Firishta's History (Gulshan-i Ibrāhīmī) 349: SOME ACCOUNT OF THE MAHOMEDANS IN MALABAR.
History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India (Briggs) 349
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SOME ACCOUNT OF THE MAHOMEDANS IN MALABAR.
349.1
All the materials of the history of the Mahomedans of the Malabar coast that I have been able to collect are derived from the Tohfut-ool-Mujahideen; from which we learn that the province of Malabar is situated on the southern part of the peninsula of India, and that the Hindoo princes of that country previously to the reign of Ramraj paid tribute, and acknowledged fealty, to the rays of Beejanuggur and the Carnatic. Anterior to the propagation of the Mahomedan faith, the Christians and Jews had established themselves as merchants in that country; till at length, during the reign of a prince called Samiry, some vessels from Arabia having Mahomedans on board, going on a pilgrimage to the footsteps of Adam, on the island of Selandeep (Ceylon), which is also called Lunka, were driven into the port of Cranganore, where the Samiry raja resided. This prince received the strangers with hospitality, and was so pleased with the society of some holy men who were among the pilgrims, that having enquired respecting the Mahomedan faith, he became a convert; and leaving his kingdom, went to Mecca, and died in one of the ports of the Red Sea. Before his death, he wrote to his representative in Malabar to receive the Mahomedans in future with hospitality, and permit them to settle and build musjids. This communication was written in the language of Malabar, whose ruler henceforward assumed the title of Samiry.
349.2
In consequence of this letter the Mahomedans were treated with kindness by the reigning prince, who wrote to the governors of his districts in these words: — “Whereas Mullik, the son of Hubeeb, and certain other Mahomedans, have come to visit this our country, and intend residing among us, it is our royal order, agreeably to the imperial command of the late Samiry, that wherever the said Mullik or any of his tribe wish to reside, ground shall be allotted to them, in order to build either habitations or places of worship.” Mullik first settled at Cranganore, where he built a musjid, and cultivated some garden land; afterwards, having gone farther into the country, he established a colony of Mahomedans in the town of Quilon. Thence he went to Hurryputtun, Daraputtun, Mundra, Jay-Faknoor, Mangalore, and Kalinjurkote; in each of which towns he built musjids, and established Moollas to preach the true faith; and as the Mahomedans in Malabar are mostly of the Shafay persuasion, I conclude that Mullik, the son of Hubeeb, was also of the same faith. From this period, the Mahomedans extended their religion and their influence in Malabar; and many of the princes and inhabitants becoming converts to the true faith, gave over the management of some of the sea-ports to the strangers, whom they called Nowayits (literally, the New Race). The rajas of the ports of Goa, Dabul, and Choul, were the first who gave them this appellation, and encouraged emigration from Arabia;
349.3
and though their elevation to public offices gave umbrage to the Christians and Jews, who became their determined enemies; yet, as the countries of Deccan and Guzerat were gradually brought under Mahomedan subjection, their enemies were unable to do these Arabian settlers any material injury, until the tenth century of the Hijra, when in the decline of the Ma. -homedan empire of Dehly the Portuguese invaded India.
