MY DAD

38

Odiang: Chapter Two - The Chetty Malacca History

zzzz

ODIANG

A Loving & Speculative Chronicle of

Francis Joseph Pillay (My Dad),

told against the long and colourful passage of the Chetty Malacca community through the history of Malacca.

By Gerald F Pillay

Chapter Two

The Chetty Malacca History

-

Beginnings: Chetty Malacca

Who are the Chetty Malacca[footnoteRef:1]? As near as may be surmised, we are the product of the monsoons and human nature, the outcome and survivors of history. The famous geography dictum applies: at the Equator, the seas unite and the jungles divide. [1: There are many derivations and spellings of the name. I use the Malay-language format, with the adjective following, and my own choice of spelling. For some reference to the origins of the name, see page 11]

The first strike must go to the monsoons. These steady winds blow across the Indian Ocean from India to South East Asia for six months, and then reverse direction. They do exactly the same thing across the South China Sea, creating a parallel history, but we are not concerned with that here. What is pertinent is that the monsoon winds were responsible for generating continuous streams of Indian merchant traders from the Coromandel coast to and fro South East Asia and beyond, from as far back as the first centuries of the last millennium.

The second strike goes to history. When the prince of Srivijaya, Parameswara, founded the port of Malacca in 1402, in the sheltered waters of the straits, it immediately attracted the monsoon traffic from both sides of the peninsula, the Chinese and the Indians. For the latter it was in fact the nearest safe port of call. Among the earliest Indian arrivals were wealthy and influential Tamil Hindu merchant traders, identified in some sources as coming from Panai in (now) Tamil Nadu. It is reported that these successfully gained comparative advantage, were much respected, and in time became the largest and most influential Indian community in Malacca. One of them even served as Dato Shah Bandar (harbour master).

The third strike goes to human nature. By custom of those times, Indian women were not allowed to travel abroad. Soon, our Tamil forebears discovered the monsoon to be unseasonably long, while the charms of our beauteous Malay damsels grew utterly irresistible. The influence and wealth of the foreigners may or may not have provided some attraction. Religion was no barrier as Malay culture at that point had grown from Hindu roots. Commentators seem to suggest that the ruling powers gave their blessings to the unions. So, our ancestors happily married each other, setting up local domicile. These were the beginnings of our community. I formed the impression they occupied the higher positions on the social ladder.

More Beginnings: Birth of Malacca

When we come to Malacca, we owe it all to a mouse deer. But before that we must briefly mention Srivijaya, which provided the human agency for the founding of both Temasek and Malacca through the scions of its illustrious royal house.

In the mid-seventh century, there arose in Sumatra, centred in Palembang, the mighty Buddhist-Malay Kingdom of Srivijaya. By the end of the same century, it embraced most of Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula up to Siam, and parts of the Malay Archipelago. By the eleventh century it had extended its suzerainty to West Java, and thence across the islands to Manila, embracing the Moluccas, the Sulu Archipelago and the Visayas the last were named after it. Arab accounts state that the empire was so large that in two years the swiftest vessel could not travel round all its islands. Located astride the Straits of Sunda and Malacca, it controlled all traffic between India and China, and exacted a toll on all shipping passing through. Its capital was the premire trade emporium of its time. Srivijaya became renowned for Buddhist scholarship and learning, and it was the source-springs of Malay culture. Srivijaya maintained diplomatic and tributary relations with China, and friendly relations with among others the Chola Kingdom of the Coramandel. But, relations with the latter deteriorated in the twelfth century, and the Cholas went to war against Srivijaya, eventually conquering Kedah. Decades of internecine warfare with the Javanese Kingdom of Majapahit also weakened it, and its vassal states broke away. Finally, it was vanquished by the latter in 1368.

In 1324, a prince of Srivijaya, Sri Maharaja Sang Utama Parameswara Batara Sri Tribuwana (also known as Sang Nila Utama) founded the Kingdom of Temasek[footnoteRef:2], which he ruled for 48 years. He was confirmed as ruler over Temasek by an envoy of the Chinese Emperor in 1366. He was succeeded by his son (13721386), grandson (13861399) and lastly his great-grandson Paduka Sri Maharaja Parameswara (1399-1411) In 1401, Parameswara was expelled from Temasek following its destruction by the Majapahit. He travelled north to Muar, then Ujong Tanah and Biawak Busuk, before founding Malacca in 1402. According to the Sejarah Melayu, the prince saw a mouse deer outwit a dog when he was resting under a Malacca tree. He took what he saw as a good omen and decided to establish the capital of his kingdom there. He called his kingdom Malacca. [2: The Sejarah Melayu (translated Leyden, 1821) states that Sang Nila Utama named it Singhapura.]

