There
are two Malayalam books written on this historical subject, one being
the book with the above name by Alankode Leelakrishnan and the other
titled Kuriyedathu Thathri by VT Nandakumar. Then there is the book
written by Mathampu Kunjukuttan (Brashtu) and its translation by
Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan (Outcaste) based on the same theme. There is
also the famous story Goddess of revenge (Pratikara Devata) by
Lalithambika Antherjanam about this Tathrikutty. Some aspects have been
serialized in the Mathrubhumi weekly in the 1998-99 time frame. Look
around India today, every now and then there is some place or the other
which hosts a ballet or a play based on this story in one language or
the other. A good Malayalam movie came out some years ago with this
excommunication trial as the basis, named ‘Parinayam’. So much is said
and written about this topic, so what is this all about?
Even today the mention of Thathri sets the nerves jangling in Kerala, for it has all the elements needed, sordidness, inequality, religion, caste, illicit sex, guilt, drama, emotion, anger, helplessness….the list goes on. The story is still alive and the above mentioned books have been sold out like hot cakes, even my own search over continents have not yielded a single spare copy of the first two books, including entreaties to authors & book sellers. Nevertheless, I have managed to put together a plausible account of what happened after extensive searches and will outline it for those who have not had a chance to read the above books.
But
first a general commentary on the times and the rigors imposed by the
caste system in Malabar. Between the 1200-1900 time frame, the
Nambuthiris held sway in Kerala on top of the caste hierarchy. They were
wealthy landowners and had many rights over people of the other lower
castes including the Nayars. With the firm intent to hold title to the
lands in their possessions and ensure that they are not diluted, the
caste practicing a patriarchal system (rest of Malabar was typically
matrilineal) decided that only the eldest son of a family should marry.
This meant that the younger brothers could not have wives, but to offset
it were allowed to have formal Sambandhams with Illath Nair women. But
that left one group of people isolated, the Namboothiri women (Also the
eldest Namboothiri could marry more than one Namboothiri woman, and they
did so, until a ripe age). So some of these Antherjanams (people inside
the house) as Namoothiri women are called, married, but some had very
unsatisfactory lives or in some cases did not marry at all. Antherjanams
were usually sequestered in their homes and always went around fully
shrouded & escorted. Should an Antherjanam be suspected of unchaste
behavior, the punishment was severe, for after a trial, they were
excommunicated and cast out into the roads. Some of these outcastes were
picked up by the Mannanars or Chakiyars of North Malabar (See my blog on this subject)
and provided asylum. Some married lower caste people and settled down
in anonymity. Some went crazy and wandered the streets like beggars. The
trial that was conducted according to the Sankarasmriti or Laghudharma
Prakashika was generally weighted heavily against the woman and she had
little chance of winning. The witnesses were always against her and the
caste system rigors ensured this went on for ages, in fact close to a
thousand years.
As such, the entire Namboothiri life was patterned to ensure the virginity of the Antherjanam. In those times, the morning ritual bath, chanting of hyms and work in the kitchen were the only activities of the Antherjanam was allowed. Their travel was limited to the temples or to the house of their immediate relatives, but that too had to be accompanied by a maidservant. Thus, Namboodiri Brahmin women of Kerala were surrounded by an entire screen carried by female servants. "Namboothiri women carry with them an umbrella wherever they go out, to prevent them from being seen by men. They also should be covered with a cloth from head to foot, and should not wear jewels. A Nayar woman should precede her and watch her movements. All these were rules laid down by Parasu Rama." [Thurston]
Namboothiri men were allowed to take many wives or consorts, leaving many women to the sorrow of sharing in grief her undivided devotion to the husband, for women must be strictly monogamous. The evil consequence of the practice that only the eldest son marries from the same community directly affected the Antherjanam. Many women remained unmarried and died without experiencing the bliss of motherhood. As the marriage of widows was forbidden, there were many young widows who were the prey of a husband's old-age marriage. The widows were objects of contempt in the community. The women were an absolutely neglected group in the Namboothiri community; the men treated them as creatures whose limited needs were believed to be only dressing, bathing and sleeping {Fr. Pallath J. Joseph – Women and caste Discrimination}
It was finally in 1905 that the shackles were broken by one woman. Call her brave, cunning, callous, whatever, but she was the first to rebel. This is the story of that beautiful Namboothiri Antherjanam who decided to use her body to lash out at society. She was Thathri. Let us now see what happened.
