10 



states were in the melting pot of invasion and insurrection and especially was this 

 true of Southern India, where political paralysis began to affect Vijayauagar — begin- 

 ning, as is usual, in those provinces furthest from the centre of the state. 



The latest dynasty — the Nayaks — occupying the tributary throne of Madura 

 was beginning to assert independence of the central Government from which it became 

 entirely free when the battle of Talikota in 1565 completed the destruction of the 

 Suzerain Hindu State of Vijayanagar. 



The Parawas as already mentioned although the origiual holders of the 

 fishery rights had begun prior to the arrival of the Portuguese to feel the competi- 

 tion of the restless Muhammadan settlers on the coast, who, coming as many must 

 have done, from the coasts of the Persian Gulf knew already all there was to know of 

 pearl fishing. The descendants of these Arabs and their proselytes, known as Moros 

 to the Portuguese, are the Moormen or Lubbais of to-day. * Their chief settlement 

 was Kayal, a town situated near the mouth of the river Tambrapurni, and which in 

 Marco Polo's time (1290-91) was " a great and noble city ". It shared with Tuticorin 

 for fully 500 years the honour of being one of the two great pearl markets of the 

 coast— the one being the Moor, the other the Parawa head-quarters. 



Hating the Moormen with all the fanatical intolerance which was their curse and 

 the chief cause of their eventual ruin the Portuguese took the part of the Parawas. 

 Accordingly the Nayak of Madura, Hindu though he was, lent his influence to the 

 Moors of Kayal in the hope of eventually being in a position to drive out the 

 Portuguese and so obtain control of the coveted pearl fishery. None of the 

 Nayaks were ever strong enough to do this and an armed neutrality usually existed, 

 the Portuguese even granting certain privileges — practically tributes — to the Nayak's 

 Government in return for facilities given to the pearl merchants to travel without 

 exactions to the scene of the fishery. 



The chief item in the concession made to the Nayak was the grant of a number 

 of free boats in each fishery. A grant engraved upon copper made by Soekalingee 

 Teroomalee Nayak in favour of the Modeliar Pilly Marcair, the head of the Moorish 

 community, I on founding the town of Kayalpattanam furnishes an interesting light on 

 the details of this arrangement. 



It appears that the new town of Kayalpattanam had become a necessity through 

 the silting up of the harbour of the mother city of Kayal by sand brought down by 

 the river Tambrapurni. 



In recognition of the chief townsman's enterprise in transferring his town to the 

 coast and thus conserving to the Nayak a sea-port able to rival the Tuticorin of the 

 Portuguese, several gifts were made to the headman, the chief being the grant of ten 

 " free " divers' stones at the fishery. In return he was with " seven large boats, 

 with 96| stones, at 13| stones to each boat, to fish the pearl banks for the use and 

 benefit of the said Government " (of Madura). It is expressly said, " he is to reside 

 near the Government House of the Portuguese at the sea-port of Mannar and near 

 Marie Amman's chapel at Tuticorin. He shall have the superintendency of the pearl 

 fishery and shall receive 60 chacrums per month and shall be favoured with ten 

 stones to dive for him at the said two places " (Mannar and Tuticorin). 



The 96^ stones above mentioned represent the allowance conceded by the 

 Portuguese to the Nayak in return for the privileges before named. Later we shall 

 see that the question of the consideration given in return for this privilege became the 

 source of continual disputes between the Dutch and the Nawab of the Carnatic, the 

 latter succeeding by conquest to the rights of the Madura Nayaks in the early part of 

 the eighteenth century. 



* Moormen is the appellation need in Ceylon, whereas Lubbais or Lebbes is more commonly used on the Indian 

 Coast for the same people. 



t Termed " CboliarB " in this grant. In the tenth century the Chola dynasty overthrew the neighbouring sister 

 kingdoms of the Cheraand Pundya, and reigned paramount from the vicinity of Madras to Cape Comorin. 



It was doubtless subsequent to this period that the Tamil Muhammadans of South India became known as the 

 Choliyn Muhammadans or more commonly Clioliyar or people of the Tamil country called Chola-desam. To this day 

 the Hindustani Muhammadan speiks of his southern co-religionist as Choliya ; for, save as to religion the vast majority 

 of the Choi ivar are Tamils in point of language, general appearance and social customs — vide Kamanathan "The 

 Ethnology of the Moors of Ceylon " in Journal K.A.S. (Ceylon Branch), Volume XIII, page 245. 



