Arabi-Malayalam Account of Foreign Antagonism; A Study on Malappuram Padappattu and Cherur Padappattu

Abstract

In the history of India, Malabar has always been a politically important region. Starting with the Portuguese, the British East India Company and later the British Government unleashed many atrocities in Malabar. The Mappila community of Malabar has always strongly resisted foreign invasions in the region. Ever since the Portuguese invasion was unleashed, the Muslims of Malabar have been on the path of struggle against it with weapons and literary works. The Mappilas have maintained the same tradition even during the British occupation. Arabi Malayalam literature has contributed greatly to such activities. Many books have been written in Malabar that uphold the anti-foreign stance. This article intends to bring up the historical significance of the earliest compositions, such as Malappuram Patapattu and Cherur Patapattu. Although these two works written in Arabi Malayalam do not appear to use a single word against the British, both of them were banned by the colonial administration, and therefore this article tries to examine in what form they are anti-British.