One fine day, a wealthy and aged but promiscuous Namboothiri man, reaches the bedroom of a well known and desirable prostitute. After a very satisfactory session, he finally gets to see her face and recoils in utter shock when he realizes that this was none other than his own young wife. The man flees the place and raises a hue and cry. Soon the prostitute, an Antherjanam known as Kuriyedathu Thathri is secluded according to the norms and a Smartavicharam trial (at the end of the story is a small description of the Smartavicharm) is launched. The Cochin King as required sanctions it. The public interest was huge, for rumor had it that the lady was a very clever and apparently popular person with much ammunition up her sleeve.
This sensational Smaartha Vichaaram involved Savithry (Thaathri) the wife of Chemmanthatta Kuriyedathu Raman Namboodiri, and daughter of Kalpakasseri Ashtamoorthi Namboodiri of Mukundapuram Taluk.
The Smartan who administers Vedic laws is none other than the famed Jathavedan Namboothiri of the Perumannan gramam. Thathri is sitting in a special outhouse (Achanpura or pacholapura) built for the seclusion and imprisonment during the trail. She has no problems at all and seems serene and ready to face the questioning. Unlike other timid prisoners, this is a proud and beautiful lady who had controlled many weak men above her for the last few years. She was not intimidated. Savithri was known for her beauty and she had been married off at the age of 18 to a 60 year old man .
The smarthan (prosecutor) and three Namboothiri scholars questioned Thaathri, who accepted all the charges but stated that the rule of law has to be administered equally. If she had to be pronounced guilty, so should the people who slept with her. They were people of supposedly high moral standing, and with that basis Thathri revealed the names of well-known scholars, musicians, kathakali artists and many other prominent people of that time, not only of the Kochi state but also the entire Malabar belt, who had slept with her. She also presented strong evidence to substantiate her charges including visual and written evidence (letters written by lovers, prominent marks on genital areas etc).
The pillars of the caste system started trembling. The King was in trouble and the public uproar severe. So against norms where only Thathri would have been implicated, the King agreed to administer equal justice. The reader must note here that a normal Smartavicharam involved only the lady and not the men. However based on the Kings ruling, the Smartan questioned the involved men as well and convicted the guilty. It was thus a landmark case. As the names started coming out, the number of nervous men increased. Many ran away, escaped to other nations even, many others conducted poojas so that Thathri would forgot their names & features (for she had to provide proof of physical characteristics of the men too). It is said that the lady was finally made to stop at man # 64. Salacious gossip to the effect that the 65th was probably going to the king himself went around like wildfire. It is said in jest that she could in theory have named not just 65, but 60,000, but the case was finally curtailed,
The verdict was pronounced on the night of July 13, 1905, indicting all the accused and of course Thaathri. They included 30 Namboothiris, 10 Iyers (Pattars or Tamil Brahmanans), 13 Ambalavaasis and 11 Nairs. Thaathri was sent to Chalakudy and settled as an intern in a riverside home, under tight security. The 64 victims left their homes humiliated, some living on bare subsistence allowance and some, begging. Another two ("Ambalavaasis") had died and hence not proceeded against.
The long list of victims of smartha vicharam had a disastrous effect on the cultural scene in Kerala. Celebrated kathakali artists like Kavungal Sankara Panikkar, Kaattalathu Madhavan Nair, Panangavil Govindan Nambiar, Achytha Poduval and many others had to leave their fields & professions. Following this event the Cochin Raja mentioned that future ‘SmarthaVicharanam’s’ required a large deposit in the state treasury for the reason that such public embarrassments (naming of prominent men) do not take place arbitrarily.
In the ‘Pratikaradevata’ rendition, Thathri’s husband brings home a prostitute after a few days of married life, shaming her and asks her deprecatingly & mockingly to become one herself. She becomes one, becomes rich & infamous and eventually has a paid liaison with her husband one day when he comes to her as a client, but not knowing who she is. He congratulates her for the excellent performance, cleverness and manners, wanting to live with her for ever and when she removes her veil, flees in shock to later start the process of the trial and subsequent Smartavicharam. Pavitran in his book states that she was sexually exploited by her father and brother in law and thus she had all the reasons for revenge.
One could always dwell on Thathri’s actions and discuss at length the morality behind it. It is for this reason that it continues to be an enigma, discussed for many decades after the happenings. Did she lash out at the society to decry the norms? Was it revenge or vendetta? Was she a nymphomaniac? One can never conclude due to the fact that Thathri herself never talked about her actions other than making a clear demand for equal justice and admitting guilt. One could also question how she had the courage to do what she did and if she acted alone or with support from certain quarters. Nevertheless, the intrigue remains. Three things still confound me, the promiscuity of this 60 year old Aphan Namboothiri, tathri’s husband, secondly did Thathri get paid or demand compensation for her acts and how and where Thathri conducted the secret liaisons given the strict situation in the Illams and even temples in those times.
