CMRS - 5

CMR Story. - A.D. 1786.         CMRS - 5        Sunday Issue – Dt. 11^th Dec. 2011

                                       Nana’s muse.

11 year old Nana was reading from one among numerous copper plate inscriptions that were scattered all over the floor of the ‘Thousand Pillar Mandapam’ of the temple.

                                       The Sultanate of Madurai

It was under Thughlaks that Madurai came to be finally conquered by the Muslims and the pandya country became one among the many provinces of the Delhi Empire.

With the aim of systematic subjugation of the Hindu kingdoms of the south one after another, Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din Thughlak sent his son and heir Ulugh Khan [ who later became Mohammad bin Thughlak]  to the south in 1321 AD.

In the course of his campaigns Ma’bar was conquered in 1323 AD. –

The ruling king Jatavarman Parakraman was taken as prisoner to Delhi. - In the conquered provinces, the Delhi Sultan set up Muslim governors.

They were called Naib-Vazirs, assisted by a staff of quasi-military officials.

The capitals of provinces were in charge of ‘Koththavals’.[Kotval]..

For next 38 years Madurai was under the rule of six sultans, each one getting killed or driven out by the civilians rebelling against misrule.

These epigraphs were among a variety of items brought out and kept there for inventory. They had to properly listed and given numbers to make records. - Soon, many of them will be taken away for safe custody with a selected few moving away from Madurai.

People at work were busy in segregation and grouping and paid no attention to the boy.

Perhaps they knew that Nana was the son of Rayasam Srinivasa iyer or because those items were not among the confidential list of inventories being removed and packed.

Nana’s eyes scanned over the floor as he was curious to learn about the present crisis. Here was an opportunity to know some thing of the past, before they disappeared.

During the period of Muslim invasions of the region about 1327 A.D. the images of God Ranganatha and his consorts were secretly carried away from Srirangam, by the priests to Thirupathi  by way of Jyotiskudi, Thirumalirujnolai, Kollikkudi and Punganur.   

Nana resorted to random selections and quick reading.

By about 1336 A.D. the Vijayanagara Empire had been founded and its rulers began a steady contest against the Muslims in the Deccan and the south.

Kumara Kambanar, the son of Bukka 1, the second ruler of Vijayanagara dynasty conquered Rajagambira Rajyam, the country of Sambuvarayar in about 1362 A.D.

A few years later Kambanar marched south, restored and reconsecrated God Ranganathar in the temple of Srirangam. Then he marched against Madurai.

He defeated and killed the Sultan and freed Ma’bar from Muslim occupation.

The temple bell started ringing and announced commencement of “Uchchi kala puja “.

Nana’s attention now fell on a longer inscription in a larger copper plate.

It was lunch time and people started going out but Nana stayed back to read it.

It was a Tamil Chronicle, recording how the temples in Madurai suffered damage.

It started with a title…

“ The Madurai Temple during Muslim Rule.”

In the month of Ani of S.1245 (1323 A.D.) the Padshah vassal manthri Adi Sultan and Mulukka Nemiyar came from Delhi with 60000 horses, destroyed the siva and Vishnu temples and tanks, plundered temple treasuries ( sribhandaram ), mutiliated the  images of God ( bimbam ) and reached Thiruchirappalli.

There also the sthanikars were removed and temples destroyed.

Hearing this, King Valal Vilitturangam Parakrama Pandyan was alarmed.

He left for the fort of Kalaiyarkoil. -  Consequently the sthanikars also left because they lost the protection of the king but made certain provisions for the protection of the deity.

They made a kilikundu for the swami in the garbhagriham, raised earth mounds, and blocked the garbhagriham entrance with a stone wall. - Then they set up a Lingam in the ardha mandapam.

They did astabhandana for the Goddess (Mulapper nachchiyar) and set up the Goddess on the upper storey of the vimanam.

They did pupadanam (buried in the ground) for the ‘Utsava vigrahams and the Ilaya Nayinar and other vigrahams near Mucukundiswaramudaiyar shrine.

The Solia Kulasekaran who was doing the daily puja in the Karriyamanikka perumal temple was left in charge of the Madurai temple and the conduct of its worship.

The Sthanikars left Madurai, taking the gold vigraham of God and gold jwelleries and reached the kilukiluppai forest in Nanjilnadu.

The record further stated that the14 gopurams of the temple and streets around were destroyed by the Muslim invaders where as the garbha griham, the ardh mandapam and the maha mandapam escaped the fury of the Muslims.

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

At this stage, Nana felt the presence of some one behind observing him silently.

He turned back to find the smiling face of meenu’s maternal uncle who was an exception among elders because he remained a bachelor to avoid family burden and to pursue with his passion in the art of drawing and painting.

Uncle said he was happy to see Nana take interest to know the history of Madurai.

He promised to tell him a lot during their journey that will take a month.

Though it was less than a hundred miles, they travel only by day time and that too using slow-moving bullock carts, moving on bumpy roads that curve through fields and forests.

Because they go with the family, there will be many halts on the way to eat and rest. Besides, they will stay for the night in chaththirams and will have plenty of time to talk.

Uncle what are you carrying with you? – What are those long packages?

Nana, don’t you know I am a painter and many of the portraits you see in the temple and inside the ‘Pudu Mandapam’ were drawn by me.

I am taking many of them for safe keeping till normalcy returns in Madurai..

