This quaint port-town is home to an ancient peace-loving Muslim community, but now jehadis are using it too, worries Satish Chapparike
If a historian, a linguist, a theologian and an architect want to go together on a vacation this tourist season, where do they go? Well, unless they want to completely stay away from work, and if they are willing to mix work and pleasure, there’s no place like the picturesque port-town of Bhatkal, on the National Highway 17, between Mangalore and Karwar. Home to an amazing community of Muslims, the Navayaths, it offers a startling mix of religions and cultures that is perhaps seen only there.
Bhatkal is a strange amalgamation of Hindu, Jain and Muslim cultures, languages and religions. Within a two square kilometer area in old Bhatkal town, there are more than 50 mosques, temples and basadis. Around 1,500 years ago, this natural port was a small village dominated by Jains and Hindus. During the reign of Vijaynagar dynasty’s ‘Pepper Queen’ Ambakka, an ascription given by the Portuguese whom she had defeated, Bhatkal became the main trade centre, and Persian-Arab traders started descending in hordes, bringing their horses and taking away the most valuable spices from these foothills of the Western Ghats.
Over time, Some Persian-Arab traders decided to settle here and that sect got the name ‘Navayaths’, or newcomers. Their roots were firmly anchored in the Arab world. But now Bhatkal and Navayath are synonymous and this community of around one lakh is distinct from other Muslim communities of the country. There were many theories about their actual place of origin and the process of settlement.
In the “History of Mysore, Vol I”, Colonel Wilkes says, “This sect belongs to the house of Hashem. During the early part of the 8th century AD, Iraq was under Caliph Abd-al-Malik Marwan and Hajaj bin Yusuf was the Governor. During the period of his notorious rule of Yusuf many people fled from the Iraq and followed the Arab traders and settled in the different part of the west coast of India.”
But the unique character of the Navayaths and their concentration only in and around Bhatkal refutes this theory. In his 1955 book “Navayaths of Kanara”, Victor D’Souza rejects the ‘single ancestor’ idea. One theory says Navayaths originated in Iran and another says they are from Yemen. "The Arab sailors and traders who came to India have generated Muslim communities in different parts of India. Among them, at least three different communities are known by the generic name of ‘Navayath’. It has been found that Navayaths are scattered in Pakistan, Srilanka, Hyderabad, Tamilnadu, Nellore, Arcot, Kolar, Hassan, Goa and Ratnagiri. These Navayaths, unlike the Navayaths of Bhatkal, have totally adopted the local culture,” says D’Souza.
Some believe that during the early days, some Arab traders who settled in Bhatkal also married local Jain women and the present generation is their descendent. There are many historical evidence of Jain influence in Bhatkal. The ruins of Jettappa Nayakana Chandranathesvara Basadi in the centre of old Bhatkal town tell numerous stories about Jain dominance. But Jain women spoke Kananada, and had this theory been correct, then their offspring would have spoken Kannad instead of Navayathi.
One spectacular aspect of the Navayath culture is their series of traditional houses on the side of old Bhatkal’s siens (streets). The cluster makes the ‘Navayath Keri’, and each house is an antique splendour. With around 20 feet frontage and 100 to 120 feet depth, the wooden houses are a treat to the eyes. Male guests are allowed only to the first room, called ‘vasro’. Beyond that the entire house belongs to family members. The origin of Navayathi language is also an interesting evolution. “Some say nine languages like Persian, Arabian, Urdu, Konkani, Kannada, Malayalam and others make up the language,” says Moulana Abdul Alim Qasimi, the Editor of Naqshe-E-Navayath, oldest Navayathi fortnightly news paper.
“From the last two decades, the entire sect has started giving importance to education. Before that, trade and services were our bread and butter,” says Parvez Kashimiji. No doubt about that. Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen, the educational society that actually changed the face of Bhatkal and the Navayaths is a landmark in coastal Karnataka. “A few years ago, all the Navayath parents wanted their sons to go to the Gulf and send money back every month. Whereas now, most of them want their children to have good education and then go for job hunting,” says Kashimiji. “But recent developments are a little bit worrying,” he admits.
There is reason behind that worry. Once a famous and historic Arab trade centre, then the house of Navayat’s, Bhatkal is nowadays known as an epicenter of Jihadi movement in India.
Though Bhatkal is one of the communally sensitive areas in Karnataka and has been so for the last few decades, what is happening here now is unprecedented. The shocking Judicial Commission Report on the 1993 riots (by Justise K Jaganaath Shetty) reveals the other face of this lovely town. Investigations into the recent blasts and the latest attack of terror in Mumbai show that Jehadis are using this area frequently.
But the people are hopeful, yet. “May be there will be a few anti-national elements within us. Those are exceptions. Our community is living here for more than 1,500 years and we are Indians. We respect our nation and we are ready to protect it. People say we were born in the wombs of Jain mothers. We believe in peace like the Jains, and Bhatkal Navayaths are committed to this nation and this motherland,” says Moulana Abdul Alim Qasimi. Much reassuring words during the highly disturbed period!
