Channar or Shanar is a sub-division of the Tamil Nadar community. Their traditional occupation was toddy-tapping. The Nadar community is mostly found in the southern parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Channar revolt was organised by Christian Channar women to get the right to wear upper cloth or Melmundu. That's why it is also known as Upper cloth revolt and Melmundu Samaram. Melmundu is a traditional white cotton shawl of Kerala.
In the recent version of Channar revolt the name Melmundu Samaram is changed to Marumarakkal Samaram. This new version says that the high-caste Hindus of ancient Kerala were extremely cruel and they never allowed the people of lower caste to wear upper garments. This is why some people believe that the Channar revolt was organised by the Christian Channar women to get the right to cover the upper part of their body. It was not so. In those days, the traditional dress of Christian women in Kerala (Malabar and Travancore) was long blouse and Mundu. This revolt was organised to bring the right to wear Melmundu or shawl by Christian Channar women. I am writing this blog only to clear some misconceptions about this incident, not to hurt any community. All the information about Channar revolt were taken from the books which I used for reference.
When I was searching about the Channar revolt on the internet, I found a book "Liberation of the Oppressed: a Continous Struggle" written by Kumari Thanthai Shri.Marshall A. Nesamony. In this book there is a section with title "ATTACK BY VELLALAS (1859)" which gives details of the order of T.Pycroft. A part of it is as follows,
"Order of T.Pycroft, chief secretary of government
dated 27th January 1859
2.The Resident of Travancore reports distributed state of feeling prevalent in the 3 or 4 southern districts of the Sircar territory between portions of Shudra and Shanar populations. The excitement appears to have arisen from Hindu Shanar women having lately assumed the right of covering the upper part of their portions with a cloth which is objected by Shudras as preventing a recognition of caste.
3.Disturbances from the cause broke out in the year 1829, on which occasion Her Highness the Rani of Travancore, in her proclamation of third February 1829 republished "as the only regulation in force in the matter". A pervious circular order of 7th Edavam in the year 989 (1814) whereby "No women Paravers, Shanars and others of that description were ever to be allowed wear clothes on the chest as the Nair women; But was not prevented from wearing jacket, called Coopayam, such as were in use by women of Christian converts and of some other castes.
4.From General Cullen's second letter is seems that several small schools, and chapels have been burnt by incendiaries, whom it has not been possible to trace. These outrages are supposed to have been perpetrated by the Shudras under the idea that the HINDU SHANARS HAVE THE SUPPORT AND SYMPATHY OF THE CHRISTIAN CONVERTS FROM THAT CASTE: in their efforts to obtain the previlige of wearing the upper cloth. A small thatched bungalow occasionally occupied by the Resident at Nagarkovil was burnt on the tenth instant and on the 14th a small village inhabited by the Shanars in the Thovalah was fired by a party of Vellalars in day light, but several of the perpetrators of this later outrage have been apprehended. The Government Trust that they will be severely punished.
5.The Right Honourable, the Governor of the council hopes that the present excitement will soon allayed, and order restored. The resident will be careful to give no countenance to the idea that the British Government of which he is the representative, recognised any exclusive distinctions, or the right of set of men to prevent other from following all the matters of social and domestic life, such course as they may see fit - provided it be not repugnant to public decency and morals. It will be his duty to impress these views on His Highness the Rajah and to point out to him such prohibition and those contained in the circular order of May 1814, or in the proclamation of 3rd February 1829 are unsuited to the present age, and unworth of an enlightened prince and that he is not to look for the support of British Government in any attempts to maintain them, as respects any class of his subjects.
T.Pycroft, Chief Secretary"
So, from the above data, it is clear that women in those days were allowed to wear Coopayam. In ancient Kerala, Coopayam or Kuppāyam (കുപ്പായം, कुप्पायम्) was the name of a long blouse which women used to wear with Mundu. Kuppāyam was also called Jambar in Malayalam. Another thing I noted is that Shudra and Nair are mentioned separately. In 'The Cyclopaedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia, Volume 2' written by Edward Balfour it is stated that, "Amongst the Shudra castes in Travancore are the Vellalar, the Mudali, and the Pāndi Shudra." The Pāndi Shudras of Kottar shifted their caste and became Pānans. In a document of 1848 by J.Mullens, there is a mention about a community called Shudra Christians. I don't know much about Shudra Christians. I have never heard about such a community before.
The revolt and getting permission
A circular order was issued in Travancore in May 1814, 44 years before the Channar revolt, permitting female converts of all lower classes to use blouse as was worn by Syrian Christian women and Muslim Mappila women. In 'The Origin and History of Missions' written by Thomas Smith and John Overton Choules in 1831, there is a description about Travancore in which a detail about the religion of Travancore is given as, "The Hindu law is the basis of the procedure; but owing to the number of Christians and Muslims, it will not universally apply." That is, non-Hindus were not forced to follow Hindu rules. From Tranvancore law reports of 1808, I came to know that law courts were there in those days too.
