Indian Antiquary Vol 57

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 36

26
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ FEBRUARY, 1928
"If the village headmen 16 cause hindrance or confusion or put up shops within these (bounds), they will be like those who kill their father and take the mother to wife17. The rent collector318 shall take for themselves the ten ndlis (measures) of ghê paid (as tax) on a house of twenty kôl (size). Such taxes and rates shall be collected as those four (rent collectors) declare. All shall purchase such goods as these go and fix the price of 20.
"Chattan Patukan and Iravi Kottan, 21 these two who are Manigramattår among these allotted merchants, have (i.e., need pay) no ght for the two rooms of shop (owned by them). Those belonging to the (above-mentioned) two families need pay no sort of taxes. 23
16 Thego headmen were Hindus, most probably Nampúri Brahmans of. Talékkad. Such headmen are now known as aranmakkar, a word akin to dralar of this document.
17 An imprecation commonly found in inscriptions, calling down upon the offender the divine punish. ment due to wilful patricide and incost.
18 These must have been four men selected from among the new colony of Christian merchants, for collecting rates and taxes from the Christian settlers.
19 One kol = 28 inches. Primarily English yard, rod, pole and perch; Sanskrit danda ; Portuguese vdra (bar), and Malayalam kal have the same meaning, although they represent different measures of length, Portuguese vdra has become a regular Malayalam word, meaning & yard (length).
A house of 20 kal size is one the total length of the four side beams of which is so many küla.
90 In another Malabar Christian document, the Quilon Church plates, fasciclo 2, of about 880 A.D., the Manigramam Christians are authorized to fix the price of goods for sale.
21 This name occurs in the forın Iravi Korttan in a later Malabar Christian document, the Vira Raghava plate of 1320 A.D. The two Iravi Kottans cannot be one and the same perron.
The first word in Iravi Kottan is the common Hindu name Iravi, from Sanskrit Ravi (=the sun), whilo the second (Kottan) appears to be related to Arabic and Persian Kotwal (a police officer) and to mean . market sergeant.
The first word in Chattan Patukan is the common Hindu name Châttan, from Sanskrit Sista, the name of a Hindu god. The second word Patukan is not an ordinary proper name. Like Kottan it may be an official designation
Châttan and Iravi, though Christians, retain Hindu names. No wonder. Until very recent times tho Malabar Christians, the majority of whom are descendants of ancient converts from Hinduism, havo beon retaining many of the local Hindu manners and customs.
33 Manigrâmattår, in modern Malayalam Mapigrämakkar, in this context undoubtedly signifies head. ship of the new colony of Christian merchants brought to Talékkad. This supports the view expresscd ly the Editor in Ind. Ant., 1924, p. 261, footnote, that the term Manigramam "seems to imply headship of the community of jewellers and no more."
Originally Manigramam must have moant the grámani or head of the class of jewellers called Manchchetti or Perunchetti. There is a class of gadras in Quilon (in Travancore) called Manigramakkâr, ind.vi. dual members of which are called in old records Mini Narayanan, Mani Sukaran, Mani Raman, etc. Mapi 30-and-go simply means so-and.no of the casto of jewel merchants, and has no reference to his religious persuasion.
How then did oach and every member of the Manigramam community of Quilon come to be called a Mpigrå makkaran'-a head of tho jeweller caste or community! It is in perfect accord with a Malabar practice by which titles of headmen are in course of time appropriated by a whole community or caste. There is, for instanco, a caste of fishermen called arasar or arayar (=king). But not all fishermen of that community are descended from ancient kings or heads of fisherfolk. Tantån is now the name of a Malabar caste, but originally it meant one with the staff of authority granted by the king. Nåyar (ordinarily spelt Vair) has become the name of a caste in Malabar, but originally only those were Nayars (i.e., les clers of armies) on whom the king specially conferred that titlo along with a sword and silk, the insignia of that afice.
It is in conformity with this practico that Manigraman wenning hec oi the corrmunity of jewe! terclunts came to be tho common property of Tom, Dick and Harry' among thoro merclients.
23 For similar exomption from payment of taxes, granted to some Molaber Christians sco their opper-plate grants. The Cochin Jewish plate algo grants such concessions to the Jet Joseph Rahban and his descendants.