Yes it is. The relation is not clear but it's in connection with the Zamorin pirates of Malabar who ruled the waters and had been known to attack Mumbai as well. To quote from Malabar Hill and the Pirates of Malabar "The original name of the Malabar hill, point area was Shrigundi. The story is described thus: Shri-Gundi is called Malabar Point after the pirates of Dharmapatan (That is near Tellichery – Curious!), Kotta, and Porka on the Malabar Coast, who, at the beginning of British rule in Bombay, used to lie in wait for the northern fleet in the still water in the sea of the north end of Back Bay."Written Apr 24, 2014 • View Upvotes
malabar hill 1850 showing Tower of Silence
Probably the earliest depiction of Canonore town , from 1572 Date: first Latin edition of volume I was published in 1572. After: an unidentified Portuguese manuscript."
[An early woodcut bird-eye's view of the town of Calicut. India] Plant et Figure de la riche cit� de Calecut en la premiere Inde.
Author: Belleforest, F. de.
PlaceAndYear: Paris, 1575.
Description: Francois de Belleforest (1530-1583). Edited a French edition of Sebastian M�nster's 'Cosmography', named 'La Cosmographie universelle', 1575. An early woodcut bird-eye's view of the town of Calicut as seen from the sea, with ships in the foreground and right a ship's yard.
Author: Belleforest, F. de.
PlaceAndYear: Paris, 1575.
Description: Francois de Belleforest (1530-1583). Edited a French edition of Sebastian M�nster's 'Cosmography', named 'La Cosmographie universelle', 1575. An early woodcut bird-eye's view of the town of Calicut as seen from the sea, with ships in the foreground and right a ship's yard.
See also
Indian Pirates: From the Earliest Times to the Present Day
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=1PVMMoChwY4C
Rajaram Narayan Saletore - 1978 - India
It was realised that, if their piracy was not checked and those ships not ... all the pirate chieftains of the South were the Malabar pirates of the Kunhali family, ... a place on the Kerala coast, two miles north of Trikkodi, in the Meladi Amsam, .
======================================
Pirates in the History of Calicut - Calicut Heritage
blog.calicutheritage.com/2009/.../pirates-in-history-of-calicut-calicut.htm...
10
April 2016
Sunday
Malabar Hill and the Pirates of Malabar
maddy06.blogspot.com/2011/.../malabar-hill-and-pirates-of-malabar.htm...
Malabar Hill and the Pirates of Malabar
A cursory look at the name of one of the costliest bits of real estate in Bombay (nowadays called Mumbai) signifies its relationship to the South West coastal area of Malabar. There is a reason to that, and I thought I would cover that interesting bit of history for the benefit of all, mainly to erase the typical distorted description provided in many a book and website.
The Raj Bhavan site says - In times past, the azure skies would forecast plunder as the sails of marauders appeared, the dreaded pirates of Malabar. They would ascend the pinnacle to plan their pillage. This summit by the shores heralded a view of the emerging city. Prophesying their recurring piracy, the peak came to be known as Malabar Point.
They state thus - Bombay became the target of the sea pirates that also included the ones from Kerala’s Malabar Coast. So, in order to ensure the protection from any type of pirates attack near the hill, a lookout tower was founded. It was meant for keeping an eye on the pirates and the sea as well. Later this hill came to be known as ‘Malabar Hill’, which is very popular today.
Was that right? To figure it out let us go back to the 16th century when the Portuguese attempts at colonizing India were at its peak. It was a period signified by systematic attempts at subduing the traders and trade that had been conducted from Malabar. Starting with Vasco Da Gama’s arrival at Calicut in 1498, the Portuguese strengthened their presence in Cochin, Goa, Surat and Bombay on the west coasts. The only resistance they faced initially was the sea based forays from the Kunhali Marakkar and his able seamen of South Malabar. The Marakkars had until then been running the Malabar trade (mainly food grains) with the blessings of the King of Cochin and the Zamorin of Calicut, but once their livelihood was threatened, they rose up in arms. I must hasten to add here that piracy indeed existed on the Malabar Coast and has many a time been attributed to moors, but it was sporadic, and not organized. Details of such old acts of piracy can be found in the accounts of many a travel writer, including Ibn Batuta and others.
Then again it is said that Malabar hill was where they conducted a pilgrimage to the Banaganga tank and Walkeshwar temple. Now that is an oddity by itself, the Moplah pirates praying to a heathen idol? That would not be quite right, isn’t it? A detailed study was needed, though the answer was apparent, that the term Malabar pirates was far-flung and widespread and applied to a wide variety of armed seafarers not quite pleased with the foreign usurpers making merry in the west coast towns, people who conducted much trade over sea routes and plying ships laden to the brim with the riches of India. Indeed the opportunist cum pirate decided to attack these slow moving and lightly armed ships. Who were they? Were they from Malabar-Kerala in the fist place?
While the Zamorin took on the Portuguese armies on land, the Kunhalis and their men engaged in sea based skirmishes with the Portuguese ships. The method of using many organized small boats to attack a flotilla soon became very effective and went on for a period of 70 years 1530 – 1600 till the Dutch came by and the Kunhale family was gone. The ships used by Kunhali’s men, the war-paroe, was a small craft manned by just 30-40 men each, and could be rowed through lagoons and narrow waters. Several of these crafts were deployed at strategic points in the Malabar coast and they would emerge from small creeks and inconspicuous estuaries, attack the Portuguese ships at will, inflict heavy damage and casualties by setting fire to their sails and get back into the safety of shallow waters. And thus people who were traders soon became attackers. So were they pirates, corsairs or privateers? If you look at history books, the moors of Malabar, the Kunhali led seamen have been called Corsairs and pirates. Check out the definition towards the end of this article, and based on that I would take the direction towards privateers in this case for they had the blessings of the Zamorin in fighting the Portuguese.