And whatever happened to Thathri? Thaathri was sent to Chalakkudy and settled as an intern in a riverside home, under tight security, at least for some time. However Pavithran in his book British Commission to India states that she married an Anglo Indian gangman from the Indian Railways and settled down in Coimbatore. Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan, the translator of the book Outcaste, believes Thathri lived to the ripe old age of 80, somewhere in Tamil Nadu.
As Alalcode Leelakrishnan narrates “In this wasteland, near Arangotkara opposite the Kartiyayani temple, stood once upon a time, the famous Kalpakassery Illam, where Thathri grew up. She was born at an inauspicious hour; her father had stated then that she would grow up to be the curse of the family. She talked to the flowers here. She saw butterflies here and learnt to dream. A century has passed. But no one still lives here anymore. Villagers see it as a cursed piece of land.”
Thathri grew up as a bold and outspoken but vivacious girl, who spoiled the sleep, but enriched the dreams of many a man, old and young. Bewitchingly beautiful, she argued and revolted often against traditions e.g. such as women were not allowed to get educated, talk back etc. And so that was Kuriyedathu Thathri, a multifaceted personality who had in-depth knowledge of literature and was an ardent adorer of Kathakali, a woman who played with destiny. Did she win or did she lose? You decide.
Even today the mention of Thathri sets the nerves jangling in Kerala, for it has all the elements needed, sordidness, inequality, religion, caste, illicit sex, guilt, drama, emotion, anger, helplessness….the list goes on. The story is still alive and the above mentioned books have been sold out like hot cakes, even my own search over continents have not yielded a single spare copy of the first two books, including entreaties to authors & book sellers. Nevertheless, I have managed to put together a plausible account of what happened after extensive searches and will outline it for those who have not had a chance to read the above books.
But
first a general commentary on the times and the rigors imposed by the
caste system in Malabar. Between the 1200-1900 time frame, the
Nambuthiris held sway in Kerala on top of the caste hierarchy. They were
wealthy landowners and had many rights over people of the other lower
castes including the Nayars. With the firm intent to hold title to the
lands in their possessions and ensure that they are not diluted, the
caste practicing a patriarchal system (rest of Malabar was typically
matrilineal) decided that only the eldest son of a family should marry.
This meant that the younger brothers could not have wives, but to offset
it were allowed to have formal Sambandhams with Illath Nair women. But
that left one group of people isolated, the Namboothiri women (Also the
eldest Namboothiri could marry more than one Namboothiri woman, and they
did so, until a ripe age). So some of these Antherjanams (people inside
the house) as Namoothiri women are called, married, but some had very
unsatisfactory lives or in some cases did not marry at all. Antherjanams
were usually sequestered in their homes and always went around fully
shrouded & escorted. Should an Antherjanam be suspected of unchaste
behavior, the punishment was severe, for after a trial, they were
excommunicated and cast out into the roads. Some of these outcastes were
picked up by the Mannanars or Chakiyars of North Malabar (See my blog on this subject)
and provided asylum. Some married lower caste people and settled down
in anonymity. Some went crazy and wandered the streets like beggars. The
trial that was conducted according to the Sankarasmriti or Laghudharma
Prakashika was generally weighted heavily against the woman and she had
little chance of winning. The witnesses were always against her and the
caste system rigors ensured this went on for ages, in fact close to a
thousand years.As such, the entire Namboothiri life was patterned to ensure the virginity of the Antherjanam. In those times, the morning ritual bath, chanting of hyms and work in the kitchen were the only activities of the Antherjanam was allowed. Their travel was limited to the temples or to the house of their immediate relatives, but that too had to be accompanied by a maidservant. Thus, Namboodiri Brahmin women of Kerala were surrounded by an entire screen carried by female servants. "Namboothiri women carry with them an umbrella wherever they go out, to prevent them from being seen by men. They also should be covered with a cloth from head to foot, and should not wear jewels. A Nayar woman should precede her and watch her movements. All these were rules laid down by Parasu Rama." [Thurston]
Namboothiri men were allowed to take many wives or consorts, leaving many women to the sorrow of sharing in grief her undivided devotion to the husband, for women must be strictly monogamous. The evil consequence of the practice that only the eldest son marries from the same community directly affected the Antherjanam. Many women remained unmarried and died without experiencing the bliss of motherhood. As the marriage of widows was forbidden, there were many young widows who were the prey of a husband's old-age marriage. The widows were objects of contempt in the community. The women were an absolutely neglected group in the Namboothiri community; the men treated them as creatures whose limited needs were believed to be only dressing, bathing and sleeping {Fr. Pallath J. Joseph – Women and caste Discrimination}
It was finally in 1905 that the shackles were broken by one woman. Call her brave, cunning, callous, whatever, but she was the first to rebel. This is the story of that beautiful Namboothiri Antherjanam who decided to use her body to lash out at society. She was Thathri. Let us now see what happened.
