An Interview with Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff, M.A., D.Litt., the author of several books on the history of Kayalpatnam and one of the founders of Muhyideen Matriculation Higher Secondary School.

Kayalpatnam.com>You have written a few books on the history of Kayalpatnam. Tell us about those books.

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>I wrote three books in Tamil and one in English. The books written in Tamil were - Kayalin irainesargal (1992), Kayalpattinam (1993), Kayalpattinathin varalaatru surukamum, thalaimuraiyum (1998) and Concise history of Kayalpatnam (2004) in English.

Kayalpatnam.com>How did you develop interest in the subject?

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>In 1981, Mr.M.Idris Maricar of Kilakarai had written a book - Tamizhagathil Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta. In that book, Mr.Maricar had claimed that Kayalpatnam is of recent origin and Kilakarai is the original Kayal. He had further claimed that Valal Seethakathi was born in Kilakarai, not Kayalpatnam (though there is no denying he died in Kilakarai).

These claims - which were contrary to widely accepted truths - upset a lot of us. We couldn't understand why these claims were being made. After all, Mr.Maricar also had his origins in Kayalpatnam. He induced people like Kavignar Ka.Mu.Sheriff and Captain Ameer Ali to write books supporting his opinions. It was also strange to find some of the people - who had earlier spoken of Kayalpatnam as the site of original Kayal - to be supporting his (Mr.Maricar's) new claims.

Elders of Kayalpatnam at that time encouraged me to collect materials to repudiate those claims. I took up the challenge and collected a lot of material. I studied the tombstones in Kayalpatnam burial grounds, visited other places in Kayalpatnam and spoke to a lot of people - before sitting down to write my books.

Kayalpatnam.com>Isn�t it true there are some in Kilakarai who also lay claim to Sultan Taqiuddeen (brother of Sultan Jamaluddin) as the one who married a daughter of the Pandiyan King Mara Varma Kulasekara Pandiyan I and from 1269 to 1310 AD ruled the area around Kilakarai as the Sixth Pandiyan?

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>Yes. If you read the book written by Mr. Maricar, you will see an attempt to tie the geneology of Seethakathi to that of Sultan Taqiuddeen. Mr. Maricar lists Sultan Taqiuddeen, his son, his son's son etc --- then there is a gap of three generations and then the connection to Seethakathi. How can one explain this gap?!

Kayalpatnam.com>Has anyone - before you - written any book on the history of Kayalpatnam?

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>There are a handful of books. They are Vaanpughal Kayalpattana Sarithiram written by Hafiz M.K. Seyed Ahamed (in Tamil), Kayalpattanam Kaarana Sarithiram written by Palayathu Lebbai Aalim and Silsilathul Kahirathul Misria - Sultan Jamaluddin Varalaru - written by Pirabu Syed Mohamed Naina - the last two in Arabu Tamil. Some of these books are from late 19th Century.

Kayalpatnam.com>On what types of sources have you based your works on?

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>I largely based my works on history books, inscriptions (kalvettugal), tombstones in burial grounds of Kayalpatnam, oral traditions and a few handwritten (palm) leaves.

I analysed inscriptions in the beach area (Karupudaiyar Palli), went through the contents of tombstones in many mosques - including the Kutba Periya Palli, Siriya Kutba Palli, Magdhoom Palli, Siru Nainar Palli etc. Mr.S.M.Abul Barakath (then a faculty of Tamil Department in St.Xavier's Higher Secondary School, Tuticorin) helped me in reading the epitaphs (in tombstones).

Kayalpatnam.com>Mehrdad Shokoohy, an UK-based architect - with special interest in Islamic Architecture of South India - was in Kayalpatnam in the late 1980s. He visited many mosques in Kayalpatnam and had released a book - Muslim Architecture of South India, published by RoutledgeCurzon in 2003. He had also studied the inscriptions and epitaphs in Kayalpatnam.

