From Yemen they came with ‘dua' of peace
'Though geographically removed, Yemen is close to the hearts of the Sunnis in Kerala. They recite the Rathib al-Haddad and Al Wird Al-Latif, compiled by Yemeni Sufi scholars every night. The Ba Alawi order, which originated in Yemen, has been a major source of spirituality here,' says Nuaiman K A, a researcher who has extensively studied the Yemeni tradition in Kerala.
The ancestors of Panakkad Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul president Syed Muhammad Jifri Thangal and Kozhikode Qazi Syed Muhammad Koya Jamalullaili all hail from Yemen.
'The syeds, who are the descendants of Prophet Muhammad, migrated from Medina to Yemen around 10th century AD. Syed Ahamdul Muhajir left for Hadramout in Yemen in AD 931 and settled there. According to available evidence, Syed Sheikh bin Abdillah al-Aydarusi was among the first Hadrami Syeds who arrived in India in 1513,' says Moyin Malayamma, who authored a book on Panakkad Thangals.
There are around 30 kabeelas (families) of syeds from Yemen in Kerala. According to Malayamma, Syed Muhammad bin Hamid alias Valiya Seethikoya Thangal was the first Hadrami Syed to arrive in Koyilandi in 1701. 'Syed Abdurrahman al-Aydarusi was the first from the Aydarusi kabeela to reach Kerala. Syed Sheikh Jifri arrived in Kozhikode in 1746,' he says.
'Hadrami Sufism opened new vistas of spirituality for people of Kerala'
After 1750, there was a steady flow of Hadrami Syeds to Kerala. Syed Ali Shihabuddin Hadrami, the founder of Shihabuddin kabeela to which the Panakkad family belongs, travelled from Tarim in Yemen, to Valapattanam in Kannur in 1768.
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New Indian Express
3 days ago
- New Indian Express
From Yemen they came with ‘dua' of peace
KOZHIKODE: Sunni scholar Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliyar's efforts to mediate the release of Nimisha Priya —who is on death row in Yemen — by payment of diya, or blood money, have become the talking point across the state. And, in the process, it has highlighted the centuries-old ties between Kerala and the West Asian nation. 'Though geographically removed, Yemen is close to the hearts of the Sunnis in Kerala. They recite the Rathib al-Haddad and Al Wird Al-Latif, compiled by Yemeni Sufi scholars every night. The Ba Alawi order, which originated in Yemen, has been a major source of spirituality here,' says Nuaiman K A, a researcher who has extensively studied the Yemeni tradition in Kerala. The ancestors of Panakkad Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul president Syed Muhammad Jifri Thangal and Kozhikode Qazi Syed Muhammad Koya Jamalullaili all hail from Yemen. 'The syeds, who are the descendants of Prophet Muhammad, migrated from Medina to Yemen around 10th century AD. Syed Ahamdul Muhajir left for Hadramout in Yemen in AD 931 and settled there. According to available evidence, Syed Sheikh bin Abdillah al-Aydarusi was among the first Hadrami Syeds who arrived in India in 1513,' says Moyin Malayamma, who authored a book on Panakkad Thangals. There are around 30 kabeelas (families) of syeds from Yemen in Kerala. According to Malayamma, Syed Muhammad bin Hamid alias Valiya Seethikoya Thangal was the first Hadrami Syed to arrive in Koyilandi in 1701. 'Syed Abdurrahman al-Aydarusi was the first from the Aydarusi kabeela to reach Kerala. Syed Sheikh Jifri arrived in Kozhikode in 1746,' he says. 'Hadrami Sufism opened new vistas of spirituality for people of Kerala' After 1750, there was a steady flow of Hadrami Syeds to Kerala. Syed Ali Shihabuddin Hadrami, the founder of Shihabuddin kabeela to which the Panakkad family belongs, travelled from Tarim in Yemen, to Valapattanam in Kannur in 1768.
