Breast Tax Mulakaram : Here women were not allowed to cover their breasts and had to pay tax according to breast size
Breast Tax Mulakaram: In earlier times, many such works were done, about which no one has any knowledge even today. Let us tell you about a shocking law today, after reading which you will be shocked. Do you know that many years ago women had to pay tax to cover their breasts. According to this law, women could not cover their breasts. If she did so, tax was collected from her. Now you would like to know in what time it used to happen, so let us tell you that this law was in the 19th century.
Tax was taken on covering the chest in this empire
According to reports, in 1729, Travancore Kingdom was established in Madras Presidency. New rules and regulations were made in this empire and King Marthanda Varma started the method of taking many types of taxes. Apart from sales tax, GST and house tax, he also made a law for breast tax. Under this rule, Dalit and OBC women had to pay tax to cover their chest. There was also a rule in the Travancore kingdom that lower caste women would have to wear clothes only till the waist.
In the year 1729, the king made a law
Not only this, the women of this empire were taxed according to their breast size. Like if someone’s breast is small, then he has to pay less tax and the one who has big breast, then he has to pay more tax. The name of this tax was Mulakram. If there was a woman who did not pay tax despite covering her chest, the officers used to tear her clothes as well. However, after some time women started opposing it.
A woman named Nangeli protested and started covering her chest. This enraged the upper caste people. Her husband also supported and then the king forcefully started collecting tax from Nangeli and her husband. Once when the king’s officials went to Nangeli’s house to collect tax forcefully, she cut off her breast and gave it to him and she died due to continuous bleeding.
Gave my life by cutting my breast
After death, Nangeli’s husband Chirkandun also gave his life. It is said that for the first time in the history of India a man committed ‘Sati’. After this the protest increased even more and then women got the freedom to cover their chest. Later, the king of the empire also had to announce that now women of lower castes would not have to pay any tax for covering their breasts. A short film has also been made on this story, whose name is Mulakram.
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