Yes uncle. Meenu told me you have specialized in Tanjavur painting, the reason why Madurai Naikkars made you shift from Tanjavur ruled by Maratha kings.

That is right Nana. -  Meenu knows. She used to spend time with me and I have taught her how to draw. She has flair and a good hand for painting. I feel sorry she will miss a great opportunity to improve on her gifted talents now that she will get married too soon.

Any way now it is time for you to get back home for lunch.

Don’t make the ladies wait for you because they starve till you finish your lunch and go.   That is the first lesson for you as a family man. – OK. Come on. -  Let us go.

As they kept walking, Nana asked uncle to tell about the present crisis.

Nana, you had been reading about what happened 400 years back.

It is good to start from the early past to catch up with the present.

The situation is different now.

We are now facing more than two enemies.

The foreign traders are now allowed to have their own armies.

The white skinned traders wanted to be armed for self protection.

It was a mistake that our local kings gave permission for that.

French, Dutch, Portuguese and English have modern weapons.

Their rifles and tanks with destructive powers are too powerful for us.

We have only the old type of army with horses and elephants and use swords.

Our local rulers keep fighting with each other and it is not new.

But it is dangerous taking the help from the traders to settle score with one another.

What happens is that the European traders enter in to treaties with Rajas they help.

When they win a war, the foreigners get gifts of lands and villages to rule independently.

They are slowly establishing colonies and start collecting taxes for their revenue income.

 ………………………………………………………………………………….

 ………………………………………………………………………………….

  

mama…mama…intha sunthu anna ennai kambala athiththan…..um..um…um..

Nana’s muse was broken by the continuous cry of the three year old Kamu.

It made Narayana Iyer, jump back to the present. – Till then, he was relaxing in his easy chair, unaware of the pandemonium around and buried inside his 26 year-old memories.

He lifted the baby and started consoling her. After some time Kamu went of to sleep.

Time is a funny thing. –

Some times you are driven by time and many a time you are driving the time.

It runs faster when you work against time and want it to be slower.

Time stays still when you are idle and wishing time to move fast.

May be that time waves and thought waves are complementary to each, if not same.

For Nana, 26 years looked like 26 months since he got settled down at Chinnamanur.

Many things had happened and many changes took place during this period.

One important change is that Nana’s father is no more and that he had passed on the burden of his secret to Nana when he was in his death bed.

…..To continue…  ( after an indefinite gap !! )

CMRS - 4

CMRS - 4

       "சீனுவும் சுண்டுவும்." - ( சின்னமனூர் - 1786.)

டேய் கடங்காரா, பாதி சாப்பிடரப்போ ஓடி ஓடிப் போறயேடா....

எப்போ நான் உனக்கு ஊட்டி முடிச்சு மத்த வேலயை கவனிக்கிறது?

சீனு, நீ போய் உன் தம்பியை நாலு மொத்து மொத்தி இழுத்துண்டு வா..

ஏன் அத்தை, சீனு எங்கே இருக்கான்?....நீங்க கூப்பிட்ட குரலுக்கு ஓடிவர....

அவன்தான், அவனோட சினேகிதப் படையோட,

அப்பவே கிளம்பி வெளிய போயிட்டானே.

வேணும்னா, நீங்க உங்க பிள்ளயை கூப்பிட்டு,

ரெண்டு அதட்டல் போடச் சொல்லுங்கோ.

நான் எதைச் சொன்னாலும் அவர் இப்போ எல்லாம்

காதிலேயே வாங்கிக்கிறது இல்லை.

ஏதோ மோட்டு வளையைப் பார்த்து யோசிச்சு கொண்டு இருக்கிறார்.-

பதில் சொல்லரது இல்லை.

லக்ஷ்மி, நீ சொல்லரது ரொம்ப சரி. –

நானும் கூட கவனிச்சேன். - நாணா முன்னை மாதிரி இல்லை.

முக்கியமா, அவன் அப்பா போனஅப்புறமாகத் தான் இப்படி இருக்கான்.

என்னை விடவா ? - நானே துக்கம் கொண்டாடரத விட்டுட்டேன்.

கொழந்தைகள்தான் முக்கியம் அப்பிடின்னு என்னை மாத்திக்கில்லயா...

ஆமா அத்தை. - எனக்கு என்னவோ வேற காரணம் இருக்குனு படரது.

மாமா படுத்த படுக்கையா இருந்தப்போ ஒரு நாள் ஞாபகம் இருக்கா?

நாம எல்லோரையும் வெளியே இருக்கச்சொல்லிட்டார்.

தன் பிள்ளயோட தனியா ரொம்ப நேரம் பேசிண்டு இருந்தார்.

அதுக்கு அப்புறமே இவர் மாறித்தான் போயிட்டார்.

நான் கேட்டாக் கூட மழுப்பலா பதில் சொல்லறார்.

சரி விடு. நாணாவுக்கு பொறுப்பு அதிகம் ஆயிடுரது பாரு. அதுதான்.

அவன் தன் கவலயை வெளிய சொல்லிக்க மாட்டான்.

"பாத்தீ நேக்கும் தோசை தா பாத்தி"  ---

மூன்று வயது குழந்தை காமுவின் குரல்.

அதை கேட்டதும் பாட்டிக்கு சுண்டுவின் நினைவு வந்து பார்த்தால்...

அவனைக் காணவில்லை. - ஓடிப்போய்விட்டான் கடங்காரன்..

 

கோபம் குழந்தைபேரில் திரும்பியது.

