
Muslim family of Arackal Bibi in Cannanore. Kozhikode was then a centre of
Brahmins and had over 7000 Brahmin families living there. Over 2000 Brahmin
families perished as a result of Tipu Sultan's Islamic cruelties. He did not
spare even women and children. Most of the men escaped to forests and foreign
lands.
Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai wrote in the Mathrubhoomi Weekly
of December 25, 1955: "Muhammadans greatly increased in number. Hindus were
forcibly circumcised in thousands. As a result of Tipu's atrocities, strength of
Nairs and Chamars (Scheduled Castes) significantly diminished in number.
Namboodiris also substantially decreased in number."
The German missionary Guntest has recorded: 'Accompanied by an
army of 60,000, Tipu Sultan came to Kozhikode in 1788 and razed it to the
ground. It is not possible even to describe the brutalities committed by that
Islamic barbarian from Mysore." C.A. Parkhurst also noted that 'Almost the
entire Kozhikode was razed to the ground."
TEMPLES DESTROYED
Thali, Thiruvannur, Varackal, Puthur, Govindapuram, Thalikkunnu
and other important temples in the town of Kozhikode as well as those nearby
were completely destroyed as a result of Tipu's military operations. Some of
them were reconstructed by the Zamorin after he returned following the defeat of
Tipu Sultan in Sreerangapatanam and the Treaty of 1792.
The devastation caused by Tipu Sultan to the ancient and holy
temples of Keraladheeswaram, Thrikkandiyoor and Thriprangatu in Vettum region
was terrible. The Zamorin renovated these temples to some extent. The famous and
ancient Thirunavaya Temple, known throughout the country as an ancient
teaching-centre of the Vedas, revered by the devotees of Vishnu from Tamil Nadu,
and existing before the advent of Christ, was also plundered and destroyed by
Tipu's army (Malabar Gazetteer). After dismantling and destroying the
idol, Tipu converted the Thrikkavu Temple into an ammunition depot in Ponnani
(Malabar Manual). It was the Zamorin who repaired the temple later.
Kotikkunnu, Thrithala, Panniyoor and other family temples of the Zamorin were
plundered and destroyed. The famous Sukapuram Temple was also desecrated. Damage
done to the Perumparampu Temple and Maranelira Temple of Azhvancherry
Thamprakkal (titular head of all Namboodiri Brahmins) in Edappadu, can be seen
even today. Vengari Temple and Thrikkulam Temple in Eranadu, Azhinjillam Temple
in Ramanattukara, Indyannur Temple, Mannur Temple and many other temples were
defiled and damaged extensively during the military regime.
Tipu Sultan reached Guruvayoor Temple only after destroying
Mammiyoor Temple and Palayur Christian Church. If the destruction caused by
Tipu's army is not visible today in the Guruvayoor Temple, it is mainly because
of the intervention of Hydrose Kutty who had been converted to Islam by Hyder
Ali Khan. He secured the safety of the temple and the continuation of land-tax
exemption allowed by Hyder Ali earlier, besides the renovation and repairs done
by the devotees later. According to available evidences, fearing the wrath of
Tipu Sultan, the sacred idol of the Guruvayoor Temple was removed to the
Ambalapuzha Sri Krishna Temple in Travancore State. It was only after the end of
Tipu's military regime, that the idol was ceremoniously reinstated in the
Guruvayoor Temple itself. Even today, daily pujas are conducted in
Ambalapuzha Sri Krishna Temple where the idol of Guruvayoor Temple was
temporarily installed and worshipped.
Damages caused to the nearby temples at Parampathali,
Panmayanadu and Vengidangu are visible even today. The deplorable state of the
architecture of the sanctum sanctorum of Parampathali Temple destroyed during
the military operations of Tipu Sultan is really heart-rending. The atrocities
committed in Kozhikode during the nightmarish days of the military occupation
are vividly described in the works of Fra Bartolomaeo who had travelled through
Kerala at that time. How cruelly Tipu Sultan, ably assisted by the French
Commander M. Lally, had treated the Hindu and Christian population can be
clearly understood from his writings.
TALKING RECORDS OF KERALA HISTORY
Govinda Pillai says in his famous book, History of
Literature; "During Malayalam Era 965 corresponding to 1789-90, Tipu Sultan
crossed over to Malabar with an army of uncivilised barbarians. With a sort of
fanatical love for Islamic faith, he destroyed many Hindu temples and Christian
churches which were the custodians of precious wealth and religious traditions.
Besides, Tipu Sultan abducted hundreds of people and forcibly circumcised and
converted them to Islam - an act which was considered by them as more than
death."
A small army of 2000 Nairs of Kadathanadu resisted the invasion
of the huge army of Tipu Sultan from a fortress in Kuttipuram for a few weeks.
They were reduced to starvation and death. Tipu Sultan entered the fort and
offered to spare their lives, provided they accepted conversion to Islam. The
unfortunate lot of 2000 Nairs were then forced to eat beef after being converted
to Islamic faith, at the end of usual religious ritual of mass circumcision. All
the members of one branch of Parappanad Royal Family were forcibly converted to
Muhammadan faith except for one or two who escaped from the clutches of Tipu
Sultan's army. Similarly, one Thiruppad belonging to Nilamboor Royal Family was
also forcibly abducted and converted to Islam. Thereafter, it was reported that
further conversions of Hindus were attempted through those converts. In the end,
when the Kolathiri Raja surrendered and paid tribute, Tipu Sultan got him
treacherously killed without any specific reason, dragged his dead body tied to
the feet of an elephant through the streets, and finally hanged him from a
tree-top to show his Islamic contempt for Hindu Rajas.
