In Commerce :

The role of the Saraswats in the commercial fields of Kerala deserves mention. It is to be noted that most of the business of Cochin and Travancore (Purakad) passed through their hands.

The trade between Konkanis and European powers figured prominently in the papers of Malabar Council. Prof. A. Das Gupta in his Malabar in Asian Trade (p. 116) writes: "Baba Prabhu, the foremost among the merchants, had almost monopolized the company’s commodities. The commanders of Malabar had treated him gently, even when his payments were not prompt. He was believed to have enough political influence to bring about a war between the Zamorin and the Dutch." Along with the Konkanies, the Jews, long settled in Malabar, had quitely followed their trade. The Rahabi family established close business links with the dominating family of Prabhus. It was on 1695 that David Rahabi, father of Ezechiel Rahabi, first appeared before the Malabarcouncil as the attorney of the great Baba Prabhu to settle Baba's outstandings accounts with the Dutch. A letter written to Baba by the Malabar council on 22^nd March 1694 begins "your Honour's esteemed letter...". This is quite typical of the letters written to Baba Prabhu, Ezechiel's father David Rahabi who had been good friend of the Prabhus had left young Ezechiel in charge of the Prabhus who had initiated the young Jew to the "mysteries of business". It was found that there had been partnership between Calaga Prabhu and Ezechiel Rahabi which started in 1752 and for several years they appeared to have undertaken several ventre together. But unfortunately gor Prabhu he was indebted to Ezechiel and at the close of the year 1670, Ezechiel took over a warehouse of Prabhu as part payment of the debt without consulting Prabhu about it. . But the governer requested Rahabi to return the keys of the warehouse to Calaba Prabhu. On his refusal, the Governer became furious and turning to Ezechiel said "you give these keys to Prabhu this days as i ordered or I shall know what to do with you" (lbid, p. 117). The keys were returned and the Rahabis kept away from the disputed warehouse till the Governer had gone and Ezechiel was dead. but on 11^th November, 1711 a sensational law suit began between the three sons ans heirs of Ezechiel Rahabi and Calaga Prabhu. Mention was there in the law suite of the names of the Konkanis who were described as prominent merchants of Cochin and who were examined as witnesses on the Rahabi's side and they are, Baba Saraf, Aloe Saraf, Bikoe Kienie and Rama Sinaiji. Calaga then entered into correspondence with the generals of Hyder Alo with the aim of humiiating the King of Cochin and the Jewish people of the town. The correspondence was detected in the nick of time. "Had I been late by couple of hours", wrote Adriaan Moens to Batavi, "he would have fled and joined Hyder's general". In the end, says Prof. A. Das Gupta, "Calaga Prabhu along with his elder son chirda Prabhu was exiled to Cape the Good Hope. Thus the last known man of this great Konkani family, whom Moens had occasion to call a "restless spirit" was one of the first Indians to settle in South Africa." (lbid, p.119).

After transportation for life, of Kaliga Prabhu by the Dutch East India Company to Cape of Good Hope in South Africa the company sold at public auction all properties of Kaliga Prabhu including the temple. The temple and the property of Kalaga were purchased by one Nagaresa and he entrusted the same to the Raja of Cochin. The Raja of Cochin by name Rama Varma (1775 - 1790 A.D.). through a Thitooram (Royal white) handed over the management of the temple of Vasukeswara to Cochin Thirumala Devaswom in the Year 1780 A.D. The thitooram inscribed in an Ola in the Malayalam era 955 M.E. preserved at Ernakulam Regional Office of the State Archives, Kerala, mentions about an annual grant made available for meeting the Pooja expenses of the Royal treasury. It was the temple that was constructed by Kalaga Prabhu with granite stones with the assistance of the Dutch. the temple is dedicated to Lord shive and worshipped under the name Vasukeswara which was renamed as Keraleswara. It is believed that the Linga of Shiva was brought by Kalaga form the shores of Rameswaram.

In the preface to the translation of Grandhavari of cochin published in 1916 mention is made of the konkanies. It says, "The Konkanies were for one thing rich, and possessed so remarkable an aptitude for mercantile business that they almost enjoyed the monopoly of all retail trade in Cochin. They also rendered substantial services of te Dutch in furthering their commercial activiies and were often employed as their chief agents or brokers. For this reason their interest were jealously watched and safeguarded by the Dutched who exercised civil and criminal jurisdiction over te Konkani "Subjects". The Batavian diary of 1678 contains excerpts from the long correspondence between two groups of Saraswat merchants; of the wo groups of merchants one was headed by Poilcar Naik and Baba Pattar , and the other group by Parimbala Naik and Waman Naik. These two groups between them monopolised the entire trade on the west coast. The 'Memorie underlines the ascendancy of the konkanies in the trade of Malabar. (Memorie of the "Secunde" Vosburge, dated 11th April 1680, of Hauge Record 719). Then names of the various merchants he mentioned are almost Konkanies. In supply of Pepper to the Dutch merchants htere was a mention of a Konkani merchant Derwa NAik of Cochin besides Ezecheil Rahabi. Also in an Ola given by Raja of Cochinto the Dutch Commander on May 18, 1666 there was reference to one Wittula Naik who was controlling the daily expenses of the Raja on Behalf of the Dutch. The vessels from Kutch & Porbandar employed the Konkani merchant Naga Prabhu as their agent at Cochin.

Ofcourse, the Konkani merchants monopolised trade in cloth too, ans they had consistently cornored all available "fanams" - the coins. "Anyone who wished to buy from the company lost 6.30 percent in dealing with the Konkani Shroff.". At the progress of the season only grey-haired Konkanies or "Banias" were considered as persons "who could tell which way the demand was likely to jump". The dyeing industry in Kerala was also bought by Baba Prabhu. The dyers were first brought from Tuticorin. In 1766, govind Pai appeared as the envoy of Hyder Ali to search for the reasures of the fugitive Zamorin in the Kingdom of Cochin. Naranna Prabhu served as an envoy from the Malabar Council to Calicut in 1784 and it was he who saw on his way the pepper vines and the snadal trees being cut down by Tippu sultan as the latter thought it was these commodities that made the Europeans to wage war on him.

Further, it was the Thirumala Devasom that helped the Raja of cochin by granting him a loan for the restoration of the Cochin territory devasted by Tipu sultan in the year 1790 A.D. The abstract of the letter, I series No. 377/1 State Archives, Ernakulam, reads "His Highness (Raja of Cochin) requests Dutch Governor's sancation for the issue of the loan from Thirumala Devasom for the restoration of the country devastated by Tippu".