Chinali, the Forgotten Lieutenant

Many oft-forgotten heroes get relegated to the background. The Marakkars ruled the coast of Calicut, and one could say that they were immensely influential and powerful. Although the history of Marakkars remains to be studied in detail, a few accounts from their rule strengthen the lore of their reign. This story is about a sailor, a slave, who became the most trusted lieutenant of the Kunjali Marakkar IV.

Kunjali IV challenged the Portuguese with his right-hand man Chinali. Image source: Tyndis

In the 16th century, the Chinese traders were one of the first communities to set their bases in Malacca. As an important port and site on the trading route, the waters around Malacca were heavily guarded and strategically patrolled. Now that many Chinese people were living in the region and the Marakkars had close contact with those traders, it was around this time a young slave named Chinali was found in Malacca. No one knows if he was an inhabitant of the land or one of the remaining Chinese people in Calicut. However, whatever little information exists about Chinali is known through the Portuguese accounts.

Some believed that Chinali was a servant to the Chinese, while others speculate that he was a Muslim from China and worked for the Arabs. Still others are of the belief that he was a slave of the Portuguese. According to the records of François Pyrard, Chinali was a young Chinese sailor who had been taken as a slave by the Portuguese. Historians such as Pyrard harboured an anti-Portuguese sentiment and attributed some traits of Chinali's personality to the torture he might have faced at their hands.

As fate would have it, Chinali was brought to Kunjali Marakkar, who instantly took a liking to him. He trusted Chinali with his life. Soon, Chinali became Marakkar's right-hand man, and together they were unstoppable. Such was the terror of the duo that in the Battle of Chalium in 1571, the Portuguese were left with no alternative but to accept defeat and flee the main fort of Malabar.

When Kunjali's strength grew, he waged wars against the Portuguese—a move that threatened the previously signed peace treaties between the Zamorin and the Portuguese. But then, this move only infuriated the Zamorin, and the Portuguese, who had faced the humiliation of the first defeat, were now determined to claim victory.

In 1599, the Portuguese emerged victorious, and Kunjali was captured. This news spread like wildfire, and soon Kunjali's nephews, Chinali, and many other captains tried to escape. However, they were caught by the Portuguese. Kunjali was hung or guillotined. While the style of his death remains a mystery, it is knowns that his head was put as an exhibit for the public in Goa and Cannanore.

Now came the turn of Chinali. The young boy to whom Kunjali gave shelter and power harboured a strong resentment against the Portuguese, who used to buy young Chinese slaves for dirt-cheap prices. It is said that Chinali, the trusted lieutenant of Kunjali IV, converted to Christianity before his sentence was carried out. Chinali was then buried in the ground.

The story of Chinali is a short yet powerful one. It shows that despite his grim fate; the boy rose to great heights and held an influential rank. Whenever people recall Kunjali IV, they also remember Chinali, a young boy whose life changed when tumultuous currents swept him through to Kunjali.