AN EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS

THE THEORY OF HIS MARRIAGE HAS NO BASIS

As one interested in the life of Jesus, I read with curiosity, the news of a book on Jesus' so called marriage to Mary Magdalene. The book,the news said, will be called, The Lost Gospel: Decoding Ancient Text that Reveal Jesus' Marriage to Mary the Magdalene. It was authored by media producer Simcha Jacobovici with a professor, Barrie Wilson. Simcha was known to be a peddler of misguiding theories, earlier trying to promote an ossuary as containing the bone of Jesus' brother,  James, by developing a documentary that claimed to unveil the Jesus' family tomb, and by claiming to have uncovered the nails used in Jesus' crucifixion. All proved to be hoaxes. The astounding 'revelation'  in the book is, Mary Magdalene was the same as Virgin Mary. Now the New Testament scholar Grey Carey has assessedthat the Lost Gospel is neither lost nor a gospel. It is an ancient Jewish novel, Joseph and Aseneth, a simple novel, ands so, there is nothing to decode.

The Crucifixion by Giotto (C.1320).First image of Jesus

Even the theory of his marriage is not new. It is there in the Gospel of Philip, which is part of the Nag Hammadi texts. Nag Hammadi is a city, in Upper Egypt,on the west bank of the Nile,where a collection of 12 leather bound papyrus texts were found in 1945, which form the Gnostic gospels. If we piece together the life of Jesus in India, it will become evident that he belonged to a sect,which led a yogic life,abhorring the life with women. Jesus Lived in India, by Holger Kersten, is an important book, but no mention is made in it about an important text, The Crucifixion by an Eyewitness, along with some other books.

The Crucifixion, an old parchment, was found while excavating an ancient house, in the antique city of Aquila in Naples, in 1810 by Commissioners of Arts of the French Army. The house which was owned by the Essenees earlier was later occupied by  Grecian friars. This document was published in German in 1873, and a copy found its way to a Freemason in Massachusetts, and got published in English in 1907. A copy was brought to India by Swami Abhedananda from the US in 1921. Abhedananda was a contemporary of Vivekananda in the same Mission-a far superior genius in Phiosophy than Vivekananda. The latter always kept the other at a distance. I have read the 1o volumes of Collected Works of Vivekananda, but has read only three volumes of the total 24 of Abhedananda. I found these first at the home of Perumbadavam Sreedharan, the writer, at Thamalam, Thiruvananthapuram, and bought them from Kolkata, later.

Nag Hammadi Scrolls

The Crucifixion was written by an Esseneer, member of the Essenees monks sect, of which Jesus was a member, to a friend in Alexandria, just 7 years after the execution. The document contains the death warrant of Jesus, prepared by the Governor of lower Galilee, Pontius Pilate. It orders the first Centurion, Quilius Cornelius to lead Jesus to the place of execution. The witnesses who signed condemnation of Jesus are four: Daniel Robani, Joannes Robani, Raphael Robani, all Pharisees, and Capet, a citizen. The warrant says, Jesus shall go out of the city, by the gate of Struenus.

To me, all this is amazing, and confusing, too. The authenticity of this document has been questioned on the grounds that the original is claimed to be in Latin, and it was found as parchment. Latin is not a probability and ancient documents were in papyrus. The writer has used the four gospels, and the exclusion of super natural in the text is modern.

The Crucifixion affirms Jesus didn't die on the cross. He was restored to life through tender and careful nursing of the influential Joseph of Arimathea, and the Physician Nicodemus. Jesus fell into a death like trance and as Esseer brothers were conversant with the medical sciences interfered. The Crucifixion is silent on what happened to Jesus after he was rescued. It is assumed that the silence was because of the instruction of the Order. The later life of Jesus was claimed to have found recorded in the Hemis Gompa monastery in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, in 1887 by the Russian traveler Nicholas Aleksandrovich Notovich.

It is the biggest Himalayan Monastery, 45 kilometers from Leh, situated at a height of 12000 feet. Notovich, the Belarusian Jew, claimed to have browsed through 84000 scrolls of manuscripts, on the life of Isa and wrote, The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ. Max Muller exposed his claims by writing to the Monastery. In 1899, Mirza Ghulam Ahmed wrote Jesus in India refuting the claim Jesus was in India, before Crucifixion. But Swami Abhedananda, in 1922, went to the same monastery, found the scrolls, and wrote in Bengali, Kashmere-o-Tibbate. This is also not mentioned in Kresten's book. Abhedananda's claim was questioned by Richard Hooper in 2012. In 1975, Susanta Kumar Chattopadhyay went to Hemis to make a documentary, and wrote an article in 1978. He has not recorded, seeing the scrolls.

Notovich

The group which claims Jesus was in India argue that Jesus, after crucifixion, escaped to Kashmir traveling from Tibet, visited Benares, Gaya, died in Kashmir, and was buried at Roza Bal in Khaniyar. Viceroy Lord Irwin visited it in 1930. Two books, Jesus died in Kashmir by Andreas Faber-Kaiser and Did Christ Live and Die in Kashmir? by Iqbal Kaul, find no mention in Kresten's book. Academics who do research have a tendency not to reveal the names of the primary books they used in Bibliography, while even mentioning the pedestrian- I don't know whether this is the case with Kresten. He has been accused of re-packaging old claims, by some scholars.

Jesus was not a well known person during his time. Philo the Alexandrian historian, who died about CE 50, didn't know him. Flavius Josephus the historian, who wrote Jewish Antiquity, born in CE 37, mentioned Jesus' execution, in just a few lines, without referring the Christians. Jesus was born in Nazareth, a small town of Galilee, about the Roman year 750. The name Jesus was an alteration of the popular name Joshua. Around CE 28 (1st year of the reign of Tiberius), the reputation of Johanes or John the Baptist spread in Palestine. Born in Juttah, on the Eastern shore of the Dead Sea near Hebron, he looked like a Yogi, clothed in Camel's hair, eating locusts and drinking wild honey. He was Jesus' Guru, in the Essenees Sect, the abode of which was near John's birth place, on the Western shore of the Dead Sea. King Herod, who was troubled by the birth of Jesus, belonged to the Sadducee sect, nopposed to the sect of Jesus. After his death, the artisan parents of Jesus escaped from Egypt to Galilee. The Evangelist Luke mentions the decree of taxation, as reason for their escape to Nazreth-the taxation, historically, happened only later. Luke says the taxation was decreed by Caesar Augustus, when Cyrenius was the Governor of Syria,during King Herod's reign. But Cyrenius was appointed to this Office, long after the death of Herod.

Hemis Monastery

The Gospel of Mathew and Luke  is silent on Jesus' childhood, except the mention of his visit to the Temple,with his parents, to take part in Passover, at age 12. It was the age in which Jews were capable of participating in sacred rites. When the parents went home, he was missing. They found him in the Temple on the third day, arguing with the scholars. Three women always accompanied him: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, wife of Chuza, one of the stewards of Antipas and Susanna. For 18 months, he avoided going to the Temple or Jerusalem. At the Feast of Tabernacles of CE 32, his relatives pressed him and he went almost alone, far away from the Caravan. The feast, established by Judas Maccabeas, in memory of purification of the Temple, after sacrileges of Antochius Epiphanes, usually fell at the autumnal equinox. It was also called the Fealty of Lights because, lamps were lighted in houses for eight days of the feast. A Dipavali. It was his farewell to Galilee, an area inhabited by Essenees and so despised by the opposite faction of Pharisees. From there, he went to Peren and to the banks of the Jordan river.

