Hortus Malabaricus the first printed Malayalam book by Van Rheede / ഹോർത്തൂസ്‌ മലബാറിക്കസ്

Hortus Malabaricus the first printed Malayalam book by Van Rheede / ഹോർത്തൂസ്‌ മലബാറിക്കസ്

Hortus Malabaricus the first printed Malayalam book by Van Rheede / ഹോർത്തൂസ്‌ മലബാറിക്കസ് in Malayalam clickhere

Hortus Malabaricus (meaning "Garden of Malabar") is a comprehensive treatise that deals with the medicinal properties of the flora in the Indian state of Kerala. Originally written in Latin, it was compiled over a period of nearly 30 years and published from Amsterdam during 1678-1693. The book was conceived by Hendrik van Rheede, who was the Governor of Dutch Malabar at the time. The book has been translated into English and Malayalam by Dr. K. S. Manilal.

Van Rheede is said to have taken a keen personal interest in the compilation of the Hortus Malabaricus. The work was edited by a team of nearly a hundred including physicians [such as Ranga Bhat, Vinayaka Pandit, Appu Bhat and Itti Achuden ] professors of medicine and botany, amateur botanists (such as Arnold Seyn, Theodore Jansson of Almeloveen, Paul Hermann, Johannes Munnicks, Joannes Commelinus, Abraham a Poot), and technicians, illustrators and engravers, together with the collaboration of company officials, clergymen (D. John Caesarius and the Discalced Carmelite Mathaeus of St. Joseph’s Monastery at Varapuzha). Van Rheede was also assisted by the King of Cochin and the ruling Zamorin of Calicut. Prominent among the Indian contributors were three Gouda Saraswat Brahmins(physicians) named Ranga Bhat, Vinayaka Pandit,Appu Bhat and Malayali physician, Itti Achuden, who was a Thiyya Vaidyan (ayrvedic doctor) of the Mouton Coast of Malabar. The ethnomedical original information in the work was provided by these three working on it for two continuous years morning and evening as certified by them. Their certificate to this effect is given in the first volume of the book.

The Hortus Malabaricus comprises 12 volumes of about 200 pages each, with 794 copper plate engravings. The first of the 12 volumes that comprise the book was published in 1678, and the last in 1703. It is believed to be the earliest comprehensive printed work on the flora of Asia and the tropics. Mentioned in these volumes are plants of the Malabar region which in his time referred to the stretch along theWestern Ghats from Goa to Kanyakumari. The book gives a detailed account of the flora of Kerala, along with sketches and detailed descriptions. Over 742 different plants and their indigenous science are considered in the book. The book also employs a system of classification based on the traditions adopted by the pre-ayurvedic practitioners of that era. Apart from Latin, the plant names have been recorded in other languages viz. Konkani, Arabic and Malayalam.

Subsidiary Alliance System by Lord Wellesley / സൈനിക സഹായവ്യവസ്ഥ

Subsidiary Alliance System by Lord Wellesley / സൈനിക സഹായവ്യവസ്ഥ

Subsidiary Alliance System by Lord Wellesley / സൈനിക സഹായവ്യവസ്ഥ in Malayalam clickhere

The doctrine of subsidiary alliance was introduced by Lord Wellesley, British Governor-General in India from 1798 to 1805. Early in his governorship Wellesley adopted a policy of non-intervention in the princely states, but he later adopted the policy of forming subsidiary alliances. This policy was to play a major role in British expansion in India. According to the term of this alliance, Indian rulers were not allowed to have their independent armed force . They were to be protected by the company, but had to pay for the 'subsidiary forces' that the company was supposed to maintain for the purpose of this protection. If the Indian rulers failed to make the payment, then part of their territory was taken away as penalty.For example,the ruler of Awadh was forced to give over half of his territory to the company in 1801,as he failed to pay for the "subsidiary forces".Hyderabad was also forced to cede territories on similar grounds. By the late 18th century, the power of the Maratha Empire had weakened in the Indian subcontinent, and India was left with a great number of states, most small and weak. Many rulers accepted the offer of protection by Lord Wellesley, as it gave them security against attack by their neighbors.

The main principles of a subsidiary alliance were:

1.   An Indian ruler entering into a subsidiary alliance with the British had to accept British forces within his territory and also agreed to pay for their maintenance.

2.   The ruler would accept a British Resident in his state.

3.   An Indian ruler who entered into a subsidiary alliance would not enter into any further alliance with any other power, nor would he declare war against any power without the permission of the British.

4.   The ruler would not employ any Europeans other than the British, and if he were already doing so, he would dismiss them.

5.   In case of a conflict with any other state, he would agree the resolution decided upon by the British.

6.   The ruler would acknowledge the East India Company as the paramount power in India.

7.   In return for the ruler accepting its conditions, the Company undertook to protect the state from external dangers and internal disorders.

8.   If the Indian rulers failed to make the payments required by the alliance, then part of their territory was to be taken away as a penalty.

Under this doctrine, Indian rulers under British protection surrendered the control of their foreign affairs to the British. Most disbanded their native armies, instead maintaining British troops within their states to protect them from attack. As British power grew, in most parts of India this became increasingly unlikely.

The Nizam of Hyderabad was the first to enter into such an alliance. Tipu Sultan of Mysore refused to do so, but after the British victory in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, Mysore was forced to become a subsidiary state. The Nawab of Awadh was the next to accept the Subsidiary Alliance, in 1801. After the Third Anglo-Maratha War, the Maratha ruler Baji Rao II also accepted a subsidiary alliance.

Subsidiary Alliance System by Lord Wellesley

It was Wellesley who effectively reverted the policy of "non intervention" followed by his predecessors. He made the Nawab and Nizams subsidiary allies by signing almost 100 such treaties. Initially Wellesley compelled the friendly rulers to accept this alliance. The policy of subsidiary alliance was first used by Wellesley in dealing with the Nizam of Hyderabad. Wellesley neutralized the Nizam by getting him to sign the Subsidiary alliance to replace his French detachments. He also forbade Nizam to correspond with the Marathas without British consent. As the Nawab was a French protégé, he had appointed many Frenchmen at his court, but after this treaty, he was forced to dismiss the French employees and maintained six expensive^.British Battalions. Marathas in Deccan had not entered into any kind of treaty, but still they were neutralized by Wellesley by a promise of share in the spoils of Tipu. After that only Wellesley demanded submission of Tipu and followed an invasion. In summary, the system of Subsidiary Alliance could be any of the following: 1. The company lent its army in place of the Cash 2. Company kept the armies near the border of the Protectorate and collected cash. 3. Company kept the army inside the border for protection and collected cash. 4. Company kept its army inside the border of army and got some territories. The last among the above given 4 types was dangerous. It was Nawab of Oudh that entered into this kind of arrangement in 1801 (Treaty of Lucknow) and ceded half of Awadh to the British East India Company and also agreed to disband his troops in favor of a hugely expensive, British-run army. After this, the British were able to use Oudh's vast treasuries, repeatedly digging into them for loans at reduced rates. They also got revenues from running Oudh's armed forces. Last, but not least, the subsidiary alliance made Oudh a "buffer state", which gave strategic advantage to the British.

Kerala Plus One Text Book for All Subject on www.scert.kerala.gov.in/ Kerala Higher Secondary Plus One Text Book 2014-15

Kerala Plus One Text Book for All Subject on www.scert.kerala.gov.in/ Kerala Higher Secondary Plus One Text Book 2014-15

Kerala Plus One Text Book for All Subject click here