Aliyasanthana…guarding it from patriarchy
Down south of India, in the state of Karnataka, alongside the coastal belt, is located Tulu Nadu. Tulu Nadu is a region on the southwestern coast of India, and Tulu is the most important language spoken in this area. Tulu Nadu consists of the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka. Tulu Nadu witnessed the power and rule of eminent kingdoms such as the Kadambas, Alupas, Vijayanagara dynasty, and Keladi Nayakas. In Tulu Nadu is Mangalore, the home of Mangala Devi, and Udupi, the town of temples, renowned for the presence of Lord Krishna and the eight Mutts. In Tulu Nadu, people follow the matrilineal system; hence, women are given equal powers as men and sometimes more than men.
The story behind the following of the Matrilineal system is believed by the Tulu speakers to be age-old. Most of the history of Tulu Nadu is oral and is passed from one generation to another. However, foreigners who visited this land right from the Dutch to the Portuguese have recorded this in their travelogues, and this is ample testimony to the fact that the matrilineal system is an age-old practice. The story of the origin of the matrilineal system dates back to the rule of King Dev Pandya. The sister of King Dev Pandya, Satyavathi, was a kind soul when she offered her son as a human sacrifice to Kundodhara, the king of demons, to enable the ships of her brother to sail through the seas. It was a moment of emotion when Dev Pandya took this decision. His wife was a good mother who cared for her sons, but he went ahead and introduced this system in 77 A.D. According to this system, the inheritance system went to the female line, and women got property rights and other rights. This system was strengthened across years and generations as men started going to the battlefield and the entire responsibility of running the family was that of the woman. The borders of places like Mangalore had to be guarded day and night, and there was no assurance that the man would come back home safe. In such prevailing conditions, it was customary that the woman had enough to fall back on and was also safe and secure in the homes where she grew up. Maternal uncles took it upon themselves more than paternal uncles to guard the women and ensure their safety was a priority. The Aliyansanthana practice thus enforced this protection on the woman and her family.
Historically, Tulu Nadu has been home to one of the bravest Queens who fought the colonists. Rani Abakka Devi Chouta was one of the bravest Queens who fought the Portuguese and did it single-handedly with indigenous weapons and with the support and strength of the people of Ullal. She was deceived and cheated by her husband and it was her Sthreedhan or the dowry that was those days given to the woman of the house by her brother and maternal uncle that gave her the space to fight and protect the borders of the coast of Karnataka. Sthreedhan or dowry was always in the form of lands and territories and manor houses and palaces that kept the woman secure even if her husband or his family deserted her.
Mythologically, Tulu Nadu is also known as the home of Siri, the tutelary spirit worshipped in most homes. Siri was cheated by her husband and was forced to leave her husband’s home and come back to her maternal house. The maternal uncles offered her no protection and also cheated her of her lands. The matrilineal system, as braved by this woman, made her a demi-god, and she is worshipped in these lands of the Tulu speakers as a ‘daiva’ or a tutelary spirit who represents the liberation of women. The fact that she married again and established homes that were precedents by themselves goes to prove the strength of her character. She is worshipped for her progressive ideas and actions, and women
The advantage of the Aliyasanthana as seen in southern parts of the country, especially in Tulu Nadu is that women have been actively engaged in sustaining their culture, their religious practices, and their traditions. With girl children remaining empowered, education, security, and safety are priorities for the family. Women have ensured that their family homes, their heritage, and their rituals and customs have sustained the onslaught of time. Some families to this day have the practice of taking the surname or suffix of the matriarchal home. Thus, kinship is followed and traced through women. Daughters and their children thus formed an integral part of the family. Their households are run with skill sets that groom leadership skills and competence in women. By protecting their gods and daivas, for instance, they are contributing to the ecosystem, which has remained green and whose flora and fauna are guarded. The religious bond nurtured by the woman in her matriarchal home kept the family together and also ensured that the family business, family heirloom, and occupation were guarded. Women have grown to be great entrepreneurs due to the kind of exposure they get in managing their households independently and with decision-making being on their side. With education being a priority, discrimination and bias towards women is minimal in these regions. Women work hand in hand with men whether it is in the field or the factory. Instances as cited above and also many other references to the empowerment that is extended to the woman thus keeping her away from subjugation by men have been strengthened by the matrilineal system and the aliyasanthana system which certainly needs to be guarded against patriarchy