The next day, Sunday March 29, he descended from Bethany to Jerusalem. His enemies decided not to catch him on Friday, the beginning of Passover, fearing an outbreak, on his arrest. He won't be arrested at the Temple too. So, it was decided to arrest him on Thursday, 02, April. Judas of Kerioth sought him everywhere.The Passover was to commence next day evening, with eating the Paschal lamb-for the next seven days, only unleavened bread was eaten. So,his last meal was not the ritual feast of Passover, as the Church wants us to believe. It is owing to the error of a day in reckoning. Though the first three Gospels say Judas betrayed him for money offered by the Pharisee priests, the fourth says that on the occasion of the meal in Bethany, Judas was indignant at the anointing as an unnecessary extravaganza,that he carried the purse and acted the thief in that Office. It was nightfall when they left the room. They passed through the valley of Kedron, and Judas kissed him, the identification sign to the enemy camp. Peter drew his sword and wounded the ear of Malachus.nThe rest is history.

Foot prints of Jesus/Roza Bal tomb

Jesus was brought to the Judgement Hall, adjoining the Tower of Antonia, next morning. He was whipped, but the Jewish law prohibited more than 40 lashes. Crucifixion was  not Jewish in origin. First known practice of it was by Persians, Alexander and his Generals brought it to the Mediterranean world, Egypt and Carthage. The Romans learned it from Carthaginians. It was reserved for slaves, inferior people. Hence Jesus was crucified along with two thieves. Otherwise, it was death by sword.

The place of execution, Golgotha has not been identified so far. The word means skull, so a place like a bald skull. It has to be somewhere between Kedron and Honnom valleys, north or north west of Jerusalem. It happened around 3'0 clock in the after noon. The first two gospels d0 not mention any of the 12 disciples were present. Several Galilean women were there. Among them three Marys: Magdalene, his mother, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee (Mark). The wonderful movie, The Gospel According to St Mathew (1964), by Pasolini, comes to my mind. His own mother donned the role of the mother of Jesus!

I was retelling the story of Jesus so far, to reach this moment, but the Fourth Gospel says two men performed the Office of the Embalming, winding it in linen clothes. The women provided spices and ointments. Both Mathew and Luke say the Body was taken safely by disciples to a secret hilly place,for embalming. So, Jesus didn't die on the Cross; it is there in The Bible itself. Do you apply ointments to a dead body?

Pilate

The term resurrection is symbolic. I have no intention to philosophize.

Jewish custom doesn't allow the crucified to hang on the Cross over night. In the letter of the Esseer in The Crucifixion, emphasis is given to Jesus' wound on the side. Nicodemus the Physician knew Jesus was not dead because if Jesus had died, the wound would not have bled for such a long time. Nicodemus sent Joseph of Arimathea, the influential, to Pilate, and he himself went to collect proper drugs,pretending he wanted to embalm the body.

The Eye Witness letter speaks about the wound above the hip. So, this wound was lower down than what is generally believed. No vital organs were damaged. The spear pierced only the skin. His feet was not pierced, as it was not the custom at crucifixions. The earth quake that happened then electrified Jesus' nerves. I want to underline the information that Joseph was sent to Pilate. For What? Of Course to facilitate the rescue operation.

During the life of Jesus, the Tau Cross, in the shape of, 'T', was used. We think Jesus carried the entire cross, seeing the myriad paintings. It was not so.The victim carried only the Platibulum or the cross arm, weighing about 110 pounds or 50 kilograms, to the place of execution. The Stipes, or upright post was permanently fixed there, and the Platibulum was placed in a notch at the top of the Stipes.

The victim was never nailed on the palms, the nails were driven between the small bones of the wrist, radial and Ulna. Luke the physician in his gospel, says that at Gethsemane, Jesus' sweat became drops of blood. In modern medicine, this is called Hematidrosis. Under emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can burst.

The crucifixion usually ended with crurifracture, the breaking of the bones of the legs, which prevented the victim from pushing himself upward. The legs of the thieves were broken, but Jesus was spared, thus giving him a chance to survive. The line in the gospel of John, And immediately there came out blood and water, specifies Jesus didn't suffer suffocation.

Abhedananda

The bodily ascension of Jesus to heaven, in Mark and Luke is disproved by Paul's first letter to the Corinthians(15:5:50): Now this I say, Brethren,that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God,neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

The two disciples present, Mathew and John, doesn't mention, ascension. Bodily ascension is there in several Indian texts: for instance, Sundara Murthy Nayanar ascended to heaven from Thiruvanchikulam temple in Kerala.

Resurrection is an absurd theory propagated by the Church. It belittles sacrifice. If there is resurrection, there is no sacrifice through death. If Jesus resurrected, he fails in comparison with the sacrifice of Prometheus, who stole fire for the entire humanity from Olympus. Zeus chained him to a rock, so that vultures could eat his liver. Prometheus would have definitely failed to impress the world, if he had popped back to life, by resurrection. No sacrifice is compensated by resurrection. There is no martyrdom by resurrection. A martyr resurrects only in the minds of the humanity. It is better to think Jesus didn't resurrect, but he survived.

The eye witness account has a description of Jesus, in the form of a letter by Publius Lentulus, Governor of Judea, predecessor of Pilate: Jesus was noble,beautiful. His hair color was of ripe chest nut, shoulders was color of earth. Hair parted in the middle of fore head. Beard was thick, not long, but divided in the middle. He had the look of terror in grave eyes. When he refused to reprove,he terrified, when he admonished, he wept. He conversed seldom. In learning he was the object of wonder. He knew all science. He wore sandals. Went bear headed.

Josephus

This description tallies with the oldest portrait of Jesus, found on a tomb in the Catacombs, Rome. It also resembles the portrait of Jesus drawn by Giotto, the first by an artistm who lived during 1266-1337.

From the account, it is evident that Jesus was an Essenee together with John the Baptist. John used to be a Yogi in India.He practiced baptism,before he appeared in Galilee, according to Dr S Radhakrishnan. The Pharisees and Sadducees were popular at that time. Essenees was a small sect.

Why was Jesus crucified? It was a political act. There were no political ideologies then other than the politics of religion. He was punished because he vehemently preached Esseenism, against the religion of the pharisees and Sadducees. Sadducees were Epicureans, whereas, Pharisees were stoics. Jesus chided both: Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Mathew 16).

In chapter 23,Jesus cries four times,woe unto them. He says: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clear the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

He considered the Pharisees the most vicious, cunning and dangerous of all Jews. While the Pharisees were full of hypocrisy and egotism, Sadducees denied the immortality of the soul and life afterwards. When the Pharisees and Sadducees went to John the Baptist at Salem, on the bank of the Jordan river, to be baptized, he refused by saying, O, generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore, fruits for repentance (Mathew, Chapter 3,7:8).

Philo

King Herod, a Sadducee, was rebuked by John on several times, for Herodias, his brother, Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison (Luke, Chapter 3,19:25). Finally, John was beheaded.

One Jesus Ben-Pandera was stoned to death and hanged on a tree for blasphemy, according to Talamud, on the eve of a Passover, in the year of Jannaeus (BCE 106-79). He is considered the founder of Essenees. Flavius Josephus the historian, who lived both before and after the destruction of Jerusalem, by Titus, has described elaborately Esseenism, as he himself had under gone three years trial of the Order. They were vegetarians, lived distanced from the masses and women. 