சனியனே.. உனக்கு என்னடி அவசரம்.....துக்கிரி....தோசி ஜாதகம்...

பிறக்கற போதே அம்மாவை முழுங்கிட்டு, தோசையாம் தோசை....

ஓன்றும் புரியாமல், காமு மலங்க மலங்க முழித்துக் கொண்டு இருந்தாள்

வேகமாக சமையலுள்ளிலிருந்து ஓடி வந்து, காமுவை தூக்கிக்கொண்டு,

காமுவின் பாட்டி, அதே வேகத்தில் உள்ளே போய்விட்டாள்.

பின் தொடர்ந்த நாணாவின் மனைவி லக்ஷ்மி,

பேசவேண்டாம் என்று சைகை செய்து, குழந்தையின் கையில்

தோசை விள்ளல் கொடுத்து, பின்புறம் போகச்சொன்னாள்.

நிற்க,

ஐந்து வயது வாண்டுப் பயல் சுண்டு பேரில தப்பே சொல்ல முடியாது.

அவன் சமர்த்தாக வாயைத் திறந்து திறந்து மூடிக்கொண்டிருந்தான்.

பாட்டி கொடுக்கிறது என்னன்னு கூட பார்க்காம சாப்பிட்டுக்கொண்டிருந்தான்.

அதே சமயம், அவனோட ஒரு கண் மட்டும்,

கூடத்துல அடுக்கி வைத்திருந்த சாக்கு மூட்டைகள் மேல் இருந்தது.

பாட்டிதான் அவனுடய திறந்த வாயைப் பார்க்காமல்,

அம்மா வாயைப் பார்த்து பேசிண்டு இருந்தாள்.

இப்போது, அவன் எதிர்பார்த்துக் காத்திருந்தது நடந்தது. 

ஒரு மூலையில் இருந்து ஒரு சுண்டெலி ஓடி வந்தது.

தூரத்தில் நின்று, ஒரு கணம் சுண்டுவை கேலியாகப் பார்த்தது.

பிறகு, அரிசி மூட்டைகளுக்குள் பதுங்கியது.

சுண்டுவுக்குக் கோபம் பொத்துக்கொண்டு வந்தது.

இந்த முறை விடுவதில்லை என்று ஆவேசம் வந்தது.

தோசையை மறந்தான். பாட்டியை மறந்தான்.

சுண்டு, எலி வேட்டைக்கு தயார் ஆனான்.

ரொம்ப நாளாவே ஒரு சுண்டெலி, சுண்டுவின் விரோதியாக விளங்கியது.

போன ஜன்ம பகையை இந்த ஜன்மத்தில் தீர்த்துக் கொள்ளத்தான், அந்த எலி,

சுண்டுவின் வீட்டுக்குள் குடி புகுந்துவிட்டது எனலாம்.

அதற்குக் காது மிகவும் கூர்மை.

காலடி சத்தத்திலிருந்து வருவது யார் என்பது எலிக்கு தெரியும்.

முக்கியமாக, சுண்டு தனியாக வருவது தெரிந்து, திடீரென்று குதித்து,

அவன் காலில் ஏறி தாண்டிக் குதித்து மறைந்துவிடும்.

சுண்டு பயந்து போய், உளறி அடித்துக் கொண்டு, இங்கும் அங்கும் பார்ப்பான்.

அரிசி மூட்டை இடுக்கில் ஒளிந்து கொண்டு சுண்டெலி சுண்டுவைப் பார்க்கும்.

இது சுண்டெலிக்கு பிடித்த பொழுது போக்கு.

ஓரு நாள், தன் வயிற்றெரிச்சலை கொட்டிக்கொள்வது

அந்த எலி என்பது தெரிந்தது.

தன்னை விட ஏழு வயது பெரியவனான சீனு அண்ணாவை,

தம்பி சுண்டு சரண் அடைந்தான். யோசனை கேட்டான்.

வாய் விட்டு சிரித்த சீனு,

தம்பிப் பயலுக்குத் தைரியம் கூறினான்.

நீ சிங்கமா இல்லை எலியா?

நான் சிங்கம்.

சிங்கம் என்ன செய்யும்? ஓடிவந்து பாயுமா?...

இல்லை ஓடிப்போயி ஒளியுமா?

சிங்கம் பாயும்..... எலிதான் ஓளிஞ்சுக்கும்.

சரி. - நீ ஒரு ஆம்பளை சிங்கம் - இல்லையா?

ஆமா.

அதுனால பயம்தான் உன்னைக்கண்டு பயப்படணும்...புரிஞ்சதா?

புரியல்லை.

அதாவது, தைரியமா இருந்தாத்தான், நீ சுண்டுப் பயல்.

நீ சுண்டெலிக்கு பயப்படறேன்னு வெளிய தெரிஞ்சா உன்னை எல்லோரும்

சுண்டைக்காப் பயலேன்னுதான் கூப்பிடுவா. -பரவா இல்லயா.?

நான் என்ன செய்யணும்?

பயத்தை கீழே போடு  - தைரியத்தை கையிலே எடு.

தைரியம் எங்கே இருக்கு?

அப்படிக் கேளு. - வா என் கூட. - காட்டுகிறேன்.

சீனு பின்கட்டுக்கு நடந்து போக, சுண்டு பின் தொடர்ந்தான்.

மூலையில் இருந்த, பாட்டியின் புடவை உலர்த்தற கம்பை,

கையில் எடுத்தான்.