349.4
In the year 904, four vessels belonging to the King of Portugal arrived at the ports of Calicut and Koilad; when, having made observations on the nature of the country and its inhabitants, they returned to Portugal. On the following year six vessels arrived; and the Portuguese endeavoured to persuade the Raja of Calicut to shut his ports against the traders from Arabia, telling him that by such a measure the Indians would gain more advantage than by carrying on a small traffic annually by the Red Sea; but Samiry not consenting to this proposal, the Portuguese declared war against the Arabs, and attacked their vessels; which so incensed the Raja, that he ordered several of the Portuguese then on shore to be attacked, and seventy were killed. The rest made their escape to their ships, and took refuge with the Raja of Cochin, an enemy of Samiry. The Cochin chief permitted the Portuguese to build a fortified factory at that place; they also destroyed a mosque, and built a chapel in its stead, which was the first building erected by Europeans in India. From Cochin they sailed to Cananore, where they also made friends with the Raja; and having built a fort, established a factory there; and while they transported pepper and ginger to Europe, they prevented any other vessels from doing so also. Samiry, hearing of these proceedings, attacked the Raja of Cochin;
349.5
and having killed three petty rajas in action, and taken their country, he returned to his capital: but the heirs of those slain, collecting a large force, retook their countries, and the rajas of Cochin and Cananore continued to support and befriend the Portuguese. Samiry, a thousand times more incensed than ever, distributed largesses to his troops, and marched to Cochin; but finding the Portuguese had sailed and left the place, he returned to his capital, and immediately despatched ambassadors to Judda, in the Red Sea, to the Deccan, and to Guzerat; informing the respective sovereigns of those countries, that the Portuguese had behaved in the most cruel manner to his Mahomedan subjects, and that he was unable to withstand their forces. He states: — “I am not apprehensive for my own country, but for my Mahomedan subjects; for, although myself a Hindoo, I conceive it my duty to protect them as if they were also of the same persuasion. But the King of Portugal is wealthier than I; and as I find that by destroying these invaders they increase their numbers on the following year, I am reduced to solicit the assistance of the Mahomedan kings; so that I entreat you, by the value you place on your religion, to send your ships filled with victorious troops into these seas, to attack the Europeans, and entitle yourselves to have your names enrolled in the list of holy warriors, who in supporting the cause of religion have become inhabitants of paradise.”
349.6
Munsoor Ghoory, the Caliph of Egypt, accordingly deputed his admiral, Ameer Hoossein, with thirteen ships of war, to proceed to the Indian coasts. Mahmood Shah of Guzerat, and Mahmood Shah Bahmuny of the Deccan, also sent ships from Diu, Surat, Gogo, Dabul, and Choul, which all met at the island of Diu; from whence the combined fleets proceeded, under the command of Mullik Kiaz Sooltany, the Guzerat admiral, and Ameer Hoossein, the admiral from Egypt, to the south. This armament fell in with the Portuguese off the port of Choul, where an engagement took place, in which some Arab vessels fell into the hands of the Portuguese, and the Mahomedan fleet was dispersed, after which the Portuguese returned to their own ports. At this period an army from Constantinople arriving in Egypt, the Ghoory dynasty became subservient to the Turkish government of Europe. Samiry, hearing this news, was much dejected, despairing of subduing the Portuguese, who every day became more and more powerful.
349.7
During the absence of Samiry, in the year 915, from Calicut, the Portuguese landed and plundered the town, and burned the principal mosque; but on the following day, the inhabitants rising on the invaders, five hundred Portuguese were killed, and many drowned in endeavouring to reach their boats. Notwithstanding this circumstance, they obtained a grant of land from a neighbouring zemindar, on which they built a fort within three miles of Calicut. It has been before related in the Deccan history, that during the same year they attacked and took by storm the fort of Goa, which was, however, shortly after retaken by stratagem; but they subsequently became possessed of it again by bribing the governor with large presents; since which period Goa has been considered the principal Portuguese settlement in India, and a governor-general is appointed from Europe.
349.8
Samiry, finding all his efforts against the Portuguese of no avail, was reduced to such a state of despair, that being taken seriously ill, he died of a broken heart in the year 921, when he was succeeded by his brother, who shortly after his accession made peace with the Portuguese. In this treaty the latter were authorised to build a factory at Calicut, and to trade without molestation, on condition of permitting four ships laden with pepper and ginger to sail annually to the Arabian coast. The Portuguese immediately built a fortified factory; and after establishing themselves, not only refused to allow the transport of the pepper and ginger to take place agreeably to compact, but persecuted the Mahomedans, on all occasions, with great cruelty. The Jews, also, who resided at Cranganore, taking advantage of the weakness of the Samiry government, following the example of the Portuguese, put to death many of the Mahomedans in that town and its vicinity. Samiry, repenting of having come to any terms with these Europeans, and seeing that their example had induced the Jews to commit these outrages, marched with a force to Cranganore, and succeeded in expelling all the Jews from every part of his country; after which, calling upon the Mahomedans in Malabar to join his standard, he proceeded to attack the Portuguese factory at Calicut, which he stormed, and took by assault; and he was enabled to despatch the four Arab vessels laden with pepper and ginger.