One fine day, a wealthy and aged but promiscuous Namboothiri man, reaches the bedroom of a well known and desirable prostitute. After a very satisfactory session, he finally gets to see her face and recoils in utter shock when he realizes that this was none other than his own young wife. The man flees the place and raises a hue and cry. Soon the prostitute, an Antherjanam known as Kuriyedathu Thathri is secluded according to the norms and a Smartavicharam trial (at the end of the story is a small description of the Smartavicharm) is launched. The Cochin King as required sanctions it. The public interest was huge, for rumor had it that the lady was a very clever and apparently popular person with much ammunition up her sleeve.
This sensational Smaartha Vichaaram involved Savithry (Thaathri) the wife of Chemmanthatta Kuriyedathu Raman Namboodiri, and daughter of Kalpakasseri Ashtamoorthi Namboodiri of Mukundapuram Taluk.
The Smartan who administers Vedic laws is none other than the famed Jathavedan Namboothiri of the Perumannan gramam. Thathri is sitting in a special outhouse (Achanpura or pacholapura) built for the seclusion and imprisonment during the trail. She has no problems at all and seems serene and ready to face the questioning. Unlike other timid prisoners, this is a proud and beautiful lady who had controlled many weak men above her for the last few years. She was not intimidated. Savithri was known for her beauty and she had been married off at the age of 18 to a 60 year old man .
The smarthan (prosecutor) and three Namboothiri scholars questioned Thaathri, who accepted all the charges but stated that the rule of law has to be administered equally. If she had to be pronounced guilty, so should the people who slept with her. They were people of supposedly high moral standing, and with that basis Thathri revealed the names of well-known scholars, musicians, kathakali artists and many other prominent people of that time, not only of the Kochi state but also the entire Malabar belt, who had slept with her. She also presented strong evidence to substantiate her charges including visual and written evidence (letters written by lovers, prominent marks on genital areas etc).
The pillars of the caste system started trembling. The King was in trouble and the public uproar severe. So against norms where only Thathri would have been implicated, the King agreed to administer equal justice. The reader must note here that a normal Smartavicharam involved only the lady and not the men. However based on the Kings ruling, the Smartan questioned the involved men as well and convicted the guilty. It was thus a landmark case. As the names started coming out, the number of nervous men increased. Many ran away, escaped to other nations even, many others conducted poojas so that Thathri would forgot their names & features (for she had to provide proof of physical characteristics of the men too). It is said that the lady was finally made to stop at man # 64. Salacious gossip to the effect that the 65th was probably going to the king himself went around like wildfire. It is said in jest that she could in theory have named not just 65, but 60,000, but the case was finally curtailed,
The verdict was pronounced on the night of July 13, 1905, indicting all the accused and of course Thaathri. They included 30 Namboothiris, 10 Iyers (Pattars or Tamil Brahmanans), 13 Ambalavaasis and 11 Nairs. Thaathri was sent to Chalakudy and settled as an intern in a riverside home, under tight security. The 64 victims left their homes humiliated, some living on bare subsistence allowance and some, begging. Another two ("Ambalavaasis") had died and hence not proceeded against.
The long list of victims of smartha vicharam had a disastrous effect on the cultural scene in Kerala. Celebrated kathakali artists like Kavungal Sankara Panikkar, Kaattalathu Madhavan Nair, Panangavil Govindan Nambiar, Achytha Poduval and many others had to leave their fields & professions. Following this event the Cochin Raja mentioned that future ‘SmarthaVicharanam’s’ required a large deposit in the state treasury for the reason that such public embarrassments (naming of prominent men) do not take place arbitrarily.
In the ‘Pratikaradevata’ rendition, Thathri’s husband brings home a prostitute after a few days of married life, shaming her and asks her deprecatingly & mockingly to become one herself. She becomes one, becomes rich & infamous and eventually has a paid liaison with her husband one day when he comes to her as a client, but not knowing who she is. He congratulates her for the excellent performance, cleverness and manners, wanting to live with her for ever and when she removes her veil, flees in shock to later start the process of the trial and subsequent Smartavicharam. Pavitran in his book states that she was sexually exploited by her father and brother in law and thus she had all the reasons for revenge.