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>Yes, I met him when he was in Kayalpatnam and went with him to some of the sites. He had done a wonderful job with his study. He also shares the opinion - Qail of Marco Polo is the Kayalpatnam of today. He further says - Bishop Caldwell (author of History of Tinnevelly, published in late 19th Century) was wrong in stating Kayalpatnam is not an old town. Bishop Caldwell didn't visit mosques in Kayalpatnam (probably being a non-muslim, restrictions were applied those days). Had he seen the old mosques, tombstones - he would have come to different conclusion and written differently. Dr.Mehrdad supported my view (refer his book).

Kayalpatnam.com>You would have studied the tombstones - present in Kayalpatnam burial grounds. Where can we find the oldest of them and how old are they?

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>Large number of tombstones are there in Kutba Periya Palli, Siriya Kutba Palli, Magdoom Palli, Siru Nainar Palli, Maraicar Palli, Kattu Magdoom Palli, Kosmarai, Yusuf Appa Palli and other places. They all date back to 14th Century and earlier.

Kayalpatnam.com>Isn't it true - in some of the old tombstones found in places like Kutba Periya Palli - we can find names like Nachiar, Mudaliar etc. Doesn't it indicate the population in Kayalpatnam must have converted from Hinduism to Islam long time back?

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>Yes, we can find those titles. Those are given by kings as a honour to soldiers, chiefs (padai mudaliar etc). Some hindus may have converted too in the past. The town is a mix of Arab descendants and converts.

Kayalpatnam.com>In your book, you had referred to Karuppudayar Palli as an old mosque. You have also written that the mosque got its name - because religious people used to do Ihtikaf (seclusion in mosques) wearing a black dress (Karuppu - black; Udayar - one who wears the dress). Wearing a black dress for ihtikaf is not a normal practise among muslims. Isn't it? The name Nainar - which is used by the Muslims (in Kerala as well) - doesn't seem to be Arabic too.

You must have heard about Parkavakulam caste among Hindus. It is a collective name for about five different castes (Surithiman, Malayaman, Nathaman, Moopanar and Nainar). Udaiyar is also a sub-caste within these. Doesn't it indicate heavy Hindu background to our history (given the name Karuppudayar Palli, use of names like Nainar etc)?

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>No, no - you are going on an incorrect track! We cannot assume that.

Kayalpatnam.com>Based on your studies, could you tell us when do you think Muslims first came to Kayalpatnam. You are saying Muslims first settled in Kayalpatnam in 633 AD - first settlers being the Sahabas. Isn't that correct? What historical records we have to back that?

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>It was largely based on oral traditions and conversations with a few people. Some have also written one of the oldest mosques - to be built in India - was in Kerala and Kayalpatnam - during the times of the Sahabas.

The famous saint Buhari Thangal of Kerala informed the message to Umar Wali of Kayalpatnam and through him the news spread. Dr.Kabeer of Calicut University wrote about the first mosque. This booklet was taken by a Tamil Professor and was not returned.

Kayalpatnam.com>You have also written - the second wave of settlers to arrive were led by Muhammad Khalji, a descendent of Abubacker Siddique (ral) living in Egypt in 842 AD. You have further stated he led a group of 220 people - that included 51 women.

Firstly, what historical record exists to support the view that a second group indeed arrive in 842 AD (and in those quoted numbers)?

Secondly, the name Khalji - if I am not mistaken - is not Arabic, it is of Afghan/Pushto origin [Khaljis of course are famous as the founders of Khalji dynasty in Delhi (around 1290 AD)]. Isn't it strange for an Arab descendant of a Sahaba - living in Arab Egypt - to be carrying an Afghan/Pushto name?

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>I remember getting the information regarding the arrival in 842 AD from some old handwritten Arabic records - kept by Nahvi Aalim, Palayam Lebbai Aalim etc. People borrow books from me and do not return. It is also the belief (the arrival) of many for generations. The name Muhammad Khalji appears in an epitaph on a tombstone in Kayalpatnam.