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Economic Times
Hindu temple in China reveals trade flourished between the two countries
The long trade route from India to China was instrumental in the establishment of temples with Hindu imagery In the city of Quanzhou in Fujian province of China, there is a Buddhist temple, whose base and pillars are full of Hindu imagery. It reveals the long connection of trade between India and China via the sea route from western coast of India through the Malacca straits (Singapore). The images show lions, which is native neither to South India nor to China. Lions became symbols of royalty in India and China, and was a name adopted by the people of Sri Lanka (Sinhala, or lion people) and Singapore (Singha-pura, city of lions). This reveals how ideas travel along with per local lore, a merchant requested the landlord to grant him a piece of land to build a temple to the Buddha. The landlord, unwilling to part with the land, said he would do so only if the mulberry trees in his garden bloomed with white lotus flowers. That is precisely what happened. The landlord then granted the land to the Buddhist monk, and the temple was established. This became a place where different kinds of temples were built by monks and merchants of various Buddhist and Hindu a result, even today one finds images of Shiva in his iconic Shiva Linga form, worshipped by an elephant. There is another image of Shiva with matted locks. An image of Narasimha-an unusual South Indian form known as Purushavrigha (Vyaghrapada), a tiger-footed devotee of Shiva-is also present. There is even an image of Parvati with a demon seated at her feet, worshipped by locals who believe it to be a form of Guan Yin, the compassionate female bodhisattva of Chinese tradition. There is even a pillar resembling a Shiva Linga which local people believe to be a stone bamboo shoot-but it is most likely a Shiva trade routes connecting India to China were overland, via Central Asia. The sea routes taking advantage of monsoon winds came oldest Ramayana manuscripts do not mention China. But the oldest Mahabharata manuscripts do. China became familiar with India first indirectly via Central Asian tribes around 200 BC and then directly by 200 AD. This was in the time of the Han emperors (200 BC to 200 AD), when China had been unified. India was called Shendu (from Sindhu) and Tianzhu (heavenly Bamboo grove, from the Buddhist Venu-vana). Buddhism was welcomed, as it brought solace at a time of great turmoil when Chinese lands were torn by civil wars. In the Tang period (600 AD to 900 AD), when unification took place, Chinese encouraged the import of Buddhist texts and Buddhist relics from India. This is when Buddhist ideas, in Sanskrit, were translated into Chinese script-a complex process as both the sound system and the writing system, not to mention the language structure and meaning structure, was radically different. But by the end of this period, local Confucian scholars became hostile to Buddhism and practices like relic the Song period (1000-1300), China was seen as a centre of Buddhism. Buddhism had declined in India, and many people travelled to China which was seen as the land of Maitreya Buddha (future Buddha), Manjushri (sword-bearing Bodhisattva of knowledge) and Amitabha Buddha (saviour Buddha of pure land). The old land routes to China became risky due to the rise of Mongol armies. Instead, the sea became the preferred route to China. This is when Chola kings of Tamilakam established contact with the Chinese imperial court, via the monsoon winds, ships sailed from Arabia to the western coast of India in approximately 30 days. Ships then sailed from the eastern coast of India in another 30 days to the Malacca Straits. Then an additional 30 days to reach China. Effectively, in 100 days-around three to four months-one could travel from Arabia to the farthest edge of was a major trade route, with horses being transported from Arabia to South Asia, Southeast Asia and China via the sea, especially when land routes were exchange, China supplied silk, silver, tea and porcelain. Gold from Southeast Asia was traded for Indian cotton. Spices and aromatic plants were also exchanged. This was an extensive trading network. A powerful merchant guild in India (the 500) controlled much of this trade. This trade enriched the Rashtrakuta dynasty who controlled much of Karnataka around 800 AD. The wealth funded some of the earliest temples in India-as well as a cluster of temples in Southeast China.
Hindustan Times
13-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Yadava era inscription discovered in Junnar taluka, records land grant by King Singhanadeva
A stone inscription dating back nearly 800 years to the reign of King Singhanadeva 2, regarded as one of the most powerful and expansionist rulers of the Yadava dynasty, has been discovered in Thorali Shiroli village, Junnar taluka, Pune district. Having remained unnoticed for years, the inscription was found in a small shrine on the premises of local resident, Gulabrao Thorve's house. Importantly, this is the first known inscription from King Singhanadeva's reign discovered in Pune district, making it a significant historical find. The inscription was found in a small shrine on the premises of local resident, Gulabrao Thorve's house. (HT PHOTO) There's more. The inscription records the grant of land for cultivation, specifying that one-sixth of the land was donated and concludes with a curse that anyone who steals or disrespects the grant will face a disgraceful fate of being born of a union between his mother and a donkey. The curse is symbolically reinforced by the figure of a donkey carved below the text. The Yadavas ruled from the 9th to the 14th century and controlled vast regions of western and central India, with their capital located at Devagiri which is the present-day Daulatabad in Maharashtra. King Singhanadeva 2 of the Yadava dynasty played a key role in shaping the political landscape of medieval India. He ruled from 1199 to 1248 AD during which time, he led successful campaigns and expanded his kingdom across Gujarat, Malwa, Karnataka, Andhra, Kosala (Chhattisgarh) and Kalinga (southern Odisha). The inscription offers valuable insights into the political and cultural landscape of the era as deciphered by Pune-based history researchers, Atharva Pingale and Anil Dudhaney. The inscription written in the Marathi language using the Devanagari script suggests it belongs to the 13th century although it lacks a direct date of reference. The inscription comprises three lines: 'Shri Singhandeve dat kam Mathachi sati sustu (Jo dana) na pali' The lines as translated in English mean, 'King Singhanadeva donated land for cultivation; one sixth portion should be donated. Whoever violates this donation shall face the curse of being born of a union between his mother and a donkey.' Dudhaney explained, 'The land granted for farming is referred to as 'kamat' or 'kammat' during the Yadava period. The inscription does not mention the recipient, suggesting it is private and fragmentary in nature.' Pingale noted, 'We see an increase in Marathi inscriptions during Singhanadeva's reign. His other inscriptions have been found in border regions like Kolhapur, Solapur, and Nanded. This period marks the emergence of Marathi as an administrative language.' 'During the 1980s, the condition of archaeological research in Maharashtra was quite good. Today however, we lack a proper mechanism to study these inscriptions. There are no official epigraphists appointed by the government. Those who are currently studying inscriptions are doing so independently at their own level but they have limitations and cannot do much beyond a point. Unfortunately, the government does not pay enough attention to this field,' Pingale said. 'The Maharashtra Sahitya Sanskruti Mandal has published many inscriptions in the past. In contrast, neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are far more advanced and efficient in this area. They work diligently to preserve inscription sites, regularly study them, and publish their findings in a systematic manner; we should also follow a similar approach,' Pingale further said.