One could always dwell on Thathri’s actions and discuss at length the morality behind it. It is for this reason that it continues to be an enigma, discussed for many decades after the happenings. Did she lash out at the society to decry the norms? Was it revenge or vendetta? Was she a nymphomaniac? One can never conclude due to the fact that Thathri herself never talked about her actions other than making a clear demand for equal justice and admitting guilt. One could also question how she had the courage to do what she did and if she acted alone or with support from certain quarters. Nevertheless, the intrigue remains. Three things still confound me, the promiscuity of this 60 year old Aphan Namboothiri, tathri’s husband, secondly did Thathri get paid or demand compensation for her acts and how and where Thathri conducted the secret liaisons given the strict situation in the Illams and even temples in those times.
And whatever happened to Thathri? Thaathri was sent to Chalakkudy and settled as an intern in a riverside home, under tight security, at least for some time. However Pavithran in his book British Commission to India states that she married an Anglo Indian gangman from the Indian Railways and settled down in Coimbatore. Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan, the translator of the book Outcaste, believes Thathri lived to the ripe old age of 80, somewhere in Tamil Nadu.
As Alalcode Leelakrishnan narrates “In this wasteland, near Arangotkara opposite the Kartiyayani temple, stood once upon a time, the famous Kalpakassery Illam, where Thathri grew up. She was born at an inauspicious hour; her father had stated then that she would grow up to be the curse of the family. She talked to the flowers here. She saw butterflies here and learnt to dream. A century has passed. But no one still lives here anymore. Villagers see it as a cursed piece of land.”
Thathri grew up as a bold and outspoken but vivacious girl, who spoiled the sleep, but enriched the dreams of many a man, old and young. Bewitchingly beautiful, she argued and revolted often against traditions e.g. such as women were not allowed to get educated, talk back etc. And so that was Kuriyedathu Thathri, a multifaceted personality who had in-depth knowledge of literature and was an ardent adorer of Kathakali, a woman who played with destiny. Did she win or did she lose? You decide.
Notes – Mathambu Kunjukuttan, the author of Brashtu is the grandson of the Smartan Jatavedan Namboothiri, the Smartan who tried Thathri. Two of his brothers were among the 64 men who had been excommunicated. “It’s such an irony,” he says. “My grandfather was the judge, and a woman who is accused, stands before him and tells him to look into the records of his own brothers.”
A second Thathri case took place
in 1918. Here again another Savithri (Thatri) was involved, but was
from the Pazhur paduthol Illam and12 men were involved. The same
Jathavedan Nambuthiri was the Smarthan involved. This Savithri Thathri
married a Muslim after excommunication but did not live long, and her
daughter from this union married a Chakiar….
Following the Thathri case, a few revolutionary Namboothiri men formed a council called Yogakhsemam where they promoted ideas such as abolishing of Sambandham and the relaxation of marriage rules for all Namboothiri men.
T Vasudevan in his report on SamrtaVicharam (Sri Venkateswara Univ Oriental Journal – XLIV) states –
Jatavedan was the smarta and the trial took place in three different places in Cemmantitta, Pallimanna and Irinjalakuda. After the customary trial he gave a report to the king of Kochi. Meanwhile the Sabha of the sajjana had met together and requested the king that since time had changed a hearing for men also should be conducted. The king was convinced of this argument and ordered the smarta to conduct a trial of the men involved in the case. It is interesting to note that the High Court of Madras had clearly ordered that the declaration of men involved in illicit intercourse as outcaste was illegal since the men were not properly charge sheeted or nor had the opportunity to cross examine the woman or argue in defense. The report of Jatavedan as mentioned above indicates that it was not customary to record the minutes of the trial containing information obtained form the 'sadhana' and also in the case of Kuriyetattu Tatri such a procedure was followed in the traditional way. But since it become necessary to hear the accused men by the royal order he had to write down briefly the matters regarding the men involved also. In the same manner the smarta heard what the accused men had to say about the lady's allegations. Some documents were also submitted by the men accused. After the trial the smarta reported that sixty-four men were involved in the scandal and two of them were dead. As a result sixty two men were excommunicated from the society along with the accused lady.But the smartavicara trials were not always conducted with so much fairness and justice as found in the case of Tatri which was an exceptional one. In the patriarchical society all powers were with the men and the co-accused men easily influenced the smarta with money and material and often arranged escape. According to William Logan several cruel punishments were inflicted upon the accused woman by the doubting menfolk in order to compel her to admit the crime
The relevant records kept in the Central Archives in Ernakulam contain the names of all the 66 males indicted in that case, listed and certified by Smaarthan Pattachomayarath Jathavedan Namboodiri dated Mithunam 32, 1080 ME (mid-July, 1905).
