INTRODUCTION

India is a country that is renowned, with rich culture, heritage, history, and abundant hidden little jewels across its vast body. For any typical Indian some of the major cultural distinctions made in his country would be; north India, South Indian, and North East. Each with their own major contributions to all of the categories above. Over the centuries the Southern states have witnessed ups and downs in progression and treatment of its women. From the Lady in power, the Hidden weapon, to the Glorified servants. 

The "Southern Milestone" is attempting to present you with an insight into the southern history and the position of women in that historical context. We welcome you to this brief trip across time, to take a look at what believe to be some of the milestones in the great saga of the southern women, who even today is capable of inspiring us.

Bon Voyage!

MILE #1 EXCAVATING THE ANCIENT CITY OF HAMPI

- by Bisni Lidiya N. A.

Garuda Stone chariot at vijaya vittala temple
 Credits: Bisni Lidiya N. A.

          There are times.... well, there are times when historians wish upon all that is pure and holy in this world to be able to take a trip back in time, and one can assure you; the ancient city of Hampi is worth visiting the moment the time machine has proven itself functional. situated in the east central of the Karnataka state on the coasts of Tungabhadra river, Hampi is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites in India. Almost seven centuries ago, Hampi could have been considered to be one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Tales of it reaching and attracting merchants from Persia, Portuguese, and other Europian countries. Spread over nearly 4100 hectares Hampi is today the remains of the last Hindu kingdom in South India. temples, forts, royal and sacred complexes, mandapas, shrines, pillared halls, memorial and water structures... even to this day humpi has never given up a shred of its royal aura. Close your eyes for a moment and run your fingers over the finest craftsmanship over the countless stone structures........ the atmosphere still gives off the air of the proud city that once sold off gold, spices, horses, precious jewels, the finest silk, and perfume, standing with its head held high as it tells the legends of this magical city across the globe...

Pampa-kshetra, Khishkindha- kshetra, Bhaskara- kshetra are some of the popular names by which Hampi was known in the earlier times. Pampa is derived from a Tamil name of goddess Parvathi. As it is believed according to the StalaPuranaa, that the goddess Parvathy had performed her thapas to win lord shiva's heart in one of the mountains of Hampi known as Hemakuta. whereby, even the locals popularly address lord Shiva as pampapathi (husband of pampa). The river flowing out of the Hemakuta mountain is also named Pampa river. The original Sanskrit word pampa, when adapted by Kannada became Hampa. Thus the place where Pampa convinced Shiva to marry her, became Hampi. As an early pilgrimage site, the location also has been referred to as a major location in Ramayana, during lord ram's search for his wife Sita.

                                              Hampi has been registered in history as early as the second century as per the brahmin inscriptions found during excavations. The city is suspected to be a part of the Maurya empire in the third century. Between the sixth and eighth century, the town is further mentioned in the Badami Chalukyas inscriptions under the name Pampapura. it was not until the tenth century that the kingdom was under the rule of Kalyana Chalukyas and became the center of religious and educational activities, especially the construction of Virupaksha temple, the only temple in Hampi that continues daily prayers worship and sacred events after most of the temples were destroyed over various invasions that took place over the centuries. Between 12th and 14th century the city was taken over by the Hoysala empire. Widely known as the “Hampeya-Odeya” or the “lord of humpi, the Hoysala empire brought fame to the land following the Kalyana Chalukyas. The Hoysala empire however soon fell to the invasions of the Delhi Sultanate, mainly the armies of Alauddin Khalji and Muhammad bin Tughlaq. It is a common misconception that the Hoysala empire was ruined solely by that Delhi Sultanate, what is not of common knowledge is that there were several attacks from the small neighboring cities that were under the Hoysala rule to gain independence that made the city even more vulnerable to the foreign invasions. Rome was not destroyed in a day…..the Delhi armies are said to have stayed back in Hampi for almost a year for the sole purpose of destroying the city. Following the Hoysala empire in the later part of the fourteenth century comes the era of Vijayanagara empire. That was built upon the ruins of the Kampili kingdom which was also invaded and destroyed by the Delhi Sultanate.

  Virupaksha temple
Credits: Bisni Lidiya N. A.