Missionaries of LMS, in a petition addressed to the King of Travancore in March 1859, argued that the upper cloth was not introduced by Christian Corners, but had long been in use among the hundreds of Hindu toddy-tapping families who migrated between Thirunelveli and Travancore with the seasonal flow of sap from palmyra trees. In addition, they noted that women of wealthy Hindu Nadar families also wore upper cloth, giving further evidence that it was regarded as a mark of status. According to LMS missionaries, the practice had been spreading among toddy-tapper families for some time without resistance. But, as the missionaries along with other observers at that time noted, in 1858, after several events made some local elites feel that their traditional privileges were under assault, controversy over the upper cloth resurfaced.
Encouraged by Christian missionaries, the Christian Channar women showed remarkable courage resisting social restrictions imposed on them by the customs of antiquated society. The government authorities could not stop fighting the Christian Channars for their social emancipation and the tension continued and reached its climax in 1858 when violence took place in many parts of Neyyattinkara, Neyyor and Kottar.
200 Shudras and Vellalas of Talagoody led by Vythialingam Pillay, Neelam Pillay, Tengara Pillay, Mathavan Pillay and Seeneya Pillai of Maramat Department at various times entered the houses of poor Christians, thereby day and night with clubs and knives and misbehaved with the women, laid plans for the immediate destruction of Catechist and schoolmaster of the place with threats of setting their houses and Chapel on fire. Consequently the Chapel was closed, the Catechist and the school master fled, and the village was wholly deserted by the Christians.
In the end, disturbances were ended when the Nair brigade was sent in to restore peace by the king. And on 26th July 1859, the king issued proclamation granting Christian Channar women the right to wear Melmundu or shawl.
After the revolt
Gradually both Christian and non-Christian Channar ladies began to wear Melmundu in addition to Kuppayam. The upper cloth revolt by the Channar women brought a new incentive for the Nadars to join Christianity destroying their own Hindu Temples.The success of the upper cloth revolt supported by the missionaries was a great incentive for the orthodox Hindu Nadars, and their children began to attend the schools run by the missionaries. But there was no social integration of Christian Nadars with Pulayas and Parayas. There was a strong opposition from Christian Nadars in giving permission to the Pulaya converts to enter their churches. The suppression and lack of integration within the mission caused many Christian Pulayas and Christian Parayas to join the salvation army.
The old versions of Channar revolt which are based on its record are different from the latest version. For example, in 'Women and media: challenging feminist discourse' written by Kiran Prasad in the year 2005, it is stated that "This defiance of the dress code by the lower caste Channar women infuriated the Nair and Nambudiri men and they attacked the women mercilessly." Whereas the old versions it is given that it was some Shudras (of Travancore) and Vellalars who misbehaved with Channar women. The latest version also states that the women of financially backward Malayali castes used to remain bare chested in those days, some of them got converted to Christianity, they too took part in the Channar revolt and were brutally attacked. But I didn't find such a detail in the old versions. In 'Native life in Travancore' written by Samuel Mateer in 1883, that is 25 years after the Channar revolt, it is stated, in page number 200, that "the Roman Catholic fisherwomen, instead of jackets, used to tie a long a cloth across the chest. Poor people got only one set of clothes in the year, those of moderate means two sets, and wealthy three or four in the year." Perhaps, after the revolt, some non-Hindu women didn't wear jackets because they were not able to pay the sewing costs.
Kallu Māla Samaram
The Kallu Māla Samaram or Stone Necklace Agitation was a movement of lower caste Pulaya women in the year 1915 in Kollam district of Kerala where they asserted right to choose to wear or not wear certain ornaments. It is said that, in those days Pulaya women were not allowed to wear gold and other precious metals. But in the Census reports of 1961 it is stated that, "The Mala Arayans largely use ornaments made of gold and silver. But the Uralis, like the Hill Pulayas of Champakad are seen using ornaments made mostly of beads, shells and brass, as it is not possible for them to purchase ornaments of gold and silver." 'The Hill Arrians of Travancore, and the Progress of Christianity Among Them' written by Rev.Henry Baker Jun. in 1862, gives evidence that the Mala Arayans of those days used gold ornaments and brass cooking vessels and also it is not stated in the book that the upper-caste Hindus had denied the Mala Arayans to use expensive things.
Reference: Converting Women: Gender and Protestant Christianity in Colonial South India
by Eliza F. Kent, Associate Professor of Religion Eliza F Kent, The Spirituality of Basic Ecclesial Communities in the Socio-religious Context of Trivandrum/Kerala, India by Selvister Ponnumuthan, Liberation of the Oppessed a Continuos Struggle, Sociology of Religion in India edited by Rowena Robinson, Liberation of the Oppressed a Continuous Struggle bu Kumari Thanthai Marshall A.Nesamony, Applied anthropology and challenges of development in India by P.R.G. Mathur, The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia: Commercial, Industrial and Scientific, Products of the Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal Kingdoms, Useful Arts and Manufactures, Volume 2 by Edward Balfour, Proceedings - Indian History Congress, Volume 65, The Origin and History of Missions: Containing Faithful Accounts of the Voyages, Travels, Labors and Successes of the Various Missionaries who Have Been Sent Forth to Evangelize the Heathen : Compiled from Authentic Documents, Forming a Complete Missionary Repository by Thomas Smith and John Overton Choules.
