Arakkal Dynasty

Arakkal (Kingdom of Cannanore, Sultanate of Laccadive and Cannanore) was a previous city-state on the Malabar Coast, ruled by the dynasty of the same name. The ruling King was called Ali Raja and the ruling queen was called Arakkal Beevi. Arakkal Kingdom consists of the Cannanore town, the southern Laccadive Islands (Agatti, Kavaratti, Androth and Kalpeni, and also Minicoy). The regal family is said to be initially a branch of the Kolattiri, descended from a princess of that family who changed over to Islam.They owed constancy to the Kolattiri rulers, whose ministers they had been at one time. The rulers took after a specific law of legacy general among the Hindus of Malabar under which the progression is dependably to the posterity of its female individuals only.

There is a consensus among scholars that the Arakkal family had Nair origins: In the seventeenth century, one of the Padanairs (commanders) of Kolathiri, Arayankulangara Nair, changed over to Islam. His wife was the daughter of Kolathiri, and they later came to be known as Arakkal. Around this time, numerous Muslim trader families turned out to be monetarily persuasive in the Malabar area. At the point when the Arakkal family took control of Lakshadweep, they accomplished close regal status.

Arakkal Dynasty Backstory

There is a legend that, centuries ago, Kolathu Nadu (presently Kannur district) was ruled by Chirakkal Raja. His daughter began to drown while bathing in the Chirakkal kulam (pond). Her friends cried and shouted but were unable to rescue her. A passing Muslim boy named Muhammad Ali, usually called as Mammali, heard a shouting and came to find out what was wrong. He recognized the girl drowning in the pond as the princess, but was hesitant about saving her because untouchability and if a lower-caste person touched an upper-caste person it was considered a sin, possibly punishable by death. However, the boy rescued her and gave her his mundu to cover herself. When the news reached the Chirakkal Raja, he called his daughter and the Muslim boy to him.

At that time, if a person gave a "pudava" (a protracted material used for masking the frame) to an unmarried female, they had been considered married. The scholars of the courtroom told the Raja that since his daughter was touched by a Muslim, she was no longer allowed to go into the palace. But, the boy had given her his pudava, so she become married to him as properly. However, the Raja was unhappy to give his daughter to a poor family but as in step with the custom the king had no other choice however to present his daughter to the Muslim boy. Therefore she turned into declared an outcaste but given that she was married to Mammali, the King granted her the land at Kannur and the palace of Arakkal Kettu as dowry and so he have become the ruler of a part of the country. The area given to the boy was known as Arakkal and his family was called the Arakkal family. The ruler's daughter was known as Arakkal Beevi.

In path of time, Arakkal own family became the masters of the Kannur market. Their income mainly came from the foreign trade. The Poruguese,the Dutch and the English attempted to maintain friendly members of the family with the Arakkal circle of relatives due to their influence within the field of commerce. Arakkal circle of relatives additionally had the ownership of the Lakshadweep islands. Arakkal Bibi’s palace became vey massive and considered one of the greatest buildings in Malabar. Ali Raja had come to be a distinguished figure after the acquisition of fort St:Angelo,Kannur from the Dutch in 1772.  However after a few years, Arakkal Bibi had pressured to give up her political independence to English. Even after that, throughout the 1921 Malabar insurrection Arakkal circle of relatives stood at the side of the British authorities and appealed to the Moplahs not to participate in any outbreak. While there has been a rebellion between the Thiyyas and Moplahs in Kannur,the Arakkal house played a prominent role in restoring peace. Ali Raja Sultana Zainaba Aysha Beevi was the last head of the Arakkal dynasty.

The Matriarchal system

The Arakkal family followed a matriarchal system of descent: the eldest member of the family, whether male or female, became its head and ruler. While male rulers were called Ali Rajah, female rulers were known as Arakkal Beevis. Sultana Aysha Aliraja was the ruler until her death on the morning of September 27, 2006.

Rulers of Arakkal Dynasty

·    Ali Raja Ali (1545 - 1591)

·        Ali Raja Abubakar I (1591 - 1607)

·        Ali Raja Abubakar II (1607 - 1610)

·        Ali Raja Muhammad Ali I (1610 - 1647)

·        Ali Raja Muhammad Ali II (1647 - 1655)

·        Ali Raja Kamal (1655 - 1656)

·        Ali Raja Muhammad Ali III (1656 - 1691)

·        Ali Raja Ali II (1691 - 1704)

·        Ali Raja Kunhi Amsa I (1704 - 1720)

·        Ali Raja Muhammad Ali IV (1720 - 1728)

·        Ali Raja Bibi Harrabichi Kadavube (1728 - 1732)

·        Ali Raja Bibi Junumabe I (1732 - 1745)

·        Ali Raja Kunhi Amsa II (1745 - 1777)

·        Ali Raja Bibi Junumabe II (1777 - 1819)

Heads of the Arakkal Dynasty since 1819

·        Ali Raja Bibi Mariambe (1819 - 1838)

·        Ali Raja Bibi Hayashabe (1838 - 1852)

·        Ali Raja Abdul Rahman I (1852 - 1870)

·        Ali Raja Musa Ali (1870 - 1899)

·        Ali Raja Muhammad Ali V (1899 - 1907)

·        Ali Raja Bibi Imbichi (1907 - 1911)

·        Ali Raja Ahmad Ali (1911 - 1921)

·        Ali Raja Bibi Ayesha (1921 - 1931)

·        Ali Raja Abdul Rahman II (1931 - 1946)

·        Ali Raja Bibi Arakkal Mariumma (1946 - 1947)

·        Ali Raja Sultan Hamza (1947-?)

·        Ali Raja Sultana Aysha Beevi (?-2006)

·        Ali Raja Sultana Zainaba Beevi (2006-present)