The places where the Essenees lived within Palestine, at the time of John and Jesus, were: Nazreth, the valley of Achor near Bethabara, the area around Castle Masseda, the desert at Ephraim, the Mountain at Igutha near Hebron, Bethania near Jerusalem, the valley at Thabor, the town surrounding Macheraus, where John was afterwards captive and beheaded at the command of Herod. Philo, Alexandrian Neo platonist, contemporary of Jesus, says that the Essenees numbered 4000.

If you have under stood the politics, the inference is simple: if there is a Gospel which says Jesus was married, it should be the handiwork of an enemy.

'

I am not sure whether the theory, Essenee evolved from Ishana, Siva, is just a figment of imagination. Christians in Kerala use the word, Nathan repeatedly, referring to Jesus. Natha, according to Swami Prajnanananda, is also Siva. Philo had written in his letter to Hephaerstion, Macedonian nobleman and a General in Alexander's Army: This is India, is called Yoga.

Reference:

1.Jesus Lived in India/Holger Kresten

2.Christ the Saviour and Christ Myth/Swami Prajnanananda

3.The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ/Nicholas Notovich

4.The Crescent and the Cross/Eliot Warburton

5.The Life of Jesus/Dr David Friedrich Strauss

6.Did Christ Live and Die in Kashmir?/Iqbal Kaul

7.Jesus Died in Kashmir/Andreas Faber -Kaiser

8.The Crucifixion

9.Eastern Philosophy and Western Thought/Dr S Radhakrishnan

10.Christianity and Mythology/J M Robertson 
11.Jesus,Buddha,Krishna and Lao Tzu/Richard Hooper 
12.A Physician's view of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ/Dr C Truman Davis

See my Post,RAYMUNDO PANIKKAR HAD HIS ROOTS IN KERALA

AN EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT ON AYAZ KHAN(VELLUVAKKAMMARAN)

DONALD CAMPBELL MET AYAZ KHAN IN 1782

It is always difficult to find first person accounts,on Malayali historical  personalities,of the earlier centuries,unless they were kings.Even for them,they have to be exemplary,or wayward,to find a mention.At the time, the Malayali,Muhammad Ayaz Khan(1713-1799),was the Commander and later,Governor of Hyder Ali, in Chitradurga and Later at Bednur,the legendary Raja Kesavadas was the Dewan of Travancore,under Dharmaraja.Both of them,complemented each other,like Hyder and Ayaz.Ayaz Khan,was,Velluvakkammaran Nambiar,before he was converted to Islam(see my post,Ayaz Khan(Nambiar).

Raja Kesavadas was not from a distinguished family,like,Velluvakkammaran.He was an accountant apprentice of traders,Puthukkada Chettiar and Pokkumoosa Marikkar.Fortune struck him,when he once accompanied Marikkar to see Dharmaraja,in the palace.He,as Commander, made Tipu Sultan to retreat,when he reached the border,and in recognition,he was made the Dewan,by the Raja.

Though,there are a lot of historical records on him,it is scant in the case of Ayaz Khan.Both,Hyder Ali,and he,were,illiterates.It is here, the book,A Journey over Land in India,by Donald Campbell of Barbreck(1751-1804),published in London,in the year 1795,is of immense help.It contains the story of his real life encounter with Ayaz Khan,in Bednur,in May,1782.It was the last phase of Ayaz Khan,as Governor.Donald,was a Captain in the Cavalry Regiment of the Carnatic Nawab,Muhammad Alikhan Walla Jah(1717-1795) at age,30.Walla Jah,an ally of the English East India Company,had breached the promise in failing to surrender Tiruchirappalli, to Hyderali in 1751.It was at the root of many confrontations of Hyder with the British.When Hyder swept into Carnatic,towards Arcot,on 23 July,1780,it was not the Nawab,but the British who provoked the wrath of Hyder,by seizing the French port of Mahe,which was under his protection.For the defence of his territory,Nawab paid 1,60,000 pounds per annum to the British,and 10 out of the 21 Battalions of Madras Infantry were posted to garrison his forts.Donald Campbell was part of this. After retirement,he went to England,but embarked on a journey by land from Belgium to India and the Middle East.He was shipwrecked on his trip from Goa to Madras, was washed ashore at Bednur,and taken prisoner by the soldiers of Ayaz Khan,on May 21,1782.

 

Walla Jah:Portrait by George Willison

Since,there are several Donald Campbells,the Donald,who was captive in Bednur,is called,Donald Campbell,the traveller.He was the son of Col Colin Campbell Senior,of Barbreck,who belonged to a Highland Scottish clan,whose lands were in Argyll,Scotland.The chief of the clan became the Earl and later,the Duke of Argyll.

It was Sir Cailein Mor Campbell's grandfather,Dugald on Lochawe,who is said to have been the first to be given the nick name,"Caim Beul",since he apparently had the trait of talking out of one side of his mouth."Caim Beul",means,wry or curved mouth in Gaelic.This Duncan was so much loved by his family that they took his nick name as their family name and held to it,even beyond the influential,Argyll.The spelling,originally,was,Cambel.When Robert the Bruce's son, David became king of Scotland,he brought with him,a number of Norman knights,known for efficiency in administration.Cambel became,Campbell under Norman infuence.

Inveraray Castle of the Duke of Argyll

Donald Campbell made the journey by way of Belgium,Tyrol,Venice,Alexandria,Aleppo,Diyarbekr,Mosul,Baghdad,Bushire,Mumbai and Goa.He was shipwrecked in the Indian ocean,made a prisoner by Hyderali,but was subsequently released.The book he wrote on the voyage became,very popular.The full name of the book is,A Journey over Land to India,by Donald Campbell of Barbreck,who formerly commanded a regiment of Cavalry in the service of the Nabob of Carnatic:in a series of letters to his son.Its abridged version came in 1796,as,Narrative of Adventures.The third part of the book,Shipwreck and Captivity,was published in 1800.He also published,Letter to the Marquis of Lorn on the Present Times,in 1798,protesting party factionalism,in connection with the war with France.

Duke Crest

Let us see his account in the book,in third person:

The aim was to visit the lesser known places in the East.The journey became interesting,from Baghdad.Robbers made several attacks when he took a boat down in the Tigris to Basra.After 10 days he reached Muscat in a date boat,hoping to reach Mumbai from there.The boat sprang a leak and ran into Bush ire,where the Resident of the East India Company received them.He boarded a British vessel to Mumbai,from where,he embarked on a Portuguese vessel to Goa,and then to Madras.The overloaded vessel,after 19 days out(a version says the vessel started on May 18 and was caught in winds next day) from Goa,ran into monsoon and a hurricane.Thrown into the mercy of winds and waves,it grounded some distance from a shore.Donald was carried ashore,clinging to a piece of the wreckage,and lost consciousness after being washed up on the beach.He was in Bednur,which had been renamed,Hydernagara.Only 14 Portuguese Lascars and two out of 11British men survived.The other Britisher was a passenger,named,Hall.All were taken prisoners,and left to spent the night standing in a small shed.A long journey followed,and they were put in a hut,together,exposed to wind and rain.An old woman threw little rice,in the night.It was informed that the Governor would give audience,by 6 PM.

In Donald's account,Governor Ayaz Khan is,Hyat Singh,not even Hyat Khan.He is termed Jamedar or Governor in the book,at Donald's will.

