Ezhava
Kalarippayyattu (native martial art) experts and Ezhava nobles of Travancore
had the title Panicker. The title Chekavar is a centuries-old title of Ezhava
and Thiyya warriors (Thiyyas = Ezhavas of Malabar). These titles of Ezhava
community were used by their successors as their surnames but new generation
Ezhavas rarely use surnames.
The
famous Cheerappanchira tharavad of Ezhava Kalarippayattu experts is situated at
Muhamma in Alappuzha. It is believed that Lord Ayyappan was trained in
Kalarippayyattu at this tharavad. The hermitage where Lord Ayyappan lived
during his training period has been preserved in its original form by the
descendants of the Cheerappanchira family. The great Sree Narayana Guru used
this hermitage during his visit to this family. Hence it has got the name Swamy
Madtam. The Kalari (martial art training centre) of this tharavad has been
revived in the early part of the twenty first century. Presently, Sri. Somasekhara Panicker is the
head of the tharavad and his son Sri. Kesav Lal is the chief priest of the Mukkal
Vattom Sree Ayyappa temple of the Cheerappanchira family.
The
famous Ezhava Kalarippayyattu expert Mokkad Kesava Panicker of the Mokkad
tharavad near Pettah in Thiruvananthapuram was the Kalarippayyattu trainer of
Kazhakuttam Pillai’s (head of the Ettuveettil-pillamar) army. His Kalari was
situated at Oruvaathilkotta in Thiruvananthapuram and later, on the request of
Kazhakuttam Pillai, the Kalari was shifted to Kazhakuttam in Thiruvananthapuram
along with the Kalari Deity of Chamundi Devi. After some time, the same Deity
was shifted to Thozhuvancode in Thiruvananthapuram by the Mokkad Kesava
Panicker and there he founded the famous Chamundi Devi temple. His descendant,
late Sree Thulaseedhara Swamikal was the secretary of the temple. Now his
nephew is the secretary and they follow the traditional Marumakkathayam
(matrilineal system) for the administration of the temple. Thozhuvancode Chamundi
Devi temple is one of the beautiful and powerful Devi temples in south India. Sree
Thulaseedhara Swamikal dedicated his entire life for the development of the
temple.
In
the eighteenth century Travancore, there were many Ezhava warriors like Renakeerthy
Chekavar (Chief Commander of Marthanda Varma’s army), Akathiyadi Panicker
(Chief army Commander of Kottarakkara kingdom), Ambanattu Panicker (landlord
and chief army commander of Chempakassery kingdom), Pappan Chekavar
(Kalarippayyattu trainer, palace physician and commander of Chempazhanthy
Pillai’s army), Lokanatha Panicker and his son Patheenatha Panicker of
Varanapally tharavad (Chief army commanders of Kayamkulam kingdom). These
great Ezhava warriors were totally ignored by the biased historians. These
historians further suppressed the importance of Ezhavas in Kerala history but
they could not succeed fully as nobody can hide the truth for ever. However,
the records of Ezhava history before the nineteenth century were almost
destroyed by them and their aim was to hide the prestigious past of Ezhavas.
They also tried their best to establish that Ezhavas were of lower caste and thereby
tarnished the dignity and self respect of Ezhavas. It is well known that Ezhavas
were not a part of the four-tier caste system (Chathurvarniyam) of Aryan Hindus
and hence Ezhava community cannot be categorized as a caste.
In
fact, Ezhavas were an ethnic martial community who migrated to Kerala many
centuries before the arrival of the Aryans. During that time, Ezhavas were
known as Villavars and were the founders of Chera Kingdom. It is believed that Ezhavas were Buddhists
from Java and Sumatra islands (Indonesia)
and had European lineage. Ezhavas were
not the natives of Srilanka but they initially migrated to Srilanka from Java
and Sumatra islands and from Srilanka they
migrated to Kerala. So they were called Ezhavas which means people of Ezham
(Srilanka) or Dweepans (island dwellers). Ezhavas were masters of
Kalarippayyattu and were courageous warriors. (Kalarippayyattu is a native
martial art and it is related to Chinese martial art Shaolin Kung-fu which was
practised by Buddhist monks).
After
the Aryan migration to Kerala from north India, Kshatrias among the Aryan
Hindus became the rulers of Kerala and gradually Buddhists temples in Kerala
became Hindu temples. Ezhavas did not join the Aryan Hindus but they followed
Hinduism themselves. During that time
Ezhavas worshipped Buddhist Gods Cittan and Arattan along with Hindu Gods. They
were also snake worshippers like Aryans and aristocratic Ezhava families had
their own Sarpa kavus (Snake groves). It is believed that Ezhavas might have
been attracted to Hinduism and became completely Hindus without any force from
the Aryans as it was impossible to force the majority Ezhavas by the minority
Aryans during that period in Kerala. After many centuries, Aryans and Ezhavas
of Kerala became Malayalees (Malayalam speaking people). Malayalam is a
Dravidian language which originated from Tamil but Malayalam incorporated many Sanskrit
elements also.
Ezhavas
were given special privileges and equal status by the Kshatria rulers of
Travancore, Kochi
and Malabar till the end of the eighteenth century as the majority of the
population, soldiers and army chiefs were Ezhavas. But from the beginning of
the nineteenth century, Ezhavas were severely discriminated in Travancore
because of some other reasons and it continued till the temple entry
proclamation in the year AD1936. The discrimination against Ezhavas initially began
in Travancore and later it spread to Kochi
and Malabar. Ezhavas were discriminated for more than a century and the history
was erased or rewritten to suit the rivals of Ezhavas. The great Arattupuzha
Velayudha Panicker of Travancore and the great Kuroolli Chekon (Kadathanadan
Simham) of Malabar fought against this discrimination against Ezhavas during
the nineteenth century.
The
great Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker (Kalisseril Velayudha Chekavar) was born
in an affluent Ezhava family of the famous Kalisseril tharavad in Arattupuzha village of Karthikapally in central Travancore in
the year AD.1825. He was immensely rich, seven feet tall, fair complexioned, a
Kalarippayyatu expert, Ayurveda, Astrology and Sanskrit scholar. His
grandfather Vallikadavil Perumal Chekavar was a famous Tulunadan Kalarippayattu
expert and his family members were also fierce warriors. It was impossible for
his rivals to fight against him during his lifetime and hence the
discrimination against Ezhavas could not be easily continued in Travancore
during his period. He was a very powerful protector of Ezhavas and other
oppressed communities in Travancore and he built the first Siva temple for
them. The great Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker was assassinated by treachery
while sleeping in his boat in January 1874. The discrimination against Ezhavas
ruthlessly continued again in Travancore after his assassination. The
discrimination affected the progress of Ezhavas and they became a backward
community. The nineteenth century (AD.1800-1900) was a terrible period for
Ezhavas and during that period, many Ezhavas converted to other religions. It
is believed that during the eighteenth century, seventy per cent of the
population in Kerala (Travancore, Kochi
and Malabar) was Ezhavas. Now the Ezhava population in Kerala is only
twenty-seven per cent. However, Ezhavas are still the single largest Hindu
community of Kerala. Following the teachings of the great Sree Narayana Guru
and after many years of hard work, now Ezhavas are in the forefront of Kerala
society. They have become the most powerful, major, wealthy, enlightened,
patriotic and progressive Hindu community of Kerala.
(Information
collected from various sources is included in the above article. Corrections if
any are welcome)