Further reading
Thathrikuttiyude Smarthavicharam - Alankode Leelakrishnan
Kuriyedathu Thathri, Nandan -VT Nandakumar
Cast me out if you will – Lalithambika Antherjanam
Brashtu by Madampu Kunhukuttan
Outcaste – M Kunhukuttan, translation by Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan
Parinayam – Malayalam Movie
The British Commission – Pavithran
Picture – I am grateful for the painting ‘Smarthavicharam’ by Namboothiri made available in Google images.
No disrespect is meant in any comment or statement made. Should any reader feel so please send a specific note with suggested corrections to the author for review. As such the article is based on historic events, with an effort put in to make it readable and provide brevity.
SmartaVicharam - A brief description
Whenever a Namboothiri Antherjanam’s chastity is doubted, she is handed over to her society for enquiry, no considerations for personal affections or public policy intervening. The suspect is transferred to an isolation shed (Achampura or Pacholapura). First a ‘Desivicharam’ is conducted where her maid is cross examined. Then a formal request for Smartavicharam is filed with the required monetary deposits made and the local king rules if one should be conducted. The maharaja then appoints a Smartan (Vedic arbitrator) and names his assistants for the case. A couple of observers (Akakkkoyimma and Purakoyimma) are also appointed. The enquiry & questioning is very ritualistic and goes on for days and sometimes weeks or months. During this period the entire group has to be maintained by the affected girl’s father. Finally a verdict is reached (if guilty) and the girl is evicted from her caste and funeral rites are conducted for her. Until then she is considered inanimate or as a ‘Sadhanam’. After trial she is considered dead, her umbrella and white coverings are removed, and she is cast of into the streets.
For further details, referBooks mentioned in Para#1
Malabar Manual – Logan
Castes & tribes of Southern India – E Thruston
Nambuthiris – Fred Fawcett
Following the Thathri case, a few revolutionary Namboothiri men formed a council called Yogakhsemam where they promoted ideas such as abolishing of Sambandham and the relaxation of marriage rules for all Namboothiri men.
T Vasudevan in his report on SamrtaVicharam (Sri Venkateswara Univ Oriental Journal – XLIV) states –
Jatavedan was the smarta and the trial took place in three different places in Cemmantitta, Pallimanna and Irinjalakuda. After the customary trial he gave a report to the king of Kochi. Meanwhile the Sabha of the sajjana had met together and requested the king that since time had changed a hearing for men also should be conducted. The king was convinced of this argument and ordered the smarta to conduct a trial of the men involved in the case. It is interesting to note that the High Court of Madras had clearly ordered that the declaration of men involved in illicit intercourse as outcaste was illegal since the men were not properly charge sheeted or nor had the opportunity to cross examine the woman or argue in defense. The report of Jatavedan as mentioned above indicates that it was not customary to record the minutes of the trial containing information obtained form the 'sadhana' and also in the case of Kuriyetattu Tatri such a procedure was followed in the traditional way. But since it become necessary to hear the accused men by the royal order he had to write down briefly the matters regarding the men involved also. In the same manner the smarta heard what the accused men had to say about the lady's allegations. Some documents were also submitted by the men accused. After the trial the smarta reported that sixty-four men were involved in the scandal and two of them were dead. As a result sixty two men were excommunicated from the society along with the accused lady.But the smartavicara trials were not always conducted with so much fairness and justice as found in the case of Tatri which was an exceptional one. In the patriarchical society all powers were with the men and the co-accused men easily influenced the smarta with money and material and often arranged escape. According to William Logan several cruel punishments were inflicted upon the accused woman by the doubting menfolk in order to compel her to admit the crime
The relevant records kept in the Central Archives in Ernakulam contain the names of all the 66 males indicted in that case, listed and certified by Smaarthan Pattachomayarath Jathavedan Namboodiri dated Mithunam 32, 1080 ME (mid-July, 1905).
Further reading
Thathrikuttiyude Smarthavicharam - Alankode Leelakrishnan
Kuriyedathu Thathri, Nandan -VT Nandakumar
Cast me out if you will – Lalithambika Antherjanam
Brashtu by Madampu Kunhukuttan
Outcaste – M Kunhukuttan, translation by Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan
Parinayam – Malayalam Movie
The British Commission – Pavithran
Picture – I am grateful for the painting ‘Smarthavicharam’ by Namboothiri made available in Google images.