Among the people who were there during audience,Donald identified some soldiers,who were with him in his Carnatic Cavalry.After taking up native cases first,Hyat Sahib ordered Donald and the rest to prostrate before him.But Donald and Hall,instead of prostration,only gave a salaam.Ayaz asked Donald about England and the East India Company,and he was cautious in replies.Ayaz boasted of the power Hyder wielded over the British,which Donald didn't believe.A Sepoy in the crowd told Ayaz that Donald had been an army officer and he belonged to a distinguished family.Then,Ayaz became mild,changed his tone, gave him a seat,and said meeting him,for Donald,was a fortunate event.Donald and Hall were put in a room separately from the Lascars.

Donald was called next day, Ayaz made an offer to be the Commander of the 5000 strong force.Donald refused,saying he won't fight against his own country men.He was called once again,and was asked to reconsider.When he refused to relent,Ayaz used every argument and threat.Weeks and months passed on, Donald and Hall were put on chains together,and were starved.When Hall died,the corpse was not removed for several days.When he received information that Ayaz planned to kill him,Donald was given assurance of escape by a young Chief,whose father Donald had helped once.Then the news of the death of Hyder came.History says,General Matthews,Commander of the British force stationed in Bednur,interfered on Donald's behalf,for his release.

Arakkal insignia

On the way to escape,it dawned on Donald that he could do a service to his country now,since the new king,Tipu Sultan,was a sworn enemy of Ayaz.He went back,to see Ayaz,crest fallen.Ayaz asked Donald to escape,since the Britishers have captured the Ghats.Donald advised Ayaz to make amends with the British,who have become victorious."But,of what use can your advise be to me now?",Ayaz asked.When Donald insisted,Ayaz,sought the help of Donald,to go to General Matthews and work out the terms.Ayaz warned:"If you do not return by daybreak tomorrow,I will set fire to the town with all the stores and the gun powder magazine.Six thousand horse and a thousand foot soldiers are now on their way from Srirangapattana.I will tell them to hasten if you do not come.If Tipu meets the English army in the open field,he will give them cause to repent of their rashness."
Matthews woke up from sleep to see his old friend,Donald,"unshaven,uncombed,with no cap or stockings,clothed only in a ragged shirt and breeches,with Indian slippers".Everything was worked out within an hour.When Donald returned in a palanquin,Ayaz sought few more days to arrive at a decision.It was evident that he was confused.Realizing delay might be fatal,taking advantage of the confusion reigning in the City,Donald collected his former troops men and posted them at the gates,the powder magazine and key points and set off to meet the General.The General had already pushed on with his advance guard.Terms were quickly worked out with the beleaguered Ayaz,and the British flag was hoisted over the city.It was 28,January,1783.Donald had gained a province for Britain.He was sent soon by Matthews  with dispatches to Madras and Mumbai.

 Campbell insignia

Tipu considered the action of Ayaz as treachery and sent Luft Ali Baig with forces.It was too late when he reached there.
Donald,then,proceeded by sea to Anjengo(Anchuthengu),traveled by land through Travancore,Tirunelveli, Madurai,Tiruchirapalli,Thanjavur,Nagapattinam and Madras,with Lord Macartney's permission.It was after going to Kolkata,on behalf of Ayaz Khan, and negotiating with Warren Hastings,that he returned over land to Madras and then to Anjengo.From Madras,he boarded a vessel to China.He returned to England in 1785.He was absent in England for four years and five months.
It was during his journey in  Kerala,he received the news of General Matthews taking poison in prison.Tipu had recaptured Bednur and taken him prisoner.
Donald remembers,he met a Dewan Bahadur from Chirakkal,as prisoner in Bednur.He was tortured to divulge the previous king's wealth.
Donald Campbell died at Hutton,Sussex,on 5 June,1804.He left a son,the Genealogist,Frederick William Campbell(1782-1846).He was Captain in the 1st Regiment of Guards.After succeeding his father,he disposed off the estate in Argylshire and took residence in Suffolk.In 1830,he printed privately,a work:A Letter to Mrs Campbell of Barbreck,containing an Account of the Campbells of Barbreck  from their first Ancestors to the present Time.He had married Sophia,daughter of the British MP,Sir Edward Warrington.
Reference:
1.A Journey Over Land to India/Donald Campbell
2.Dictionary of Indian Biography/Charles Edward Buckland
3.Dictionary of National Biography/Stanley Lane-Pool
4.A History of Clan Campbell From Forbidden to the Resurrection/Alastair Campbell
5.Campbell Genealogy and Campbell Family History Introduction/Geni.com

 See my PostSHEIKH MUHAMMAD AYAZ KHAN(NAMBIAR)

 

VELLUVAKKAMMARAN BECOMES AYAZ KHAN

Velluvkkammaran got converted and built an empire 

The story of Velluvakkammaran Nambiar (1713-1799), is unparalleled in the history of India. Many Malayalis have built business empires after the Gulf boom started in the 1970s. But,Velluvakkammaran Nambiar owned a province and a treasury worth 12 million pounds in the 18th century, outside Kerala. He became the Commander and Governor of Hyder Ali and  finally, he lost all of it to the British,earned a monthly pension of Rs 4000 in Masagon, Mumbai, and died as an orphan.

Ayaz Khan

He was born in the feudal home, Chalil Velluva, to Palliyath Kannan and Kalyani.Kalyani was the only sister of the Chieftain, or,Adhikari , Rairu Nambiar,an unscrupulous person, generous only to his tenants.Velluva,was in Inderi or Indragiri,in the Kannur district of Kerala,a hilly area between Thalassery and Kannur,close to Edakkad. The area itself was called Velluva,which extended in the Indragiri hills,from the east to the south east.

There were two branches to the Velluva family tree:Chalad and Kalliat.Kammaran had two sisters,one married to Chalad and the other to Kalliat.The Kalliat later on spread another branch in Kuttikkatoor. Rairu Nambiar was from the Chalad branch.

Velluvakkammaran, the Malayalam novel, by C Kunjirama Menon ( M R K C),says the horoscope of Kammaran,called dearly as Kammu, predicted a long life and plenty of enemies for him; He was destined to stay abroad,in high positions, with lot of wealth and a sweet wife,with no children.He would die a sanyasin, in old age.

A tragedy and love

As the practice was in those days, after learning primary Sanskrit texts, Kammu was sent to study martial arts at age, 10.Tragedy struck when he was 18-Rairu Nambiar became mentally unstable after the death of Kalyani and the suicide of his second wife.He suspected his Secretary,Payyan Komar Nambiar,who collected taxes,had a role in the suicide of his wife.It has to be assumed that he had an illicit bonding with the wife of his boss.Rairu Nambiar swore to eat only with his left hand till her death was avenged.

