Dr.R.Nagaswamy
#4682B4
Leaves from the History of Tranquebar
Study and respect of ancient records, for a proper understanding of historical, social and cultural life of the people is an attitude of the mind, nurtured by all in the western countries for the past several centuries. Thanks to this attitude, several leaves of our own history are carefully and most astonishingly preserved in European Countries. Many such records, dealing with the history of Tanjore and Tranquebar of 17th to 19th centuries are preserved in the Royal Archives, Copenhagen, Denmark. Immediately after the agreement between the Danish East India Company and Vijaya Raghunatha Nayak of Tanjore, in 1620, permitting the Danes to settle in Tarangambadi (Tranquebar) and carry on Trade in the Tanjore country, Raghunatha Nayak sent a letter of friendship to Christian IV, the King of Denmark -- written on a gold leaf. The letter is in the form of a palm leaf. During my recent visit to Copenhagaen, I had occasion to study two more letters, written on gold leaves, and sent from Tranquebar to the King of Denmark in 1687. These are preserved at the royal national archives in Copenhagen.
According to the catalogue of the archives one is a "Second letter of gold sent by the King of Tanjore to Christian V (the King of Denmark) in Tamil on sheet of gold-1688." On an examination I found that it was not a letter from the King of Tanjore, but from one Rama Nayakan of Tranquebar. In this letter Rama Nayakan represented that his ancestors hailed from Tanjore and settled in Tranquebar, doing business. Ever since the Danish company was established, they were assisting the company in their trade and receipt of merchandise and that he was also faithfully serving the company. One blackman intervened and his own services were suspended and caused difficulties. Now he had been able to re-establish his link, he was sending this letter on gold, thanking the King of Denmark for his most gracious gesture. The letter is dated October 7, 1687. Interestingly a Danish version of this letter was also drafted and written on paper on the same date and Rama Nayakan has put his signature in Tamil. The letter on paper is also preserved in the archives.
The next letter on gold carries the same information, but was signed by four other people, who claim themselves as "the subjects of the (Danish) Company" (Kumpinikku Kudiyaanaperu Ezhudina Kadudaasi). The signatories are Ananda Pillai, Tillainayakam Pillai, Mirkasim and Pala Pattaraiyals of Pattaraigrama. This letter on gold was also accompanied by a letter on paper with the Danish version, but signed in Tamil by the above mentioned four.
It is evident that Rama Nayakan and the other four were acting as agents of the Danish Company and making huge profits and that this agency was taken over by some other local person, against whom they made this complaint. It may be mentioned that the Tanjore Kingdom has passed on from the Nayaks to the Mahrattas around 1675, the period to which Rama Nayakan is referring to. The change of dynasties might have played some role in the removal of Rama Nayakan from the agency. When the agency was restored, they showed their oriental servitude by writing on a gold leaf.
While the letter written by the King of Tanjore Vijaya Raghunatha, is on pure gold leaf with careful writings, the letters by Rama Nayakan and others are, on an alloyed gold leaf, like 14 carat gold. The writing is also illegible. The Danish researchers, probably mistook, the appendage "Nayakan' as standing for King (on analogy with Raghunatha Nayak) and catalogued it as a letter from the King of Tanjore. Rama Nayakan was only a merchant of Tranquebar.
Several such records are preserved in the Copenhagen archives.
An episode relating to one Seshachala Chetty is found in two records, dated October 1787. (Five other records in Marathi language - Modi script,in the Copenhagen collection also relate to this Seshachala Chetty). Mr. Alex Macleod was the resident of Tanjore in the court of the Mahratta ruler. A certain Major General Abbestee was the Danish Governor of Tranquebar. His office was then known as "the Governor General for the Danish Majesty in the East Indies." The Mahratta ruler of Tanjore, wanted to try for certain crimes Seshachala Chetty who was then staying at Tranquebar. Seshachala Chetty and probably his relatives, were trading in Tanjore and owed property or money to many Tanjoreans. The Tanjore King's efforts to get the Chetty to Tanjore, to stand the trial was not successful and there was resistance, from the Danish side. Finally the regent of Tanjore Mr. Macleod, wrote to the Governor of Tranquebar to send Seshachala Chetty "to settle the claim of 90 years' standing of many Tanjoreans."
The Danish Governor insisted on protection to Seshachala Chetty. The Resident of Tanjore, agreed to give adequate protection under him. He sent a Thirvakara and two sepoys to bring Seshachala Chetty to Tanjore, and pledged "no oppression shall be exercised against him. "The Chetty waited at Tanjore for long, for certain papers from Pondicherry which contained the proof and vouchers against him. The papers did not come. The Agent allowed Seshachala Chetty to return to Tranquebar. He also wrote to the Danish Governor, that "the revered Schwartz who is now at Tranquebar will convince you that how ridiculously and improperly the whole affair has been conducted by the Government of Tanjore. "Schwartz interference in Tanjore's affairs is clearly hinted by this letter of 1787. Schwartz was instrumental in removing the then King of Tanjore and installing his own protégé Serfosi II on the throne.
