{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 111,
  "chapterName": "1859. The Upper-Cloth Rebellion: Letter of T. Madhava Rao to General Cullen",
  "pageFrom": 184,
  "pageTo": 186,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 184,
      "ocrText": "184\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nGovernment. Nay, indeed, it has already been rejected. The\nProclamation of Queen Victoria, which, on the 1st November,\n1858, was promulgated by the Indian Viceroy to the princes and\nthe people of the country, contained these significant words;\n* Firmly relying ourselves on the truth of Christianity, and acknow-\nledging with gratitude the solace of religion, we disclaim alike the\nright and the desire to impose our conviction on any of our\nsubjects. We declare it to be our Royal will and pleasure, that\nnone be in any wise favoured, none molested or disquieted, by\nreason of their religious faith and observances, but that all shall\nalike enjoy the equal and impartial protection of the law; and we\ndo strictly charge and enjoin those who may be in authority under\nus that they abstain from all interference with the religious belief\nor worship of any of our subjects, on pain of our highest displeasure.'\nIn these words the Christianity of the British Government and the\nBritish nation is worthily asserted, and the toleration of the State\ndistinctly proclaimed\n111. THE UPPER-CLOTH REBELLION: LETTER OF\nT. MADAVA RAO TO GENERAL CULLEN (1859 A.D.)\nAccording to tradition the low caste Shanar women of Travancore\nwere not permitted by the upper castes to wear any clothing above\nthe waist. When Shanars were converted by London Missionary\nSociety missionaries, they were requested to wear clothing on the upper\nportions of their bodies. When the Shanar women began doing so it\nled to a widespread conflict with the higher castes that came to be known\nas the Upper-Cloth Rebellion'. Though the missionaries were un-\ndoubtedly motivated by their own western notions of propriety, the\nagitation, in fact, took on the character of a social movement.\nMadava Rao, the Dewan of Trvancore, wrote a letter to General\nCullen, the British Resident, describing the situation. It is found in\nCopies of the Official Papers Pape sent from India touching the Recent\nDisturbances in Travancore, 1859, pp. 8-10.\nSir,\n1. I have the honour to submit to you a concise report of the\nOrigin, progress and suppression of the recent disturbances in South\nTravancore, adding a few observations which the subject suggests.\n2. You are aware that in the Malabar year 1004, corresponding\nwith 1829, Christian era, her Highness the Ranee; with the concur-\nrence of the British Resident, issued a proclamation, permitting\nthe use of a jacket, called cooppayam, on the part of Christian\nShanar women, and prohibiting the use of the upper cloth on the\npart of Hindu Shanar females. In contravention of the provisions\nof this proclamation, the Shanar women, particularly, those of",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 185,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS.\n185\nconverts to Christianity, had, it appears, begun, though not promi-\nnently, to wear a dress similar to that worn by Soodra and Brahmin\nfemales, and this you are aware, occasionally gave rise to trouble\nere this. About the time of the appearance of Her Majesty's\nProclamation, either the practice became more general and cons-\npicuous, or the Soodras felt more encouraged to resist it, or, what\nwas perhaps more likely, both the causes operated together. Both\nparties became equally determined. The Shanars, probably\ninfluenced, in a measure, by the recent events in the contiguous\ndistrict of Tinnevelly, would by all means bring the upper cloth\ninto use. The Christian Shanars appear to have taken the lead,\nthough they had less cause for complaint, the proclamation in\nquestion permitting their women to use jackets, which had been\non all hands acknowledged as a more decent covering than the\nupper cloth. But they probably desired a total abolition of all\nrestrictions as to dress, and calculated upon the sympathies and\nsupport of the European missionaries residing among them. The\nSoodras, forming the majority of the population under the influence\nof caste feelings, which, you know, have least relaxed in force in\nTravancore, and feeling that they had the proclamation too much\nin their favour, equally resolved to put down the innovations\nattempted by the Shanars; from this state of feelings the steps to\nopen disturbances were not many.