The Vijayanagara rulers had a much more successful time during their ruling in which they focused on art, intellect, architecture, infrastructure, as well as developing a strong military front with which they fought back many invasions as well as expand their kingdom. The kingdom at this time also invited the Jain culture into their lands and was well accepted and popularly practiced. Although most of the sculptures and arts are solely based on Hindu mythology, there remains that indicates their newfound preference and belief in the Jain way of life. While most of the ruling men chose to follow the Jain customs it is vital to notice that the women in the royal family had the opportunity to select the religion that they wanted to follow. in addition to that, the Vijayanagara empire always took the counsel of their queen in administrative matters. While an official position may not have been employed, the women of Vijayanagara had a better opportunity at expressing their abilities.  Following the footsteps of the previous rulers, the Vijayanagara also actively engaged in trade with foreign countries. All the way from the middle east to Europe. Unlike most other monuments dated back to this time, the Hampi architecture shows tolerance to multiple cultures and ethnicity coexisting. The royal baths, elephant stables, the queens’ private chambers, the Lotus Mahal, the Queen's bath, the running water facilities, the secret meeting rooms, as well as the main darbars show the influence of various building techniques as well as cultural aspects. One of the most attractive qualities of these structures was life like stone carvings on them.  Again, the female members of the royal family were taken as models for the sculptures of goddesses, as well as making sculptures of the queens themselves. The artists, perhaps influenced by the Hindu mythology or by there own inspiration at the time have included the female sexuality in there creations even in their temple arts.  Even in temples that were exclusive to the royal family, a female deity of equal importance was placed in the same platform as the male deity for the king and queen to worship separately.  

 credits: Bisni Lidiya N. A.

Some of these magnificent creations have survived the battle with time in addition to multitudinous battles they have encountered with the Delhi rulers and once again that Samantha kings who wanted an independent city of their own. The Vijayanagara rulers also had a long line of misfortunes amongst themselves. The younger princes were never able to hold together their kingdoms as efficiently as their predecessors. The lack of an ideal rapport amongst the administration and the military…..the joint efforts of the Delhi rulers as well as Vijayanagara's own subordinate kingdoms soon brought the end to the once powerful and undefeatable empire of Humpi. The countless and priceless artifacts that sang the beauty and quality of a time forgone, ruined forever.  Many of the foreign invaders focused on destroying the temples as they were the center of religious and cultural worship. When the enormous structures proved too much effort to destroy, they had taken to breaking down the deity, leaving the population at uncertainty about their very own identity.  The pattern of destruction alone was systematic and meticulous to ensure maximum damage. Using swords to strike at the neck, arms or similarly weaker portions of the sculpture. Burning down summer castles build with sandalwoods. And so on…

 Achyutaraya temple
Credits: Bisni Lidiya N. A. 

But the builders of ancient Hampi was far more stubborn and committed that even after multiple invasions, most of the history lives to tell the tale. The efforts are still ongoing to discover the true beauty of Hampi that nature has chosen to hide from prying eyes. Every day new excavation sites are charted, new discoveries are made, and every day we are gaining back a bit of the history that makes the world a more beautiful place to live.

For more pictures, Click link below:
https://southernmilestones.blogspot.com/2019/03/blog-post.html

MILE #2 MATRILINY OF NAIR COMMUNITY

                                                                               - by Anagha Pavithran                          

                               Travancore or known as Thiruvananthapuram was a south Indian kingdom that was ruled by Travancore royal family during the late sixteenth century. the kingdom was spread across modern-day Kanyakumari of Tamil Nadu to most of Central- South Kerala. As the second most prosperous state in British India, the Travancore state has taken many steps in the socio-economic development of early Kerala, mainly under the reign of the final ruler of Travancore royal family Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma. The kingdom had a major population of Nair community, who had a number of traditions, rituals, and practices that were unique to them.

                             Kowdiar Palace

                      Credits: Google Photos

  

                 The peculiar social system of the Nair community of Kerala has garnered quite a variance of reactions, from bemusement to abhorrence from the Western world during the colonial reign. It is indeed a claimed novelty of Kerala and more singularly stated the Nair community. Marumakkathayam or the Matrilineal system of inheritance is a distinctive feature of the social organization of Kerala. It is a system of inheritance in which descent is traced along the female line which involves inheritance and succession through the sister's child in the female line.  The Nair community were an honored caste who held a considerable monopoly over the chief militia. The discontent of colonial masters sprung from the conduct of Nair women who greatly deviated from the western virtues of docility and chastity imperative for a woman of sophistication and morale. The Nairs lived in matrilineal joint families called tarawads and they followed the marumakkathayam system. The matrilineal joint family called the tarawads, is made up of a woman, her brothers and sisters, her own and her sisters'sons and daughters and the children of their daughters. According to justice Kunhiraman Nair, the marumakkathayam tarawad is a joint family consisting generally of several members, all tracing descent from a common female ancestor

and living in subjection to the power and under the guidance and control of the senior male who for the time being is its head and representative. A member of the tarawad assumes right to the assets of the tarawad by birth. A Nair was the child of a Kshatriya male and a Nair female, or

a Nambuthiri male and a Nair female or a Nair male and Nair female. The Nairs of Kerala are different from other castes mainly because they trace their descent in the female line and they had a marriage system in which they are allowed to have several husbands simultaneously

with strict rules of hypergamy. Given matrilineal descent and inheritance, and given

the mobility of men and the absence of male economic obligations to kinswomen,

there was no reason why either men or women should restrict themselves to particular spouses. The oppressive and patriarchal social system prevalent over the Kerala terrain took a backseat in the case of the Nair community at least on the lines of ensuring material security and sexual freedom.