So as you can see, they were an armed force at the command of the Zamorin’s admiral and thus were more privateers or corsairs, but not pirates. Now that the first point has been established, they were the earliest form of an Indian ‘regional’ navy fighting against the invading Portuguese, in hindsight. Later there were others involved in the fray notably Tanoji Angre, his son Kanhoji Angre (early 18th century) or Conajee Angria and his ships, which were included collectively in the term Malabar pirates.
What were the Kunhali’s of Malabar doing in the Bombay area? Logically, where they not restricted to the Malabar Coast by language, and the large distance of some 700-800 miles? Consider that the Marakkars used small pattemars or Malabar paros (small boats 10 paces long, rowed with oars of cane and had a mast of cane) for their warfare and sailing them to such distances was not routinely possible. Bigger dhows were indeed used for piracy, but the Marakkar ship would be too far from the home base and would never venture more than 70 miles of their Ponnani towns, from earlier descriptions. So one can safely assume that the Malabar pirates, termed so by the British, were closer in origin to Bombay.
Now with the Marakkar & Malabar seamen mostly out of the equation, let us get back to Bombay to find out who these pirates actually were, starting from the 1600’s. By 1600, the last of the Kunhali Marakkars were gone from Malabar. With it organized navies of Calicut virtually became defunct though some Moplah’s continued on, as locally based pirates sporadically attacking slow merchant ships.
Between 1534 and 1661, Bombay was under Portuguese occupation. By the middle of the 17th century the growing power of the Dutch Empire forced the British to acquire a station in western India. On 11 May 1661, the marriage treaty of Charles II of England and Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King John IV of Portugal, placed Bombay in possession of the British Empire, as part of dowry of Catherine to Charles. In 1661, Bombay was finally ceded to the British.
By the time Shivaji came on the scene against the British occupation, Bombay was already in the hands of the British. His navies came into picture by 1670 and were part of the collective called the Malabar pirates. Kanhoji Angre came a little later, towards 1700-1723 and his attacks or forays against British and Portuguese ships were directed all the way South to Cochin as well as Northwards to Bombay. Collectively there two and their navies were the major constituent’s of the so called ‘Malabar pirates’. Both these families are well covered in history texts, so I will let them lie in peace there for the time being, and get back to the high seas, back to when Kunhali the 4th was killed and Dom Pedro a.k.a Ali Marakkar took over until 1620. Thana was infested with pirates according to Marco Polo as early as 1290. In the 15th century it is mentioned in Nikitin’s travels that the pirates were mainly Hindu signifying the Marathas from Junnar. One such pirate chief was Shankar Rao of Vishalgarh. The main lot was a ragtag group of Guajarati corsairs, Moghul Seedees and Dutch sea thieves, until the 1600 period
But between 1600 and 1670, there were a number of attacks around Bombay, so who were these so called pirates? Upon perusing Salvatore’s Indian pirates, one is led to believe that the pirates termed Malabari pirates comprising various sorts (Guajarati – Cambay, Malabar and European) seized rich booty near Diu & Goa as well as Cochin in the 1600-1610 periods. This is perhaps Ali Marakkar’s doing. By this time English pirates had also entered the scene and Chaul in Konkan was their HQ. Pyrard Della Valle was the first to collectively call them Malabar pirates for according to him Malabar encompassed the coast line between Bombay to Cape Comorin. Later accounts by Mandelso also document that the Paroes of Malabar mainly attacked ships around the Cochin area and Cannanore. This signifies that Panthalayani kollam or Calicut port was by now dead. The rest of the period comprised only some rag tag piracy.
Polo, in the 13th century, said however that the pirates were a brotherhood ‘From this kingdom of Malabar, from the kingdom of Thana, and from another near it called Guzerat, there go forth every year more than a hundred corsair vessels on cruise. These pirates take with them their wives and children, and stay out the whole summer. Their method is to join in fleets of twenty or thirty of these pirate vessels together, and they then form what they call a sea cordon - that is, they drop off till there is an interval of five or six miles between ship and ship, so that they cover something like 100 miles of sea, and no merchant ships can escape them. For when any one corsair sights a vessel a signal is made by fire or smoke, and then the whole of them make for this, and seize the merchants and plunder them. But now the merchants are aware of this, and go so well manned and armed, and with such great ships, that they don't fear the corsairs. Still mishaps do befall them at times." "The people of Guzerat," says the same traveller, "are the most desperate pirates in existence, and one of their atrocious practices is this: when they have taken a merchant vessel they force the merchants to swallow a stuff called tamarind, mixed in sea-water, which produces a violent purging. This is done in case the merchants, on seeing their danger, should have swallowed their most valuable stones and pearls, and in this way they secure the whole." The sacred island of Beyt, in the Gulf of Cutch, off the north-west corner of the peninsula of Kattywar, was better known as "the Pirates' Isle," and the inhabitants of the Land's End of the peninsula were noted for their audacity as sea-rovers.
But by 1670 we see the Sajanian pirates of Kathiawar Gujarat followed by the Marathas. The leaders Shivaji and his progeny were organized in their fight against the Portuguese. But to lord them all later came the Maratha commodore of Shivaji’s fleet named Kanhoji Angre. He had a control over the seashore some 240 miles long between Bombay & Vengurla. By 1710-1729 he controlled the shores effectively ad humiliated the British at every given chance. He was succeeded by his son Sambhaji who continued in the same vein until 1734 and then it was Toolaji Angre. The British finally retaliated with might and by 1756; had finally destroyed most of the Angre holdings. It was thus Angre and his seamen who were the so called ‘Malabar pirates’ of the 18th century, while the British ruled Bombay.
So we saw the various types of Guajarati and Maratha privateers or pirates, whatever one may term them were harassing the British on the seas. But why did they venture onto the land? What is the connection with Malabar hill? It is said that they came to that side of the rocks, sheltered from the winds, waiting for commercial shipping to pass by after ascending the pinnacle to scan, watch the skyline and plan their pillage. This peak came to be known as Malabar Point and the hillock, Malabar hill. William hunter was another one to generalize the Malabar pirates into one group holding the sea coast from Bombay to Cape Comorin. He mentions about their plunders on shore while Pyrard mentions they would never attack anybody on shore.
