maritime activities economy and social customs of the muslims of ...

In Malacca, the Tamil Muslims were active businessmen and the Coromandel goods
were sold at a profit of 50 to 1OOqf1 after deducting 18'!4 frieght charges and other duties.
The role played by these klings, as they were called, was very Important. But they were
pnerally known as Cholias in many towns of Malacca. The habitation of these Muslims was
called Cholia street. Tamil was prevalant well and it was the language for trade in Malacca.
Well to do families in Malacca made their children to learn Tamilzb.
The Cholia Muslims were in dominant status in Ayutha and Pegu. They held high
offices in the Island of Ujang Salang and in the neighbouring Bengari and one of the Cholia
Muslims was it's governor during the last quarter of the seventeenth century. The Coromandel
Muslims were so rich that they purchased ships built in Kedah, and Johore and one such
trader is identified as a Marakkayar from PortoNovoZ7. The rulers of Kedah and Johore sent
their ships to the Coromandel ports where the Cholia merchants negotiated goods for them.
Thus the Coromandel trade was Initiated both ways. A Coromandel Labbai was a prominent
alley of the Sultan of Jahore and he was the economic advisor of the regionz8.
However, the establishment of the trading companies by the Dutch, English, Danes,
and the French and the residual trade of Portuguese, was a stiff competition to the Tamil
Muslim merchants, in the Southeast Asian ports. When the Dutch took over Malacca in 1641,
the Coromandel Muslims traded with the passes issued by the Dutch. The Dutch had no
violent religious fend with the Muslims but considered them as their main trade rivals.
From the third quarter of seventeenth century, the Cholia Muslims of PortoNovo.
Devanampattanam, Nagore, Nagapattanam and Tranquebar undertook vast trade to Bantam.
In this they utilised the help of the Danes in Tranquebar. The Danes had six large ships
which were set apart solely for freight to Bantam. The Coromandel Muslims well utilised this
freight service. About 150 merchants could sail in a ship with their merchandise. The main
commodity of export was textiles and the merchants returned with a variety of goods but
mainly with gold and silver bullions. The Coramandel Muslim traders entered into partnership
with the merchants of Java, Malaya and Borneo who were trading in Bantam ports. The
Sultan of Bantam himself was a trader prince and he was the chief trader in his ports.