A KANNUR BRIDE FOR THE SON OF TIPU SULTAN

TIPU AND THE ARAKKAL FAMILY TIED THE KNOT IN 1789

In his book,Splendors of Royal Mysore:The Untold Story of the Wodeyars,Vikram Sampath alludes to a mysterious part in the life of Tipu Sultan.I quote:
The confirmed resistance of the Nairs and the tacit under standing and support they received from the British became a nightmare for Tipu.This was the most decisive event during his reign,other than the attacks of the Nizam and Marathas or subjugating the Wodeyar family in Mysore.He entered into matrimonial alliance with the Arakkal family to consolidate his position,in Malabar.His son,Abdul Khaliq was married to Arakkal Bibi's daughter.He even sent further requests to the British at Tellicherry to refrain from helping the rebels in Malabar.

Tipu's sons handed over to Corwallis:Painting by Robert Home,1793-94

Sampath has not revealed the source of this information.A Sreedhara Menon,in his History of Kerala, records:Tipu visited Kannur and celebrated the nuptial ceremony of his son,Abdul Khaliq,with the daughter of Arakkal Beevi.After transferring some territory of Kolathiri, to Beevi,he went to Chavakkad by the sea shore,and from there, to Coimbatore.
 

Abdul Khaliq

The period of the marriage was,1789,according to East India Company records.It was when Tipu descended on Malabar through the Thamarassery ghat.Born in 1782,his son  Khaliq was just seven year old then.Three years later,in 1792,he was held a hostage,with his young brother,Muizz-ud-din,by the British,as part of the treaty of Srirangapattana.Khaliq was just 24,when he died on September 12,1806.

Arakkal Palace

On cross checking,I  found the marriage, has been mentioned in the Malabar Manual of William Logan,itself:Tipu visited Kannur and solemnized the preliminary ceremonies of a marriage between Bibi's daughter and Khaliq.
The decision of the marriage,was politically correct. A relationship with Arakkal , the only Muslim kingdom in Kerala,would have served his interests in the region,very well.Hyder Ali's wish to marry off Tipu to a daughter of the Nizam was once rejected by the Nizam,on the ground that Hyder was just a Punjabi commoner.Then,Hyder fixed a Navayat girl, Raushan Begum,daughter of Imam Saheb Bakshi of Arcot.Tipu himself chose,Ruqayya Banu,his child hood flame,daughter of General Lala Milan who died in the battle of Melkote.She was also the sister of Commander Burhanuddin.Tipu married both, the same evening,in 1774,when he was 24.
Then,Arakkal Raja was,Junumabe II.Her predecessor,Kunhi Amsa II had died in 1777.She ruled the kingdom during, 1777-1819.In the Arakkal family,even the female ruler was called Raja.There is historical evidence of Tipu meeting her,which will be discussed later.

Ghulam Ali handing over Sons

When Hyder Ali overthrew Krishna Raja Wodeyar II in 1759,Kunhi Amsa II  declared allegiance,and Hyder made him  the Naval Chief.In 1752,Kunhi Amsa had captured the Sultan Muhammad Imaduddin III(1750-1757) of Maldives,transported him to Kavaratti,part of Lakshadweep under Kunhi Amsa.He died in captivity.After becoming Hyder's Naval Chief,Kunhi Amsa captured the then Sultan of Maldives,Hasan 'izz Ud-din(1759-1766) and presented him to Hyder,after gouging out his eyes.Hyder,apologized to the Sultan for gouging out the eyes, gave him back the Sultanate and divested Kunhi Amsa of the Navy Commander ship.The relationship was recouped after the conquest of Bednur,in 1763,to crush the Nair rebellion.Ali Raja Muhammad Ali III had sent Mapila forces to help the Mughal King Aurangazeb, during the Child's war of 1686-1690.Sir Josiah Child was the Governor in London.Arakkal lineage was much more royal than that of Tipu.It traces its beginning to the Commander of Kolathiri,Arayankulangara Nair,embracing Islam,alongwith his wife,who was a princess from the Kolathiri family.
It is certain that the child marriage didn't mature or bear fruits.Before dying in 1806,at the young age of 24,Khaliq saw the empire falling and he went through hell.