As legends go, both Shivaji and Angre used to visit Banaganga for a holy dip and Walkeshwar for the festivals and prayers. But there were also Europeans amongst the Malabar pirates. As it is written “If the pirates were but Arabs or Malabars, matters had not been so bad; but European pirates were abroad, indulging in unheard-of excesses, seizing Mughal pilgrim ships (the Gunsway or Ganjasawai), and leading to the incarceration of our leaders and servants at Surat.”
The original name of the Malabar hill, point area was Shrigundi. The story is described thus: Shri-Gundi is called Malabar Point after the pirates of Dharmapatan (That is near Tellichery – Curious!), Kotta, and Porka on the Malabar Coast, who, at the beginning of British rule in Bombay, used to lie in wait for the northern fleet in the still water in the sea of the north end of Back Bay. The name Shri-Gundi apparently means the Lucky Stone. At the very extremity of Malabar Point is a cleft rock, a fancied yoni, to which numerous pilgrims resort for the purpose of regeneration by the efficacy of a passage through this sacred emblem. The yoni or hole is of considerable elevation among rocks of no easy access in the stormy season incessantly surf-buffeted. Women as well as men pass through the opening. You descend some steps on rugged rocks. Then thrusting your hands in front you ascend head first up the hole.
The Banaganga tank story has Lord Rama, after a long and thirsty trek in search of Sita, stopped at Sri Gundi and supposedly fired an arrow into ground to get water (somehow connected to Ganaga as well) , and so it ended up a sacred tank, after which he built a sand idol (Walk eashwar) to worship. The original temple built around this idol was destroyed by the Portuguese, but the temple was rebuilt again in 1715 by Rama Kamath.
Shivaji Maharaj when close to death is said to have landed at Malabar Point and passed through the rock, probably to free him from the haunting presence of the murdered Afzulkhan. Kanhoji Angria (1690-1730) is said to have visited Bombay by stealth to go through the hole at the Malabar Point. By 1670, the English built a government house in Malabar point, but the place was so poorly fortified that (it is said) the Malabar pirates often plundered the native villages and carried off the inhabitants as slaves. The English soon loaded the terraces with cannon and built ramparts over the bowers. There they housed two great guns to get the pirate ships.
As James Douglas rambles about the pilgrimage of the pirates
In the pre-Portuguese days the pilgrims, i.e., "the Malabars," would land at Mazagon, or at a small haven near our Castle which the English on their arrival called Sandy Bay, or, in the fair season, at what is our present Wood Wharf in Back Bay, convenient enough and right opposite the steep ascent.
Here buggalow and pattamar would discharge their cargo of "live lumber" or faithful devotees, as you are disposed to view them. Now they proceed to breast the “ Siri," halting, no doubt, at the Halfway House, where the Jogi would give them a drink from his holy well. Here they would have time to draw their breath, chew betelnut, or say their prayers. Thence, refreshed, to the summit, and now along a footpath studded with palmyra palms, sentinels by sea and land on the ridge, and very much on the track of the present carriage road, they make their way to those old pipal trees at our "Reversing Station," old enough in all conscience to have sheltered Gerald Aungier and the conscript fathers of the city from the heat of the noonday sun, and how much older we know not.
And now they descend the brow of the hill, pass the site of the present Walkeshwar temple, past the twisted trees in the Government House compound,—of the existence of which we have indubitable evidence as far back at least as 1750.
And here we may remark that the Malabar Hill of these days was much more wooded than at present. When land is left to itself, everything grows to wood. It is so in Europe, and it is so here, as we can see with our eyes in that magnificent belt of natural jungle which clothes the slopes down to the water's edge of Back Bay (and which reminds one of the Trossachs on an exceedingly small scale), where, among crags and huge boulders, the leafy mango and the feathery palm assert themselves out of a wild luxuriance of thick-set creepers glowing with flowers of many colours. The hare, the jungle fowl, and the monkey were doubtless no strangers to these bosky retreats. At length the temple, ornate with many a frieze and statue, bursts upon the view amid a mass of greenery. Black it is, for the Bombay trap becomes by exposure to innumerable monsoons like the Hindu pagodas among the orange groves of Poona. And now, the journey ended, the white-robed pilgrims, and some forsooth sky-clad in the garb of nature, bow their faces to the earth, amid jessamine flowers, in the old temple of Walkeshwar, on its storm-beaten promontory, with no sound on the ear save the cry of the sea-eagle, or the thud of the waves as they dash eternally on the beach.
Keyi’s and the ownership of Malabar Hill
Wikipedia makes an interesting mention of the Keyi’s of Malabar and connects it to Malabar hill. It is said that the Keyis had to sell Malabar Hill to the EIC to safeguard their business holdings. Quoting the entry - The well known and prominent Keyi family of North Malabar in Kerala was founded by Chovvakkaran Moosa in the early 18th Century. He was a strong force in trade and commerce during that time, having powerful links with rulers, kings and countries. He started off his business with the Portuguese, the French, and the British. He owned a large part of Bombay including the area currently known as Malabar Hill and many parts in Chowpatti Beach area. Even today the family has some old shops and buildings in that area. When the British East India Company started creating problems for their business, they had to call a truce with them in order to survive. The Keyis tried everything from funding Tipu Sultan and Pazhassi Raja in their war with the British at the time. When everything failed, they donated the entire area now known as Malabar Hill to the East India Company to maintain the Keyis' trading rights in the North Malabar area. Hence the name, Malabar Hill for this Western India prime property.
