Malabar Manual

The author has prepared the text of two volumes painstakingly. His work chronicles the history and culture of Malabar, compiling indispensible ethnographical and geographical information. Malabar society is explored in eight chapters which deal conclusively with the district, its people and the land. It’s an historical account of the Malayali race—the position, namely, which was occupied for centuries on centuries by the Nayar caste in the civil and military organisation of the province, — a position so unique and so lasting that but for foreign intervention there seems no reason why it should not have continued to endure for centuries on centuries to come. Their functions in the body politic have been tersely described in their own traditions as “the eye ” “ the hand ” and “ the order” and to the present day we find them spread throughout the length and breadth of the land. It is an exhaustive volume giving the details of the geography, people, their religion and castes, language and culture. It depicts the life and style of the vernacular people of Malabar District, with notes on the life of members of the East India Company. It is an indispensable book in the context of the history.