International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

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The Konkani Merchants in Malabar during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries

Author(s) Mr. Mahesh Krishnan
Country India
Abstract This article examines the commercial and political role of Konkani merchants in Malabar during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with particular attention to Cochin under Portuguese and Dutch influence. Following their migration from Goa, Konkani merchants became prominent in wholesale and retail trade, credit, revenue collection and financial administration. Their commercial networks connected Cochin with Calicut, Kayamkulam, Cannanore, Travancore, Gujarat and other Indian Ocean ports. Through the careers of Perimbala Shenai, Babba Prabhu and Kalaga Prabhu, the article demonstrates how Konkani merchants moved beyond trade to serve as treasurers, advisers, brokers and diplomatic intermediaries. Their access to capital and regional markets made them indispensable to both the Cochin rulers and the Dutch East India Company, while also exposing them to political rivalries, commercial litigation and changing state policies. The article concludes that their influence depended upon their ability to negotiate between competing authorities, but declined as Dutch power weakened, royal intervention increased and warfare disrupted Malabar’s established commercial order.
Keywords Konkani merchants; Gaud Saraswat Brahmins; Cochin; Malabar; Dutch East India Company (VOC); Perimbala Shenai; Babba Prabhu; merchant networks; political intermediaries; Indian Ocean trade.
Field Arts
Published In Volume 8, Issue 1, January-February 2026
Published On 2026-02-05
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i01.84443
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CrossRef DOI prefix of IJFMR is 10.36948/ijfmr

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