I certainly could not find any corroborating evidence for the above claim even after extensive research and after reading KKN Kurup’s complete work on the Keyi family. While they may have held land space around Malabar hill in the 18th century, the name Malabar hill goes back to 1673 when Fryer wrote first mentioned the place. Aluppi’s nephew Moosa kakka who built a bigger fortune and may have perhaps possessed land in Bombay, came to fame only by the early 18th century. So by conjuncture, Keyi’s do not appear to be the reason for the naming of Malabar Hill after Malabar.
In conclusion one could call this a somewhat indiscriminate use of the term Malabar as we know it today, though another who likes arguments would retort saying that Malabar itself is nebulous, it was first coined in antiquity by some Arab sailor for the coastal area of Western India between Surat and Cape Comorin. But then again we saw how the name of the hill eventually came about, even if by mistake and remained so, for it was finally a locale where the pirates stopped for a lookout or for good luck and to pray obeisance.
References
Indian Pirates RJ Salvatore
The pirates of Malabar John Biddulph
Bombay and western India: a series of stray papers, Volume 2 James Douglas
The Great Pioneer in India, Ceylon, Bhutan & Tibet
Stirring stories of peace and war, by sea and land James Macaulay
A handbook for travelers in India, Burma and Ceylon John Murray
Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume 26, Part 3
Guide to Bombay: historical, statistical, and descriptive James Mackenzie Maclean
The Missionary herald, Volume 89 American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
Keyis of Malabar – KKN Kurup
Definitions:
Corsaire is the term used by the French for what in English is a privateer. A Privateer was an armed ship under papers to a government or a company to perform specific tasks. The men who sailed on a privateer were also called privateers. Most importantly, the famous "Articles of Piracy" often did not apply to a ship of privateers. Often privateers were simple merchant marines who were engaged in acts of war for profit. Other time they were hired mercenaries. Privateers, unlike pirates were quite open about what they did and were typically considered heroes by their host nations. In the loosest terms, any of the above can be a pirate. If a privateer is fighting for another country, you would probably consider him a pirate. Anyone who robs at sea is and was a pirate. When privateers exceeded the bounds of their commission, they became pirates. By definition, a pirate is any person committing criminal acts against public authority, on the high seas outside the normal jurisdiction and laws of any state (country). By law, they can be arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced by any state that captures them. Also, by definition, the criminal act is of a private nature, that is personal gain, and not for political reasons.
================The Pirates of Malabar,
and An Englishwoman in India Two Hundred Years Ago
by John Biddulph
(1907)===========
== *Introduction by FWP*
== *Views of the Malabar Coast*
== *Author's preface*
*Chapter I: The Rise of European Piracy in the East*
Portuguese pirates-- Vincente Sodre-- Dutch pirates-- Royal filibustering-- Endymion Porter's venture-- The Courten Association-- The Indian Red Sea fleet-- John Hand-- Odium excited against the English in Surat-- The Caesar attacked by French pirates-- Danish depredations-- West Indian pirates-- Ovington's narrative-- Interlopers and permission ships-- Embargo placed on English trade-- Rovers trapped at Mungrole-- John Steel-- Every seizes the Charles the Second and turns pirate-- His letter to English commanders-- The Madagascar settlements-- Libertatia-- Fate of Sawbridge-- Capture of the Gunj Suwaie-- Immense booty-- Danger of the English at Surat-- Bombay threatened-- Friendly behaviour of the Surat Governor-- Embargo on European trade-- Every sails for America-- His reputed end-- Great increase of piracy-- Mutiny of the Mocha and Josiah crews-- Culliford in the Resolution-- The London seized by Imaum of Muscat
*Chapter II: Captain Kidd*
Measures to suppress piracy-- The Adventure fitted out-- Warren's squadron meets with Kidd-- His suspicious behaviour-- He threatens the Sidney-- Waylays the Red Sea fleet-- Captures the Mary-- Visits Carwar and Calicut-- His letter to the factory-- Chased by Portuguese men-of-war-- Chases the Sedgwick-- Chivers-- Action between Dorrill and Resolution-- Kidd captures the Quedah Merchant-- Dilemma of European traders at Surat-- Their agreements with the authorities-- Experience of the Benjamin-- News of Kidd's piracies reaches England-- Despatch of squadron under Warren-- Littleton at Madagascar-- Kidd sails for New York-- Arrested and tried-- His defence and execution-- Justice of his sentence-- His character-- Diminution of piracy-- Lowth in the Loyal Merchant-- Act for suppression of piracy-- Captain Millar
*Chapter III: The Rise of Conajee Angria*
Native piracy hereditary on the Malabar coast-- Marco Polo's account-- Fryer's narrative-- The Kempsant-- Arab and Sanganian pirates-- Attack on the President-- Loss of the Josiah-- Attack on the Phoenix-- The Thomas captured-- Depredations of the Gulf pirates-- Directors' views-- Conajee Angria-- Attacks English ships-- Destroys the Bombay-- Fortifies Kennery-- Becomes independent-- Captures the Governor's yacht-- Attacks the Somers and Grantham-- Makes peace with Bombay-- His navy-- Great increase of European and native piracy
*Chapter IV: An Active Governor*
Arrival of Mr. Boone as Governor-- He builds ships and improves defences of Bombay-- Desperate engagement of Morning Star with Sanganians-- Alexander Hamilton-- Expedition against Vingorla-- Its failure-- Hamilton made Commodore-- Expedition against Carwar-- Landing force defeated-- Successful skirmish-- Desertion of Goa recruits-- Reinforcements-- Landing force again defeated-- The Rajah makes peace-- Hamilton resigns Commodoreship-- A noseless company-- Angria recommences attacks-- Abortive expedition against Gheriah-- Downing's account of it-- Preparations to attack Kennery
