I was
fortunate to receive an unbroken chain of knowledge handed down from generation
to generation. I learned that our ancestors were ‘Nambuthiris’, who were considered as high caste Brahmins. They
were known by the family name “Ayyanat Thayamkeril.” In the Tamil language it
means “Father’s inherited property with lineal male descendant.” In early days,
Kumbalam “Ekachatram,” dominion or
territory comprising four islands, having a total extent of over five thousand
acres, was one of the sixty-four ‘gramams’,
Brahmin settlements in the Chera country.
The eldest male member of our Mana (house) used to be the “Koyil-Adhikaari,” the representative of the king who presided over
the assembly of the ‘Gramam’. His
word was final and decisive. The chaos and confusions created during 3rd
to 8th centuries, due to the invasions by the Cholas, the Pandavas,
the western Chalukyas, the Pallavasthe Rashtrakutas and others, led to a total
mobilization of the resources of the State under the leadership of the
Kulasekharas. The Nambuthiri,
Brahmins, who were at the apex of the social hierarchy, helped the rulers in
mobilizing the resources of the community in the fight against aggression. The Oli Nambuthiri, my ancestor, donated all
his gold, jewels and other assets for the cause. All the Nambuthiris of this Island gave up their traditional priestly
occupation and scholarly pursuits. They equipped themselves with Kalari-payatu, a martial art and took up
arms. The ‘Salais’ were ancient
educational institutions where the Nambuthiri
youth of the island were given instruction in Vedic studies. These salais too were converted into military
camps during the period of the war. During the sixth century the Kulasekharas,
in order to strengthen the administration, the Chera country was divided into ‘Desom’ and ‘Nadu,’ a decentralized set up. Thus the eldest ‘Nambuthiri’ of Ayyanat Thayamkeril became
the hereditary ‘Desavazhi’, ruler of this
minor principality namely Kumbalam ‘Desom’.
I was familiarised with Oli Desavazhi
Nambuthiris, my ancestors, were in the governing council of the King. The ‘Desavazhi’ and his family members used to reside in ‘Oli Mana,’
which meant - a respected house
or the residence of ‘Thampuran’. This
‘Mana’, which has a history of about
two thousand years, is situated on the North-western side of the Island. The Islanders used to call my grandfather “Oli
Ousepachan” and my father as “Oli Joseph.” This prefix of ‘Oli’, a Sanskrit
word, is equivalent to the English “Sir” used to show respect to a person of
high standing in that particular area. All the members of the ‘Oli Mana’ are
also addressed with the prefix. The landed property in which the ‘Mana’
situates is called the “Ayyanat Paramba”. Later during the British suzerainty
over Kumbalam, the inmates of Ayyanat Thayamkeril along with some of their
close ‘Nair Madambi’s were converted,
against their will, into Christian faith. The autobiographer, Joseph J. Thayamkeril,
1952 model, was locally known as “Oli Ousepachan”. I was born in a feudal
family back ground.
[It is significant to have a glimpse into
the history of our ancestral community, the Aryans. All the ancient Zoroastrian
scriptures speak of an earlier homeland from where our ancestors came. This was the lost "Airyane Vaejahi" or seed land of the Aryans in the
Artic Region. Gradually as the population increased, the Indo-Europeans or
Aryans moved from this homeland, to the South i.e. Iran; then to the River
Valleys of Danube, Dnieper, Don and Volga in the north-west region of upper
India; and to the South-west to Greece and all the countries of Europe i.e. Russia,
Greece, Italy, Germany, France, Scandinavia, England, Scotland and Ireland.
Sanskrit, Latin, Avestan are all sister languages. The present day upper
Indian, Persian and European languages are related; for example, the word “Baradar”
in Persian, “Brata” in Sanskrit and “Brother” in English. Similarly the words like
“Mother” and “Father” had close affinity. "Persia" is actually a late
European term for the land of "Farsi" language i.e. Iran. Balagangadhar
Tilak, a Vedic scholar and Indian freedom fighter, also said that the most
ancient historical scripture was the Iranian Vendidad, which actually describes
the ancient homeland of the Aryans.
The Aryan King Yima Kshaeta ruled
over the homeland. Indian Hinduism adopted him as the Lord of the
underworld, under the name of Yama Raja. The ancient Aryans believed that the
world was created by Ahura Mazda and his creation was perfect, without any evil.
