Marakkar

For the Indian film, see Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham.

Marakkar/Maricar/Marikkar (Tamil: Marrakayar) is a South Asian Muslim community found in parts of Indian states of Tamil Nadu (the Palk Strait) and Kerala and in Sri Lanka. The Marakkars speak Tamil in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore and Malayalam in Kerala. The community are the direct descendants of the children of marriages between early Arab Muslim traders of the high seas and indigenous coastal women.

Origins

It is certain that the Islamized Arabs who arrived on the Coromandel coast brought Islamic values and customs with them, and intermarried with the indigenous women who followed the local Hindu customs. Naturally, their children will have imbibed both the Islamic and the local values and transmitted both to their descendants. From the outset, the Arabs must, in all probability, have asserted the centrality of the Islamic values in their relationship with the local women, at the same time making the necessary adjustments to local customs. This is the pattern that appears to have survived to this day.

File:02-thirukurungudi-1024x652.jpg

Arab merchants arriving in boats at Thirukkurungudi temple

Religion

The Marakkayars, the early Muslim inhabitants of Coastal Tamil Nadu, are Sunnis of the Shafi‘i school of thought (Madhab), as adopted from their Arab lineage. However due to some Marrakayar, as of for recently, are being intermarried with other Tamil Muslims communities while also studying in Hanafi Madrassa's, it has now not become unusual to find Marrakayars following the Hanafi Madhab.

Economic Status

Most Marakkayars, are in some way or other, connected to foreign trade through which they became more advanced economically and socially than the other Muslim groups Lebbai and even many Hindu sub-castes.

The Marakkars were a powerful maritime spice trading community in the medieval South Asia. They traded in and with locations such as Myanmar and Malaysia in East Asia and South Asia, Maldives and Sri Lanka. The Marakayar's have dominated the educational and economic landscape in Tamil Nadu since the 17th century.

Etymology

There are two theories regarding the etymology of the term 'Marrakayar'.

Tamil derivation

The first being from the term Marakalarayar which may mean those who controlled or owned boats. In Tamil, marakalam signifies wooden boat and rayar means king that it is the association of these two words that gives Marakkayar.

Arabised derivation

The second theory was derived from the arrival of Yemeni Arab royals (some of the first immigrants of this class) seeking refuge from persecutions who came by boats called markabs in Arabic, and settled on the east coast. Their arrival in markabs, led to them being called Marakkayar by the local people, which literally means boat people.

Marriage, traditions and ceremonies

Ethnic discrimination

Till the 1970s, the Marakkayars did not intermarry with the Rawthers whom they considered, in socio-economic terms, to be inferior to themselves. Susan Bayly says the Tamil Marakkayars have always looked down upon historically converted Muslims and had a higher social standing, being directly linked to Arabs. Now, such intermarriages are almost common. This conforms with the principle of egalitarianism in Islam. But whether the change is to be attributed to Islamic principles alone is difficult to determine, given that various social, political, and economic factors, could also quite reasonably be deemed to be relevant.

Marriage and ceremonies

Identification of Hindu cultural presence in the ceremonies, and the extent of penetration and influence of Islamic values and customs, will be the primary concern of the observations following. Muslim marriages are by and large arranged by parents. This is because, in general, Tamil Muslims of the southern districts follow the Islamic kosha system, by which unmarried women hardly ever appear before strangers other than close relatives like brother, uncle or sister’s husband. Even now it is rare to see a Muslim woman without the traditional long white cloth (known as dupatti or dupatta) which wraps the body from head to foot, leaving open only the eyes to facilitate physical movement.

When the parents decide to marry their son, it is they who seek out a suitable match. This is the normal pattern followed also by the Hindus and Christians. Due to the scarcity of prospective bridegrooms nowadays, it is usually the girl’s parents who take the initiative, but the status of the would-be groom and bride is also relevant. If the former has strong points in his favour, like high education, well-paid employment or profitable business, then it is the parents of the would-be bride who will seek him out; similarly, if the bride has certain strong points in her favour, like being well-versed in religion or belonging to a reputed family, then the would-be groom’s parents seek her out.

The initial contacts to decide on the marriage are sometimes under- taken by the parents themselves, especially if relatives or close friends are being sought. Sometimes contacts are made through family friends. Otherwise, tharagars or go-betweens, also known locally as brokers, are engaged to seek out a suitable partner, and are rewarded, sometimes handsomely, if their choice proves really excellent. The tharagars among Muslims, not as among the Hindus, are typically women. Men only very rarely perform this role for the simple reason that only women have access to the bride and generally such affairs take place between women alone. Even when the parents themselves go to the bride’s house to decide on the marriage, only the mother or married sister are allowed to see the bride and convey their opinion to the other.