Fatheh Hyder Ali

Tipu Sultan(1750-1799),had 16 sons in various women,and the last son died at child birth in 1797,two years before his death.His 11th son,Muhammad Nizam Ud din died the same year he was born,in,1791.History has the other 14:Fateh Hyder Ali(1771-1815),Abdul Khaliq(1782-1806),Muhi Ud din(1783-1811),Muizz-Ud din(1783-1816),Miraj Ud din(1784-),Muin Ud din(1784-),Muhammad Yasin(1784-1849),Muhammad Subhan(1785-1845),Muhammad Shukrullah(1785-1837),Sarwar Ud din(1790-1833),Muhammad Jamal Ud din(1795-1872),Munir Ud din(1795-1837),Sir Gulam Muhammed(1795-1872),Ghulam Ahmed(1796-1824).

Khaliq from the top painting

He had two sons in 1782,three in 1784,two in 1785 and three in 1795! That he begot three sons in 1795 is interesting since,the treaty of Srirangapattana was in 1792,and after that he was spending most of the time in his harem or zanana.Captain Thomas Marriot who was in charge of the harem,has recorded that there were 333 women of Tipu including servants and 268 women of Hyder and few eunuchs in the harem.The eunuchs were the gate keepers of the women's apartments.The women were from near and far-there were Turks,Georgians,Persians and there were women from Arcot,Thanjavur,Hyderabad and Delhi,apart from locals.There were two sisters of the Raja of Coorg,a niece of his Dewan Purnaiya and three relatives of the Wodeyars.George V Valentia,who visited the harem after the death of Tipu,has written in his Voyage and Travels,that each lady furnished her apartment according to the fashion of her country.Apart from Tipu,his confidential friend,Rajah Khan had free access to the women.If in Constantinople,the woman of the day was selected at the fall of a kerchief,here Tipu conveyed his intention to the Chief Minister,who in turn,known it to the woman.A diary was found after Tipu's death which  contained,in his own hand writing,names of the girls in the principal families with their age annexed.

Muizz-Ud-din

The harem was also a safe place for a woman,according to the book,Tarikh-i-Tipu,of Kirmani.The wife of Abdul Karim,Tipu's brother,was found in Hyder's harem.She was the daughter of the Nawab of Savanoor,ill treated by Karim.She was placed in the harem by Tipu.I don't know whether the claim of the author is right or wrong.Karim's son,Fatheh Hyder Ali,has also been referred to as Tipu's elder son in records.I have read the last Raja of Coorg,Chikkaveera Rajendra had made his father's women in the harem,his own concubines.Kirmani says,Tipu had sent back captured wives of Maratha sardars with gifts.But from Coorg and the Palegar family of Chitradurga,Tipu had forcibly taken princesses.

Muhi-Ud-din

Tipu,as I said before,married for the first time in 1774 when he was 24 and last probably in 1796 when he was 46.Among the first two wives,the one found by Haider was wife  in name only. She,Raushan, was called Padshah Begum.Taking her as Tipu's wife was resisted by the womenfolk in the palace,because,there were 'unpleasant rumors' about her family.His favorite,Ruqayya died in 1799,during the siege of Srirangapattana, out of shock.He married his last wife,Khadija Zaman Begum,daughter of Sayid Saheb,who was in the service of Tipu, in 1795.She died next year in child birth.There is a document called,Authentic Memoirs of Tipu Sultan,written by a British Army officer,which says,Tipu's wife was about 20, delicate and captivating.This has to be Khadija.So,Tipu had three official wives.The British took Tipu's sons,Abdul Khaliq and Muizz Ud din,in 1792,as hostages,at the end of the third Mysore war.Khaliq,the second son was, born in 1782,and Muizz,the fourth son,a year later,in 1783. Eyewitness accounts of the Siege say that Khaliq was 8 and Muizz 5.It is wrong.Khaliq, was 10 and Muizz,9. Khaliq was the favorite of the Governor General Charles Cornwallis and Lady Oakley,wife of the Governor of Madras,Charles Oakley.Maybe the frailty gave the child less age.It will not be wrong to assume Khaliq and Muizz  were born to Ruqayya Banu,because,Khaliq and Muizz were in the palace,and Ruqayya finally died in the palace. The women who didn't beget sons,were,discarded at the harem.The Kannur marriage gets some authenticity now,as Khaliq,in all probability,is the son of Ruqayya,though there is a theory that Khaliq was the son of a Hindu wife of Tipu.The eyewitness account of 1799 says the mother of the boys died of fright after the attack.It was Ruqayya.