                Matriarchs of the Royal family

                     Credits: Google photos

         The system of Matriliny has attributed a divine origin by Brahmin aristocracy by arguing that Parasurama, the legendary founder of Kerala ordered Sudra women "to put off chastity and the clothes that covered their breasts" and do their best to satisfy the desires of the Brahmins. The

fear of divine wrath prevented the Nair families from questioning the right of the Nambuthiris from cohabiting with their women and the Sambandham form of marriage came to have general acceptance. This is a conspicuously exploitative and misogynist foundation laid by those with social hegemony but has ultimately manifested over the course of time into a fairly positive structure, liberating women at least from the reins on her sexual freedom. It also grants financial independence to women because of the very nature of Marrumakathayam which again was a privilege patented by men. However, this does not allude to a society that was unbiased and gender neutral, both genders were subjected to a strictly enforced set of lifestyles that was devotedly adhered to.

As opposed to this there is a view that Makkathayam was the system of inheritance prevalent in ancient Kerala society and marumakkathayam came into vogue at a later period of Kerala History under the impact of some compelling forces. They feel that the matrilineal system was imposed on the people of Kerala by the Nambuthiri Brahmins during the long drawn out war between the

Chera and Chola kingdoms in the 11th century. The "military theory", on the other hand, suggests that as the male members of the Nair families were condemned to military service from the early

days of their youth to the decline of manhood so much so regular married life was not possible in their case and under these circumstances, the Nair women were forced to have Sambandham form of marriage as a necessary evil.Two forms of marriage called talikettu kalyanam and sambandham were in vogue among the Nairs of Kerala. The talikettu kalyanam was a form of marriage which every giri had to undergo before reaching puberty in which a man ties a tali round the neck of the giri. This ceremony had no legal significance and did not confer on the participants the status of husband and wife. TheSambandham, which was arranged by the Karanavans of the family, was not in truth

a marriage, but a state of concubinage to which the woman enters on her own choice and she is at liberty to change as and when she pleases. A Nair woman could have several Sambandham marriages concurrently and in such a case received her visiting husbands seriatum.In Kerala, women did not become an instrument of male tyranny or a religious rope tying two individuals in to death. The proud Nair woman would not go and live with her husband. If a husband arrived to find his bedding put outside, it meant just that his services were either not satisfactory or just not required. He understood the message and, with all the dignity he could muster, he moved out of the life of his wife and her tarawad. The rule is that the marriage connection lasts during pleasure and is

dissoluble at will; lent, as sambandham is always an affair carefully arranged and settled after consulting the wishes of both parties, divorce is a very rare occurrence. Permanent attachment is

the rule. The Matrilineal system and Sambandham was gradually dismantled and disintegrated from the social organization of kerala with the implementation of various acts like the Malabar Marriage Act 1896, the two Nair Regulations of Travancore 1912 and 1925 and the Cochin Nair Act are

significant. The Malabar Marriage Act of 1896 restricted itself to declaring sambandham being registered as marriage. Followed by a series of Nair Regulation acts, gradually the marumakkathayam diminished into oblivion and today it is hardly visible in the social sphere of Kerala.

(Sources and for more detail: http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/60758/8/08_chapter%203.pdf )

A Notable work on the Travancore ancestry :

THE IVORY THRONE BY MANU S. PILLAI  Manu S Pillai’s The Ivory Throne literally mines the treasure troves of history. He finds the lonely women behind the dazzling jewels that stud the persons and temples of the erstwhile rulers of Travancore and reminds us that what we call history is the lived life of another, delving into the matrilineal system of descent that is in oblivion, separated from us in time but not in temperament. 

To Purchase book, Click here!



 Credits: Google photos

MILE#3 DEVDASIS OF SOUTHERN TEMPLES

                                                                                     -by Anoona Parveen 

         
A Devadasi is a hereditary female dancer in a Hindu temple. They had a very important role and place in the history of mankind and the devadasi system was a very important institution in the history of early India.

Credits: Google Photos

A Devadasi, also called as jogini was a young woman of age form 7-year-old who devoted her life to worship the Hindu deity or a temple. They were found in southern and eastern parts of India. The devadasi practice is known in different names in different places as basivi in Karnataka, matangi in

Maharashtra and Bhavin and Kalavantin in Goa. It is also known as venkatasani, nailis, muralis and theradiyan. Other than taking care of the temple and performing rituals, they were forced to learn classical Indian artistic traditions like Bharatanatyam and Odissi dance and due to this, they had a high social status.