*Chapter V: The Company's Servants*
The Company's civil servants-- Their comparison with English who went to America-- Their miserable salaries-- The Company's military servants-- Regarded with distrust-- Shaxton's mutiny-- Captain Keigwin-- Broken pledges and ill-treatment-- Directors' vacillating policy-- Military grievances-- Keigwin seizes the administration of Bombay-- His wise rule-- Makes his submission to the Crown-- Low status of Company's military officers-- Lord Egmont's speech-- Factors and writers as generals and colonels-- Bad quality of the common soldiers-- Their bad treatment-- Complaint against Midford-- Directors' parsimony
*Chapter VI: Expedition Against Kennery*
Sivajee's occupation of Kennery-- A naval action-- Minchin and Keigwin-- Bombay threatened-- The Seedee intervenes-- Conajee Angria occupies Kennery-- Boone sails with the expedition-- Manuel de Castro-- Futile proceedings-- Force landed and repulsed-- Second landing-- Manuel de Castro's treachery-- Gideon Russell-- Bad behaviour of two captains-- Defeat-- Attack abandoned-- The St. George-- The Phram-- Manuel de Castro punished-- Bombay wall completed-- Angria makes overtures for peace-- Boone outwitted
*Chapter VII: Expedition Against Gheriah*
Trouble with the Portuguese-- Madagascar pirates again-- Loss of the Cassandra-- Captain Macrae's brave defence-- The one-legged pirate-- Richard Lazenby-- Expedition against Gheriah-- Mr. Walter Brown-- His incompetency-- Gordon's landing-- Insubordination and drunkenness-- Arrival of the Phram-- General attack-- Failure-- The Kempsant's alliance-- Attack on Deoghur-- The Madagascar pirates, England and Taylor-- Ignominious flight-- Fate of the Phram-- Brown despatched south again-- The pirates at Cochin-- They take flight to Madagascar-- Their rage against Macrae and England-- England marooned-- Taylor takes Goa ship-- Rich prize-- Governor Macrae
*Chapter VIII: Expedition Against Colaba*
Measures taken in England against pirates-- Woodes Rogers at the Bahamas-- Edward Teach-- Challoner Ogle-- Bartholomew Roberts killed-- Matthews sent to the East Indies-- Naval officers' duels-- Portuguese alliance-- Expedition against Colaba-- Assault-- Defeat-- A split in the alliance-- Plot against Boone-- His departure-- Matthews' schemes-- His insulting behaviour-- He quarrels with everybody-- Goes to Madagascar-- The King of Ranter Bay-- Matthews goes to Bengal
*Chapter IX: A Troubled Year in Bombay*
Loss of the Hunter galley-- Quarrel with Portuguese-- Alliance of Portuguese with Angria-- War with both-- A double triumph-- Portuguese make peace-- Angria cowed-- Matthews reappears-- Trouble caused by him-- He returns to England-- Court-martialled-- The last of Matthews
*Chapter X: Twenty-six Years of Conflict*
The case of Mr. Curgenven-- Death of Conajee Angria-- Quarrels of his sons-- Portuguese intervention-- Sumbhajee Angria-- Political changes-- Disaster to Bombay and Bengal galleys-- The Ockham beats off Angria's fleet-- The Coolees-- Loss of the Derby-- Mahrattas expel Portuguese from Salsette-- Captain Inchbird-- Mannajee Angria gives trouble-- Dutch squadron repulsed from Gheriah-- Gallant action of the Harrington-- Sumbhajee attacks Colaba-- English assist Mannajee-- Loss of the Antelope-- Death of Sumbhajee Angria-- Toolajee Angria-- Capture of the Anson-- Toolajee takes the Restoration-- Power of Toolajee-- Lisle's squadron-- Building of the Protector and Guardian
*Chapter XI: The Downfall of Angria*
Toolajee fights successful action with the Dutch-- He tries to make peace with Bombay-- Alliance formed against him-- Commodore William James-- Slackness of the Peishwa's fleet-- Severndroog-- James's gallant attack-- Fall of Severndroog-- Council postpone attack on Gheriah-- Clive arrives from England-- Projects of the Directors-- Admiral Watson-- Preparations against Gheriah-- The Council's instructions-- Council of war about prize-money-- Double dealing of the Peishwa's officers-- Watson's hint-- Ships engage Gheriah-- Angrian fleet burnt-- Fall of Gheriah-- Clive occupies the fort-- The prize-money-- Dispute between Council and Poonah Durbar-- Extinction of coast piracy-- Severndroog tower
*An Englishwoman in India Two Hundred Years Ago*
*Index*
================================================
THREE MALABAR PIRATES IN TRAVANCORE | Hamlet in ...
hamletram.blogspot.com/2014/12/two-malabar-pirates-in-travancore.html
THREE MALABAR PIRATES IN TRAVANCORE
Arakkal Brothers as Naval Chiefs in Travancore
This is the story of a Kolathiri prince of Kannur in Northern Kerala becoming King in Travancore,and he in turn,appointing two brothers from the Naval family of Arakkal in Kannur, as Naval Chiefs of Travancore- the first team to protect the waters of Travancore,much before Eustachius De Lannoy and Chempil Arayan.
The King was Adithya Varma,and the brothers,Mammali Kidavu and Kunjikoyamu.
Adithya Varma was adopted from the Kolathunad,along with his brother Rama Varma and two sisters, to the Attingal royal family,before the reigning King,Kottayam Kerala Varma,also from Kolathunad,was assassinated on 28,August,1696.Adithya Varma did the obsequies of Kerala Varma.
It was the time when Umayamma Rani of Attingal was ruling the Travancore Kingdom,though,Ravi Varma had taken over the elder's position(and so,the King) in 1685 itself.He was very weak,leading a sanyasin's life,till his death in 1704.Ravi Varma is considered by some as the son of Umayamma Rani.When Umayamma Rani died in July,1698,the Junior Rani,Pururuttathi Thirunal from Kolathu Nadu became the Queen of Attingal,since the elder sister had died within a year of the adoption.Marthanda Varma,is believed to be the her son.The attempt to make Adithya Varma or Rama Varma,the King ,was torpedoed by King of Nedumangad,Kerala Varma and some of the barons.The powerful Pillai barons,when the ship,Neptune,of East India Company wrecked in Manakkudi,near Kanyakumari,looted the entire cargo though the agreement between the Company and the Rani stipulated equal share of the cargo,in the event of a ship wreck.