பாரு இப்போ, என்று சொல்லிக் கொண்டே சீனு கம்பைச் சுழற்றினான்.

அரிசி மூட்டைகள் மீது மாறி மாறி, பளீர் பளீர் என்று சாத்தினான்.

பிறகு, மூட்டை இடுக்குக்குள் கம்பு நுனியை வைத்து குத்தினான்.

அத்தனை எலிகளும், நில நடுக்கம் வந்து விட்டது என்று பயந்து,

சுவரை ஒட்டிய மூட்டைகளுக்கு அடியில் ஓண்டிக்கொள்வதை,

சுண்டு கவனித்தான். அவனுக்கு தைரியம் பிறந்தது.

அதன் விளைவு, இன்று தனியாக எலி வேட்டையில் இறங்கிவிட்டான்.

அவனுக்கு புடவை கம்பை தூக்கவே சக்தி இல்லை. ஆதலால் மெதுவாக,

கம்பை தரையில் தேய்த்தபடி சென்று மூட்டை அடியில் குத்தினான்.

அது சரிவராமல், தரை மட்டத்துக்கு படுத்துக்கொண்டு கம்பை செலுத்தினான்.

குறும்புச்சிரிப்புடன் ஒரு சுண்டெலி குதிர் மேல் ஏறி குனிந்து பார்த்தது.

தரையில் படுத்துக் கொண்டு இருந்த சுண்டுவின் முதுகில் குதித்தது.

அலறி அடித்துக்கொண்டு உருண்ட சுண்டுவின் கையில் இருந்து நழுவி, தரையில்உருண்டு சென்ற புடவைக் கம்பு,

தோசை விள்ளலை ரசித்து சாப்பிடுக்கொண்டிருந்த

காமு பாப்பாவின் மேல் லேசாகப் பட்டுவிட்டது.

காரணம் இல்லாமலே அழப்பிடிக்கும் காமு,

இப்போது ஓ என்று வீறிட்டு அலறினாள்.

சுண்டு, பின்புறமாக ஓட்டம் பிடித்தான்.

" மாமா..மாமா..., இந்த சுந்து அன்னா என்னை கம்பால அதித்தான் ".....

என்று அழுது கொண்டே வந்த காமுவை, வெளிவாசல் முற்றத்தில்,

சாய்வு நாற்காலியில் அமர்ந்திருந்த நாணா ஐயர் தூக்கி எடுத்து,

அணைத்துக் கொண்டு சமாதானம் செய்தார்.

அவருக்கு மீனுவின் ஞாபகம் வந்தது. - கண்ணில் நீர் ததும்பியது.

இதே வயதில் இதே மாதிரி மீனுவும் அழுது கொண்டே வருவாள்.

அண்ணா ..என்றுதான் கூப்பிடுவாள். தன் மீது மிகவும் பிரியம்.

தனக்கு தங்கை தம்பி இல்லததால் நாணுவுக்கும் மீனு மீது பிரியம் உண்டு.

தன்னுடய தாயார் மீனுவை காரணமமே இல்லாமல் கடிந்து கொள்வதால்,

அந்தக் குழந்தை மீது அனுதாபம் அதிகம்.

அதைவிட மீனாவின் தாயார் மீது அனுதாபம் அதிகம்.

இளம் விதவையான அவள் நாணாவின் அப்பாவிற்கு தூரத்து உறவு.

இப்போது கையில் குழந்தையுடன் அடைக்கலம் தேடி அங்கு வந்துவிட்டாள்.

தன் கல்யாணத்தின் போதுதான் மீனுவுக்கும் கல்யாணம்.

அவளுக்கு அப்போது வயது ஒன்பது. –

மீனாவின் புகுந்த வீடு வைகை ஆற்றின் அக்கரையில் இருந்த

தென்கரை-சோழவந்தான் என்ற கிராமம்.

மணம் ஆகி பதினைந்து வருஷம் கழித்து தலை பிரசவத்தில் மீனு போய்விட,

மீனுவின் கணவன் மறு கல்யாணம் செய்துகொண்டுவிட்டான்.

அச்சாக அவளே போல் இருக்கும் மீனுவின் குழந்தை காமு,

இப்போது இவர்கள் வீட்டுக் குழந்தை.

நாணாவிற்கு விருப்பமான கடமை, காமுவை வளர்த்து

நல்ல ஒரு பையனுக்கு,

கல்யாணம் செய்து கொடுக்க வேண்டும் என்பது.

ஆனால் அவசரப்படக் கூடாது.

காமுவுக்கு எழுதப் படிக்க சொல்லித்தர வேண்டும்.

பதினெட்டு வயதில் கல்யானனம் செய்தால் போறும்.

தன் மனைவி லக்ஷ்மிக்கும் தில் இதில் முழு சம்மதம்.

தன் தாயாருக்கு அது தெரியவேண்டியது இல்லை.

தூங்கிப்போய்விட்ட காமுவை, மீனாவின் அம்மா வந்து எடுத்துக் கொண்டாள்.

நாணா மறுபடி பழைய நினைவுகளில் மூழ்கினார்.

மதுரை நகரை விட்டுப் பிரிந்த நாள் முதல் நடந்த சம்பவங்கள்...26 வருட நினைவுகள், அவரது மனத் திரையில் ஓட ஆரம்பித்தன.

....தொடரும்.....(ஆனால், அவசியம் இருந்தாலன்றி, தமிழில் அல்ல.)

