Pearl Fishery Coast
Encyclopedia
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, extending along the Coromandel Coast
Coromandel Coast
The Coromandel Coast is the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian Subcontinent between Cape Comorin and False Divi Point...
from Tuticorin to Comorin.
The coast took its name from the presence of pearls on the coast, and the numerous fisheries that operated to exploit them.
In a conflict between the Hindu Paravas and Muslim Paravas in 1532, the Hindu Paravas sought protection from the Portuguese. In 1535, the Portuguese led an army under Pedro Vaz and expelled the Muslim Paravas. As a compensation, the Hindus Paravas accepted to convert to Christianity.
The Portuguese conquered the Pearl Fishery Coast from the Muslims of Kalyalpattanam in 1525. They restored the rights of the Paravas to exploit their fisheries in exchange for a considerable annual tribute.
The Paravas, who lived along the Pearl Fishery Coast adopted Christianity in 1535-1536, becoming an important Christian region, and succeeded the first introduction of Christianity in Mylapore
Mylapore
Mylapore is a cultural hub and neighborhood in the southern part of the city of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. Earlier, Mylapore used to be called Vedapuri....
with the Thomas Christians. The Portuguese derived considerable profit from the pearl trade, and strictly controlled the Pearl Fishery Coast through the Padroado
Padroado
The Padroado , was an arrangement between the Holy See and the kingdom of Portugal, affirmed by a series of treaties, by which the Vatican delegated to the kings of Spain and Portugal the administration of the local Churches...
system.
The missionary Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534...
, coming from Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, reached the Pearl Fishery Coast in 1542, where he was able to prozelitize successfully among the Paravars, representing 40,000 to 50,000 souls.
In 1553, a fleet of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
made a raid on the Pearl Fishery Coast around Tuticorin. They were assisted by the Marakkar
Marakkar
Marakkar or Maraikayar or Maraicayar or Maricar or Marican is a distinctive Tamil- and Malayalam-speaking Muslim people of the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in India.Traditionally, the Maricars engaged in mercantile commerce...
Muslims of Malabar, and had the tacit agreement of Vittula Nayak of Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
. 52 Portuguese were captured at Punnaikayal
Punnaikayal
Punnaikayal , anciently Punicale for the Portuguese, is a harbour city in Tamil Nadu, India.Punnaikayal seems to have been the main Portuguese possession on the southern Coast of India for a period of 50 years after their arrival from 1551, when they established 2 hospitals, a seminary, and the...
, and churches burnt down. The Ottomans failed however in 1553 against a Portuguese fleet at sea near al-Fahl.
There were numerous conflicts between the Christian Paravas and the Muslims for control of the fisheries.
See also
- Industry in ancient Tamil countryIndustry in ancient Tamil countryDuring the Sangam age, industrial activity was considered ancillary to agriculture and was mostly domestic, not factory-based. Simple workshops where the blacksmith made the wheel or the carpenter his wooden wares could be called factories of a sort. Weaving, pearl fishing, smithy and ship building...
- KeelavaipparKeelavaipparKeelavaippar or Kilavaippar is a small village on the eastern coast of south India, inhabited predominantly by Paravars. Fishing is the primary occupation, as it has been throughout Paravar history.-Apostolic Sodalities:*Holy Childhood...
- PeriathalaiPeriathalaiPeriathalai is a village situated in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, Southern India. It is located 26 kilometers from Thiruchendur and 60 kilometers from Kanyakumari, on the Thiruchendur and Kanyakumari coastal route. With a population of more than 10,000, this village is one of the biggest...
- PunnaikayalPunnaikayalPunnaikayal , anciently Punicale for the Portuguese, is a harbour city in Tamil Nadu, India.Punnaikayal seems to have been the main Portuguese possession on the southern Coast of India for a period of 50 years after their arrival from 1551, when they established 2 hospitals, a seminary, and the...