Regarding the name Khalji, I agree - it was my mistake. The name in the inscription was Halji, not Khalji. I wrote it down wrongly as Khalji, instead of Halji.

Kayalpatnam.com>But is Halji - an Arabic name?

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>It must be. You must enquire with a person knowledgeable in Arabic.

Kayalpatnam.com>You had also written - till the arrival of Muhammad Khalji - the place was called Kayal. After his landing, it took the name of Kahir-fatan, after al-Qahira (Cairo), Khalji's place of origin. History tells us El Qahira was founded (in the site of present city of Cairo) by the Fatimids in Egypt in 969 AD only - which is a clear 100 years after Khalji is supposed to have landed in Kayalpatnam.

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>I based it on some written document of the past. Perhaps - the place could have been called Kahir-fatan from much later (in the 12th/13th Century) - after the establishment of Cairo.

Kayalpatnam.com>Third wave of settlement - you have written - happened in 1284 AD, led by Sultan Jamaluddin. I will come to facts surrounding Sultan Jamaluddin later. Firstly, what historical records exist to prove that a group of settlers led by Sultan Jamaluddin did arrive in Kayalpatnam in 1284?

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>I took it from an old Arabic handwritten book. Dr.Caldwell also wrote in his book A History of Tinnevelly that "... in 1293 AD (692 AH), Dewar died ... and Shaik Jamaluddin succeeded him". Dr.M.M.Uvais wrote that Sultan Jamaluddin and his brother Taqiuddeen lived in Kayalpatnam. Insha Allah, I will search and get the name of the book.

Kayalpatnam.com>You would have read the Travels of Marco Polo, specifically the chapter that talks about the city of Cael (which we assume is a reference to Kayal). Reading Marco Polo's description, one can hardly see a mention of large scale Muslim presence in Kayal. There are no references to mosques or Muslim lifestyle in Marco Polo's account of Kayal. { Click here for the extract from Marco Polo's work}

Given that, is it correct to assume Kayal of Marco Polo refers to settlement of Kayalpatnam (of today)? The inference that follows is that - if at all Muslims were present around late 13th Century in Kayal, they were not prominent or large enough (except for a few trading men) to catch the attention of Marco Polo.

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>Those days - there was no Pazhaya Kayal, Punnai Kayal, Kayalpatnam etc. The whole area was Kayal - up to Virapandiyapatnam area. We have found several inscriptions in Kayalpatnam (which I have listed in my book) that indicates Kayalpatnam was called by various names - including then-kayal, pouthiramanikkapattinam, vaguthai, kahirur etc. Some inscriptions have been found in Sivan Koil also (with reference to then-kayal).

Kayalpatnam.com>Ibn Battuta - who visited Mabar (present-day Tamil Nadu) in the middle of the 14th Century - records about a place called Fatan. He describes - in his account - Fatan as a town that has mosques and a lot of muslims. In your book, you have stated Fatan refers to Kayalpatnam. How can both Kayal and Fatan - two names used by Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta respectively - refer to the same place (Kayalpatnam)? Can the same town - within a gap of just about 50 years - have two names?

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>Ibn Battuta was an Arab. Probably it was easy for him to pronounce Patnam as Fatan. Fatan - in Arabic - also means city. Besides, there is an inscription which was found in Kayalpatnam - that talks about Fatan. No such inscription has been reported from Kilakarai (where some claim Fatan refers to their town).

Kayalpatnam.com>I assume the Sultan Jamaluddin you are referring to is the one Abdullah Wassaf and Rashiduddin are talking about in their works - Tarikh-i-Wassaf and Jami'u-T Tawarikh - respectively.

Historians - including H.M. Elliot, the author of History of India as told by its historians - say Rashiduddin based his account of Mabar region (in which Kayal is located) on the work of Wassaf. That is Rashiduddin was merely a compiler, not a historian (on Mabar).