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| Manakkudi |
When Ravi Varma died in 1704,the attempt of Adithya Varma to become the King was again thwarted by the barons,who anointed Nedumangad Kerala Varma as the King in February,1805.Though,Adithya Varma approached,the King of Karunagappaly,he was not in a position to help,because he had become an ally of the Kayamkulam King,who in turn,was an ally of the Dutch.But political pressures made the Karunagappaly King to return to his old position, and he adopted he Junior Rani and her son,Marthanda Varma from Attingal to Karunagapally.The Karunagappally King died in September,1707 and the Junior Rani,Pururuttathi Thirunal,became the Regent,making her brother,Adithya Varma,powerful.Since his family had close relationship with the Muslim Kingdom of Arakkal,he invited Mammali Kidavu and Kunjikoyamu in an effort to protect the commercial interests in the Travancore coast,and to post them,he established a Naval facility at Kadiapattanam,in Kanyakumari.
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| Kadiapattanam |
While the Arakkal brothers were busy organizing a naval force,Nedumangad Kerala Varma died and his successor declared himself King of Travancore.The Naicker of Madurai accepted him and the barons,with the support of Madurai Force,ousted Adithya Varma from Kalkulam.As a result,Mammali and Kunjikoyamu lost the Naval Chiefs post and they became pirates.Though the ships which had a Dutch pass,were not required to pay the tax,the brothers,seized ships from Kayamkulam and Purakkad,for not paying taxes.Adithya Varma became helpless,and the traders at Purakkad and Kayamkulam,who were furious that the Dutch pass is not valid in Travancore,snapped ties with Travancore and approached the British.Smelling trouble,the barons declared loyalty to Adithya Varma,promising money to pay the arrears of tribute to Madurai,and on their demand,Adihya Varma banished Mammali and Kunjikoyamu from Travancore,in 1708.They were captured by the Dutch at Cochin in December,but they managed to escape soon,with the help of the English,who gave residence to the brothers,at Anchuthengu Factory.
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| Thengapattanam |
We see Mammali and Mani Kurukkal,not Kunjikoyamu,next, in 1714,three years after their one time mentor, Adithya Varma ascending the throne,after the death of Nedumangad King.The English,with Varma's permission,shifted Mammali and Kurukkal to Thengapattanam.They looted ships and levied extra tax from ships carrying Dutch pass,and once,dared to loot the ship of the King.They disappear from history at this point.Varma died in 1721.
The Dutch priest,Jacobus Cantervisscher,in his Letters from Malabar,has recorded that the English had encouraged Muslim pirates to loot Dutch ships.
Reference:
1.Venadinte Parinamam/K Sivasankaran Nair
2.Kulasekhara Perumals of Travancore/Mark De Lannoy
3.Letters from Malabar/Cantervisscher
3.Letters from Malabar/Cantervisscher
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Battle of Chaul
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Battle of Chaul (1508) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Portuguese–Mamluk War | |||||||
 Portuguese ships, 16th century | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Portuguese Empire |  Mamluk Sultanate Gujarat SultanateCalicut | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Lourenço de Almeida † | Amir Husain Al-Kurdi Malik Ayyaz | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3 ships and 5 caravels[1] | 6 Turkish carracks and 6 great galleys, 1500 combatants[2] 40 Gujarat Sultanate galleys | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 6 ships[1] 140 men | Unknown | ||||||
Contents
Background
Previously, the Portuguese had been mainly active in Calicut, but the northern region of Gujarat was even more important for trade, and an essential intermediary in east–west trade: the Gujaratis were bringing spices from the Moluccas as well as silk from China, and then selling them to the Egyptians and Arabs.[3]The Portuguese' monopolizing interventions were however seriously disrupting Indian Ocean trade, threatening Arab as well as Venetian interests, as it became possible for the Portuguese to undersell the Venetians in the spice trade in Europe. Venice broke diplomatic relations with Portugal and started to look at ways to counter its intervention in the Indian Ocean, sending an ambassador to the Egyptian court.[4] Venice negotiated for Egyptian tariffs to be lowered to facilitate competition with the Portuguese, and suggested that "rapid and secret remedies" be taken against the Portuguese.[4] The sovereign of Calicut, the Zamorin, had also sent an ambassador asking for help against the Portuguese.[5]
Since the Mamluks only had little in terms of naval power, timber had to be provided from the Black Sea in order to build the ships, about half of which was intercepted by the Hospitallers of St. John in Rhodes, so that only a fraction of the planned fleet could be assembled at Suez.[3] The timber was then brought overland on camel back, and assembled at Suez under the supervision of Venetian shipwrights.[5]
Preparations
The Mamluk fleet finally left in February 1507 under Amir Husain Al-Kurdi in order to counter the expansion of the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean and arrived in the Indian port of Diu in 1508 after delays subduing the city of Jeddha.[3] It consisted of six round ships and six great galleys called galleasses.[3] 1500 combatants were on board, as well as the ambassador of the Zamorin ruler of Calicut, Mayimama Mārakkār.[5]The fleet was to join with Malik Ayyaz, a former Russian slave, who was in the service of the Sultan of Cambay, who was naval chief and master of Diu.[3] The fleet was also planning to join with the Zamorin of Calicut, and then to raid and destroy all the Portuguese possessions on the Indian coast, but the Zamorin, who was expecting the Mamluk fleet in 1507 had already left.[1]
Battle
The Portuguese, under Lourenço de Almeida, son of the Viceroy Francisco de Almeida, were inferior in number with only a light force, and located in the nearby harbour of Chaul.[3] The rest had sailed north to protect shipping and fight the so- called piracy.[3]The Mamluks sailed into Chaul and fought for two days inconclusively with the Portuguese, unable to board their ships. Finally, Malik Ayaz sailed in with his own galleys. The Portuguese had to retreat and Almeida's ship was sunk at the entrance of Chaul harbour with Almeida aboard.[3]
Ali Hussain returned to the port of Diu, but from that point abandoned any further initiative on the Indian coast, his ships becoming derelict and his crews dispersing.[1] The Portuguese later returned and attacked the fleet in the harbour of Diu, leading to a decisive victory in the Battle of Diu (1509).[1]
These events would be followed by a new Ottoman intervention in 1538, with the Siege of Diu.
