Consider the following statements regarding the Kunjali Marakkars of medieval Malabar: 1. They served as hereditary naval admirals to the Zamorin of Calicut and organized formidable naval defense fleets against Portuguese aggression in the Arabian Sea. 2. The fourth Kunjali Marakkar was eventually captured and executed following a joint military campaign mounted by the Portuguese and the Zamorin. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Both statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Kunjali Marakkars commanded the naval forces of Calicut, utilizing agile war-craft and guerrilla tactics to harass Portuguese galleons. Later, strained political relations between the fourth Kunjali and the Zamorin led to a siege of the Marakkar fort at Kottakkal by combined Zamorin and Portuguese forces, resulting in the defeat and execution of Kunjali IV in 1600. This marked the end of organized indigenous naval resistance of that scale in Malabar.