The manner in which the Calicut house is and has been, from the days of hoar antiquity, broken and divided, appears curious in the extreme. It may be supposed that the Brahmans, jealous of the overgrown power of one individual, in the person of the Samiry, endeavoured to temper its force by assigning to the other members of the family certain official dignities, together with concomitant privileges. It is also possible that this partition might have taken place at the solicitation of the princes, who naturally would wish to secure for themselves a settled and independent subsistence. They were appointed to act as a council to the reigning sovereign; they could check his authority as well as aid him in his wisdom; and, finally, they were his principal officers, each having separate and particular duties to perform. By this arrangement, in case of the ruler’s demise, his heir would succeed to the throne without any of the harassing disturbances and sanguinary contentions so common amongst Asiatic nations.
Where rank and property descend from father to son, there is little difficulty in settling the succession. But when families remain united for years under the Murroo-muka-tayum, or inheritance by the nephew or sister’s son—the strange law which prevails among the Rajahs and Nairs of Malabar—it becomes by no means an easy matter to ascertain who is the senior in point of birth. The crafty Brahmans provided against this difficulty by establishing a system of intermediate dignities, which acted as a register, and by requiring a long interval of time, during which each individual’s rights might be frequently discussed and deliberately settled, to elapse between promotion from the inferior to the superior grades.
The head of the Calicut house, who may be supposed to occupy the position of the first Samiry’s mother, is called the Vullia Tumbooratee,[97] or principal queen. She resides in the Kovilugum, or palace of Umbadee. Priority of birth gives a claim to this dignity, and the eldest of all the princesses is entitled to it, no matter what be her relationship to the reigning sovereign. The Umbadee is the only indispensable palace; but, for the sake of convenience, an unlimited number of private dwellings have been established for the junior princesses. Thus we find the “new palace,” the “eastern palace” (relatively to the Umbadee), the “western palace,” and many others.[98] The queen and princesses are compelled to occupy the residences allotted to their several ranks; they are also prohibited from holding any commerce with men of their own family, as their paramours must either be of the Kshatriya[99] (military) caste, or Numboory Brahmans, and may not be changed without the consent of the Samiry and that of the whole body of near relations.
The princes are taken according to their seniority out of the above-mentioned Umbadees, and the eldest of all, when a death occurs, becomes the Samiry. There are five palaces of state allotted to the different princes—namely, the Samotree Kovilugum, or palace of the First Rajah; the Yeirumpiree Kovilugum, or palace of the Yellia Rajah—the heir apparent to the Samiry-ship; and three others, which are respectively termed the “Governments of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Portions.” After that a prince has been once established in any of these dignities, his order of rank may be considered finally settled: he cannot be superseded, but must, if he lives, rise step by step—each time with formal investiture—till he attains the highest dignity. Whenever a superior palace becomes vacant, he is duly installed in it, and succeeds to the revenue arising from the landed property belonging to it. But he cannot remove any of the furniture, or the gold and silver utensils, from the inferior residence which he formerly occupied, as these articles are considered public goods, and, as such, are marked with distinctive stamps. Under all circumstances, however, the prince retains the right of private property.
The principles of the arrangement which we have attempted to describe, not only exist in the Calicut house but pervade all the families of the different Rajahs in Malabar.
In the intercourse between the princes there is much ceremony, and, as might be expected, little affection. No one is allowed to sit down in the presence of a superior; all must stand before the Samiry, and do obeisance to him with folded hands.
According to a census taken in 1846, the different castes were enumerated as follows in round numbers:—
| 1. | Numboory Brahmans | 5,500 | |
| 2. | Puttur, or foreign Brahmans | 15,200 | |
| 3. | Nairs | 370,000 | |
| 4. | Tiyars | 340,000 | |
| 5. | Moplahs | 315,000 | |
| 6. | Fishermen | 15,300 | |
| 7. | Chermur, or serfs | 160,000 | |
| 8. | Christians and other strangers | 9,000 | |
| Total | 1,230,000 | [100] |