3/31/2020 Historic Alleys: The Kora Puzha custom

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The Kora Puzha custom 12

Posted by Maddy Labels: Malabar traditions jan

A Cultural or political boundary?

Maddy

A nomad in today's I think most of us will recall that in the past, we had some strict rules when it came to marriages. People from
world, a world traveler Malabar would not marry from families down South or up North. Let us take a look at that rule or custom and
in essence see what it was all about during and after the days when the Calicut Zamorins feuded with the Kolathunad

View my complete profile rulers.

One can always argue if it was a rule or a custom, perhaps the latter is a more appropriate usage, we shall soon
see. The details come out in various clarifications sought during the long discussions held to formulate what is
known and the Report of the Malabar Marriage Commission of 1891. It is not my intention to discuss the
practice of a Sambandham marriage, for it is a complex and vast but totally misunderstood subject, so we can
My Blogs get to it some other day.

Musical Avenues
Rivers were considered natural barriers and divisive lines between medieval feudal states. While women of

Maddys Ramblings South Malabar and Cochin cannot go beyond Quilon in Travancore on pain of losing caste, those of north
Malabar were prohibited from crossing the Perumpula River towards the north and the Korapuzha towards the
south (Kora Puzha is roughly nine miles north of Calicut). Those of Polanad were confined between Korapuzha
on the north and Chalian River on the south. The Putiyapalam River was respected by the ladies of the
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orthodox Nayar families of Kizhakkumpuram and Vadakkumpuram. The list goes on, but we will discuss the
Kora Puzha rule, only because the discussion over that rule was very well documented and widely debated.

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Malabar - Portuguese
Malabar - English period
1800-1900 Malabar Various How and why did this custom originate? The earliest mentioned relate to the mythical Parasuma (of course!)

Malabar Pre 15th Century who created the three classes of women. According to the Kerala Mahatmyam, the Kora River, is the "Ghara" in

Malabar - Chinese trade Palghat Sanskrit. The story is that Parasurama provided three women by Indra, them being an Asura, a Gandharva and

India Various Malabar Mysore a Deva, proceeded on to Malayala. He settled the first at Gokarnam, the second in North Malabar and the last

Sultans Malabar Dutch Malabar at Trichur. The progeny of these three women were (due to social levels or hierarchy at Devaloka perhaps!)

French 1720-1800 Travancore tales prohibited from associating with one another. The sons of Deva and Gandharwa women may have mutual

Turkey World Wars Great voyagers intercourse with the daughters of Gandharwa and Deva females respectively, and vice versa in the Malayalam

Muziris and Roman trade Malabar - country – viz. Kerala). Now note here that the sons of Deva females are the Nayars of South Malabar, and the

English period 1900 -1950 Malabar - daughters of the Gandharwa females are the women of North Malabar, because according to Kerala

Germans Malabar Danish Mahatmyam, the country between Cape Comorin and Ghora river was colonized by the descendants of a Deva
female and those of her six handmaids, and the country between the Ghora river and Paysasini river in
Kizhoor, at Kasargod, by the descendants of a Gantharwa female and those of her six handmaids, and the

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country between Payassini river and Ghokarnam in North Canara, by the descendants of an Asura female and
those of her six handmaids. This as you can see was the legend attached to the divisions.

Search This Blog That was a myth, but perhaps the real reason lay in the rivalry between the Zamorins and the Kolathunad
Rajas. Many of the people quizzed came up with this reason as the real basis, and the necessity for absolute
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faithfulness by the supporting Nair and Tiya militia. Wifely ties would weaken such faith and so, no liaisons
should exist across the borders. Further, property rights would mean that men in the South marrying up North
can lay claim to lands through their wives and vice versa!

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On the origin of Nairs
Much has been said and written about
the origins of Nairs of Malabar and to
Of course there were some who tried to explain that the Northern Nair castes were superior, chaster compared
to the South, that their women had higher standing and so on which I would, like the marriage board, take with
a pinch of salt. The argument rested on the supposition that polyandry prevailed largely in South Malabar
whilst North Malabar was comparatively free from it, and that the edict was issued to protect the purity of
North Malabar women. A curious fact was that all this and the Anuloma/Pratiloma concepts were applicable
only in Malabar and not to adjoining South Canara, so it was not a rule which had any kind of broad religious
or moral ground. Hence it was just a custom.