CMRS - 3

Prelude to “cmr story. (continued)                             Sunday - 27th Nov.2011.

      CMRS - 3           “A secret burial to some of the secrets.“

At first, it was a pleasant surprise for the few villagers who noticed the arrival of many new comers since it was a rare occurrence and they rushed to inform others.

Soon, there was a crowd of curious onlookers watching the survey of the vacant lands.

A few high ranking officers, discussing among themselves were giving instructions.

All were at work under supervision and guidance, some taking measurements; some marking lines and a few others digging holes at specified points to enable fencing.

The curiosity of people gave way to fear when another batch arrived that included some hefty figures of horse riders in uniform, wearing caps and armed with swords.

The crowd quickly started dispersing. – They retreated to ‘Ammanai patti’, their dwelling place a few miles away, where they gathered under the shade of Banyan and Neem trees.

To preside over the meeting and give advice, they needed their village head.  

He was eighty five; reason enough to be made their chief.  

Too weak to come on his own, he had to be brought, carried with his coir cot.

The ammanaipattians, as they were called, had their own reasons to fear strangers.

So far, they had been occupying and cultivating lands with out paying any land tax.

They had never seen any revenue officer ever making visits in that area.

It is now time to quickly decide on how to manage the situation.

It took double the time to brief their half-deaf chief, by which time they saw at a distance, a dignified looking person getting down from a horse-driven carriage.

He was wearing a long and loose white shirt, panjakachcham, and angavastharam.

He was short, fair and plumb and with a shiny red thilak on his broad forehead.   

A horseman drove by announcing the arrival of ‘Rayasam’.

The ammapattiyans blinked.  – It was natural.

No way could they know that ‘Rayasam’ was a designation for any departmental head in the government under the Dalavai of the Nayakkar regime.

But, who was that? - We have seen him before.

Yes. We recognize him as none other than our Nana’s father.

It was a great relief to villagers to see him approach with a friendly smile and greeting them all with folded hands. - They returned the greetings by falling to their knees and received the VIP guest. - The silent chief welcomed the guest with betel leafs.

Few quickly climbed up the coconuts trees to fetch enough for watering the guests.

A ten minutes lecture by the VIP visitor explaining their presence and purpose and on the type of help he expected from them, was enough to make the villagers jump with joy, once they understood that there was going to be lot work for a month or more and that the local men, willing to work with them, will get handsome payments.

The project involved building housing colonies for a variety of families to settle there.

There was going to be cultivation in most of the available lands and it meant jobs for all.

Among the people to come new were Masons; Carpenters; Black smith; Goldsmith and temple musicians, apart from traders. - Later to join were many Brahmin families of Sanskrit scholars, Vedic pundits, Priests, Astrologers, Tamil teachers and Poets.

While renovation work will start on any old and damaged temples in the near vicinity, they will also do the repair work or provide new houses for the current inhabitants.

Finally he said that ‘Chinnamanur’ will no more a namesake ‘ur’ or ‘oor’ but a real one.

Ammanaipattiyans again blinked but the visiting group knew what it meant.

We should also know what it signifies.

The administrative set up under the Nayakar rulers of Madurai country was like this: -

The kingdom was divided in to ‘Palayams’ ruled over by palayakkarar, who had to pay a fixed financial contribution called tributes and also supply a definite military quota by maintaining a certain number of troops at the capital to guard each of the 72 bastons of the Madurai fort.

  

For the convenience of administration and to provide local autonomy with village as the unit for local administration, the provinces (palayams) were further divided in to units going by various names such as ‘Valanadu’, ‘Nadu’, ‘Seemai’ and ‘Gramam’.(village)

  

Size and population of the villages were differentiated with its ending letters of the village names like, ‘Samudram’; ‘Mangalam’;’kudi’; ‘ur’ or ‘oor’ and ‘Kuricci’.

Land tax was the chief revenue though there were minor taxations too.

For easy and speedy collection of revenue, the local men were used and they were designated as ‘ Ambalakkaran’ or ‘Maniyakkaran’. –

With regard to community group-living in small places, the same was denoted by adding the letter ‘Patti’ to the name of their tiny villages and it was an unwritten understanding in the administrative circles not to collect tax from the ‘Pattians’ who were poor people.

If the villagers jumped with joy, there was every reason to be so.

It was a far cry from the rural poor that they are provided with at least a fraction of what the residents in temple towns enjoy. They could not afford to spend for pilgrimages but had heard from travelers about the festive atmosphere and variety of things sold in town bazaars and about all the activities in and around the temples of cities like Madurai.

So, the whole thing now was like a dream come true for the innocent villagers.

With apprehensions gone and doubts disappearing, the good news started spreading from one ‘Patti’ to another quickly.  - It was time for celebrations.

Ammanaipattians playing host, insisted upon a welcome feast to which the visitors agreed and then left to attend to their work of survey and planning of future activities.

During this break, let us relax and ponder over conditions in India - 300 years back.  

It is important to get a feel on the type of Indian society, their life style and on the type of governance that prevailed before the British entered and changed things gradually.

The first important change introduced by the British after 1800 AD was on the concept of private rights and ownership of lands in India, in particular, one on land laws concerning disputes.

For this, let us see what Michael Edward says in his book on British India.