According to Wassaf (the original source), Sultan Jamaluddin was a hugely successful businessman based in Kish area in present day Iraq/Iran (not Egypt as you have written) - who supplied horses to Mabar Kings, through his brother Sultan Taqiuddeen. Given this, shouldn't we be ignoring Rashiduddin's claim that Sultan Jamaluddin succeeded Soundara Pandi Devar as ruler of Mabar - after latter's death in 1293 AD?

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>People do believe that. There is a tradition which says - up to reconstruction of Kutba Periya Palli, the festival (Kanthuri) of Muhammad Khalji was celebrated. After reconstruction - till recently - the praise of Sultan Jamaluddin (who financed the reconstruction) was recited in Kutba Periya Palli - during Ramadhan and Haj Jummahs. Besides, even though, Sultan Jamaluddin was from Kish area, his origin could still be from Egypt.

Kayalpatnam.com>You have written Sultan Jamaluddin left India in 1303 and became President of World Assembly in Shiraz (a sort of present-day United Nations, according to you). What historical record exists to show that?

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>I read it somewhere. I don't recollect now.

Kayalpatnam.com>You have written - in your book - that Nainar Street is the first street of Kayalpatnam. You had also written that the first mosque of Kayalpatnam was in the beach area and it was called the Kadalkarai Palli (now destroyed). Shouldn't it then follow that those streets surrounding that mosque would be the first streets of Kayalpatnam? There are also those who believe Parimar Street (Parimar refers to horse trade), Koman Street (Koman could refer to kings, the rich) are some of the oldest in Kayalpatnam.

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>Many streets have changed their names. For example, Ambala Maraicar Street was once called Pykara Street. Maraicar Palli Street was once called Kadalkarai Street. Nainar Street, Parimar Street, Magdoom Street, Koman Street are some of the oldest streets in Kayalpatnam.

Kayalpatnam.com>Could you give us a picture of how educational scenario evolved in Kayalpatnam.

Dr.R.S.Abdul Latiff>People like Vena Moona Appa, Usir Shermappa and Janab Abdul Hai Aalim did a lot to encourage school education. People like BA Appa encouraged college education.

The first person to complete SSLC from Kayalpatnam was Janab LK Lebbai Thamby (LK Appa). The first graduate was Janab Muhyideen Ibrahim Sahib (BA Appa). He completed BA, BL. Both studied in Muthialpet School in Chennai at different times. Janab B.A. Jailani was the next graduate.

The first school in Kayalpatnam came up in the campus of Mahlara. Janab Abdul Hai Aalim was in charge of it (he had prior experience in Sri Lanka). Later he started his own school - named Kahira School (in KTM Street), which was taken over by LK Appa (precursor to today's Elkay School).

The first Engineer was Janab A.K.Shaik. It must have been around 1947. Janab S.A. Sulaiman (father of Janab S.Akbar Shah, LKS Gold House) was the first Post Graduate - B.A. Honours (equivalent to MA). The first doctor from Kayalpatnam was Dr.Syed Mohamed - an eye-specialist, son of Janab Kithuru Mohamed and elder brother of Janab Ismath. It must have been early 1950s.

The 1955-60 group included Dr.Thamby, Advocate Meerasahib, Advocate Thamby, Hasan Kaka, Engineer Abubacker (London), Janab Ismath, Janab Kader Sahib Maricar (Appapalli Street) - they were all our seniors.

The 1960-65 group included Engineer Shaikna (KTM Street), Dr.Jawahar, Dr.Syed Ahamed (London), Janab Hassan Maricar, Janab J.A. Syed Mohamed, Janab M.N. Syed Ahamed, Ibrahim Sir, Dr.Ismail, Janab K.Z.Azhab, Engineer Shaik Ali, Dr.Syed Ibrahim, Janab Noohu Hameed, Prof.Sathak Thamby, Dr.Abul Hassan, Janab Palak Lebbai, Janab Sulthan, Engineer Abdullah Maricar and Engineer Ismail (currently in ETA Star). I completed my MA and also belong to the 1960-65 group.