this date it still remains as murky and

obscure as it was to the...
Thiyya’s of Malabar
Exploring their origins This was a
Some went back to a period where there was a belief that N Malabar women would be dishonored in the
Zamorin’s country and connected the belief to an event where a bunch of N Malabar women had gone to
Calicut to attend a feast or celebration, during which they were detained there and married off to many Nairs in
the palace. This was done in order to create a clan which became the Zamroin’s personal staff. They are the
‘akathu cherna nayanmar’ or Parisha Menon’s or todays Menon’s.

particularly difficult topic for me and The furious Kolathunad raja, unable to physically retaliate against his powerful rival, put in the ban on any of

the only information I had to look at
was a number of legends n...
Bodhidharma
On Kalaripayattu, Samurai, Origins of
his female subjects from ever again entering the Zamorin’s territory. His words on the occasion are reported to
have been somewhat to the following effect. "Into the territory of the Zamorin, who is guilty of such gross
misconduct as this, let our women (subjects) not enter." A later generation, who perhaps did not know, or were
not informed of the reason for the prohibition, or, who, by lapse of time, and because no fresh instance of the
kind took place in the South mis-paraphrased the Rajah's words into a prohibition to cross the Korapuzha—the
Southern boundary of Kolathnad.

tea and Kung-fu…… For a long time, I

had heard of rumors that the martial
arts of Japan and China ha...
Stories like this abound, for there is one siding with the Zamorin as well. The relations between one of the
Zamorins and a certain Kurumbranad Rajah was, let us say friendly and there was much intercourse between
the two domains, so much so that it appears the Kurumbranad Rajah succeeded in bedding a Tampuratti of the
Zamorins's family. The enraged Zamorin put in a travel ban towards the North!

There were some other complex issues too at stake relating to Yagam performance as one explained- There are
no Nambuthiris to the North of Korapuzha and to the South of Aleppie river who can perform Yagam and
kindred ceremonies; therefore high caste Brahman women cannot travel beyond these boundaries and
consequently the Sudra dependents too, of these Brahmans are prohibited from going further than the two
I Read
limits.
Calicut Heritage by CKR
Connections and potential pollution with Muslims was another major issue cited by some and date back to the
Jews of Malabar Pardesi Arabs in the Zamorin territory. It appears that new Arab settlers (perhaps 13th to 15th century
periods), forcibly carried away some women - one or two of them of very high rank too and made them their
Pazhayathum Puthiyathum
wives. Such unpleasant facts occurring in the South must have made the northern people regard the Zamorin's
dominions as dangerous places to live in or travel through, and that more especially for women, and as, to them
Malabar Days
such travelling or settlements were not necessary, they made the passing into the Zamorin's dominions by
Calicut heritage forum women ,an offence " punishable with forfeiture of caste."

While Korapuzha was the Kolathunad border many years ago, in the 19th century it became an issue since
Korapuzha was no longer in the Kolathunad territory. The correct boundary between North and South
Malabar, for argument sake should have been the Kottakadavu (Marat River) and not the Korapuzha, because,
the country beyond the Kottakadavu and within the Korapuzha forms the Southern portion of the
Follow by Email, but pls leave a Kurumbranad Taluk.
comment
Email address... Submit Petty religious issues were also brought up, for example the Korapuzha required boats to cross it and they were
all owned and rowed by Moplah’s. In certain other rivers, they had Hindu Pitran rowers, so it was not a
problem. But at Korapuzha, they could not circumvent Moplahs. It also appears that there was an event
relating to some Kolathunad women being ‘ravished’ by the Moplahs in the Zamorin’s kingdom!

Property rights were mentioned - In the olden time Kolathunad extended up to Korapuzha and Kolathiri, who
Archives is said to have exacted feudal services (military) from thirty thousand Nayars under him, thought it wise to rule
with a view to stop emigration of these feudal serfs, that to cross that boundary for a female of North Malabar
▼ 2020 (4) (who is, of course only likely to propagate such serfs rightly belonging to his Swarupam) was to entail
excommunication.
► Mar 2020 (2)

► Feb 2020 (1) The subsequent conquest by the Mysore Sultans also figured in the arguments – One went thus - The dominion
of the Zamorin was overrun by Tipu Sultan, who converted many a Nayar to Islam. The Rajah of Chirakkal then
▼ Jan 2020 (1) issued an order that no woman should cross the Korapuzha, lest she be converted, and that no man of South

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The Kora Puzha custom Malabar should be admitted to a North Malabar family on the belief that all in South Malabar (including the
Zamorin) had become converts to Islam!

