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

The English took over the Thirunelveli coast in 1782 and began to conduct pearl fishey.
The entire coast of Carnatic came under the English in 1796 and all the Dutch possessions
were taken over in 1825. The pearl fishery suffered from 1796 to 1825, since the English
were interested in the consolldatlon of their power. When the English took over the Thlnvlelvell coat in
again in 1801, the privileged stones in marl fishery were abolished except in the cam of Pattamkottis,
the Param)athlthaklMn. Only he was favoured by the ~ovemment~~'. Howover in the fisheries conduaod
in Rarnanathapxm coast rnaniarn boats were given to the Muslim merchants (Marakkayar) of W r a i
as a special privllege16'
The English conducted the pearl fishey in the Coromandel coast at irregular intervals. For
instance after the fishey of 1830 there was no fishey for thirty years till 1860. After 1862 fishery was
conducted only in 1889. No fishe ry was conducted between 1889-1900. By 1900, the Coromandel
pearl fishery deteriorated completely'63. But some of the Muslim divers took up pearl and chankfishey
of thelr own indivldually in Ramanathapuram coast during the last quarter of nineteenth century.
Marakkayar pearl merchants advanced money to them liberally on the condition that it should be settled
in the ensuing fishing season1". This shows that the English were not vey serious about pearl and chank
fishey.
The Marathi Modi records in Thanjavur Saraswathi Mahal library give some details about pearl
fishing activities in Thanjavur coast.'65. The Maratha kings received considerable income from pearl
Pearl and pearl oysters were exported to Malacca in the ships of Marakkayars from Nagore
port'67. Pearl and chankdiwrs were permitted to participate in the fisheries conducted in Cn/lon
The pearl fiihey was conducted in Nagapattanam, Tranquebar, Ti~umullaivasal but it was meagre when
compared with Ramanathapuram and Thimnelveli coasts. The Muslim divers (Labbias ,Sonakars)
dominated the pearl fishey activities in Thanjavur coast.
Chank fishey was an associated trade with pearling and was a lucrative maritime trade and
brought god revenue to the precolonial rulers of Coromandel. The conch shells had been prized by the
Hindus since ancient times and chank bangle making was an important industry in eng gal'^^. Chank
diving often sensed as a cover for illicit pearling operations'70. Along the coast of Coromandel chank