Jenmi is the term used to refer to the landed aristocracy of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
. They formed the landowning
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
as well as the
landed gentry
The landed gentry, or the ''gentry'', is a largely historical British social class of landowners who could live entirely from rental income, or at least had a country estate. While distinct from, and socially below, the British peerage, th ...
of the region during Medieval times, and the majority of the estates and feudal properties were owned by this community. They predominantly belonged to the
Nambudiri
The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Nampoothiri, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of the traditional feudal el ...
(Brahmin priests) and
Nair
The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histor ...
(kings, lords and soldiers) castes, and it was not unusual for an aristocratic family to own up to of land. The
Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
s of
Cochin
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
and
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
, as wells as many other rulers such as those of Punjar in
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
, were well known for their numerous feudal estates. Temples like the
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
The Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple located in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the state of Kerala, India. The name of the city of 'Thiruvananthapuram' in Tamil and Malayalam translates to "The City of Lord Ananta" (The City ...
in Trivandrum (controlled by the Maharaja of Travancore), the
Koodalmanikyam Temple
Koodalmanikyam Temple is a Hindu temple in Irinjalakuda Municipality, Thrissur district, Kerala, India . The temple comprises a main structure, a walled compound with citadels, and four ponds around the main structure one of which is within ...
(controlled by the
Thachudaya Kaimal
The Thachudaya Kaimals were a lineage of ruling chiefs in Travancore, now in the Indian state of Kerala. The Thachudaya Kaimal is a sacerdotal dignitary in Kerala and is considered the spiritual chief and temporal ruler of the Koodalmanikyam Templ ...
) and the
Guruvayoor Temple
Guruvayur Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Guruvayurappan, a form of Vishnu, located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala, India. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and is often referred ...
of
M. R. Ry. The honorific prefix Maha Raja Rajya Shri (abbreviated to M. R. Ry or formerly M. R. Ry.) is a Style (manner of address), style that is used before the names of certain classes of south Indian nobility.
Usage
The abbreviation of the title is said ...
were built on lands owned by these feudal aristocrats. The
Zamorin
The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited by ...
s of
Calicut
Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...
were also Jenmis in their own right, owning at least 60,000 to 90,000 acres of estate lands.
Today, however, there are restrictions placed on the amount of land one can own in Kerala. A token pension is normally paid to Jenmis who have ceded their lands, but the
Government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
has refused to do so from time to time.
The largest landlords of
Malabar
Malabar may refer to the following:
People
* Malabars, people originating from the Malabar region of India
* Malbars or Malabars, people of Tamil origin in Réunion
Places
* Malabar Coast, or Malabar, a region of the southwestern shoreline o ...
included the
Vengayil family which owned of forest lands, while the Chirakkal Raja owned about of land. Other major Jenmis included the Kurumathoor Namburidipad (5,615 acres) and the Kalliat Nambiar (36,779 acres).
Organised violence against Jenmis
There have been several incidences of violence against Jenmis, influenced by Communists.
Kayyur Incident:
Kayyur
Kayyur is a village in Kasaragod district in the state of Kerala, India.Nearest town is Cheemeni.
Administration
Kayyur is a small village in the Hosdurg taluk. Kayyur Incident
In 1940, peasants there under the leadership of communists ...
is a small village in
Hosdurg taluk
Hosdurg is one of four taluks that constitute the Kasaragod District, Kerala. Others are Kasaragod, Manjeshwaram and Vellarikundu taluks. In the north, it borders Kasaragod taluk; in south, the Kannur District; in the east, Vellarikundu talu ...
. In 1940, peasants there under the leadership of communists rose against the two local Jenmis, Nambiar of Kalliat and the Nayanar of Karakkatt Edam. Several people were killed in the conflict and four Communist leaders were found guilty and hanged by the government. A fifth instigator was sentenced to life imprisonment and was spared from the death penalty, since he was under the age of criminal liability.
Mattannur Incident:
Mattanur
Mattanur, also spelled Mattannur, is a town, municipality, and an aerotropolis in Kannur district, Kerala, India. Mattanur is about 27 km east of Kannur and Thalassery, two major towns of the district.
Mattanur lies between Kannur, ...
witnessed large scale communal riots between the
Moplah
Mappila Muslim, often shortened to Mappila, formerly anglicized as Moplah/Mopla and historically known as Jonaka/Chonaka Mappila or Moors Mopulars/Mouros da Terra and Mouros Malabares, in general, is a member of the Muslim community of same ...
tenants and their Nair landlords during 1852. The riots started when an armed band of 200 Moplahs entered the house of the local landlord, Kalathil Kesavan Thangal, and massacred his entire family of 18 members. The rioters then decided to eliminate the most powerful Jenmi in the district, Kalliat Anandan Nambiar. However, their plans were somehow leaked and the landlord fled with his family, leaving his nephew Kalliat Kammaran Nambiar to defend the land. Kammaran Nambiar organized a militia of 300 Nair warriors and waited for the rioters. The unsuspecting rioters were ambushed and massacred, and the tenants were forced to abandon their campaign and disband.
Kerala District Gazetteers: Cannanore – Google Books
/ref>
Korom Incident:
Another historic movement was at Korom village in Payyanur on 12 April 1948. Farmers from Payyanur Farka marched to the rice godown of the landlord, Aalakkat Mavila Kunhambu Nambiar, and took control of it and distributed the rice stored there among them. The Malabar Special Police force arrested the volunteers, including K P Kunhikkannan, the leader of the "Karshaka Sangham", upon the request of the landlord. To protest against these arrests, people marched to the spot where the volunteers were kept under police custody. The police started firing on the procession, and this resulted in the death of a harijan youth named Pokkan, who became the first martyr in Payyanur Farka during the 1948 movement.
See also
* Pulleri Illathu Madhusoodanan Thangal
The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Nampoothiri, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of the traditional feudal e ...
* Kesava Pillai of Kandamath
M. R. Ry. Chempakaraman Padmanabhan Kesava Pillai Avergal of Kandamath, Pillai of Kandamath (1830–1924), was an Indian Zamindar, one of the jenmis of Travancore and a member of the Sree Moolam Popular Assembly.
Life
Early life
He was born ...
* Mannarghat Nair
Mannarghat Muppil Nair (Kunnattattil Madambil Nair) was the royal title usually given to the eldest male member of Mannarghat Muppil Nair family. He was a "desavazhi" (provincial governor) under Valluvanad (southern Malabar, India), looking after ...
References
{{reflist
Jenmi