Rairu Nambiar decided to celebrate his birthday which fell on the next day after the death anniversary of his wife,by inviting the rich and the influential.A Mrityunjaya homam was held in the nearby temple,after which the invitees sat for the feast.When everything was on the Banana leaf, Rairu Nambiar suddenly stood up, went where Payyan Komar was sitting, asked him to stand up, and stabbed him on his stomach. Rairu Nambiar soaked his right hand on the blood oozing out,went back,mixed the rice on the Banana leaf with the blood,ate one measure full on the palm,of course,of the right hand. Komar died instantly, and all were dumbfounded. Kammu informed the Thalassery adhikari, Mavila Chandu Nambiar, the revenue official of the Kolathiri King,who took Rairu Nambiar as a prisoner to his home in Mavilan kunnu,Thalassery. Rairu was taken to Thalassery and the fact that his properties were attached by the Kolathiri king proves the rumour,Komar was killed in Chalad,wrong. He was killed in Intheri.Years later,after becoming Governor,Ayaz Khan went to Thalassery to redeem his wealth,stayed at Mavilan kunnu,but didn't make a visit to Chalad.The Kolathiri King went and met Ayaz Khan there in the Malayalam Era,959, in the month,Kanni (1783 September).

Suffren with Hyder,1782

When Rairu Nambiar was taken prisoner,Kammu accompanied him to Mavilan kunnu,where he met Madhavi, daughter of Chandu. They fell in love.

Chandu's uncle, Kunkan Nambiar,was instrumental in getting permission to the English East India Company to establish the Thalassery factory in 1704,using influence on the Ilaya Vadakkumkoor,or the Prince Regent Kunhi Ambu/Udaya Varma,and by bribing the Kolathiri King.In return,the King gifted the Mavilan kunnu to Kunkan Nambiar.It was close to Thalassery,from,Edakkad in the north,to Mayyazhi river,in the south.Udaya Varma gave the land after the Company complained to him on the attack on their ware house by the rival prince Kunhi Rama Varma,with Nair Chief of Iruvallinad,,Kurangoth Nair.Chandu had married Mathu,the only niece of the wealthy planter,Thandarapilly Ambu Kurup.She was rescued and looked after by Chandu,after Kurup was killed by some Muslim traders,on the issue of a breach of trust on the sale of pepper.Mathu grew up in the house of Kalyat Kelu Nambiar, Chandu's generous uncle.

Rairu Nambiar died a few days after he was taken prisoner, after confessing to Kammu that he killed Komar to avenge his wife's death. So, it is clear that the madness of Rairu Nambiar was just an alibi spread by his well wishers,to protect him from punishment.  Kolathiri King attached his property,and asked Kammu to join the Army as a soldier, after the death rituals of 41 days.It was compulsory for the Nair males to join the Army. He rose from the ranks,became Commander and introduced uniform for the first time, to the soldiers. The King was old and very weak, and a puppet in the hands of the queen and the Prime Minister, Subramanya Iyer. Among the two Prince Regents, Thekke Ilayakoor Kunhi Rama Varma and Vadakke IlayakoorUdaya Varma,the latter was greedy and was keeping fingers crossed to usurp the throne, the Prime Minister  colluding with him, secretly. This Regent,who  was stationed in Neeleswaram,Kasargod, sent 500 soldiers,in country boats to the Eripuram river, the present day Pazhayangadi river, to seize the Valapattanam Fort. He was defeated in this adventure, by Kammu,the Commander.

Granite pillars,Ikkeri temple

The Regent, fearing hell, tried for a treaty with the King of Ikkeri, which was six kilometers south of Sagara, in the Shimoga district of Karnataka. It was the capital of the Keladi Chiefs during 1560-1640. Afterwards, the capital was shifted to Bednur,by Shivappa Nayak,the best among the Keladi kings (Canarese).Bednur means,the town of bamboos.When the King of Ikkeri,Hiriya Basappa Nayak died in 1755, his son, Sundara Nayak, was only nine years old. The queen,Virammaji, took over the reins,with the help of the Prime Minister, Doddappa, who later became her husband.Her little son was shifted to the house of a Jamindar and was kept under house arrest.After spreading the rumour,the son has died,Doddappa became de facto King. Sundara Nayak contacted Hyder Ali,after attaining maturity, and the march by Hyder Ali in 1763 to Bednur, and its annexation,would change Kammu forever, as we will see within a few minutes from now. Hyderali captured Viramma, kept her in confinement with her son, in the Madhugiri Fort.

Madhugiri Fort

In 1732 January,the Bednur King Somasekhara Nayak invaded Kolathunad,and from then on foreign forces began interfering in the local politics. On March 15, the Dutch Chief at Kannur stopped food supply to the Nayaks.The Bednur General Gopalappa failed in talks with the Dutch and created dissensions within the Kolathiri familyand tried to alienate the privileges the  Dutch enjoyed.The Kolathiri requested Doddaveerappa,the ruler of Coorg to intercede,and Somasekhara agreed to withdraw,on the condition that 18 lakhs would be paid by Kolathiri as indemnity.When Kolathiri didn't pay,to keep the word as a mediator,Doddaveerappa paid 9 lakhs from his hand and for the rest,he sent a force of 5000 men under General Boni Muthanna,but the Coorg force withdrew after being alerted by Ali Raja of the Prince Regent's plans for a counter attack. The novel places Kammu in all this history.It says the Regent sent two representatives,Emman and Chathu to Ikkeri.  Somasekhara agreed for a treaty with the Regent,to attack the Kolathiri Kingdom, on two conditions: One, 30,000 pagodas,equivalent to 3 lakh varahans, would be paid as the war expenditure. Two, After the war,the area from Neeleswaram to Ikkeri would be ceded to Ikkeri.

In case, 30,000 was not paid on time,the right to collect taxes would be surrendered to Ikkeri.After spies alerting Kolathiri,Kammu went to the Regent's palace with a contingent and took him prisoner, to Valapattanam Fort. Then, on his own, Kammu decided to go to Ikkeri, for an encounter with the king. Ikkeri King, after getting news that Kammu was traveling, withdrew the 40 country boats with soldiers from the Madayi sea.Kolathiri sent word to Kammu not to go to Ikkeri,but to remain in Neeleswaram. It is better to remember that Kolathiri had only the present day,Chirakkal Thaluk.Kannur was with the Arackal King, Ali,and the Southern part was with the four families of Randuthara Achans.

A conspiracy to kill

Chirakkal Palace

As things were thus reaching a flash point, Thekke Ilamkoor Prince Regent contacted Commander of Thalassery factory, Robert Adams.The agreement drawn up by him,was sent to Kammu,to be handed over to the Raja of Ikkeri.Kolathiri's Prime Minister Subramanya Iyer had already reached Ikkeri with the freed Vadakkumkur Regent. Kammu agreed to go to Ikkeri,on a condition-both the King of Ikkeri and Adams should give in writing,a safe passage for him. It was done.Kammu had a foreboding because of the presence of Vadakkumkoor Regent-he detested the clemency extended to him,at the behest of the Prime Minister,without asking him. The Raja,Iyer and Vadakkumkoor, together, hatched a plot to kill Kammu. He was given the Western room on the third floor of the garden house,the wooden floor of which would split apart,on the action of a lever, pushing the guest 32 feet under,to a rocky grave. It happened, and,two guards pushed the body inside a sack and walked to the Bednur river.Hyder Ali and his brother in law,Sheikh Makhdoom Ali,who were there in the guise of hunters,shot at the guards, rescuing Kammu.Part of this story sounds like a fiction.The popular  version which says,Kammu was held captive as a young man,together with other Nair soldiers, in Hyder's Malabar campaign of 1766, doesn't hold good because,Kammu was 53 in 1766 (Makhdoom Ali came to Malabar commanding a force in 1782, and was killed at Tirurangadi, battling the English forces under, Major Abington and Colonel Humberstone).

