CMR Story. - A.D. 1786. CMRS - 5 Sunday Issue – Dt. 11th 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
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
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
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 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
It started with a title…
“ The Madurai Temple
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
The Sthanikars left Madurai
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.
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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.
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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 !! )
I too would like to know about the Nayak history...Please point me to sources...
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