3. About the many weary centuries of turmoil, bloodshed and pillage

From my previous post, you will get to know about the multitude of kingdoms in a minuscule geographical location.  Actually this was the more or less the state of the whole of South Asia.

Even in case of historically-mentioned big kingdoms and ‘empires’, the reality would be that of minute kingdoms expressing their subservience to the so-called ‘emperors’.

I will quote from Travancore State Manual Vol 1, which was a government publication of the Travancore Kingdom. This manual was created by one of its senior-most officers, V Nagam Aiya.

This Nagam Aiya was not a native of Travancore. He was a citizen of British-India. In those days, the independent kingdoms neighbouring British-India did have a habit of recruiting highly accomplished persons from British-India, or even officers from the British-Indian government service, as their own kingdoms’ senior government officers. There was a reason for that.  I will mention that later.

Travancore State Manual was published in 1906.

QUOTE: “It is the power of the British sword, “as has been well observed,” which secures to the people of India the great blessings of peace and order which were unknown through many weary centuries of turmoil, bloodshed and pillage before the advent of the Briton in India”. END OF QUOTE

Even though the word used is ‘British’, the actual word to be used might be ‘English’. I will explain that later.

QUOTE: It is quite possible that in the never-ending wars of those days between neighbouring powers, Chera, Chola and Pandya Kings might have by turns appointed Viceroys of their own to rule over the different divisions of Chera, one of whom might have stuck to the southernmost portion, called differently at different times, by the names of Mushika- Khandom, Kupa-Khandom, Venad, Tiruppapur, Tiru-adi-desam or Tiruvitancode, at first as an ally or tributary of the senior Cheraman Perumal — titular emperor of the whole of Chera — but subsequently as an independent ruler himself.

This is the history of the whole of India during the time of the early Hindu kings or under the Moghul Empire. The history of every district in Southern India bears testimony to a similar state of affairs. END OF QUOTE

The word ‘Hindu’ might need to be properly redefined. I will do that later.

QUOTE: The Nawab of Tinnevelly was nominally the agent of the Nawab of Arcot, who was himself ruling the Carnatic in the name of the Delhi Padisha; but beyond a mere name there was nothing in the relationship showing real obedience to a graded or central Imperial authority. END OF QUOTE

Mogul ‘emperors’, and other ‘emperors’ actually stood as some kind of focus of reverence and servitude for the innumerable small-time rulers. The small-time rulers used this badge of servitude to gather the same servitude towards them from their own populations.

QUOTE: The Nawab of Tinnevelly himself co-existed with scores of independent Poligai’s all over the District, collecting their own taxes, building their own forts, levying and drilling their own troops of war, their chief recreation consisting in the plundering of innocent ryots all over the country or molesting their neighbouring Poligars. END OF QUOTE

QUOTE: The same story was repeated throughout all the States under the Great Moghul. In fact never before in the history of India has there been one dominion for the whole of the Indian continent from the Himalayas to the Cape, guided by one policy, owing allegiance to one sovereign-power and animated by one feeling of patriotism to a common country, as has been seen since the consolidation of the British power in India a hundred years ago. END OF QUOTE

Nagam Aiya being from British-India, naturally would bring an aura of British-India inside Travancore kingdom.

There might be need to inspect the word ‘India’. It was not a local word. Not many persons inside South Asia might have practically known that they were ‘Indians’, before the creation of British-India.