Hyderali

Historical records reveal the unhappy princes of Kolathunad invited Somasekhara to invade again in 1737 and the Prince Regent Kunhi Ambu (Udaya Varma)entered into a treaty, fixing Madayi as Northern border.Bednur and Kolathunad thus became a formidable force against the Europeans and Ali Raja.Udaya Varma gave Dharmapattanam to the East India Company in 1734.He died during the Anglo-French war,on 5 June, 1746.Kunhi Rama Varma,who took over, was not favorable to the Company. In 1749,he tried to make his sons administer the Taluks,causing wide spread resentment,and Bednur's interference.He had married the sister of Kadathanad Raja and had built her a house at Iruvazhinad,the country of Nambiars.They,together with Kottayam Raja jointly attacked the Fort in 1751. In 1750,Thomas Derryl,Chief at the Fort,had made direct contact with the Kolathiri and succeeded in making a weak junior prince,Ambu Thampan,the Regent Prince, in place of Kunhi Rama Varma.He was the de jure prince and Rama Varma,the de facto ruler.On 1752 May 22,Kottayam Raja worked out an armistice between the Company and Kunhi Rama Varma by which Rama Varma got Rs 50,000 and Kottayam Raja,as mediator,10,000.Kunhiraman died in 1756 and Rama Varma took over,died four years later.Though Kolathiri dismissed the ruling Prince Regent in 1761,he assumed power in 1764,to be overthrown by Hyder Ali.Land tax,for the first time was imposed in Kolathunad, after the Ikkeri invasion. It was 20% of the pattam (rent) on all rice and garden lands.Tax for all types of lands was introduced in Malabar by Hyder in 1776.

Malabar and Cochin,under Mysore

After Hyder's invasion of Bednur,he sent his envoy Anant Rao to Thalassery to sort out issues.Ali Raja supported another Prince,Kappu Thampan (Kerala Varma), against Kunhi Rama Varma.Rao persuaded Ali Raja,to invade,in aid of the rival prince. Ali Raja personally met Hyder at Mangaluru,and the invasion of 1766 happened. According to the novel, Kammu was sent to Srirangapattana (Seringapata)with Makhdoom.They reached on the afternoon of the fifth day,while Tipu Sultan,son of Hyder Ali,was in the midst of a bull fight,with fanfare,close to the temple.Tipu ,from horse back,was trying to pierce the belly of the bull with a lancer.Not knowing who it was,Kammu ran his horse,stood between the bull and Tipu, and challenged him,pleading,at the same time,for the life of an innocent animal.The seed was sown for the life long enmity between the two.Maybe,this account is also,fictitious.Let us now turn back to history.

Kammaran gets converted

Hyder Ali,after his return from Ikkeri, converted Kammu to Islam,calling him,Muhammad Ayaz Khan.He was enlisted  with the Asad-i-Ilahi(new converts)troops.Ayaz Khan was put under the tutelage of, French Naval Captain,Bertrand Francois Mahe de La Bourdonnais.Hold your breath-Mayyazhi became Mahe,taking its name from him!.An alternative account suggests that he displayed such bravery in the capture of Mahe,while he was with the French East India Company,that the name of the town was added to his own(He was in India service,from 1720, till 1745.He had quarreled with General Dupleix over his conduct of affairs in India,and was later arrested in 1748).

La Bourdonnais

It was around this time,Kolathiri began to be called  the Chirakkal King.Demands came from the Ikkeri King to pay him the 3 lakh indemnity,due to him.The Regent refused,arguing that the first agreement to usurp the Kolathiri was not implemented by the Ikkeri King.Bells of revenge rang,Commander of Ikkeri,Reghunath reached Ezhimala,with a fleet,in 1732.This affected the business of the Thalassery English factory severely,since they were depending on  Mangaluru port for food.The English, the French,the Portuguese,the third Ilamkoor, Kottayam King, and Ali Raja fought with each other for breathing space.The crisis was solved only after Kolathiri ceding the area North to Valapattanam river,to Ikkeri.Till 1766,the year in which Hyder Ali attacked and conquered Malabar, Ikkeri forces remained in the area.

Ayaz was being tried by Hyder Ali, in difficult missions.He was asked to thwart the Maratha force from the Southern border.Ayaz went there,and when Commander Dave began to withdraw,Hyder Ali asked Ayaz to pay him one lakh,lest they will  align with the English and the Nizam of Hyderabad.Hyder said he will sent the cash with Tipu. After waiting in vain for few days,Ayaz borrowed money from the natives.Tipu was wreaking vengeance.Then Hyder sent Ayaz to Hyderabad to coerce the Nizam,which he accomplished remarkably well.Hyder never wanted a dispute with the Nizam, because the two were the only Musim rulers in the Deccan,though the Nizam suspected the half Hindu, Hyder. Colonel Smith was flabbergasted to learn that the Nizam has backed from the joint  campaign against Hyder.When Hyder found ,strategy worked out very well, wherever Ayaz was sent, he asked Ayaz to take the Governorship of Chitradurga (Chitaldurg). Ayaz refused saying,he doesn't know to write or read Kannada or Hindi.Hyder advised: "Keep a Corla (rope whip) in your right hand and that will do you better than pen and ink." Ayaz was Governor of Chitradurga for three years, from 1779,before moving on to Bednur.Chitradurga was the richest  in the entire Mysore and the second better Fort after Srirangapattana. It was strategically important,since both the Nizam and Maratha s were to be handled from there.

When he became a little free in Chitradurga, according to the Malayalam historical novel,Velluvakkammaran ,he remembered Madhavi, and twenty long years had passed since they met each other.He took leave from Hyder,traveled via Bengaluru to Kalyat in Kannur.He,being a Muslim,refused to stay in the home,preferring the outhouse,instead.Madhavi was converted in the Irikkoor mosque,three miles away from Kalyat,becoming Amina Begum.There is no historicity in this,because, Ayaz was 66 when he became Governor of Chitradurga. It was not twenty,it was a minimum of 45 years!

Ikkeri King ruled North Malabar during 1732-1740.In South Malabar,Hyder had seized some areas including Palakkad as early as 1757, when he was the Faujidar at Dindigul,at the behest of the King of Palakkad,Kombi Achan,of the Tharoor Swaroopam,who was the enemy of  Zamorin.Ali Raja had invited him to invade North Malabar then,which he had rejected(After he did,Ali Raja set fire to Kolathiri palace).In 1763,Hyder captured Bednur,appointing Sreenivasa Rao as the first Governor and Sardar Khan as the Deputy.

Palakkad King  had also urged Hyder to wage a war against the Zamorin.Zamorin had agreed to pay 12 lakh as war expenses and to give back the areas seized from Palakkad.Hyder's second attack in 1766 was when  Zamorin didn't keep the promise.Zamorin became a hostage inside his own palace,with no way for religious rituals.He set the gun powder store of the Mananchira palace on fire,inviting the fire to immolate him.He had sent his family and relatives to safety in Ponnani.