The scholars admit that the great civilizations of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa in ancient
India were built by the Aryans who migrated to India, when the Vedas were
written. They flourished for thousands of years. They were forced to evacuate;
may be due to some catastrophe of nature, or perhaps even due to the invasion
by non-Aryan tribes. The Indus Aryans practiced agriculture, domesticated
animals, used uniform weights and measures, made tools and weapons, and traded
with other cities. Evidence of well-planned streets, a drainage system and water supply reveals their
knowledge of urban planning, which included the
world's first urban sanitation systems and the
existence of a form of municipal government. Owing to natural calamities, or
invasion by other non-Aryan tribes, the Aryans of Indus Valley civilization headed
south and a group reached Muzuriz (Kodungallur) and my ancestors were known to
be the earliest settlers on the Kumbalam Island.]
I
was eager to know more about the powers and duties bestowed on a ‘Desavazhi’, ruler. Xavier Master told me
that the powers of the ‘Desavazhi’
include (a) ‘Ambalappady’, the right
to direct the ceremonies of a pagoda, temple and such places of worship. He had
a title to an elevated seat. (b) ‘Uraima’, that was the ownership of the
temple; (c) ‘Desom’, a minor
principality was his territory and (d) ‘Desadhipathiam’,
a covetable power bestowed on the ruler. The ‘Desavazhi’, enjoyed a high degree of sovereignty. Kings were not
strong enough to control local communities and the responsibility of
maintaining law, order and dispensing justice was assumed by the local ‘Desavazhi’. The decentralized power gave ‘Desavazhi’ the right to collect revenue
and settle disputes as well based on the local customs and traditions by punishing
the wrong doers. The ‘Desavazhi’ used
to give adequate protection and security to his subjects. He maintained a very
good rapport with his warriors of the land who were well versed in ‘Kalari Payattu’, a martial art. The ‘Desavazhi’ who is believed to have
wisdom, knowledge, adequate money, power and influence ruled his ‘Desom’ well upholding the law with the
help of the ‘Nair Madambis’ and other landlords. I have reliably
learnt from elders that my ancestors took particular care in the welfare, happiness,
prosperity and wellbeing of the people, and security and stability of his ‘Desom’ without any compromise. The ‘Desavazhi’ normally reported to the ‘Naduvazhi’ of that area. Since Kumbalam
desom was situated on a strategically important location and because of its
proximity and closeness to the seat of Chera Empire he used to report to the
Chera King and later to the Raja of Cochin, his superior.
Our
idyllic ‘Oli Mana’ is located at the North-western part of the Kumbalam Island
facing the vastness of Vembanad ‘Kayal’,
lake, a most favourable position,
which was chosen as per the rules of ‘Thachusastra’,
the ancient and indigenous architecture. It
was surrounded, at a respectable distance, by the houses of close ‘Nair’ families.
Our
house constructed with wooden walls on all sides had a magnificent attic with a
gabled roof. It was very nature friendly so much so that the rooms in the house
were warm during the monsoon and the winter and cool during the summer. This
was due to the wooden materials used for its construction. Structurally the roof
frame was supported on the wooden pillars and sturdy wooden planks on walls
erected on a plinth raised from the ground for protection against dampness and
insects in the tropical climate. The basement of the building was constructed with
cut and dressed laterite stones as building blocks which were put together with
lime mortar. These laterite stones get stronger and durable with exposure at
atmospheric air when it is plastered with lime mortar. (Laterite stones
disintegrate when plastered with cement as it loses air contact.) Lime mortar was
the classic binding material used in traditional buildings. Lime mortar can be
enriched in strength and performance by admixtures of vegetable juices or the
white of egg or the slimy substance found on the body of a fresh water fish
called Snake Head (Varal) for
plastering. The masonry work too had several attractive folds shapes and
grooves to match the carpentry work made on the wooden walls. The intricate
wood carvings made on pillars, beams, ceiling, rafters and supporting brackets
was a masterpiece in carpentry. I used to always wonder how many carpenters and
other casual labourers were employed to cut, plane and shape hundreds of ‘Anjili or Ayini’ and teak trees, a hard
and durable timber, to build that wooden house. It had spacious rooms with
verandah on all sides except on the kitchen side. We made full use of that
verandah especially during the rainy days when it was transformed into our
playground. The central room on the eastern side was used as a prayer room. Since
we had paddy fields and cultivation, there was a large wooden granary inside with
a ‘Nilavara’, a room beneath the
granary. The side room on the north was used as living and dining room. Rooms
on the south and west were used as bed rooms. The store room was on the lean-to
portion of the building on the north.