“Generally speaking, what could be derived from such Hindu law treatises as the old ‘Code of Manu’(composed some time between 300 B.C and A.D.150) and later works suggested that the ruler was entitled to a share in the produce of the land and that this right was based upon his position as ‘Protector of the soil’.

Other sources did state that the king was the ‘lord of land and water’.

As with all Hindu law, there was confusion and lack of precision, but in practice it seems to have been generally accepted that the ultimate ownership of the land lay with the ruler.

Those who possessed any land did so until they were dispossessed - by force.

There was nothing in Hindu law to indicate that the possessor-cultivator of the land could sell or otherwise mortgage his holding for cash or any other form of payment.

Ownership in modern sense was totally unknown to Hindu law.

But, the cultivator’s right to occupy the land he cultivated was as traditional as the ruler’s right to a proportion of the produce.”

Thus, the individuals who were the occupiers of land pay taxes to the king.

The king, who ever he may be, was the owner and protector of lands and people.

So, there was no such thing as private rights to buy; own; rent or sell the lands.

For the expenditure of the government, the King is entitled to the King’s share.

It can be given in kind or cash by the occupier of land who profits by cultivating it.

The traditional proportion as per Hindu law was one sixth of the produce.

The Mughal king Akbar changed it as one third of the produce.

His is successors raised the figure to one-half of the produce resulting in reduced returns on investment for the farming class and reduced net profit, being their take-home income.

King Aurangzeb applied a Muslim law by name ‘hanafi’ in their conquered territories in India, according to which, a non-Muslim will pay a tax (kharaj) that was twice the amount payable by a Muslim occupant of a land.

What ever be the variable taxation, the only unchanged concept was that the owner of land is no one but ‘God’ in the form of ‘king’ – the invader and ruler.

The ownership of lands, used or unused lay with the king and will change hands to one who replaces the king by force.

Still, the occupier of land remains undisturbed as long as he pays tax as specified the king who rules and protects his citizens.

This was India from the beginning until the British started applying English laws in their annexed portions in Indian territories during 19^th century.

                …………………

The feast was over and the respected Rayasam, surrounded by villagers, was taking leave.

He told that he will be back after a month and thanked them for their cooperation.

He did come as told but this time he kept a dignified distance from others and busy with supervisory work and planning with officials in charge of the project.

Before he left, he met the villagers and formally enquired about their welfare.

Then he informed them that among the new settlements his own family will be one.

He requested them to take special care and help his teen-age son to settle down and learn the art of cultivation since he would be away and can visit his family only occasionally.

The ammanaipattians felt proud and happy at this request and assured Nana’s father that they would carry out his wish – the promise which they kept for generations together.

All this happened long before Nana’s father made the announcement to his family.

Months passed and the project work went full swing at chinnamanoor.

During the next trip, a month before the shifting of families from Madurai took place,

The Dalavai himself made a visit with selected officers and security guards.

Nana’s father was the one accompanying Dalavai and answering his question.

None of the villagers could come near the fenced area this time.

There were number of load carrying bullock carts that came and kept inside the guarded area and parked since morning

By sunset most of the workers have cleared the field and the place became silent.

When it was fully dark, some bullock carts started moving in to the fields.

In the cover of darkness, there began some activities, helped by light, dim on purpose.

Early morning, the visiting parties prepared themselves for their return journey.

A keen observer with probing eyes, if at all there was one, can not fail to notice that all the bulls had become bright and cheerful what was sad looking last evening

Was it because they had enough rest and well fed or because of load shedding?

If so, where are the big and heavy boxes now?  - What ever it was and where ever they were at present, one will never know except two sources.

Out of that two, one can not talk and another will not talk. And both have left now.

We will also take leave and meet next week, after 26 years.

The venue will be same but a changed one; the new look Chinnamanur of A.D.1786.

CMRS - 2

                               Prelude to “cmr story” 

                         { Madurai Country - AD1750 to 1799.}

                 

                                      “Narayanan alias Nana”

Listen Boy, stop crying and hear me first.

The booming voice of his father silenced Nana and he looked up.

No more murmuring and no more shouting at your mother.  - Ok.

You are not a child any more.  –

It is my decision and I can’t help it…….

The situation is like that……

You have got to get married. – Don’t show your face like that….

Oh yes, that is important before we migrate from this place.

It means you are going to be the man of the house!

It will be a new house for you in a new place. – That is all.

Before he could respond or react, his father had gone.

Nana, the adolescent boy of eleven, remained speechless.

He could not control his tears as his mother came around to hug him and console.

There are times when circumstances decide and dictate our actions and we are forced to take decisions, far removed from our own desires.

One such instance was the happenings in the year AD1760, at Madurai town.

It happened to many families of responsible officers, who were closely connected with confidential affairs in the administration of Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswar temple. 

Among the privileged lot housed with in the temple was a family of Srivatsa clan.  Narayanan alias Nana, born in1749, was the only child in that brahmin family.

Choice-less and duty-bound, the elders followed instructions from top.

They hurriedly planned to pack and shift their families to go to unknown destinations.  Ignorant of the place of their re-settlement, all they knew was that the purpose of the move, shrouded with secrecy, was for greater good and that they will be taken care of and will be duly compensated more than their own expectations.

This move also forced elders in the family to decide on early marriages that were to be even earlier than the usual age of 15 or more for boys and 12 or less for girls.

In those days, child marriages were meant to unite families more than uniting the bride and groom who were, after all, too young to know the meaning and purpose of wedlock.