Ayaz Khan Surrenders

Mysore forces again came, in 1773. Sardar Khan was sent to attack Travancore in 1775, but was successful only seizing the Thrissur Fort and North Kochi.When Ali of Arackal failed to give the indemnity,his country was gifted to the North Malabar Ilamkoor Prince Regent. In 1777, the U.S., with the help of the French, became free from the clutches of the English,thereby igniting the English-French war.Mahe port was in danger of being captured by the English. Hyder,who was taking French guns through this port,to Mysore,kept a force ready at the port.Vadakkekoor sent a 1500 strong Nair force. The English declared war against Hyder in 1778,and sent General Matthews from Mumbai to capture Bednur Fort. It was at this juncture, Ayaz was shifted from Chitradurga to Bednur. Hyder always used to say, Ayaz was his right hand in the hour of crisis. Mahmood Khan Mahmood, in his book, Kingdom of Hyderali and Tipu Sultan, notes that Ayaz was the adopted son of Hyder. Just before reaching Bednur, Ayaz had crushed the Kodagu, Ballat rebellions.When Ayaz reached Bednur, Doddappa was a prisoner on the Eastern side of the Fort. He called Doddappa to his Bunglow, gave a dressing down, and sent him as prisoner to Srirangapattana Fort, taking permission from Hyder. Ayaz named Bednur, Hydernagara.

Chitradurga Fort

While Tipu with his forces was battling Col Thomas Mackenzie Humberstone in Ponnani, news of Hyder Ali's death,in Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh,on December 12,1782,was conveyed to him.Tipu fled to Srirangapattana,fearing Ayaz Khan will take over,though Ayaz was not aware of the death.Tipu's first act as King, was,to sent a messenger, with a letter, to Sheikh Ibrahim Khan,second in command at Bednur Fort.When the messenger arrived, Ayaz and Ibrahim were together,and the letter was handed over to Ayaz.Tipu,in the letter, had asked Ibrahim to kill Ayaz and to become the Governor.Ayaz told Ibrahim,a convert like him, there is a conflict of interest now,and killed him.Then he called the Deputy Governor,Reghunath Pant,and revealed to him,his intentions. 

Though Ayaz loyalists wanted him to oust Tipu and become the King,Ayaz handed over Bednur to General Matthews,ceding to the advice of Donald Campbell, the traveller. Campbell,who was taken prisoner by Hyder's soldiers after a shipwreck,was freed by Ayaz ,for negotiations with the British,at the behest of Matthews.The General met the confused Ayaz,at his Bunglow,and worked out the terms.Ayaz rode on his favorite horse, Feroze that night,accompanied by 50 English horsemen to the British camp.Matthews agreed to the demand of Ayaz to take him and his dear ones, including the horse Feroze,to Thalassery,by ship.Next morning,he went to the Bednur fort,opened the treasury.One version says that it had three lakhs, Ayaz took half and distributed the other half to Reghunath Pant and soldiers. He reached Thalassery on the third day. He began staying at Mavilan kunnu.He kept the word given to the dying Rairu Nambiar by building a Siva temple and gifting land to a Nambuthiri Brahmin.

Ayaz and Amina could not stay there for long. In the winter of 1784, after a bath in the pond,Amina became feverish and died on the 11th day.It was the year when the Mangaluru treaty between Tipu and the English was signed ending the Malabar campaign of Mysore.As part of the settlement,Tipu asked the British to hand over the war prisoner, Ayaz,to him.The British declined. The  novel,Velluvakkammaran,s eems to protect Ayaz, especially towards the end. He wrote the novel, based on an unpublished English work, by Othenan Menon, a former Sub Registrar of Koothuparamba, in Kannur. He had stayed for some time in the Chalad Velluva home.

Fleeing to Mumbai

The novel says Ayaz Khan got back his ancestral property and he preferred the life of a sanyasin after the death of Amina.Impossible,as Ayaz was a Muslim.Menon claims,Ayaz requested the British, a life in a distant place. If you want to lead a sanyasin's life, why Mumbai? History says, he fled to Mumbai,when he heard Tipu was secretly planning to kill him.                                                                                                                                                                                            

           

Hyder Ali,steel engraving,1790s

                                                                                                                                          

                                
Though Tipu failed to kill Ayaz, he compensated by killing and torturing hundreds of Nairs of Malabar. He hated the race.In 1788,Tipu gave strict orders to his army Commander M Lally and Mir Asrali Khan, to,"surround and extricate the whole race of Nairs from Kottayam(Wynad) to Palghat."This is known as the Order of Extermination of Nairs.The captivity of Nairs at Srirangapattana during 1786-1789 saw forcible conversions,torture and death. 

In a letter of March 22,1788,which was traced by Sardar K M Panikkar,in the India Office Library,London,Tipu Sultan boasted:"Over 12000 Hindus were honoured with Islam".In a letter of December 14,1788, to the Army Commander in Kozhikode,Tipu ordered:"You should capture and kill all Hindus.Those below 20 years maybe kept in prison and 5000 from the rest,should be killed,hanging from tree tops."

From historical facts which we have seen, it is difficult to believe that Hyder took Kammu under his wings, when he was a boy.Hyder would have met him either in 1755, during the Ikkeri campaign, or,in 1757,during his first march to Malabar-at that time, Kammu was aged,42-44. Clearly,then,it was a case of switching sides, from Kolathiri,to Hyder. Or,it was a case of capture and forcible conversion, for, Hyder in 1766,had deported 15,000 captured Nairs to Bednur and only 200 survived,according to Gazateer. Maybe Ayaz was a survivor. The version Tipu hated Ayaz from the beginning is difficult to accept; Tipu turned against him,after Ayaz gifted Bednur to the British. Hence, Menon termed his book a novel, not history. He wanted to glorify Ayaz.If this is accepted,there is every chance that he had married Madhavi earlier,and the conversion of her happened in old age. 

Thalassery Fort

Mahmood Khan Mahmood, the Urdu historian, says that at the time of Bednur capture by Hyder(1763),the daughter of Kolathiri fell in love with a well to do Muslim, Ali. Against the wishes of the Nairs,the king married her off to Ali and made Ali,his successor. There was a Nair revolt then;there was a Nair revolt at that time,but not because of the 'marriage'.Haroon is just referring to the legend of Mahabali,nephew of Cheraman Perumal,marrying a Kolathiri princess,after becoming converted to Muhammad Ali.He has fixed the legend at his will,in a later period.It is possible that Velluvakkammaran led the revolt, captured and converted. According to the novel,the British gave Ayaz Khan, 20 acres farmland with a Bungalow, in Masagon,Mumbai.Ayaz,instead of the Bungalow,preferred a three room,thatched roof house.In the Bungalow,he ran an orphanage.He leased out the farm land to the poor and used that amount to run the orphanage.

The novel was published in 1927. We have enough historical evidence now to prove that Ayaz was not running an orphanage,but was an inmate in an orphanage. History also speaks about his widows and sons.If we accept Menon's story, Amina Begum/Madhavi,was issueless,he had wives before and after Amina.Thus,we can fill the gap of 20/45 years between them.Was Madhavi married? The novel says no-only Allah knows.

The British never gave back him the ancestral properties, though he staked claim for it in 1792.They termed the claim,fraudulent and sanctioned a monthly pension of Rs 4000, after he settled in Mumbai.History speaks of his minor son, Fayaz Ali Khan,who was denied his father's pension.Fayaz fought for it in Mumbai and London.The British tried to block all his efforts,including his trip to London.His representative, Muhial- ud-Din fought for him in London,incurring huge debts.The British offered him to pay the debts, if he stopped arguing the case for Fayaz. Finally, the British restored the pension. Muhial-ud- Din returned to Mumbai,but the ship with the case papers, sank in the Bay of Bengal. Then,there was no case to argue,leaving the memories, afloat.Any empire, is a mirage.

