The order permitting channar women to wear jacket was issued by which diwan ? 

The Correct answer is Col. Munroe.

Key Points

• Col. Munroe:
  • Scottish soldier and administrator.
  • Born on June,1778 at Scotland.
  • He was served as Divan of Travancore and Cochin states in between (1810-1819).
  • Munroe was the prominent figure in the development of Cochin and Travancore states.
  • He supported for the establishment of first college in Kerala (CMS College, Kottayam).
  • He issued the order for permitting channar women to wear jacket .
  • Died on January 25,1858.

​​Additional Information

• Channar Revolt:
  • The Channar revolt, Channar Lahala or maaru marakkal samaram took place in the early 1800s in Travancore, modern day Kerala.
  • It is considered as one of the most important feminine protests in kerala.
  • In nineteenth-century Travancore, it was a socially acceptable norm for women to be seen naked from waist up in public places. Higher caste women like the Nairs (Savarna) were expected to bare their upper bodies only in temples in front of priests, who were considered an authority of god.
  • If any woman disagreed with the practise, they were obliged to pay a ‘breast tax’ or Mula Karam whose amount was determined, quite sickeningly, by the size of their breasts.
  • Nangeli was the leader who fought against this practice.
  • She protested against this customs by cutting her own breasts.
  • Ayya Vaikundar ,a social reformer, led this Channar revolt against the British colonial state of Travancore.