Malacca: Sultanate & Empire

At the foundation of Malacca, the people were virtually all Hindu. According to the Sejarah Melayu, Parameswara dreamt that Mohammed came to him, proclaiming the Islamic creed. Afterwards, Parameswara dreamt again, this time of a man named Sayyid Abu Al-Hassan who lectured him about the religion. Later the same man arrived and converted him, whereon he adopted the name Sultan Iskandar Shah. An alternative report states that In 1409[footnoteRef:3], the prince (now king) became a Muslim due to his marriage to a Muslim princess from Pasai. His marriage encouraged a number of his subjects to embrace Islam. [3: The Official Website of Malacca gives this date as 1414, but this seems improbably.]

Sultan Iskandar Shah (or Parameswara as he was still referred to) carried out far-reaching reforms. These enhanced Malacca as a peaceful destination and centre of trade. Traders from the surrounding region and from as far away as India, Arabia and China traded in the port. He also laid down the formalities of the Malay court ceremonials and regalia that have been adopted by succeeding Malay royalties all over the peninsula, including the Nobat, and the white and yellow umbrellas for royalty. He also started the system of administration based on a hierarchy of court officials. With this stream-lining, trade and commerce rapidly developed in Malacca.

The Official Website of Malacca records that in 1403, the first Chinese trade envoy led by Admiral Yin Ching arrived in Malacca. In 1409, Admiral Cheng Ho, Commander of the Chinese Imperial fleet, arrived in Malacca on the first of his seven voyages to the Indian Ocean. And, in 1411, Parameswara journeyed to China with an entourage of 540 and met the Ming Emperor Yung Lo. Parameswara maintained the highest level relationship with China. I can do no better than quote the following in full to explain this:

At the same time, Malacca had a good relationship with Ming, resulting in Zheng He's visits. Parameswara had met the Ming emperor to receive a Letter of Friendship, hence making Malacca the first foreign kingdom to attain such treatment. In 1409, the sultan paid tribute to the Ming emperor to ask for protection against Siam and Malacca was made as protectorate of Ming China. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malacca_Sultanate

In 1414, his son visited China, when he informed the Emperor that his father had died. His was recognised as the second ruler of Malacca by the Chinese Emperor. His adopted the name Sultan Megat Iskandar Shah, and he ruled Malacca from 1414 to 1424.

The third ruler of Malacca was Raja Tengah or Radin Tengah. According to the Sejarah Melayu, he embraced Islam and took the title Muhammad Shah. Other scholars believe this could also have been due to him marrying a Tamil Muslim wife. On his decease In 1444, he was succeeded by Raja Ibrahim.

By this time, there could have been some tension in Melaka between the growing Tamil Muslim community and the traditional Hindu Malays, for Raja Ibrahim does not seem to have embraced the new religion but instead adopted the title Sri Parameswara Dewa Shah. He ruled for less than seventeen months - in 1445, he was stabbed to death. He had an elder half-brother, by a Tamil Muslim common woman, called Raja Kasim. He assumed the throne (in 1456), taking the name Sultan Muzaffar Shah. - signalling a new golden era for the Melaka Sultanate[footnoteRef:4]. [4: Raja Ibrahim was also known as Sultan Abu Syahid Shah. He was a practicing Hindu. His taking a Hindu title represented a traditionalist reaction in Malacca against Islam, the new religion. After his death, he was given the title Sultan Abu Syahid, which means the Martyred King.]

http://www.sabrizain.org/malaya/parames.htm

The small city state would now become a Sultanate and an Empire. Sultan Muzaffar Shah appointed the famous Tun Perak as his Bendahara, styled Bendahara Paduka Raja - a man deeply respected by the Sultan's Malay subjects and a man he knew had the charisma, ability and courage to build his Empire. Tun Perak would shape the history of Malacca for the next 40 years and serve as Bendahara under four Sultans. Malacca quickly mounted a series of military campaigns subjugating the surrounding states and in east coast Sumatra. In 1459, on his decease, he was succeed by his son Sultan Mansur Shah, The latter successfully a