When elders take such decisions, the most affected were the helpless children, invariably kept in dark and left to learn things only through observation and inferences.

No wonder Narayanan was very upset and angry over such stupid decisions.

He was too scarred of his father to ask for the reason.

The ladies of the house were of no help being ignorant themselves.

He couldn’t comprehend things happening around him.

All that he knew was about what he will miss – His enviable childhood.

He will also miss his distant cousin Meenu, who would get married and left behind.

Separation with his play-mates and friends was unthinkable but it was now inevitable.

In such depressed mood, his mind started scanning places inside the ‘Meenakshi’ temple. Its original name was ‘Chokkanathar’ temple once.  - It was Nana’s home with in home.

He could vividly picture in his mind, those places with long corridors and big pillars where, as small boys, he and his friends played ‘Hide and Seek’ game. They were places open to public only for specified hours of the day and many not at all. - But, they were accessible to Nana and friends all time of the day, though they knew not why.

Later years, they explored the nook and corner of the rectangular temple. (730 x 850 ft.)

Helped by the ever friendly watchmen, they once climbed up inside the four gopurams.

Their favorites, in particular, were the famous quartette, namely, ‘Kilikatti Mandapam’; ‘Kambaththadi Mandapam’; ’Ayiram kal Mandapam’ and ‘Puthu Mandapam’.

He remembered how confused he was when he found people telling different names for the same. - For example, what he knew as Kambaththadi Mandapam was also called ‘Kodikkambu mandapam’ by temple servants. -  The same was ‘Sundareswar mandapam’ for the ‘Prohits’ but it was ‘Dwajasthamba mandapam’ for his father and temple officials.

Whatever the name, it was the one located in the eastern side second prakaram and faced the ‘Swami Sannidhi Gopuram’, at the entrance of which were two gigantic sculptures of Dwarapalakas, unusually less intimidating and more dignified in their appearance.

On the other hand, Nana still remembered being quite afraid as a small boy, seeing the life-size Nandi statue. - He was even more afraid to go any where near to those four magnificent pillars that had ten feet high statues carved on it, portraying the fearful looking ‘Badra Kali’; Urdhva Thandavar ; Aghora Virabhadrar and Agni Virabhadra.

Otherwise, he was happy with so many other things in that place. - There were  pillars with sculptures such as Meenakshi Kalyanam, Somaskandar, kailasarudar etc.

Now his thoughts switched over to the next. -The ‘Kilikatti Mandapam’, located west of ‘Golden Lily Tank’ and on way to ‘Amman Sannadi’. – The other name for this was ‘Pancha Pandavar Mandapam. -  It was the most ornamental of all mandapams. –

It had a single corridor with richly carved pillars on both sides.

Nana had counted ten statues showing five Pandavas, Vali, Sugriva, Purushamriga, Draupathi and Siva as a hunter. Between some of the pillars was the usual ‘Yali’ motif, while there were two huge ‘Dwarapalaka’ statues on each side of the entrance.

He then thought of the thousand pillar mandapam.  – He once had a bet with his friends to count the number of pillars and they managed only up to a figure of 985.  

May be there were more pillars, hidden between walls on both sides of it.

It was a possibility. – Yes. – It was because Nana was able to recollect one past incident.

Once, during a hide and seek game, he was hiding behind a pillar, unaware that his friends had been chased away when the ‘Thalavai’, walked in followed by few others.

( Thalavai, (or ‘Dalavey’ as pronounced by the British) was the title for prime minister.

The group was lead by temple servants carrying ‘Theevatti’ (Lit fire wood). –

Nana’s father was also in the group along with the ‘Pradani’. (Finance minister)

He saw the team going through a dark passage, halting near the wall for some time, before disappearing into it. - Nana took the opportunity to rush out, unnoticed.

So, there must be secret doors and also hidden secrets behind the wall……..

The loud voice of his grandma calling him ended the chain of thoughts and Nana was back to his present.  He never once imagined that all these will be left behind soon.

He now knew how lucky he was so far and how unlucky he will be with out them.

May be, the true value of something will be known only in its absence.

Things started moving fast in the next few weeks.

Nana came out of his depression soon, as marriage preparations started.

He cheered up having become the centre of attraction as a bride-groom.

He felt proud to be addressed as ‘Mappillai’ by his uncle and many others.

Nana suddenly felt much grown-up and mentally attaining the man-hood.

Nana was yet to be told who the bride was. – So what?

Who ever the bride, she will be the one called wife for him to shout at and boss over.

That was what father did like every other husband. - But he won’t. - How unfair it was.   

Nana always felt sorry seeing his mother in tears and grew angry with father for that.

During the month long journey to unknown destination, Nana was to learn, conversing with elders and co-travelers, many things about the political turmoil at Madurai that may throw some light on reasons why they had to leave their home and home town in a hurry.

He was going to learn how the Nayakar dynasty, an off shoot of Vijayanagar kingdom had crumbled under the Muslim invasion spreading from north to south and how Madurai came under the rule of Nawab of Karnatic who represented the Nizam of Hydrabad.

He was to also learn how they protected temple properties and deities from the Muslim atrocities from the days of Malikafur till Chanda Saheb and about the help received from Maratha rulers, who for restoring the temple and allow pujas and festivals to revive, appointed as governor of Madurai, one Morari Rao who ruled for two years till 1743 AD.

(The complete and minute details of Madurai siege is given in ‘Madurai Thala varalaru’ and in books like ‘ Thulukkar kalagam’, about which we will see in subsequent chapters.)