_______________________________

Reference:

1.Velluvakkammaran/C Kunjirama Menon(he was known as MRKC-Chengalath Kunjirama Menon,in the reverse order.He was Editor,Kerala Pathrika,and Manager,Mangalodayam.
2.Malabar Manual/William Logan
3.Historical Sketches of South India/Mark Wilks
4.A Narrative of the Extra Ordinary Adventure/Donald Campbell
5.Counter flows to Colonialism/M H Fisher
6.Kingdom of Hyderali and Tipu Sultan/Mahmood Khan Mahmood.Trans:Anwar Haroon
7.History of Tipu Sultan/Mohibbul Hasan
8.Tipu Sultan:Villain or Hero?/Sitaram Goel
9.Religious Intolerance of Tipu Sultan/PCN Raja
10.Haidar Ali and Tipu sultan/Lewin Bentham Bowring 
11.Tellicherry Factory Diary Volume XVIII
12.Tellicherry Consultations,Vol VIII,1933. 
13.The Dutch Power in Kerala/M O Koshy

© Ramachandran






 

FIFTY YEARS OF THE SONG,THAMASAMENTHE VARUVAN

The eternal song completes golden jubilee

Today ,November 22,marks the 50th birth anniversary of the best ever Malayalam song,Thamasamenthe Varuvan.The movie,Bhargavi Nilayam with the immortal song,was released on November 22,1964.

My home was just opposite to a theatre,Sreekala,in Tripunithura.If I remember right,the theatre was opened in 1966,because the Tamil movie,Motor Sundaram Pillai,a Nagesh starrer was the first movie there.It was a 1966 film.Mahakavi Kalidas,followed.We didn't have a radio.Bhargavi Nilayam and Chemmeen were shown in Sreekala,in 1966.Maybe I heard the song before that in the small public park,close to the North Fort Gate junction.There was a mike in the park.The park itself is not there now.I was just a four year old then.The song has grown inside me,with me.It will die,ofcourse, only when I breath my last.For others,it will continue to resonate,till the end of the world.

Yesudas with Baburaj

Bhargavi Nilayam,was the only movie script written by the legendary Vaikam Muhammed Basheer(1908-1994).It was found and printed by the Kalakaumudi weekly, years later, after his death.The script was based on his short stories,Neelavelicham and Nilavu Kanumbol.Basheer once wrote that,Neelavelicham was based on his personal encounter with the ghost of a beautiful woman.Prem Nazir,Madhu and Vijayanirmala were in the leading roles.Madhu was the writer and Vijayanirmala,the ghost.It was the first horror movie in Malayalam.It was also the directorial debut of A Vincent,the Cinematographer.The camera for the movie,was wielded by,P Bhaskar Rao.It was the debut movie of an actor,Padmadalakshan,who became famous later,as Kuthiravattam Pappu.His name in the movie,was,M P Kuthiravattam.The film was shot in Thalassery.

Bhargavi Nilayam poster

Its sound track,containing seven songs,crafted by M S Baburaj,was a master piece.Except the dance song,Anuraga madhu chashakam,By S Janaki,all the other songs were hits.Thamasamenthe became a sensation.Other songs were,Ekanthathayude aparatheeram,Arabikadaloru manavatti(Yesudas,P Suseela),Pottatha ponnin(Janaki),Pottithakarnna kinavu(Janaki).It is not easy to count two songs in the same movie among the first 10 in a language.But I consider the song,Ekanthathayude , sung by Kamukara Purushothaman,picturised on the Thalayi beach,one among the best 10 songs in Malayalam.

Most of the best songs in Malayalam, have been lipped by Madhu.He lipped for Ekanthathayude....

It was easy for P Bhaskaran to write the lyrics.The content of the songs and some of the lines too,were there in the script.Ekanthathayude apara theeram(the vast sea shore of loneliness)was there in Baheer's story,Anarghanimisham.In Neelavlicham,the writer was expecting the ghost any moment,but she made him wait.From there,began,Thamasamenthe...(Why the delay,my dear..)

(The above video is Yesudas singing the song,2o years later,in 1985 film award nite)

The song,was set to Hindustani Raga,Bhimpalasi,a combination of two ragas,Bhim and Palasi.It is a late afternoon raga,related to Hindustani  ragas,Dhanashree,Dhani,Patdeep,Hamsakinkini and Patdeepaki.In Carnatic music,it is close to Abheri,falling with melakartha 22,Kharaharapriya.The famous song,Manasanilayil,in Dhwani is set to Abheri.Raga Bhageshree also is related.The madhyamam is the important note in Bhimpalasi.No wonder,Yesudas perfected the song only in the 23rd take!

Baburaj had Talat Mahmood in his mind to sing the song.Thamasamenthe was inspired by the Talat song,Humse aaya na gaya in the 1957 movie,Dekh Kabira Roya.The lyric was by Rajesh Kishen and music by Madan Mohan.

I do not know why Babukka could not rope in Talat.He realized his dream in 1977,by calling Talat to sing for the movie,Dweep.Another song,by the sea.

There is one song too,close to Thamasamenthe,in Bhimpalasi,in the 1957 movie,Chandrakantha,sung by Rafi.The song is,Maine chaand aur Sitaron ki.

Many have suspected the Rafi song by Noushad,Mere mehboob tujhe in the 1963 film,Meri Mehboob,as the original.But,it is in raga,Jhinjhoti.

The most interesting myth is that,Baburaj tried to imitate Bhimpalasi again in the famous song,Pranasakhi njan Verumoru,in the movie,Pareeksha(1967).It is in raga,Sindhubairavi.It was the same team:Bhaskaran,Baburaj and Prem Nazir.Rathisukhasaramayi in Dhwani is in Sindhubairavi.

There are several famous Hindi songs in raga,Bhimpalasi.

1.Beena madhur kuch bol/Ramarajya/Saraswati Rane(1943),2.Asmanwale Teri duniya se/Laila Majnu/Talat & Lata(1953),3.Aa Neele Gagan/Badshah/Lata(1954),4.Tere Sadke Balam/Amar/Lata(1954),5.Maine Chaand aur Sitaron ki/Chandrakantha/Rafi(1956),

6.Humse Aaya Na gaya/Dekh Kabira Roya(1957),7.Nagma O sher ki/Ghazal/Lata(1964),8.Naini are Badra Chaiye/Mere Sayya/Lata(1966),9.Khilte hain Gul Yahan/Shirmilee/Kishore Kumar(1972),10.Ae Ajnadi tu Kabhi/Dil Se/A R Rahman+Udit Narayan998),11.Samay O Dhire/Rudali/Bhupen Hazarika.

Here is a classical Bhimpalasi from Pandit Jasraj.

For Thamasamenthe,Sitar was the main accompaniment.Let us listen to maestro,Pandit Ravi Shankar playing Bhimpalasi,in Sitar.

Jayachandran the singer,who had accompanied Yesudas in Mridangam, once at the school youth festival,considers,Thamasamenthe,the ultimate song.Just to listen to the song,he had watched,Bhargavi Nilayam,27 times,in the Ponni theatre at Irinjalakuda.I end my tribute with Jayachandran's tribute to Yesudas and the immortal song.

Reference:

1.The Story of Indian Music/O Goswami

2.The Raga Guide/Joep Bor

3.Chandrakantha.com

4.malayalasangeetham.info

5.My comments in Multiple Version of Songs in Songsofyore.com

See my post,THE DUET:BENGALI EMBRACES MALAYALAM