Malabar The Land Steeped In History.
(Raju Narayana Swamy IAS)
Legend, mystery, myth and folklore
combine to create a travellers delight and a historian’s paradise at the northern tip of Kerala. This is Malabar the land from where the gold that bedecked Solomon’s temple in the halcyon days of Jewish sovereignty is said to have come. lt was this province that
gave birth to the boat-building traditions of Beypore which date back to the Sumerians and the Phoenicians and to the folk art forms known as Theyyam and Thirai which are as far back in time as the Sangam works. lvory, peacocks, apes and sandalwood which formed the cargo of Hiram’s shipmen were supposed to have been brought from here. Local names such as Ponnani and Ponnoorkode-- "Pon" meaning gold in the vernacular are but a few philological evidences of the gold that blessed the sands of Malabar in yesteryears.
Malabar has witnessed many an event that changed the course of Indian history. It was Kappad-- a pleasant calm beach studdedd
with rocks and caressed by friendly waves which turned a page in world history with the landing of Vasco da Gama. This is the holy land where history utters in sweet silence the glories of Kunjali Marakkar-- one of the series of naval chiefs to stand up against Portuguese invasion.Aromal Unni and Tacholi Othenan, the supremos of the sophisticated martial art Kalaripayattu enriched the land with actions of valour and courage. Though Othenan succumbed to fate in the prime of his youth, the steps of this Robinhood of North Malabar with sword and shield in his hands still ring in the minds of the people through the vibrant tales narrated in the ballads of Malabar. Another event whose memory still lingers is the historic Mamankam-- the test of supremacy of the Zamorins on the battle field-- organised once in twelve years.
Destiny has bestowed on Malabar all the ingredients of a dreamland. From the stern majesty of the mighty Ghats to the radiant beauty of the blue sea with its white foam, and green lagoons fringed with feathery palms and sparkling sand, Malabar is God’s own country.
All along the coast, the green of palm and jack tree contrasts vividly with the red of the roads running beneath them, the majestic mountains keep watch over the favoured land at their feet towering over all, with their slopes clad in dense forests and thick jungles. It was nothing but this panoramic view from the top of the Thamarassery Ghats to wards the Arabian Sea that made the Madras Times report: "High mountains rise
to the left with water glistening on bare black rocks like tears of gladness in the eyes of sorrow.
As the distance grows farther, hill and field all merge into one green plain and beyond gleams the sea, hard to be discerned from the Heaven that bends down and meets it. As you gaze, the thought rises from the heart that in such fair and well-ordered beauty, the affairs of this world may per chance appear from the Throne of Heaven with all their inequality so strange, so little comprehendable by us, the dwellers
amid its hills and valleys."
The man and beauty of Kerala are
presented in a nutshell by Malabar. For the religious minded, there are the numerous temples like Tali and Lokanarkavu which are adorned by sculptures and paintings as well
as the mosques at Palayam and Nadapuram which are architecturally supreme. For the architect, the traditional Thachusastra of Malabar poses a challenge despite the sweep and scale of the concrete structures of today. For the aesthetically minded, Malabar presents a variety of literature from the Kilippattu of
Ezhuttachan who cherished and nourished the classical approach, to the folklore of "Vadakkan Pattukal". And for the holiday crowd, Malabar presents a holiday get away in the form of Wynad--a true sanitorium with its cold, salubrious climate. As Sir M.E.Grant Duff, the former Governor of Madras, remarked: "Had Wynad been in Europe, it would have become the favourite haunt of the landscape painters and views from it would have adorned every art gallery."
Calicut, the headquarters of Malabar, has always been a city of unexpected pleasures closely linked with the destiny of the nation. A city visited by the Chinese who came in great floating hulks with huge all-weather wooden anchors, it has been quoted in the travelogues of Marco Polo, Ibn Batuta and Abdur-Razaak among others. This was the land of Kallai, once the second largest timber market in the world, and Feroke in the banks of which the ingenious technical ability of man led to then manufacture of tiles and bricks on a factory scale.
Malabar has thus been a beckoning spot where the fusion of history and culture, heritage and nature has created a trail resplendent with
ecstasy for the whole world to come, see and enjoy.
This article was published in the MALABAR MAHOTSAV, 1993 Souvenir.
“The world docked their ships at our harbour for trade and took home our spices and a lesson of honesty….” — Kurupettan.
