Mappilas- The Malabar Muslims

On the Malabar coast in Kerala, there lives a unique community whose roots can be traced back to the 7th-century spice trade with the Arabs in South India. The story tries to explore more about this community.

A group of Mappila women performing a wedding song. Source: Google

Kerala, the southern state situated on the Indian coastline, is said to be God's own country because of its enchanting beauty with its lush green landscapes, pristine beaches, and aesthetic hill stations. The backwaters are a popular attraction among tourists along with the food and the wildlife the state has to offer. Just as one would expect in 'god's country', Kerala's population is an amalgamation of various religious and ethnic communities that fit together as perfectly as puzzle pieces. One of these communities is the Mappila Muslims who came about as a result of the spice trade with the Arabs.

Kerala, even in the olden times, was famous worldwide for its spices that grew because of the unique climate and proximity to the sea and thus was an important attraction from traders across the world, mainly the Arabs from the Gulf. These traders were respected widely in the South Indian state for their honesty and character. The traders also helped boost the economy of the kingdom which earned them the confidence of the Hindu rulers, notably the "Cherman Perumals". It is said that the Perumals were one of the earliest people to embrace Islam in India, much before Islam became popular in the Northern part of India. The evidence given in this regard is that the architecture of the earliest mosque in Kerala, Cheruman Juma Masjid, is much different than the Mughal/ Persian architecture found in North India.

The word Mappila means "great child", in the ancient Dravidian language as the people of this community are mostly descendants of foreign traders of Middle Eastern descent that came to South India through the Indian Ocean trade routes. The children born out of matrimonial alliances with foreign Muslim traders were called Mappilas or "great child" as a matter of respect, and this along with the ever-increasing trade led to the propagation of Islam along the Malabar coast.

The Mappila Muslims have a distinct language as well as culture from the Muslims of the North. Their language is Arab-Malayalam and are one of the few Muslim communities that don't speak Urdu in India. This community also has a very distinctive cuisine which is a blend of South Indian recipes with Arab influences. The people belonging to this community are also very educated and liberated due to the migration to Gulf countries for education and better living conditions. The Mappila Muslims are the second-largest religious community in Kerala after  Hindus and while they are mainly concentrated in North Kerala, they are also spread in southern Karnataka and some parts of Tamil Nadu.

Not much has been written about this community before 1921, after which their rebellions against the British were well documented like the infamous Wagon Tragedy where around 70 farmers lost their lives in a gruesome manner after revolting against the oppressive British Raj. The Mappila community had always been against any outside rule and also had revolted against the Portuguese traders in the seventeenth century. The movement of this community against the British started in 1921, all the way till the country attained Independence. They also played a huge role in the Indian Independence struggle in the southern states.

Thus, this community occupies a very important place religiously as well as culturally in the history of Kerala not to mention India as well and also has played a very eminent role in the Indian Independence struggle.