Muhammad Subhan

The article 2 of the treaty of Srirangapattana ,1792 said:That the two sons of Tipu shall be detained as hostages till the stipulated sum to be paid at 3 installments,not exceeding 4 months each, shall be discharged-on payment there of,and the cession of one half the country and release of the prisoners-the said 2 sons shall be immediately dismissed.
It took not 4 months,but 18 months,for the release and return of the sons,Khaliq and Muizz Ud din.But all the sons along with family and relatives,about 300,were captured and confined after the Fourth Mysore war and the assassination of Tipu in 1799.So Khaliq became a hostage a second time,at age 17.He lived for 7 more years.

The world got the eye witness account of the 1792 hostage scene from A Narrative  of the Campaign in India Which Terminated the War with Tipoo Sultan,in 1792,by Major Alexander Dirom.He describes:The eldest boy,rather dark in color,with thick lips,a small flattish nose,and a long thoughtful countenance was less admired that the youngest,who is remarkably fair,with regular features,a small round face,large full eyes,and a more animated appearance".The only artist present at the scene was,Robert Home,who was the official war artist of the third Mysore war.

 

Muhammad Yasin

Khalik and Muizz,were delivered to Lord Cornwallis the Governor General,on February 26,1792,by the Vakil of Tipu,Ghulam Ali Khan."These children were this morning the sons of Sultan my master,their situation is now changed,and they must look up to your Lordship as their Father",Ghulam Ali said,as he led them to Cornwallis. Ghulam Ali(1758-1863)Senior Mysore Military Commander,had traveled to Constantinople to meet Sultan Abdul Hamid I during 1786-1790,from Malabar(Tadri port in records)and returned via Alexandria,Jeddah to Kozhikode.He accompanied the sons to Madras. The Madras Council voted 1663 pagodas for the accommodation of the sons  in the Fort St George of Madras.Cornwallis was appointed Governor of the Fort William,Bengal,in February,1786.In the painting by Home,he has included himself in the scene,standing in the left fore ground,holding a port folio.Home was the son of a Scot from Berwick.When the hostage sons left in the afternoon,Tipu was on the rampart,above the gateway.They were received with 21 gun salute near the tent,and met by,Sir John Kennaway and the Maratha and Nizam Vakils,or Commanders.They were led to the Head Quarters,each mounted on caparisoned elephants,seated in silver gowder.The procession was led by Camel harcarras and seven standard bearers carrying small green flags suspended from rockets,followed by 100 pikanen,with spears inlaid with silver, a guard of 200 Sepoys, and a part of horse.At HQ,they were received by a Battalion of Bengal Sepoys,commanded by Captain Thomas Welsh.Enroute to Madras,they visited Hyder's tomb at Kolar,and arrived at Madras on 29 June 1792.Before occupying a house at Fort St George,they stayed in tents.Col John Doyeton was their guardian.

The real Tipu:Portrait by John Zottam.1780.

Elaborate exchanges of gifts happened from next day.Cornwallis gave each a gold watch,following day,Khaliq and Muizz gave him,a Persian sword,jewels and shawls.Corwallis gave a Gun and a pair of pistols.Two palanquins,never unpacked,were found in the palace in 1799.
 

The Palanquin of Khaliq

In 1794 February,after fulfillment of the treaty,when Khaliq and Muizz prepared to return to Srirangapattana,Cornwallis and Lady Oakley presented to Khaliq,the 'most beautiful palanquin in India,ornamented with solid silver and gold moldings,each side supported by decorative snakes.Muizz used to recite Quranic and Persian verses to Cornwallis.Both were introduced to the Madras social scene with dance,music and dinners.
Now,coming back to the historical background of the marriage,Arakkal Junumabe II had sought protection from the East India Company in 1789, and stated positively that Tipu will be coming shortly to the coast with the whole force.She,it seems,was playing a deep game.Tipu's visit  primarily,was to appease the warring Kannur chieftains.Though the Mappilas of the coast were with the Beevi,the Mappila s of the South resisted Tipu's authority,and posed a threat to the Beevi.After Hyder's death in 1782,Beevi had signed an agreement with the Company,a year before the Mangaluru treaty of the Company,with Tipu.By 1789,she had been reinstated in her territory.Tipu's entry to Malabar in 1789,was his second,as all Rajas and Chieftains of North Malabar revolted and declared independence from Mysore.He devastated Kadathanad just before the marriage ceremony.One of the princes of Kolathiri, was killed by Tipu's soldiers during his escape and his dead body was dragged by elephants through Tipu's camp and subsequently hung upon a tree,along with 17 of his followers.Tipu,after the ceremony,handed over a portion of Chirakkal to the Beevi,and by the projected marriage,the trouble from the rebellious Mappila s in the South rapidly disappeared,and they stood on the side of Tipu's troops,later.He left Malabar,never to return.