If a historian, a linguist, a theologian and an architect want to go together on a vacation this tourist season, where do they go? Well, unless they want to completely stay away from work, and if they are willing to mix work and pleasure, there’s no place like the picturesque port-town of Bhatkal, on the National Highway 17, between Mangalore and Karwar. Home to an amazing community of Muslims, the Navayaths, it offers a startling mix of religions and cultures that is perhaps seen only there.
Bhatkal is a strange amalgamation of Hindu, Jain and Muslim cultures, languages and religions. Within a two square kilometer area in old Bhatkal town, there are more than 50 mosques, temples and basadis. Around 1,500 years ago, this natural port was a small village dominated by Jains and Hindus. During the reign of Vijaynagar dynasty’s ‘Pepper Queen’ Ambakka, an ascription given by the Portuguese whom she had defeated, Bhatkal became the main trade centre, and Persian-Arab traders started descending in hordes, bringing their horses and taking away the most valuable spices from these foothills of the Western Ghats.
Over time, Some Persian-Arab traders decided to settle here and that sect got the name ‘Navayaths’, or newcomers. Their roots were firmly anchored in the Arab world. But now Bhatkal and Navayath are synonymous and this community of around one lakh is distinct from other Muslim communities of the country. There were many theories about their actual place of origin and the process of settlement.
In the “History of Mysore, Vol I”, Colonel Wilkes says, “This sect belongs to the house of Hashem. During the early part of the 8th century AD, Iraq was under Caliph Abd-al-Malik Marwan and Hajaj bin Yusuf was the Governor. During the period of his notorious rule of Yusuf many people fled from the Iraq and followed the Arab traders and settled in the different part of the west coast of India.”
But the unique character of the Navayaths and their concentration only in and around Bhatkal refutes this theory. In his 1955 book “Navayaths of Kanara”, Victor D’Souza rejects the ‘single ancestor’ idea. One theory says Navayaths originated in Iran and another says they are from Yemen. "The Arab sailors and traders who came to India have generated Muslim communities in different parts of India. Among them, at least three different communities are known by the generic name of ‘Navayath’. It has been found that Navayaths are scattered in Pakistan, Srilanka, Hyderabad, Tamilnadu, Nellore, Arcot, Kolar, Hassan, Goa and Ratnagiri. These Navayaths, unlike the Navayaths of Bhatkal, have totally adopted the local culture,” says D’Souza.
Some believe that during the early days, some Arab traders who settled in Bhatkal also married local Jain women and the present generation is their descendent. There are many historical evidence of Jain influence in Bhatkal. The ruins of Jettappa Nayakana Chandranathesvara Basadi in the centre of old Bhatkal town tell numerous stories about Jain dominance. But Jain women spoke Kananada, and had this theory been correct, then their offspring would have spoken Kannad instead of Navayathi.
One spectacular aspect of the Navayath culture is their series of traditional houses on the side of old Bhatkal’s siens (streets). The cluster makes the ‘Navayath Keri’, and each house is an antique splendour. With around 20 feet frontage and 100 to 120 feet depth, the wooden houses are a treat to the eyes. Male guests are allowed only to the first room, called ‘vasro’. Beyond that the entire house belongs to family members. The origin of Navayathi language is also an interesting evolution. “Some say nine languages like Persian, Arabian, Urdu, Konkani, Kannada, Malayalam and others make up the language,” says Moulana Abdul Alim Qasimi, the Editor of Naqshe-E-Navayath, oldest Navayathi fortnightly news paper.
“From the last two decades, the entire sect has started giving importance to education. Before that, trade and services were our bread and butter,” says Parvez Kashimiji. No doubt about that. Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen, the educational society that actually changed the face of Bhatkal and the Navayaths is a landmark in coastal Karnataka. “A few years ago, all the Navayath parents wanted their sons to go to the Gulf and send money back every month. Whereas now, most of them want their children to have good education and then go for job hunting,” says Kashimiji. “But recent developments are a little bit worrying,” he admits.
There is reason behind that worry. Once a famous and historic Arab trade centre, then the house of Navayat’s, Bhatkal is nowadays known as an epicenter of Jihadi movement in India.
Though Bhatkal is one of the communally sensitive areas in Karnataka and has been so for the last few decades, what is happening here now is unprecedented. The shocking Judicial Commission Report on the 1993 riots (by Justise K Jaganaath Shetty) reveals the other face of this lovely town. Investigations into the recent blasts and the latest attack of terror in Mumbai show that Jehadis are using this area frequently.
But the people are hopeful, yet. “May be there will be a few anti-national elements within us. Those are exceptions. Our community is living here for more than 1,500 years and we are Indians. We respect our nation and we are ready to protect it. People say we were born in the wombs of Jain mothers. We believe in peace like the Jains, and Bhatkal Navayaths are committed to this nation and this motherland,” says Moulana Abdul Alim Qasimi. Much reassuring words during the highly disturbed period!
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