The
frontage of the main building was facing the East. The warm rays of the rising
sun streamed through the doors on the eastern side. They reached every nook and
corner of the living rooms and the bed rooms. There was a 40 X 20 feet ‘Pumukham’, a bower. Traditionally it has a slope roof with
pillars supporting roof. Sides were open. ‘Appachan’,
the head of the family, used to sit here in a reclining chair. This chair had
long rails on either side where he used to keep his legs raised for a
comfortable afternoon rest and enjoyed the cool breeze and solitude here. The ‘Pumukham’, bower, was attached to a verandah, which went around the house except for
the kitchen side on the north and was covered by the lean-to supported by
wooden pillars and there were dwarf walls plastered in cement on the eastern
and southern sides. The carving made on the attic and support beams made it
beautiful. I have noted that the leaves of ‘Karingatta’,
(Karinnotta tree), Samadera indica,
was spread on the attic, to curb menace of white ants, before pasting mire or
swamp at a height of two inches. This was done to cool the rooms beneath. This
area is also used for spreading and drying paddy harvested during the monsoon.
Those
days, the kitchen was a separate building at the northern end of the house.
This had a work area with a verandah on all sides except on the east where the
fire place was situated. The kitchen was connected to the main building through
an open corridor.
We
had beautiful antique chairs, cabinet, dining table, office table, a round
table and chairs portraying typical Portuguese workmanship; big and small
bronze utensils, copper utensils, Chinese crockery and silver cutlery, which
are still kept intact. I recall the old parish priests who used to have their
meals only with silver spoons, fork and knife; so whenever a priest visited any
of our neighbouring houses, they would borrow our Portuguese made round table
and chairs, Chinese plates and silver cutlery to honour the parish priest.
There is a
pond on the North-east for the convenience of the kitchen and another pond, for
bathing and washing on the South-west, where lotus or Ambal used to be planted. The water bodies are maintained to
synthesize energy flow inside. Blue and white ‘Kadambu’ (Phyllanthus maderasp) and ‘Muringa’ (Drum Stick tree, (Muringa oleifera), were planted on the sides of the ponds to cleanse impurities and
to drain out poisonous matter from the pond.
At the center of the eastern courtyard is the ‘Tulasithara’, a small, fancy, masonry
structure. in which a Sacred Basil, ‘Tulasi’,
plant (Ocimum tenuiflorum)
is reared. It is a sacred aromatic plant in Hindu belief.
The offering of its leaves is mandatory in ritualistic worship of God Vishnu (Krishnan.)
The plant has medicinal value. A herbal
tea or coffee, commonly used in Ayurveda
to heal cold, fever, flu, sore throat, cough, and help to remove phlegm from
the bronchial tube, sore eyes and sharpen memory. (Our lady ancestors used to
kindle light on the ‘Tulasithara’
during sunset and chanted Rama Rama Rama
Rama Rama… Pahimam, a ‘Bhajan’, prayer.)
The
cattle shed was located on the South-east. There was a shed on the North-west
to store the harvested coconuts. There was another shed on the northern side to
keep the agricultural implements.
Firewood was also stored in this same shed. The Poultry shed was further
north wherein we had fowls and ducks beneath the poultry shed. It is
significant to note that the surface of the earth, water, air, fire, space /
time and many other factors influence the life of the inmates of every
household. Hence these were placed as
per the rules of ‘Thachusastra.’
There
was a guest house on the shore to entertain those persons who were not
otherwise permitted into the Mana. After
our conversion into Christianity, that house was rented out and later, a ‘Kudikidappukaran’, tenant, was
accommodated therein. When Kerala Land reforms Act, 1969 came into force; he
was shifted to one side of that property.
The
‘Padippura’ was a structure
containing a door forming part of the compound wall for the Mana with a tiled roof on top. It was
the formal entry into the compound of the Mana. The ‘Padippura’ was demolished long back when an eight to ten feet wide
sandy P.W.D. road was formed.
The
butterflies, birds, and other beings too appreciated the nature friendly house,
courtyard and compound by their frequent visits.
From
early centuries the inhabitants of Kumbalam cherished to
keep their dwelling places in beautiful surroundings. Landscaping the
immediate living environment was a matter of interest in. The house was traditionally constructed as per ‘Thachusastra’ in the midst of gardens. Their picturesque beauty was
recorded as early as the 10th century A.D. by the Arab traveler and
historian Ibn Battutta, in his itinerary in “Coastal Malabar.” The aesthetic
peculiarities of ‘Nambuthri’ houses
were described by him, “These prominent citizens lived in comfortable houses,
built of laterite stones, wood and thatches. Roofing tiles were used only in
temples and palaces. The woodlands helped to beat the heat and humidity. The
affluent maintained pools also to beat the heat. He has also mentioned about
the aesthetic tastes and cleanliness of these elite citizens.”
Excerpts from
MEMOIRS
An autobiography
by
Joseph J. Thayamkeril
Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.
josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com
josephjthayamkeril@google.com
josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com
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