349.9
The Portuguese, however, resolved to have a factory near the town of Calicut, for two reasons: in the first place, on account of its great trade; and, secondly, because their factory being contiguous to that port, they could blockade it, and entirely monopolise the export of pepper and ginger. In spite of remonstrance, therefore, in the year 938 they built a fort at the port of Jaliat, seven miles distant from Calicut, and also the fort of Reevadunda, near Choul.
349.10
In the year 941 they took possession of the ports of Swally and Daman, and of the island of Diu, in Guzerat, from Bahadur Shah, as has been already related in the history of that monarch; and in the year 943 they attacked the town of Cranganore, and built a fort, notwithstanding the efforts of Samiry to prevent it. At this time, Sooliman, the Grand Signior of Constantinople, resolved, if possible, to deprive the Portuguese of the trade to India, and to attack their factories, after which he proposed to conquer the empire of Hindoostan. For this purpose he appointed his Vizier, Sooliman Aga, to the command of an armament, consisting of upwards of one hundred vessels, which sailed from the Red Sea in the year 944. Sooliman Aga first attacked and took the port of Adun, which lies at the mouth of the Red Sea, whence he sailed towards the island of Diu, in Guzerat; but finding, on his arrival, that his treasury was low, and his provisions nearly exhausted, he was compelled, after a few days, to return, without accomplishing his purpose.
349.11
Before the year 963 we find that other nations of Europe had sent vessels to India, and settled in the several ports and islands of the East. They built factories at Pilicat, Mylapoor, Negapatam, Madras, Barcelore, Mangalore, and in Bengal. They also settled on the islands of Sumatra, Malacca, Timoor, and Ceylon, and even established factories on the coast of China; but Sooltan Ally Akhy attacked the Europeans on the island of Sumatra, and drove them from their factory, as did also the King of Ceylon. Samiry, the King of Calicut, being much oppressed by the Portuguese, sent ambassadors to the Mahomedan kings of Beejapoor and the Deccan, requesting their assistance. In the year 979, the Deccan and Beejapoor monarchs marched against Reevadunda and Goa, while Samiry attacked and captured the fort of Chalyat; but the Mahomedan kings were compelled to raise the sieges both of Reevadunda and Goa, and return to their respective capitals. The Portuguese now became more and more exasperated against the Mahomedans; and having the entire command of the seas, they plundered several ships (belonging to Akbur Padshah of Dehly) returning from Judda in the Red Sea, whither they had conveyed pilgrims to the holy shrine at Mecca. They also landed and burned the towns of Adilabad and Carapatam, on the shore of the Beejapoor empire, and went to Dabul for the same purpose;
349.12
but the governor, Khwaja Ally Shirazy, having heard of their intentions, permitted them to land, and put to death upwards of a hundred and fifty Portuguese. From the time the vessels belonging to Akbur Padshah were taken, that monarch laid an embargo on all his ships sailing either to the Red Sea or to the Gulf of Persia, as heretofore, conceiving that to obtain passes from the Europeans would be derogatory to his dignity; and the ships being plundered incurred both disgrace to the King and loss to his subjects. Some of the governors on the sea-coast, however, such as Abdool Raheem of Surat, and others, obtaining passes for their vessels, still continued to trade. In the year 1020, the Emperor of Dehly, Jehangeer, the son of Akbur Padshah, granted a spot for the English to build a factory in the city of Surat, in the province of Guzerat, which is the first settlement that people made on the shores of Hindoostan. The persuasion of this nation is different from that of other Europeans, particularly the Portuguese, with whom they are in a state of constant warfare. They assert that Jesus was a mortal, and the Prophet of God; that there is only one God; and that he is without equal, and has no “wife, nor son, according to the belief of the Portuguese. The English have a separate king, independent of the King of Portugal, to whom they owe no allegiance; but on the contrary, these two nations put each other to death wheresoever they meet.
349.13
At present, in consequence of the interference of Jehangeer Padshah, they are at peace with each other, though God only knows how long they will consent both to have factories in the same town, and to live on terms of amity and friendship.