See also
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Nov
29
1510:- HISTORY OF KERALA MALABAR KING; RULED MALABAR HILL BOMBAY; AND [ ACROSS BOMBAY HARBOUR CAMBAY SULTAN OF GUJERAT RULED]- QUOTED FROM BIOGRAPHY OF PORTUGESE ADMIRAL ALBUQUERQUE BY HIS SON
"HISTORY OF KERALA :-(SAMOODRI RAJA OF KOZHIKODU== KING ZAMORIN OF CALICUT )CONQUEST OF BOMBAY REGION ;BEFORE PORTUGESE CAME TO INDIA"
PORTUGESE ADMIRAL Albuquerque IN INDIA 1500'S
PORTUGESE FORT OF CHAUL SOUTH OF BOMBAY (CLICK ON PHOTO TO SEE BIGGER) GIVEN TO PORTUGESE BY 'ZAMORIN KING' THE MALABAR KING OF KERALA
FROM :- {Albuquerque, in 4 vols., by his son),
Western India at the period when the Portuguese broke ground upon it;Except the names of a few towns which dot the Littoral, and which the Portuguese conquered, the whole land is enveloped in a cloud of mist, through the rifts of which we catch a glimpse of such shadowy forms as;
Zamorin, Hadalcai,Balagat, Narsinga, Sheikh Ismail, and Cambay.
Yet these names represent the masters of this portion of Asia. Occasion-ally we catch a glimpse of hosts of swarthy warriors armed with buckler, spear, and bow, emerging from the passes of the Western Ghauts to the plains below, but of the powers that sent them there we have only the faintest indications.
Bijapur had already its citadel, or Arkila, and was bulging out its ground plan of magnificent distances . Mahomed Bigarra ...........sat amid the glories of Ahmedabad or Champanir and
Krishna Deva,.........greatest of its sovereigns, ruled at Vizyanagar on tlie
Tongabudra.
Bombay(May it is called), or what existed of it,stood at the junction of the two empires which had borne
the brunt of war for a century — that is, the land on which her huts were built was the King of Cambay's (Sultan of Ahmedabad), and the men who occupied them were his subjects. Across the harbour all that magnificent scene we now cast our eyes upon from Malabar Hill was the Zamorin's. If we understandthe matter aright,the boundary of these two kingdoms was the Bombay Harbour and the Tanna Creek. All north of this inlet belonged to Cambay ; all south (Goa excepted) to the Zamorin.
Bombay was Mahomedan And eyed across the water the Hindoo kingdom of the Zamorin
Krishna Deva,.........greatest of its sovereigns, ruled at Vizyanagar on tlie
Tongabudra.
Bombay(May it is called), or what existed of it,stood at the junction of the two empires which had borne
the brunt of war for a century — that is, the land on which her huts were built was the King of Cambay's (Sultan of Ahmedabad), and the men who occupied them were his subjects. Across the harbour all that magnificent scene we now cast our eyes upon from Malabar Hill was the Zamorin's. If we understandthe matter aright,the boundary of these two kingdoms was the Bombay Harbour and the Tanna Creek. All north of this inlet belonged to Cambay ; all south (Goa excepted) to the Zamorin.
Zamorin offered Chaul (thirty miles from Bombay) to Albuquerque as a site for a fort.
Bombay was Mahomedan And eyed across the water the Hindoo kingdom of the Zamorin
PORTUGESE FORT OF CHAUL SOUTH OF BOMBAY (CLICK ON PHOTO TO SEE BIGGER) GIVEN TO PORTUGESE BY 'ZAMORIN KING' THE MALABAR KING OF KERALAThere is one fact brought into bold relief by the Commentaries of Albuquerque, and it is this —that the Guzerattees held naval supremacy from the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb and the mouth of the Persian Gulf to Malacca. They were the great carriers all over the Indian Ocean. The Hindoos are not generally credited with being a maritime people ; but it is expressly said of those of Goa (1506) "they were a maritime race, and more inured to the hardships of the sea than all other nations, built ships of great burden, and navigated the coasts." And, again, in regard to Ceylon and the Far East "The Guzerattees understand the navigation of those parts much more thoroughly than any other nation on account of the great commerce they carry on in these places. " We accept these statements as we find them, but there is no getting over the fact that, wherever Albuquerque engaged pilots on the coasts of Africa, Arabia, or India, they were Moors, and we are driven to the conclusion that the captains who navigated these ships were Arabs of Hindoostan, while the crews may have been lascars oF Hindoos.
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Bombay Before the Portuguese: A Realm of the Gujarat Sultanate
Mumbai, India - Your assertion is historically accurate. Prior to the arrival of the Portuguese in 1534, the seven islands that constitute modern-day Mumbai were indeed under the dominion of Sultan Bahadur Shah of the Gujarat Sultanate. The pivotal Treaty of Bassein, signed in that year, marked the formal transfer of these islands to Portuguese control, heralding a new chapter in the region's history.
The territory south of the Bombay islands, however, was not part of the Gujarat Sultanate. This coastal area, known as the Konkan region, was a mosaic of smaller principalities. While the formidable Zamorin of Calicut, whose kingdom was situated further south in the Malabar region (present-day Kerala), was a dominant maritime power on the western coast, his direct rule did not extend to the immediate vicinity of Bombay. The region between the southern extent of the Gujarat Sultanate's influence and the northern reaches of the Zamorin's kingdom was governed by local chieftains and minor rulers.