No disrespect is meant in any comment or statement made. Should any reader feel so please send a specific note with suggested corrections to the author for review. As such the article is based on historic events, with an effort put in to make it readable and provide brevity.
SmartaVicharam - A brief description
Whenever a Namboothiri Antherjanam’s chastity is doubted, she is handed over to her society for enquiry, no considerations for personal affections or public policy intervening. The suspect is transferred to an isolation shed (Achampura or Pacholapura). First a ‘Desivicharam’ is conducted where her maid is cross examined. Then a formal request for Smartavicharam is filed with the required monetary deposits made and the local king rules if one should be conducted. The maharaja then appoints a Smartan (Vedic arbitrator) and names his assistants for the case. A couple of observers (Akakkkoyimma and Purakoyimma) are also appointed. The enquiry & questioning is very ritualistic and goes on for days and sometimes weeks or months. During this period the entire group has to be maintained by the affected girl’s father. Finally a verdict is reached (if guilty) and the girl is evicted from her caste and funeral rites are conducted for her. Until then she is considered inanimate or as a ‘Sadhanam’. After trial she is considered dead, her umbrella and white coverings are removed, and she is cast of into the streets.
For further details, referBooks mentioned in Para#1
Malabar Manual – Logan
Castes & tribes of Southern India – E Thruston
Nambuthiris – Fred Fawcett
congrats wonderful and absorbing post
with all the unfairness of those times at least they did punish the men too unlike these days when leelalohitanadars and pc josephs go scot free
look at the vithura cse ,ice cream parlour case one never got the mens names !
good post with your permission iam forwarding it some of my friends
I've heard an interesting trivia that MGR's dad was one of those named by Thathri. This is why the family migrated to Ceylon, where MGR was born later on. Maybe u can investigate this - could be just hearsay.
There was also a movie Bhrashtu. I think it was based on Madampu Kunjukuttan's book.
Till the penultimate sentence of the post I was tense that you were missing Anchampurayile 'sadhanam'. It is such an expressive word in the context. The accused woman was not considered to be a human being. 'Irikkapindam' (gadashradha?) is also so meaningful.
remember that it had built up to a crescendo for the thathri case to happen after thousands of years.
Thanks Flashgordon..
I deliberately left that hearsay part out. Rumor has it that the person you mention was connected to the 1918 Thathri.
Thanks Abe
How did I miss that!! I still remember the terrific role played by Kottarakara and his raspy voice..
When i first wrote it i had a para explaining the Sadhanam etc, but left it out as I thought it was becoming a bit tedious.
http://jeyamohan.in/?p=972
It was just a couple of days ago that my friend [a Varma-the only khastriyas in Kerala?] and I were talking about 'irikkapindam' and 'brashtu'!I cannot recall the context but we did talk about the movies which came out of it, esp Brashtu and Parinayam. Of course, the practices which existed in all religions and castes in those days were sadly loaded against the womenfolk!
This story or incident is very interesting and congrats once again for the efforts behind the article and for writing it up so well.
Alex
The story has been Beautifully narrated by you. Thanks.
A woman using her own body to fight against male/caste oppression...
It had never struck in my mind 'antharjanam' actually means 'people in the inside'.I have always wondered what would have gone through their minds. Unfortunately we will never know I guess.
Great post!!
And ofcourse she won..atleast against them
should say that she won given her circumstances and the fact that only women were punished for such acts.
Did men start to be a little wary after this period fearing more Thathri’s?
and we are back at square one with such similar cases going on even in the present age.
.. nd to think that so many men were actually charged shows that there was a just King and the manner it was conducted should shame our current judiciary not just in such cases but in others too.
HK... Times and morality changes with time, that was how it was some years ago where honor was paramount..
PNS - yes, you are right
Thanks Madhavan & Kishore, pls do visit often..
Jina - Well, to read what went through their minds, read the fascinating book Cast me out if you will or its Malayalam version. you can find it here on Amazon.
I will post the article on the arakkal beevi soon, it has been in the pending list for a while.
Thanks Kishore & Alex - Actually I held on to this article for many months, hoping to find more meat after reading the books by Kunjukuttan and nandan. Unfortunately they have not been republished, yet..
It was a good read. I admit some of the words are hard for me to follow, but I did get the idea. What is the meaning of "Sambandhams"?