Some light is also thrown on the Polygar system, prevalent in Tanjore during the 18th Century. A certain Perumal Naicken was a Palaiyakkara of a part of Tanjore country, bordering Tranquebar. His Palaiyam extended into the Tranquebar region under the control of the Danes then. Perumal Nayaka exercised his power, to collect his revenue. The clients, under the pretext of Danish protection, seem to have resisted the collection and the Nayak used force. The then Governor of Tranquebar wanted to keep the Nayak out of Danish settlements and wrote to the British at Madras complaining against the Raja of Tanjore and to punish the Nayak. The letter by Peter Anker, the Danish Governor of the Danesborg, Tranquebar, dated August 5, 1799, was addressed to the Right Honourable the Earl of Mornington and Governor General of the British East Indian Possession at Fort St. George, Madras. Anker wrote that he was annoyed by one of the Raja of Tanjore's Polygar.
His letter preserved in the Royal archives, Copenhagen makes interesting reading. "These dependent polygars are bound by an ancient regulation, to assist the Raja with an armed force and in times of war and in times of peace to protect his subjects but the polygars, particularly in the Tanjore country have now become the worst depradators and to that impudent degree, that they are in fact the despotick rulers of this country and thus the territorical revenue fall a prey to a previleged body of marauders whereby the interior management made the country ineffective by constant commotions, too often attended with horrors of bloodshed, which to a European, who is interested with the management of the country, thus mangled and oppressed is extremely distressing.
The Polygar, I allude to, is a person by the name Perumal Naik, whose polygar district under the Raja of Tanjore extends within the limits of Danish jurisdiction. This Perumal Naick collected an armed force in the Raja's territory, for the express purpose of committing hostilities in this settlement. He passed the boundaries in the night and with his armed bandits numbering about 200 , broke into the King's garden, assaulted the guard on duty and killed two of the King's sepoys. But the gallant defence of the native officer with 30 sepoys compelled the assailants to retreat back to the Raja's territory, with a number killed and wounded. A few days after, another attack was made by the same Perumal Naik on a patrol under command of an European officer and followed by second in command Colonal Mahldroff, whose intention was to inspect the military stations. In passing a small wood, the patrol received a violent fire of musquettory, the sepoys were fortunately dispersed and thereby escaped the bullets, but it appeared that colonal Mahldroff was particularly aimed at, as he had a sepoy killed close to his horse. The villians when pursued took shelter in the Raja's territory."
The Danish Governor, accused the Raja of Tanjore of "affording security to Perumal Naik, which enabled him to continue to rob and plunder within the limits of Danish jurisdiction and address me some indolent letters." The Governor mentioned that he wrote a letter to the Raja of Tanjore on June 1 which was delivered on June 8. The Vakil who took the letter, was detained by frivolous promises and necessary preparations for the cultivation in this settlement were in the meanwhile impeded by continued depradations of Perumal Naick. He sent another letter to the Raja of Tanjore on June 23 but no reply was received. No steps was taken against the Perumal Naick, hence this letter to Madras.
He said "The Raja of Tanjore being placed on the Musnud by the English Company as a subordinate Prince and under the Direction of a servant of the company, I am flattered by the hope, your Lordship will His Danish Majesty the justice, to order the Government of Tanjore to observe a conduct towards the majesty the King of Denmark in every respect conformable to that friendly alliance, which subsists between his Danish Majesty and His Majesty the King of Great Britain and that your Lordship do order the Government of Tanjore to enforce the demand I addressed his excellancy the Raja of Tanjore."
This was clearly an attempt by the Danish Governor, to prevent the Palaikkarar collecting his revenues. The British Governor at Madras declined to interfere and said that "His Excellency, the Raja of Tanjore is bound by treaty to hold no intercourse with foreign states, without sanction of the company's Government." The Governor found no fault with the Raja of Tanjore and also pointed out "I find on enquiry that the Polygar Perumal Naick holds a right of Cawle as well in the district, subject to the Danish authority as in those under the jurisdiction of the Raja of Tanjore of the British Government and that availling himself of the divided authority he has committed depradations upon each of the districts, under circumstances suited to the different occasion" and in sarcastic vein, Morington wrote "the villence which you complain was committed within the limits of the Danish frontiers and as it appears to have happened at no great distance from a military post, I should have been immensely glad if your troops had been able to inflict immediate punishment." These letters preserved in the royal archives, Copenhagen, reveal the plight of Tanjore land holders in the 18th Century. The colonial powers were squeezing revenue on the one side, the King of Tanjore on the other, and in between were the Palaiyakkarars extracting their own share under some age old rights. This is a direct pointer to the state of poverty imposed on Agricultural land owners, that has come down to the present day.