The Nangeli legend is a folklore tale from early 19th-century Travancore (now part of Kerala, India), centered on a lower-caste Ezhava woman named Nangeli who is said to have protested against a discriminatory tax system by severing her own breasts, ultimately leading to her death and the purported abolition of the tax. The story has been popularized in media, art, and discussions on caste and gender oppression, but its historical accuracy is heavily debated, with many historians viewing it as a myth or exaggerated folklore lacking primary evidence.

Historical Context: The Mulakkaram Tax

In the Kingdom of Travancore during the 1800s, lower-caste communities like Nadars and Ezhavas faced a regressive poll tax system designed to enforce caste hierarchies and keep them in perpetual debt. Men paid a “head tax” (talakkaram or meeshakkaram, sometimes called a moustache tax), while women paid the mulakkaram, often translated as “breast tax.” This was a standard flat-rate head tax applied to working-age individuals (starting around age 14) from marginalized groups, including taxes on land, crops, jewelry, fishing nets, slaves, and other aspects of life—ensuring upper castes like Nairs prospered at their expense. 12 9 10 Contrary to some sensationalized accounts, the tax was not calculated based on breast size, shape, or attractiveness, nor did it involve invasive measurements by collectors; such details are modern embellishments. 8 12

The tax has been linked in subaltern folklore to caste-based restrictions on clothing: Lower-caste women were traditionally prohibited from covering their upper bodies in public as a marker of inferiority, a norm in Kerala’s matrilineal society where toplessness was common across castes due to the tropical climate and not associated with shame or modesty until influenced by British Victorian morals and Muslim rulers’ standards. 9 11 Some accounts claim the mulakkaram was enforced as a penalty if lower-caste women attempted to cover their breasts, reinforcing social boundaries set by upper-caste councils. 9 However, this interpretation is contested, as the tax was more broadly a symbol of feudal oppression rather than specifically tied to body covering or female honor in the pre-colonial sense. 12

Broader caste struggles, like the Channar revolt (Nadars fighting for the right to wear upper garments), culminated in 1859 when Travancore’s king permitted lower-caste women to cover themselves, influenced by colonial pressures and missionary interventions. 9 Some sources note a later full abolition of clothing restrictions in 1924 under pressure from the Madras Presidency, though this postdates the Nangeli story. 2

Details of the Nangeli Story

According to the legend, Nangeli was a poor toddy tapper living with her husband, Chirukandan, in Cherthala (Alappuzha district). In 1803, when tax collectors (parvathiyar) demanded payment of the mulakkaram—which her family could not afford—she defiantly cut off her breasts with a sickle and presented them on a plantain leaf to the horrified official, who fled. 10 12 9 She bled to death at her doorstep. Upon returning home, Chirukandan found her mutilated body, cradled it in grief, and then jumped into her funeral pyre, committing what is described as the first recorded male sati (self-immolation). 10 12

The site of the incident, near Manorama Kavala (now Manorama Junction) in Cherthala, became known as Mulachiparambu (“the land of the breast woman”), though the name has faded over time, and the plot has been divided and developed. 10 The story portrays Nangeli’s act as a raw protest against caste-based humiliation and economic exploitation, symbolizing resistance to feudalism.

Aftermath and Abolition

The legend claims Nangeli’s sacrifice shocked the Travancore authorities, leading to the immediate abolition of the mulakkaram by 1812 to prevent further unrest. 10 9 It is often framed as a catalyst for broader reforms in caste norms, though actual changes in clothing rights came later through organized revolts.

Debates on Historical Accuracy and Origins

While the story is treated as historical fact in some local accounts and media—such as a 2013 article in The Hindu, books like D. Sugathan’s Oru Desathinte Katha, Kayarinteyum, autobiographies of Kerala leaders C. Kesavan and K.R. Gowri Amma, and research by Ajay S. Sekher—it lacks verifiable primary sources from the era, such as colonial records or contemporary documents. 10 9 Historians like Manu S. Pillai argue that while the mulakkaram existed as a real oppressive tax, Nangeli’s tale is rooted in subaltern folklore but has been distorted: Her protest was against general caste injustice, not specifically a “breast-covering” tax or modesty issues, which were later overlays from colonial influences that introduced body shame. 12 8 Pillai notes that modern retellings reduce her to a symbol of patriarchal “honor” rather than radical rebellion.

Critics label it outright fiction: No records mention a woman named Nangeli or this specific event, and 17th-century traveler accounts (e.g., Dutch explorer William Van Nieuhoff) describe toplessness as a neutral cultural norm across castes, not a tool of humiliation. 11 The legend’s modern propagation traces to a 2007 article in The Pioneer by C. Radhakrishnan, who later admitted fabricating it based on unnamed folklore. 11 It gained traction through a 2009 blog post, 2013/2017 Hindu articles, a 2016 BBC piece on artist T. Murali’s paintings (inspired by unverified stories), feminist outlets like Feminism in India (2016), and cultural works like comics and research papers, often attributed to “communist intellectuals” amplifying anti-caste narratives without evidence. 11 6 1 Debunkings from outlets like OpIndia (2018), WION, and others highlight its absence in historical texts and potential as a constructed myth to critique caste systems.

In summary, the Nangeli legend serves as a powerful allegory for caste and gender resistance, substantiated by secondary local histories but undermined by the lack of primary evidence, making it more folklore than documented fact.