\n3. As the Shanars took it upon themselves to infringe the\nProclamation of 1004 M. E., so too Soodras took it upon them-\nselves to punish such infringement. The Shanar women were\nattacked when they openly appeared with what was considered the\nhigh caste costume. The Shanars, on the other hand, did not\nconfine themselves to a bare defense; they, too, retaliated the\noutrages on Soodra women. Hostile feelings gathered strength.\nA chapel had been burnt down in Maycode on the 27th December\nlast. An affray occurred in the Kotar bazar on the 30th idem.\nA more serious one, assuming the dimensions of a riot, also followed\nat the great market of Erneel on the 10th ultimo. The panic, it\nseems, was great, and men on both sides were said to have been\nseverely ill-treated, and some wounded, though only a few appeared\nbefore the cutcherry with formal complaints, the others having\nprobably been deterred by the consciousness of misconduct. On\nthe same night another chapel, and the Residency bungalow at\nNagercoil, were destroyed by fire, evidently at the hands of incendi-\naries. Between the 11th and 16th two more chapels at different\nplaces shared the same fate; two missions schools were similarly\ndestroyed; a mob of Soodras assaulted a Shanar and his wife at\nTittoovellay, and his house, and 27 houses adjoining it, were burnt\ndown. Other chapels and houses were said to have been openly\nthreatened. It was reported that the Shanars of the Agasteeswarom\ndistrict were raising men and money, and proposed combined and",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 186,
      "ocrText": "186\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nsystematic resistance to Sirkar authority, and the plunder of the\nvillages and towns. It was also clear that they had solicited the\nco-operation of the Shanars residing in the district of Tinnevelly\nin the vicinity of the frontier.\n4. The first intimation I had of the existence of unsatisfactory\nfeelings was, when I happened to be at Pudpanabapoorom, about\nthe end of December last. Numbers of Shanars and Soodras,\nwith Lubbays, waited on me, and complained against each other,\non the subject of the upper cloth. The police officer of Erneel also\nwrote to me on the subject. The Deputy Peishcar in charge of the\nsouthern division, too, thought it desirable that some kind of public\nwarning was necessary. It is obvious, that as long as the Procla-\nmation of 1829 is in force, the Shanars, both Hindoos and Chris-\ntians, are bound to conform to its provisions, that no section of\nsubjects can be permitted to infringe a law affecting the great\nmajority of the people, on the ground that, in their opinion, the\nlaw ought to be changed; that the only legitimate course open to\nthem is to continue to submit to it, and formally to apply to the\nSirkar for a change, with such facts and arguments as they may\nhave to urge in their favour. On these considerations, a public\nwarning was given on the 27th of December last, to the effect tha\nexisting rules and usages should be respected; that if any class of\npeople desired a change, they should represent the case to the Sirkar.\nand await its decision that, on the other hand, on no account\nshould breaches of the peace be caused. For a short while there\nwas an appearance of quiet; but soon after the Peishcar in the\nsouth reported the Kotar affray, and suggested that the po'ice\nshould be strengthened, and that a detachment of Sepoys should be\nsent down to overawe. Orders were forthwith given accordingly;\nand a detachment of the Nair Brigade consisting of 100 rank and\nfile, with the usual complement of commissioned and non-\ncommissioned, were sent at once. Some members of the London\nMission, residing in the south, arrived at Trivandrum, and\npersonally represented to yourself and to me the state of matters\nthere. I had the permission of his Highness and yourself to go\nto the scene of disturbances.\n5. On the 14th ultimo I reached Pudpanabapoorom. A\ndetachment of the Nair Brigade had already arrived there on the\n11th. I was followed by Captain Daily, who was put in command\nof all the troops in the southern districts. The troops were moved\nwhere mischief was apprehended. The police was further strength-\nened in different places; auxiliary police officers were appointed\nto keep the peace, and speedily inquire into and dispose of police\ncases, which were of course expected to be numerous at the time.\nSome minor Sirkar officials, who appeared to have acted impro-\nperly were suspended from employment. Some of the leaders of",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}