Talk:Kartha
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Kartha’s, like all Nairs, followed the matriarchic (Marumakkathayam) system. There were no marriages (kalyanams), only arraignments (sambandam) till the beginning of the last century. This system was more tilted towards the female and the power of finance and property rested with the females.
In this system, a girl will get into a sambandam with a male but continue to live in her own house. Her husband will only be a visitor (most times coming only in the nights!) and the male of her house will be her brother. Her children will carry her name (not her husbands) and the family property will be hers and her daughters.
Kartha’s owned a lot of land, were Kshatriya (the warrior class) by caste and most often the sambandam of girls took place with higher caste males – like Brahmins.
My great grand mother (father’s, father’s mother) had her sambandam with a Iyer – a priest who was in charge of a temple in their own property! She had three sons and all carried her surname – Kartha. Her 3rd son, my granddad, used to say that he hardly ever saw his father. This priest spent most of the time in the temple (which was over 3 hours walk from the house – all inside their own property!) and came home only in the nights. He would again leave early in the mornings, so his sons only knew their dad had come when they see the burnt remains of the dried coconut leaves which were used as a natural torch in those days (called surut).
Well, my granddad’s name was P.E.G.Kartha – Pattatil Eravi Gangadara Kartha. Now Pattaatil is the house name, Gangadara was his name and Eravi, I am told, was a title given to this family by the maharaja of Travancore (may be Martanda Varma) over 10 generations before his time.
This title was actually given by the King to his commander in chief for doing a very daring deed. The CinC is supposed to have carried out a guerilla raid into the Kochi kingdom and caught the Kochi king by surprise. The story goes that he actually managed to cut the king’s head and carried it with him as proof. He was of course chased by the Kochi palace guards and the CinC had to dive into a pond covered with weed to escape being caught. Since the place was swarming with the soldiers, this guy had to keep himself under water (he used the hollow stem of a weed to breath) for over 24 hours! He came out only the next night and by that time his whole body was totally covered with leaches (a black coloured blood sucking insect).
The Travancore King was so pleased that he gave him this title and a quarter of his kingdom! All male members of the family carried this title (till my granddad), but they could not give it to their sons! In fact my dad was not supposed to be even be a Kartha (according to the Matriarchic system) but granddad had been to England (after his sambandam) and then settled, for a couple of years, in Karachi on his voyage back. (That is another story).
He then had his wife (who was again a mixed blood and not a Kartha) & son brought to Karachi and there he decided that his son would carry his name! (After all everyone in the north had their father’s name!) So my dad became V.G.Kartha – Vishnu (his name) Gangadara Kartha!
Now not many people would be there in kerala who would question how I carry this surname, but my dad was asked, when he was growing up, by the old timers – how did you become a Kartha??!! After all his mother was not a Kartha!
Times have changed. I am now Balaji Kartha & my son is Rohit Kartha! I myself grew up in MP & UP and had to always face the joke – kya kartha?! My mother’s mother (whose family came from Kochi – the Ambadi Menon family) always looked down on my dads’ linage! Like all northerners, she thought people from Travancore were uncultured, compared to people from Kochi!
And she also said that the Karthas were actually tax collectors & jailors of the Kings and over the generations they got all the curses of the people and that is why this clan always only has misfortunes (!) and has now all but disappeared! Now the present Karthas, like me, are not actually supposed to be Kartha at all!
[edit] Meenachil Karthas
Well, let me tell you that there is nothing to "look down" at Kartha title. I am also from a Kartha lineage (though my surname is now "Nair"). Most of the Karthas were chieftains and Kings. They were not ordinary Nairs or Soldiers. My great grandfather belonged to "Meenachil Kartha" family. They had a title called "Damodara Simhar" and they were rulers of a small kingdom called "Meenachil" which is today's Palai (Kottayam district). They originally were Rajputs who migrated to Madurai in the 14th century (the reason for their exodus or their roots in Rajasthan are still not known). They settled in Madurai (which was a great cultural centre and capital during that time). Later they migrated to Kerala (the reason for which is stated as outbreak of an epidemic in Madurai) and settled in this place "Meenachil" which was named after "Meenakshi" of Madurai.
There are also many other attributes which make them distinct from the normal Nair folks. "Simhar" (Singh) family deity (Bhavai instead of Bhadrakali) and family name was Mevada (Mewar).They also used to have very colorful funeral processions.They were pure vegetarians though they had no sacred threads (poonul).Also, they followed "Marumakkathayam"
They ruled Meenachil taluk and were instrumental in promoting the X'ian settlement in this place.Later they were defeated by the travancore army of Dharma Raja (successor of Marthanda Varma)and their kingdom was annexed to travancore (the ruling king committed suicide). All their male folks including boys were slaughtered,however,the ladies were spared. Also, the travancore king gave them pension. The family had a successor only after a very long gap due to this genocide by the travancore.These children were born of Namboothiris. My grandfather was the first to be born and he had a younger brother and a sister.I have seen only my grand father who was only a king on books who used to enjoy the previe purse (royal pension given to displaced royalties).
The story of Karthas getting cursed and they disappearing are just a fallacy.There are kartha families who are settled all around the globe (how fortunate one really is depends on how hard one try !).Most of them are married to Nairs with other Sur names and might have adopted those sur names.
[edit] Refs
please specify the page numbers. i do have a copy too 124.125.228.163 10:21, 22 August 2007 (UTC)