It may be mentioned here that the entire Wodayar Royal Family
of Mysore had been humiliated and kept in prison by Hyder Ali Khan and Tipu
Sultan in their capital city, Sreerangapatanam. Even the Palghat Raja, Ettipangi
Achan who had surrendered, was imprisoned on suspicion and later taken to
Sreerangapatanam. Nothing was heard of him subsequently. Christians in Palghat
fled out of fear. Tipu Sultan terrified the entire Hindu population in Malabar,
stationing his army contingents in different regions for the purpose. The tax
initially imposed by Hyder Ali Khan was forcibly collected by Tipu Sultan.
Standing crops were confiscated. This act provoked even some influential Mappila
landlords to revolt against Tipu Sultan.
Hyder Ali Khan had exempted temples from the payment of land
tax. But Tipu Sultan forced the temples to pay heavy taxes. The famous Hemambika
Temple at Kalpathi of the Palghat Raja who had surrendered to Hyder Ali Khan,
the Kachamkurissi Temple of the Kollamkottu Raja who had deserted the Zamorin
and sided with Hyder Ali Khan, and also the Jain Temple at Palghat suffered
serious damages due to the cruel policies of Tipu Sultan.
Many Nair and Brahmin landlords fled the country leaving their
vast wealth behind. The Mappilas forcibly took possession of their lands and
wealth. Tipu Sultan did not object to their actions. Most of the Mappila
landlords of today claim that they purchased the ownership of the landed
properties from Nairs and Brahmins after paying heavy compensation. These
blatant lies are being repeated by them in spite of the fact that practically
nothing was paid to the Hindu landlords then or later. (The same Islamic
treachery was repeated during the Mappila riots of 1921.)
In any case, Tipu Sultan succeeded in mass killing, converting
lakhs of Hindus to Islamic faith, driving thousands out of their traditional
homes, and finally making the rest extremely poor. Many Hindus belonging to
lower castes accepted conversion to Islam under duress. However, many others,
especially the Thiyyas, fled to Tellicherry and Mahe for safety.
When the British established their rule in
Malabar and the Hindu landlords made efforts to recover their landed properties,
illegally occupied by the local Mappilas, Mullahs started preaching to their
fanatic followers that "killing of Hindu landlords was a sacred Islamic act,"
leading to frequent Mappila outrages in Malabar.
1
In Cherunad, Vettathunad, Eranad, Valluvanad, Thamarassery and
other interior areas, local Mappilas unleashed a reign of terror on the Hindu
population, mainly to retain the illegally occupied land and to establish their
domination over Hindus as during Tipu's regime. Fearing the organised robberies
and violence, people could not even travel freely in the Malabar hinterland of
predominantly Mappila population.
Lt. Col. E. Phitiyan, Andriansi, Mayan, K.P. Padmanabha Menon
Sadasyathilakan T.K. Velu Pillai, Ullur Parameshwara Iyer, and other prominent
people have described vividly the various types of atrocities committed by Tipu
Sultan during the days of his Islamic rule in Malabar. There is no count of the
wealth looted from Hindu temples and taken away by him to Sreerangapatanam. It
is, therefore, very pitiable that a few shameless Hindus of today have come
forward to orchestrate the nefarious propaganda of the fanatic Muslims, namely,
that it was the imperialist divide-and-rule policy of the British that was
responsible for blaming the Muslims for various atrocities committed against
Hindus. This Big Lie was surreptitiously entered subsequently in history books
and related records. It is obvious that these "Hindus" are speaking on the theme
of Hindu-Muslim unity and praising the 'secular' credentials of the Muslim
League, Tipu Sultan and Aurangzeb to the sky, not sincerely for the sake of
Hindu-Muslim amity but only because of their inherent cowardice. They even
proclaim that the notorious Mappila outrage of 1921 was part of the freedom
struggle!
CONCLUSION
A few observations about the attack of Tipu Sultan on the
Travancore State would be appropriate in this context. If the Nedunkotta had not
been constructed earlier mainly to stop the danger from the powerful Zamorin,
the same fate would have befallen the helpless Travancore State as well. Because
of the above fortification, Tipu Sultan could wreak vengeance only in Angamally,
Alwaye, Varapuzha, Alangod and other towns on the northern borders of Travancore
State. That is what the Dewan of Travancore, Madhava Rao, had written in the
history of Travancore. It may be emphasized here that he had relied on the
original local records, not the ones published by the European historians. He
wrote: "Whatever cruelties, the local Mappilas were desirous of indulging in the
land, Tipu Sultan and his army of Muslim converts did. The ancient and holy
temples were heartlessly defiled or burnt down. The ruins of those temples
destroyed by Tipu's fanatic army are the existing evidences of the atrocities
committed by Muslims in the country. Christian churches also had to suffer
widespread destructions. However, Tipu Sultan spared only the territories of
Cochin Raja who had surrendered to Hyder Ali Khan in the beginning itself.
Still, when Tipu Sultan and his army entered Parur and started firing at
Kodungallur, the Cochin Raja sent a letter to the Travancore Raja requesting him
'to protect me and my family'." (A copy of the original letter was also
published in the book.)
These are the recorded facts about the atrocities unleashed by
Tipu Sultan during his military regime notoriously known as Padayottakalam.
Poets have written a number of poems about the sufferings of the people and the
land during those nightmarish days. The following was written by a member of the
Katathanad Royal Family about the consequences of Padayottakalam:
"Oh Shiva! Shiva Lingam (idol) has gone (destroyed) from the
temple, and also the Lingam (manliness) from the land:"
(This is the English translation of the Malayalam article
by P.C.N. Raja first published in Kesari Annual of 1964. The late Raja
was a senior member of the Zamorin Royal Family.)
