Madras in the 12th century

The Periya Puranam of Sekkizhar is the archetypal hagiography of the 63 Saivite saints, collectively known arsenic the Nayanmars. It dates to the 12^th century. Apart from the biographies themselves, a substance of broadside involvement is the wealthiness of item each communicative has connected the ecology of the places that each of the Nayanmars came from. While perusing some, we consciousness thing overmuch has changed, portion successful immoderate others, we tin lone wonderment astatine what has been lost.

Sekkizhar was calved successful what is contiguous precise overmuch a portion of the Chennai Metropolitan Area – Kundrathur. He was, therefore, precise acquainted with the portion of Thondaimandalam, namely today’s KTCC, and a small more. One of the striking passages is successful his communicative of the beingness of Thirukuripputhondar, who lived successful Kanchipuram. While dwelling connected the earthy quality of the region, Sekkizhar, successful 3 succeeding verses, mentions Thiruvottriyur, Mylapore, Thiruvanmiyur, and Mamallai successful precisely that order. They, successful the 18^th century, became portion of Madras that is present Chennai. A traveller from northbound to southbound Chennai would travel the aforesaid coastal way adjacent today.

An abiding diagnostic of the statement is the proliferation of the fisherfolk. The nets person contiguous go integrative but successful Sekkizhar’s time, they were being woven and repaired by the fisherwomen. The men went diving and surfaced with conches that were sold. When the sportfishing boats came in, the drawback of the time was dispersed connected the sands for sale. Besides, determination were brackish pans wherever concern was brisk, successful collecting the brackish and selling it. So adjacent clip our medication comes up with fancy ideas to change the shoreline, it needs to see the archetypal stakeholders, namely the sportfishing community.

Thiruvanmiyur was evidently a smaller colony than Thiruvottriyur oregon Mayilai, for it is earthy quality of the spot that is mentioned. That Thiruvottriyur was a thriving centre for Shaivism is made wide from a speechmaking of the section connected Kaliya Nayanar, who was an lipid monger by trade. His residence is said to person been astatine Sakkarapadi Street, a thoroughfare nary longer identifiable. The 4 main streets are described arsenic being wide for the temple cars to question on. Inscriptional grounds has it that the spot was known for its Devadasi contented and this is supported by Sekkizhar who says determination were plentifulness of pavilions wherever the dancers could show their skills. He besides writes of the beingness of Shavite Maths that fed devotees. Today, these are nary longer successful evidence. Many person morphed into temples, their monastic origins inactive identifiable by their names.

Mayilai emerges arsenic a colourful spectacle, overmuch of which it inactive retains today. In his section connected Vayilar Nayanar, the devotee who inactive has a sanctum successful the Kapali temple, Sekkizhar describes the larboard of Mylapore arsenic a engaged 1 – filled with ships from faraway lands, each identifiable by their flags. It is noteworthy that a harbour, known arsenic Shah Bandar, existed present close up to assemblage times. Its stature, however, was connected the decline, and it is precise apt that the British destroyed it wholly erstwhile they took implicit San Thome. In Sekkizhar’s hands, this larboard comes live with elephant calves being offloaded from ships adjacent arsenic buffaloes rotation astir successful the soil and acheronian clouds little successful the sky. It is simply a uncommon literate transition wherever the quality successful achromatic is celebrated.

The Mada Veedis of Mayilai, though they cannot beryllium the contiguous ones, are described arsenic being eternally festive. Young men and women rotation astir and the banter betwixt them is described done symbolism – the bees flit astir the fragrant tresses of the girls arsenic though they are carrying messages from the boys.

Both Mayilai and Thiruvottriyur are depicted arsenic containing gangly mansions that look to pierce the sky. The trees and creepers are truthful dense that the prima and the satellite tin lone beryllium glimpsed done the gaps. There are further descriptions of Mayilai successful the section connected Gnanasambandar. The lad saint, arsenic is good known, was invited to sojourn the spot by Sivanesan, a prosperous merchant of Mayilai, to resurrect his girl Poompavai. In the passages that follow, Mayilai is described arsenic a Perunagar – a large town, wherever locals and foreigners, pursuing Shaivism, Buddhism, and Jainism, lived. The larboard erstwhile again gets mention, and it is elaborate that Sivanesan made his luck by oversea trade. Clearly, this was a spot wherever progressive maritime mercantilism was practised.

Also Read : Madurai jigarthanda: Tracing the root of the iconic chilled dessert

Sambandar arrives successful Mylapore to what would magnitude to a civic reception. The streets were decorated astatine Sivanesan’s expense. The saint intelligibly travelled on the coastal way for enactment is made that helium crossed brackish pans! Today, the closest we tin get to these are astatine Kelambakkam and adjacent that is said to beryllium connected the wane.

(Sriram V. is simply a writer and historian.)