The Marakkars were an endogamous community and followed the system of inheritance known as marumakkathayam. This type of marriage is preferred generally among Tamils, irrespective of religion and caste, mainly to maintain family ties and prevent property leaving the family. However, unlike among the Hindus, the daughter of the brother or sister of the bridegroom is not sought after for marriage. In any case, the murai marriage, as practised among the Marakkayars, is not contrary to Islamic law, given that it does not contradict the conditions for Islamic marriages stipulated in Surah 4 of the Holy Qur’an.

Nowadays, as a result of government restrictions, Muslim parents do not marry off their daughters before eighteen. Generally, the young men get married while in their twenties. Consanguineous marriages, prevalent among the Hindus, are also quite frequent among the Muslims, marriage with first cousins being very much preferred either the daughters of paternal or maternal uncles or aunts.

To mark approval of, and formally finalize, the decisions taken during the preliminary contacts, traditionally known among the Tamil Muslims as mudivu pannuthal, the seeni poduthal function is held. The decisions, apart from the suitability of the marriage alliance and the wedding itself, involve three key elements. First, the giving of seethanam. This may comprise house, land or jewels, and is given by the parents of the bride and bridegroom to their daughter and son respectively. The exact nature and value of the seethanam are carefully determined. Second, the giving and exchanging of seeruarisai, which usually consists of gifts such as a scooter, dressing table, sofa set or utensils. Normally the bridegroom’s parents will give to the bride, more or less, the exact value of the seervarisai given by the bride’s household to the brid-groom. Third, the exact value of the dowry, which the bride’s parents must give to the groom or his parents is determined. The local Muslim term for dowry is the kaikooli or the hibbath, whereas the Hindus call it varadatchanai. Although all of these preceding elements are typically Tamil Hindu in character and do not have any justification in a Muslim marriage, they remain in vogue. However, there are some Marakkayars who are conscious of their non-Islamic character and avoid them. Dowry and seethanam, despite being banned in Indian law, have not ceased to operate.

The seeni poduthal function—in effect the betrothal— is the Muslim equivalent of the Hindu nichaiya thartham. It takes place in the presence of the Qad'i. All the decisions are confirmed, and the transactions decided upon actually take place, during this function. Literally, seeni poduthal means the giving of sugar—in typical practice, white sugar, usually about 250 grams, a symbol of sweetness in life, is brought in a plate from the bride’s place to the groom’s. Sugar left over is then taken back to the bride’s house and the bride in her turn receives a pinch of it. Close relatives like the brother and the uncle are also given some sugar.

Along with the sugar, a stainless steel or bronze vessel called kudam, containing milk, a symbol of abundance and prosperity, is also carried from the bride’s house and given to the groom. The type of kudam, and the quantity of milk that it should contain, are actually decided earlier, during the mudivu pannuthal contacts. Betel and betel nuts are also provided on this occasion, though no exchange of them takes place, as happens among many of the Hindu castes.

After the sugar is given, a probable date for the wedding is decided. It may well take place on the same day, if the seeni poduthal has been held in the morning. Otherwise it can take place after a few weeks or after as long as six months or a year, according to convenience. There is no grand feast held after the seeni function as among certain Hindu castes. However, a small tea-party is held. It is worth noting that the entire function seems to be broadly intended, as among the Hindus, to inhibit further offers for either of the would-be partners.

Ten years ago a vast majority of the marriages were conducted in the night, as the auspicious moments were calculated by lunar phases. Recently, however, most marriages (more than 90% according to my informants) are conducted during the day, especially during the midmorning between 10 and 12 o’clock, because night marriages have become too expensive. Sunday being the official holiday, marriages are generally held on that day. Daytime marriages are also preferred because of the better transport facilities available to those (especially women) who, having travelled far, wish to avoid staying overnight. A further reason may be that the Hindus typically prefer to attend weddings in the morning. However, unlike the Hindus, the Muslims very rarely celebrate marriages in the early morning.

The day before the nikkah or marriage proper, the nalangu urututhal takes place in the bride’s house: the bride is given a special oil bath in water aromated with medicinal plants and roots. Later, her body is scented with specially prepared bridal perfumes. Maruthani (the local henna) is then applied to her hands and feet. The bridegroom is also subjected to thorough cleansing of the body and perfumes, but not as elaborately as in the case of the bride.

The Marakkayars themselves, especially the religiously educated and well-informed, recognise the non-Islamic elements in their lives but do not perceive them to be in direct contradiction to the basic tenets of Islam, nor, excepting rare individuals, do they protest against them. On the contrary, they themselves consider that the lives they lead are a seamless whole.

See also

• Kunjali Marakkar
• A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
• Tamil Muslims

Further reading

• Medieval Seafarers of India – Lakshmi Subramaniam
• The Career and Legend of Vasco da Gama – Sanjay Subrahmanyam
• The Portuguese Empire in Asia, 1500–1700: A Political and Economic History – Sanjay Subrahmanyam
• Portuguese Cochin and the Maritime Trade of India – Pius Malekandathil
• India and the Indian Ocean World – Ashin Das Gupta
• Kerala Muslim History – P. A. Syed Mohammed