The Anchor Dropped: Where the wind said, "settle down".
- By Kiran
The wind that brought the Arab traders to the coast of India was Southwest Monsoon i.e. the wind direction was from Arabian peninsular, through the Arabian sea towards the Indian
coast. This wind let them travel easily throughout the sea, by their ships.
So, when the Arab traders came to India for Business/trades in the coasts of Kerala and Gujarat, they were forced to stay for months waiting for the wind to get reverse i.e. seasonal winds (Northeast Monsoon) and this led them to settle permanently in different places and communities of Kerala and Gujarat building their own houses and started staying.
The Arab settlements became permanent due to two main reasons: One is the Nature
(the monsoon winds) and the other is the local rulers.
First, when they came sailing and reached the coasts with the help of the Southwest Monsoon, the wind didn’t stop but the merchants were waiting for the wind to reverse, so they could sail back home. Due to the nature of the Monsoon wind, the ships that they had sailed to the coasts of Kerala and Gujarat were stuck as well as them as this led them to stay for months waiting for the change of the wind direction. This stay was about 4-6 month and this long stay forced them
to settle permanently in the places, building their own houses for living and warehouses fortheir goods, starting a new life rather than staying in their ships or temporary camps which they
couldn’t (Ray, 1994).
Secondly, the local hindu rulers, Zamorins of Calicut, and other rulers accepted the Arab traders
showing hospitality and protecting them. They were happy that these traders were staying here.
The rulers knew and understood that the merchants were a key role in making the trades
successful and profitable. It was a benefit for the kingdom and made it reach. The rulers ensured
their safety and provided them with the necessity things. These encouraged the Arabs to settle
properly making good connections with the local peoples and with the rulers which later started
forming small communities (Narayanan, 2013).
This permanent settlement of the Arabs resulted in forming deep social bonds and connections
among the local people and the rulers. They were described by intermarriages: where the Arab
men often married to the local women of the coastal areas forming communities.
These marriages were highly accepted by the rulers who valued the Arab’s wealth and economic power. This acceptance was very important as it created strong bonds and connections between them (Miller, 1976).
And these permanent communities were later called as the Mappilas of Kerala whose name relates to “son-in-law”. The Mappilas are the direct descendants and legacy of the early Arab traders who settled there long ago. Their existence shows that the Arab traders and the local people connected and stayed together peacefully for many generations (Miller, 1976). They also adopted the language, customs and the culture in the Malabar way of life.
The Mappila Communities also built important buildings keeping a sign to showcase their relations and connections between the Arab traders and the local people, such building is the Cheraman Juma Mosque in Kodungallur which is also believed to be
the first mosque of India. It resembles the traditional Kerala architecture where the Mosque was built with the local sloping tiled roof and detailed woodwork rather than being built in the middle eastern style. This also shows the unique blend of both the Arab traders and the Indian culture (Narayanan, 2013).
https://www.dtpcthrissur.com/destination/cheraman-juma-masjid
This deep bond and the mixing of both the cultures were not just about the houses or the
traditions but it also reached the politics and the defense. For hundreds of years, the hindu Zamorin king of Calicut entrusted all their important military groups and the navy to the Muslim leaders known as Kunjali Marakkars. They weren’t just someone who were being tolerated by
the rulers but they became someone who are important to them becoming political partners
(Narayanan, 2006). Then we can see in the end that the Mapillas marrying local women and
working together turned into a strong place where different cultures and traditions mixed
together.
In conclusion, the journey of the Arab traders was not just about their regular business and the
trade. Though they came only for business purposes, their travel depended on the Monsoon
wind. As they were forced to stay for months, they decided to settle permanently in the coasts as
they were treated kindly and were ensured their safety by the local rulers. The Mappila
communities and the old buildings like Cheraman Juma Mosque were the proof of their long
connections between them. They were also made important to the rulers in which they entrusted
with the MIlitary, Navy and the Politics.
This also shows that the Indian coast became a meeting places of the cultures, where foreign and
Indian tradition mixed making an important part of India’s History.
References:
1. Ray, H. P. (1994). The winds of change: Buddhism and the maritime links of
early South Asia. Oxford University Press.
2. Narayanan, M. G. S. (2013). Perumals of Kerala: Political and social
conditions of Kerala under the Chera Perumals of Makotai. D.C. Books.
3. Miller, R. E. (1976). Mappila Muslims of Kerala: A study in Islamic trends.
Orient Longman.
4. Narayanan, M.G.S. (2006). Cultural Symbiosis in Kerala. Kerala Historical Society.
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