          Once a woman becomes Devadasi, she would spend her time learning religious rites, rituals, and dance. They had children by high officials or priests who were also taught their skills of music or dance. Eminent personalities that have come out from this community are Bharat Ratna recipient M S Subbalakshmi and Padma Vibhushan recipient Balasaraswathi. 

           In the region of South India, the system of Devadasi was followed for over 10 centuries. They include Devar Adigalar (servants of the divine) of the Chola empire, Natavalollu - a community of Karnataka living in Andhra Pradesh, Mahari Devadasi of Odisha and Yellamma cult of Karnataka being the most chief group among the following.

          In the border districts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh girl children who fall sick or cannot be taken care of by their families are offered to the goddess Mathamma, the chief deity of the Arunthathiyar Scheduled Caste community. Thereafter, they are referred to as Mathamma, the local name for Devadasis and once the girls attain puberty, the temple priest performs a ritual marrying them to the deity, after which they are not allowed to marry any person. They perform dances during weddings and festivals and the youth of the village, belonging to any caste, are free to exploit them for sex - this is the present situation of Devadasi in modern India. The life expectancy of Devadasi girls is low compared to the average of the country, it is rare to find Devadasis older than fifty.

1. Devadasi (1948)

        One of the much-hyped movies of the 1940s, Devadasi was produced and directed by Sukumar pictures and Manik Lal Tondon respectively. Written by B.S. Ramaiah, the screen story was inspired by the famous French writer Anatole France’s Thais, which was made into a memorable opera.

To know more about the movie

         

MILE #4 THE SULTANA OF MALABAR

                                                                                       -by bisni lidiya

                The Arakkal Kingdom was the dynasty that ruled over pre-independent Kannur and  Lakshadweep (Agatti, Kavaratti, Androth, Kalpeni, and Minicoy islands). the ruling king and queen were addressed as Ali Raja and Arakkal Beevi. The royal family was originally a branch of Kolathiri dynasty. The Arakkal family mainly consisted of the members of the Kolathiri family who later converted into Muslim. Their functions of the kingdom were in allegiance with the Kolathiri family. One of the main tradition followed was that the ruling power was handed over to the female offsprings only. As the only Muslim rulers of Malabar, they sought to defeat the Chirakkal royal family to claim Malabar under its rule. for which they had pledged alliance with  Hyder Ali and later Tippu Sultan.

               Arakkal Aysha Aliraja

             Credits: google photos

But after the Sreerangapattanam treaty, the position of the Beevi lost much of its glory. The settlement in 1796 ensured that the Beevi had possession of both Kannur and Lakshadweep. But the Beevi no longer had sovereignty. However, in the 1864 list of sovereigns in the locality, the Beevi was able to enter her name. Although many of the settlements were broken during the wars that followed the areas under the Arakkal rule remained ignored thus under Beevi's sole rule. 

 The last female Beevi of the Arakkal family was Sultana Aysha Aliraja who retained the position till her death on 27th September 2006. The Beevi's character was played in the 2011 Malayalam movie Urumi by Genelia D'Souza. however, the fictional aspects were far from reality.

Arakkal Ayesha

Credits: Google photos

MOVIES FEATURING THE LEGACY OF ARAKKAL AYESHA :

URUMI (2011)

To watch movie online, click here.

ARCHITECTURAL MARVEL OF HAMPI - Photo feature

                                                                                                                                                                                                       

photographs by K. S. Janardan. 

( Calicut University, Kerala)

 VIJAYA VITTALA TEMPLE
CREDITS:  K. S. JANARDAN

VIRUPAKSHA TEMPLE
CREDITS: K. S. JANARDAN

STONE CHARIOT, HOSPET
CREDITS: K. S. JANARDAN

ACHYUTARAYA TEMPLE

CREDITS: K. S. JANARDAN

STEPPED TANK

CREDITS: K. S. JANARDAN

VIJAYA VITTALA TEMPLE, THE KALYANA MANDHAPA
CREDITS: K. S. JANARDAN

About the authors

Anagha Pavithran

Pursuing Psychology at Indraprastha College for women. Anagha identifies herself as an amateur poet, humanist, feminist and is ideologically left and follows Marxist principles.

  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anu_pavi/

Bisni Lidiya N. A. 

Lidiya is an undergraduate student at the University of Delhi. Other than her love for reading and daydreaming, she doesn't believe in defining herself with a few labels. She is a complex human being constantly in the process of exploring life and reinventing herself

                             Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/lydiapadiyath/

Anoona Parveen

Anoona is a native of northern Kerala. She is an ambitious reader and is passionate about Psychology and its possible applications in the future. In her past time, she enjoys movies, music and travelling.

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/anoona.parveen/