Sultan Bahadur Shah's decision to cede the strategically insignificant—at the time—islands of Bombay to the Portuguese was a calculated move. He was facing a formidable threat from the Mughal Emperor Humayun and sought a strategic alliance with the Portuguese naval power to counter this menace. The treaty, signed on board the Portuguese galleon São Mateus, granted the Portuguese not only the seven islands of Bombay (then known as Bombaim) but also the more significant territory of Bassein (present-day Vasai) and its dependencies.
The seven islands included in this historic transfer were:
- Colaba
- Little Colaba (or Old Woman's Island)
- Mahim
- Mazagaon
- Parel
- Worli
- Bombay
These islands, then sparsely populated and separated by marshy lands and tidal flats, were primarily inhabited by Koli fishermen and farmers. For the Gujarat Sultanate, they were a peripheral territory. For the Portuguese, they initially served as a trading outpost and a naval base to consolidate their control over the Arabian Sea. It was only later, under the British, that these seven disparate islands were gradually reclaimed and merged to form the single landmass of the bustling metropolis we know today.
.............................................................................................................................................................The blog post from maddy06.blogspot.com explores the historical connection between Malabar Hill in Bombay (now Mumbai) and the so-called "Pirates of Malabar." It challenges the oversimplified narrative that Malabar Hill was named due to piracy from Kerala’s Malabar Coast, offering a detailed historical analysis to clarify the origins of the name and the nature of the pirates involved.
Key Points from the Blog Post:
- Origin of the Name "Malabar Hill":
- The name Malabar Hill is linked to the term "Malabar pirates," a broad label historically applied to various seafarers along India's western coast, from Surat to Cape Comorin, not exclusively from Kerala’s Malabar region.
- The hill was originally called Shri-Gundi (meaning "Lucky Stone"), associated with a sacred rock formation (a yoni) where pilgrims, including Hindus, performed rituals for regeneration. This site, along with the nearby Banganga Tank and Walkeshwar Temple, was a significant pilgrimage destination.
- The blog suggests the name Malabar Hill emerged because pirates, including Maratha and Gujarati seafarers, used the hill as a lookout point to spot and plan attacks on merchant ships, particularly in Back Bay. The term "Malabar" was loosely used to describe the western Indian coast, not specifically Kerala.
- Who Were the Malabar Pirates?:
- Kunhali Marakkars: These were naval commanders under the Zamorin of Calicut, operating primarily from the Malabar Coast (Kerala) between 1530 and 1600. They used small, agile boats (war-paroes) to harass Portuguese ships, acting as privateers rather than pirates, as they had official backing from the Zamorin. Their operations were confined to the Malabar Coast, making it unlikely they ventured as far as Bombay (700-800 miles away).
- Maratha Navies: By the late 17th and early 18th centuries, leaders like Shivaji and Kanhoji Angre dominated the seas along the western coast. Kanhoji Angre, a Maratha admiral, controlled a 240-mile stretch of coastline and was a significant threat to British and Portuguese shipping. His forces, often labeled "Malabar pirates" by the British, were active around Bombay and are more likely connected to Malabar Hill.
- Other Groups: The term "Malabar pirates" also encompassed Gujarati corsairs, Mughal Seedees, and even European pirates operating from bases like Chaul. The blog cites historical accounts (e.g., Marco Polo, Pyrard Della Valle) describing piracy in the region, with Gujarati pirates from Beyt and Kathiawar being particularly notorious.
- Historical Context:
- Bombay was under Portuguese control from 1534 to 1661, after which it was ceded to the British as part of Charles II’s marriage dowry. During this period, piracy was rampant, targeting slow-moving merchant ships.
- The blog refutes the idea that Malabar pirates were primarily Moplahs (Muslims from Kerala) conducting pilgrimages to Walkeshwar Temple, as this would contradict their religious practices.
- By the 18th century, the British fortified Malabar Point with cannons to protect against pirate raids, which often targeted nearby villages for plunder and slaves.
- The Keyi Family Connection:
- The blog addresses a claim from Wikipedia that the Keyi family of North Malabar owned Malabar Hill and donated it to the British East India Company to secure trading rights. However, it finds no corroborating evidence for this, noting that the Keyis rose to prominence in the early 18th century, after the name Malabar Hill was already in use (first mentioned by John Fryer in 1673). Thus, the Keyis likely did not influence the naming of the hill.
- Pilgrimage and Cultural Significance:
- Malabar Hill was a pilgrimage site for Hindus, with legends linking it to Lord Rama, who is said to have created the Banganga Tank by shooting an arrow into the ground. The Walkeshwar Temple, rebuilt in 1715 after Portuguese destruction, was a key destination.
- Historical accounts suggest that Maratha leaders like Shivaji and Kanhoji Angre visited the area for religious purposes, passing through the sacred rock at Malabar Point, possibly for rituals or purification.
- Clarifying "Pirates" vs. "Privateers":
- The blog distinguishes between pirates (criminal seafarers acting for personal gain) and privateers (armed forces with state backing). The Kunhali Marakkars and Kanhoji Angre are better described as privateers, as they operated under the authority of the Zamorin and Maratha rulers, respectively, fighting foreign colonial powers.
Conclusion:
The name Malabar Hill likely derives from its use as a lookout point by various seafarers, including Maratha and Gujarati privateers, collectively termed "Malabar pirates" by the British due to the broad geographical label for the western Indian coast. The connection to Kerala’s Malabar Coast is tenuous, as the Kunhali Marakkars were unlikely to operate as far north as Bombay. Instead, local groups like the Marathas, particularly under Kanhoji Angre, played a significant role in the piracy associated with the region. The hill’s religious significance, tied to the Banganga Tank and Walkeshwar Temple, further shaped its historical identity.
If you have specific questions about Malabar Hill, the pirates, or related historical details, let me know, and I can dive deeper or search for additional information!
