Socio-cultural Processes and Livelihood Patterns at Tirurangadi - CDS

these privileges were used against less organized groups. Oral testimony states among the
down trodden groups every marriage had to get the sanction of the Lord, and in some
cases , the Lord demanded cohabitation with the bride ( although one cannot be sure of
the reliability of information). But the standard practices of collection of pattam and
varam, and also the practice of the customary kazhcha and Purushantiram seems to have
continued although such practices did not have legal sanction. Apart from this were the
exactions of the new group of officers such as Adhikari and Menon as well as the
karyasthas of the major landlords. The role of adhikari was particularly important. In the
medieval milieu, the exactions were customary, and if at all accounts were written, they
lay in the household of the janmi. Now all the accounts including the revenue accounts
and, in particular, the accounts of arrears were with the Adhikari. Adhikari was he
arbitrator of local disputes, and only if he failed was the matter taken to the Court. But as
the adhikaris came from the landlord families themselves, the dispute settlement was
likely to be in favor of the landlord. Muslim adhikaris were very few (Kunhali adhikari
and Moosakkutty adhikari, mentioned above, being examples). Adhikaris were the arms
of the state as well as the landlord
The situation in the region can be illustrated by the following information on the Ernad
taluk during the beginning of 20 th Century:
A: Land, landholdings and labor
Total
area(100
acres)
Arable land
as %ge of
total land
Area of
arable land
Table XXX
%ge of
arable land
occupied
Total
occupied
land
6185 61 3742 46 1734 100
%ge of
occupied
land
cultivated