► 2019 (7) The conclusions after the involvement of all the representing nobles (my Great Great grandfather Vidwan Ettan
Thamburan, included) and educated men of that time, was as you can imagine, inconclusive. If you are
► 2018 (12) interested in hearing what my ancestor (who became the Zamorin only a few years after the interview) had to
say, well he was a deeply religious person who believed in the caste system and furthermore, the Bhagavad
► 2017 (13) Gita. A very conservative and caste bound men, he said…

► 2016 (9)
There exists no absolute objection to a Nayar woman of North Malabar going South of Korapuzha.
The causes which led to this prohibition appear to me to have been:
► 2015 (10)
(1) The restrictions laid down by the two Rajahs (Zamorin and Kolathiri)
(2) If the women were allowed to travel as freely as they pleased, they would enter into all sorts of connections
► 2014 (15)
forbidden by caste regulations and customary usage, which would undermine caste observances, and would

► 2013 (14) remove caste distinctions, so much so that all classes would be reduced to the same level, and lead to other
similar evils. It is clear from the following quotation from Bhagavatgitha that if the women fall and become
► 2012 (15) degenerated it would be productive of enormous evil…

► 2011 (13) "0 ! Krishna! From the increase of vice (even) family (chaste) women become sinners. 0! Descendant of
Yrishni (Krishna)! When women are bitten ("corrupted) confusion of castes is the result. The wages of this
► 2010 (18) confusion will be hell even to the race of such as destroy the purity of families, for their forefathers will sink
into hell, being deprived of Pinda (funeral cake), TJdagam (holy water) and Kriya (funeral rites). By these
► 2009 (35) vices of the destroyers of families, which produce mixtures of castes, the long established religious
observances of castes and of families are up-rooted."
► 2008 (25)

The Malabar marriage act of 1896 was eventually enacted, though it did not quite make an impact.The first
man in North Malabar, who tried ineffectually to break through the custom was the late Kuvukal Kelu Nayar, a
late Sub-Judge of South Malabar. His son Kunhi Raman Nayar, who was also Sub-Judge of Calicut, too, failed
in his attempt to take his wife to Calicut.

Malabar Thurston adds, though not referring to the apparent origins of the Akattu Charna caste from Kolathunad – To
this rule there is an exception, and of late years the world has come in touch with the Malayāli, who
nowadays goes to the University, studies medicine and law in the Presidency town (Madras), or even in far
off England. Women of the relatively inferior Akattu Charna clan are not under quite the same restrictions as
regards residence as are those of most of the other clans; so, in these days of free communications, when
Malayālis travel, and frequently reside far from their own country, they often prefer to select wives from this
Akattu Charna clan. But the old order changeth everywhere, and nowadays Malayālis who are in the
Government service, and obliged to reside far away from Malabar, and a few who have taken up their abode
in the Presidency town, have wrenched themselves free of the bonds of custom, and taken with them their
wives who are of clans other than the Akattu Charna.

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He then goes into detail about the custom of a Mannan being the one to provide the ‘mattu’ or post
mensuration period clothes to a Nair woman, but does not quite explain how it applied to an Akattu Charna
Nayar woman. Perhaps she can have the mattu from any dhobi, not a vannan?
According to Kodoth’s studies - This prohibition on Women had by the turn of the turn of the twentieth
century turned into a source of inconvenience for the increasing number of Nair men employed outside north
Malabar. Men employed outside North Malabar or in Madras resorted to sambandham with women in south
Malabar owing to the inconvenience of the rule. The first instances of women defying the rule were in order
to join their husbands and these women had to bear the pain of ostracism. A few women did cross to join
their husbands in Calicut. Chandu Nambiar recalls that it was possible to break the taboo only because
women of the older generation took it upon themselves to violate the norm. They were also willing to brave

1,069,739 the censure involved. By the 1920s, women were crossing the river without major social repercussions.

But with the passage of time, new marriage rules came into vogue and old feudal rules disappeared, but even
today you can see chaste Nair or Tiya families asking questions about the geographic origins of the groom or
the bride’s family, during marriage proposals. In fact when two Malayalee’s meet, the first question is where in
Kerala the other is from!

References
Shifting the ground of fatherhood, Matriliny, men and marriage in early 20th century Keralam – Praveena
Kodoth
Nayars of Malabar – F Fawcett
Report of the Malabar Marriage commission 1891.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India, by Edgar Thurston Vol 5
Note: Today the Korapuzha is also known as the Elathur river

WISHING ALL READERS A HAPPY NEW YEAR

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