Dirom's book

A year before,in 1788,Tipu had sent Mohammed Dervich Khan,Akbar Ali Khan and Mohmmed Osman Khan as Ambassadors to King Louis XVI of France.They informed the French government Tipu desired one of his sons received education in Paris.The French approved of the idea,if,before leaving for Paris,or in the course of his journey,the prince could learn to read and write,French,learn a little Calculus and Arithmetic. Louis XVI,who had commissioned a substantial diplomatic gift of Sevres porcelain for Tipu,persuaded one of the Ambassadors to sit for his portrait to Mme Yigee Le Brun.It seems,Tipu had decided to sent Khaliq to Paris.

Muhammad Shukrullah

When the British learned of Tipu's order in 1799,to the Dutch agents in Paris,to procure arms and ammunition,the British started the Fourth Mysore war,killing Tipu.This time,it was Major General David Baird,who received the surrender of Tipu's sons.After the death of Tipu,Baird asked Major Alexander Allan to enter the Fort carrying the flag of truce.He recognized one of the hostage sons.The General was severely affected by the sight of the princes.He received them with regard,assuring no violence.He gave them in charge to Lt Col Patrick Agnew and Captain Marriot.They conducted the princes to the Head Quarters camp,escorted by the 8th  Company of the 33rd Regiment.As they passed,the troops were ordered to pay compliment of presented arms.On June 19,they were transferred to Vellore Fort and eventually on 20 August,1806,to Kolkata,after the Mutiny in the Vellore Fort in the early hours of 10 July,the day of Tipu's daughter's wedding.It was the first war of Independence,51 years before,1857.If in 1857,Bahadur Shah Zafar was declared King,the Vellore mutineers declared Shehzada Fatheh Hyder Ali,elder son of Tipu,as King(he is also referred as Tipu's brother Abdul Karim's son).He had escaped the captivity at Vellore Fort and joined the Maratha Forces,in 1801.The British feared the presence of Tipu's descendants in South India.A descendant of Tipu,Noor Inayat Khan,became an Allied spy during Second World war.Her father Hazrat Inayat Khan,was a descendant of the uncle of Tipu Sultan.The 14th and last surviving son of Tipu,Sir Gulam Muhammad Khan,was recognized by the British as the official Head of the family,and was knighted in 1870.He died of dengue fever in 1872.His family branch and estate still survives.
The Arakkal kingdom came to an end in 1790,the year in which St Angelo Fort in Kannur was stormed by General Robert Abercromby.The Dutch had sold the Fort to Arakkal for One lakh,in 1772,along with the palace.

Reference:
1.History of Tipu Sultan/Mohibul Hassan
2. History of Kerala/A Sreedhara Menon
3.Splendors of Royal Mysore/Vikram Sampath
4.A Narrative of the Campaign in India/Major Alexander Dirom
5.Tarikh-i-Tipu/Hussein Ali Khan Kirmani
6.Voyage and Travels/George Valentia
7.Ali Raja of Cannanore/K K N Kurup
8.Tipu Sultan's Search for Legitimacy/Kate Brittlebank
9.Indian Renaissance:British Romantic Art and the Prospect of India/Hermione De Almeida
10.Kingdom of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan/Mahmood Khan Mahmood.Trans:Anwar Haroon
11.The Chirakkal Dynasty:Readings through History/M Sini
Note:The charcoal sketches of the sons are by James Hickey

See my Post,MUHAMMAD AYAZ KHAN(NAMBIAR)









 





 

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)