Actually in the begining of the article when you talk about the Namboodri system and marriage customs, I was reminded of two books I read last year (series- "Social History of Kerala, Vol II- The Dravidians" by L.A. Krishna Iyer) talking about these rituals. I did not fully understand at the time when I read that because it was written in a highly academic way. You have written it in a way I can understand, and it has clarified everything! Maybe you should move back to India and teach history! Not many teachers can engage in historical accounts as you have here in this blog post!!
http://namboothiri.com/articles/bhrashtu.htm
This link should help.
The 1903 case is the one connected to MGR.
The Kuriyedath Thaathri (1905)apparently was actress Sheela's great grand mom.
-Nikhil
I think the film actress angle is pretty vague & not corroborated anywhere..The MGR one is mentioned here & there..
Thanks Jennifer - Kerala has had many customs that were pretty strange & not seen anywhere else in India. For this purpose the Nair community has been a pet subject for many anthropologists & sociologists. One such custom is the Sambandham, which was never understood by mainstream historians and they all pictured it in a poor fashion. I will cover that subject separately, but the gist of it was that a namboothiri man could have a physical liaison with a Nair woman if he wanted to. The subject is somewhat complex, but the 'how and why did it become a custom' has never been clear to anybody.
As for teaching history, well..at best I am an amateur history buff and 'just about' learning along the way...A vast subject..
The 'marakkuda' or palmyra umbrella was to be held by Namboothiri women to cover their face from public. During later days many discarded it as a sign of symbolic protest
Could you go through the "'Last Inquisition"' by AMN Chakyar, former registrar to Kerala University? He was born a Nampoothiri but was demoted to a Chakyar as his father was excommunicated in the last Smarthavicharam of 1918.
Regards,
In fact i had been planning to buy the book. But just could not find it...the book is called The last smarta vicharam - right?
Just for the records, there is a novel by KB Sreedevi too, on this subject. It treats the fate of the next generation of an outcast Namboodiri / Antharjanam. She uses a powerful language to narrate, how Sex used to be used as weapon for revenge too, and how an innocent generation suffers after that. I am not able to recollect the name of the novel, though :-(
May I link this post to mine here?
http://dabbling.blogspot.com/2005/02/parinayam-5-conclusion.html
Thank you
regards
Ardra
The book is Last Caste Inquisition in english. in malayalam it is avasaanathe smartha vicharam.
Good one to read
Many a tamil title for the Malayalam blue films carried some context about the thamburattis or the antharjanam.
Malayaalam society within its complexities has survived.
First let me apologise for a short mistake.. I was about to comment on one of your post, and I had highlighted it to delete, and clicked on enter.. but the cursor was on publish, and it raced to you.. You might be wondering why such a comment out there..
I am fascinated by Thatri, and I came across your blog when I googled on her. She is a woman about whom I will definitely say wow.. The girl has guts..
From where did you collect all these materials? Do you have any with you? I would like to read it if I could get my hands on it... I managed to get photocopies of Leelakrishnan's and Nandan's book from Thrissur Appan Thamburan Library. Nandan's is worth reading. Have you read his blog? His language is.. well, I dont know what to say..
Good piece of writing.. Let me go through your other posts too.. Good day... :-)
thanks a lot..Well you can imagine that I felt the same. It was a fantastic story, some of it we know from the books that i referenced, and there is some more. Like the sting operation that thathri carried out at the risk of her life..What Thehelka and all those papers do today pales in comparison..
It took me many months to get those books & yes, I have all of them.
it has been a mystery. but Thathri was clever, if she wanted to be off the limelight I guess she knew what to do..recently Sheela the actress refuted claims (in vanitha) and stated that she is NOT related to Thathri. So it continues to be a mystery.
yes, the point I made was that they used to carry the marakkuda and finally with the yogakshemam movement they started to discard it, though some have continued with the practice...
thanks nalini, for the comment..
though that is not the topic under discussion, the man involved in the 1903 Thathri case later became the father of another famous movie star & politician, not the actress mentioned by you.
Thathri had guts! I read Bhrashtu when I was about 13 or so, and remember being fascinated by her story. I think one part of it was truly revenge for the way she was treated. But I also think that it was her sense of fairness, he personal experience and that questioning nature of hers (which you pointed out in your post) that led her to wonder at the inequities in the Namboothiri system of justice, and to ask for punishment for all, if there had to be punishment for one.
Thanks for a very informative post. Another story about the antharjanams and namboothiri's and the prevalent social inequalities was Lalithambika Antharjanam's 'Agnisakshi'.
the para 8 follows from the account in Agnisakhsi..
Since than have been collecting details, albeit slowly..hope to get some more next month from kerala, will let you know
rgds
You have brought the facts vividly.