Allowing Nana to listen to the stories, we will, in the mean time, go to ‘Chinnamanoor’, 80 miles south west of Madurai, the place of their destination and re-settlement.

It was a small village in the cool and breezy stretch of Kambam valley region.

It was a quiet place where severe summer looked like mild winter.

Surrounded by forested foot hills of ‘Western Ghats’ and hidden behind thick bushes, hedges, fruit yielding trees and flower forests, it was unnoticeable to outsiders.

It had fertile cultivable lands in plenty but very less cultivators whose agricultural activities were confined to meet their own local needs and no more.

They lived a contented life in houses made of mud walls, covered with thatched roofs.

In such a remote place full of illiterate, innocent but cultured villagers, a pleasant surprise awaited them one day, when new comers started arriving in batches to survey the place.

                                       …..To continue….

CMRS - 1

                                         “ The Start “ 
                                    (with the author’s note)

After my failed attempt to insert photos in between texts in the last issue,
I was helped by Shreyas Harish, to have a blog for myself.
It goes by the name ‘chinnamanoor connections’.

In this, I am able to save the texts sent to our clan and also insert photos as desired. –

It looks nice in my blog but I am not sure how it is for others who view my blog. –

To visit my blog, please use Google search for the site, www.cmrlink.blogspot.com

Next, we will dispense with two topics in the contents list to make a start straight away.

I would try for frequent release (instead of weekly), once it gathers tempo.

Any stuff side tracking from main story is a necessary thing intended to provide back ground scenario like historical facts etc. – For that, I have used some extracts  from reference books I read, 1) Michel Wood’s ‘The story of India’; 2) Dr.D.Devakunjari’s ‘Madurai through the ages’ ; 3)on Gopal Krishna Gokhale etc.- (Hope it is permitted)

One exhaustive reference list of Bharatwaja cmr clan members is in the attachment. – Also enclosed is  shorter tabulation for Srivatsa clan

I can send a still lengthier list for Srivatsa cmr clan too, but on second thoughts, I decided against that, as both charts seen together may result in brain damage - which anyway will happen in stages as we proceed with the story. So, let us not worry about it as of now.

Now on to the ‘Start’ - …..A word easily said than done.

How to start and where to start for a complicated story like this, is a big question.

Help some how comes when I desperately need one. – It is a mystery. - When mysterious things happen that human brain can not comprehend, ancient Hindu seers named it as ‘Brahma Rahasiyam’, which the present day scientists call as the ‘Quantum Secrets’.

Can you believe if I say that in the case of cmr story, the kick start was provided by a peculiar and unlikely combination of four things? –

It happened in the fag end of eighteenth century and involved the following,

1) Asiatic society of Bengal. – Calcutta – 1786 AD.

2) ‘The East India Company’s first collector at Dindigul, Madurai country – 1790 AD.  

3) 12 year old friendless boy, Narayanan of cmr srivatsa clan, now at Madurai

4) 8 year old parentless boy –Egyanarayanan of Bharatwaja clan at Tirunelveli

Let us go step by step to know the inter-connected significance, which means taking our readers for a conducted tour, to the old day Calcutta and Madurai, to start with.

                                                                                              

Asiatic society of Bengal. - Calcutta – 1786.

- Foreigners knew its value that Natives knew not. -

Sir William Jones was a British judge in Calcutta.

He was a Welshman and a brilliant linguist who knew Greek, Latin and Persian.

His great desire was to learn Sanskrit, the language of the ancient Hindu texts and laws. Eventually he succeeded learning Sanskrit with the help of a Brahmin priest and he was fascinated to see close linguistic resemblances of it with Latin and Greek.

He said this in a lecture to the newly formed Asiatic society of Bengal on 2nd Feb.1786,

“The Sanskrit language, whatever its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than Greek, more copious than the Latin and more exquisitely refined than either. “

There was pin drop silence in the hall that had a gathering of intellectual lot – more of Bengalis among the Indians and more of British among the Europeans. – This society was the brain child of old British traders who wanted to possess a through knowledge of the country, its religion and languages and more importantly about its complex culture.

When Calcutta became The East India Company’s Head office, foreign influence became more pronounced among the Bengalis first than in other parts of India. - R.C.Mazumdar, a historian has narrated how English education spread in Bengal much before it did in other parts of India.                The first English school in AD 1800 was in Calcutta.

Later it was Hindu college in 1817 at Calcutta after the native educational society was formed in Bombay in 1815.

Jones was not, in fact, the first to see the connection. Early 16^th century visitors like the English Jesuit Thomas Stevens had seen it too – the similarities in these languages.

But what William Jones did was to use this as evidence that classical old languages had a common root to which there was no disagreement. But the controversial aspect was that whether India or Iran, which started as the land of Aryans, whose language was Sanskrit.

Mr.Alexander McLeod, an young officer of the E.I.C ( East India company ) was sitting in a corner seat. 

‘How I wish I remain in head office and Calcutta for a longer time’, was his first thought.

At the same time, he also realized that it was more of a wishful thinking, he being a new comers.
Scanning through the hall, he could recognize some officers like Elphinstone, Munro and Metcalf.

Little did he know at that time that after the lecture session there will be High-Tea and that he will get introduction with the seniors including the judge himself? – He also did not know at that time how this acquaintance will end up in his getting special assignments, transfers and promotion.

                                                                                         (To be continued)