5 months ago
2
Wandering astir the promenade astatine Pondicherry connected a rainswept greeting past week, I stopped by the Gandhi statue, which is simply a reasonably pedestrian enactment of creation erstwhile compared to D.P. Roy Choudhuri’s magnificent portion that adorns the Marina successful Madras. But arsenic always, what caught my attraction was the acceptable of 8 pillars that basal astir the statue. These, and a fewer much that basal successful neighbouring Ayi Mandapam/Bharati Park, were each erstwhile astatine the Venkataramanaswami Temple astatine Senji and past brought present by the French to adorn their beachfront. What is forgotten is that once, determination was a colonnade of 32 pillars present that the French brought successful from Madras successful 1746. The British took them backmost to Madras pursuing their siege of Pondicherry successful 1762.
These pillars, each of Pallavaram gneiss, were owing to Governor George Morton Pitt, who, during his tenure successful the 1730s, had them enactment up successful 4 rows from the oversea to the entranceway of Fort St. George. Though meant to beryllium an ornamental and ceremonial arcade to beautify the metropolis (shades of Singara Chennai here), the transition became the city’s archetypal commodities exchange, with commercialized happening successful the spaces betwixt the pillars. A enactment of shops came up connected 1 side, and these, on with the colonnade itself, tin beryllium seen successful a representation by William Daniells successful 1793.
The statues, erstwhile upon a time, were astatine the Venkataramanaswami Temple astatine Senji. They were brought present by the French to adorn the beachfront | Photo Credit: Sriram V.
Between their erection and that picture, overmuch had happened. Firstly, the Board of Directors successful England were not blessed with the disbursal incurred of 1,600 pagodas, overmuch of which was taken from the Town Conicopoly’s duties (read civic taxes). They felt that the wealth could person been enactment to amended usage than specified “showy things”. But betwixt the missive intimating them of the task (January 1732) and the reply (November 1732), overmuch of the enactment was completed anyhow and so, thing could beryllium done to reverse the expense.
In 1746, arsenic mentioned earlier, the French took them distant and had them erected astatine their beach, lone to person the British bring them backmost successful 1762 and enactment them up precisely arsenic they were, facing the oversea successful Madras, which is however William Daniells saw them. By this time, the speech had shifted, to what is present the Fort Museum and so, the pillars had to beryllium enactment to immoderate different use. Early successful the 19th century, the spaces betwixt the pillars were walled successful and the gathering that emerged was known arsenic the Pillar Godown. With concern houses rapidly moving retired of the Fort to First Line Beach/North Beach Road (Rajaji Salai) from the aboriginal 1800s, the godown was enactment to Governmental use.
It was for a fewer years the Record Room and therefore, a precursor to the contiguous Tamil Nadu Archives successful Egmore. Then it became the Government Press. This, presumably, was successful 1831 erstwhile the Government of Madras established a property of its ain and which we cognize functioned from the crushed level of the “offices astatine Fort St. George” until 1888, erstwhile it was shifted to the aged Mint gathering successful George Town wherever it inactive functions from. Post 1888, we bash not cognize arsenic to what intent the Pillar Godown served but it came to beryllium known arsenic Old Banqueting Hall, which was a misnomer.
These statues are good specimens of Vijayanagar sculpture | Photo Credit: Sriram V.
H.D. Love, successful Vestiges of Old Madras (1913), notes that the sanction was of caller root adjacent past — a lawsuit of mistaken identity, since the pillars looked acold older than they were, with respective hooped successful robust bands to forestall splitting. It was besides believed that Company officials ate their meals present earlier Edward, the 2nd Lord Clive, built the Banqueting Hall (now Rajaji Hall) successful 1802. Fake histories existed adjacent then!
In 1910, Pillar Godown/Old Banqueting Hall was successful information of being demolished. The caller Council gathering (presently the Assembly and Secretariat) was being built and the aged operation stood precisely wherever a portico was planned. That was erstwhile Governor Sir Arthur Lawley intervened. He opined that the pillars ought to beryllium incorporated into the gathering itself and that is precisely what was done. Even today, we tin spot the pillars, present sadly painted and not polished to a gleaming black, adorning successful sets of 4 the archetypal level of the Assembly. Love cautiously records that lone “the champion preserved” of the columns were incorporated, which means immoderate person vanished.
In my view, these columns, expansive nary doubt, are nary lucifer successful quality to the pillars successful Pondicherry. Those are good specimens of Vijayanagar sculpture. The French had taken them from Senji temple precocious successful the 17th century. The pillars were arranged astir a statue of Dupleix, which having been present relegated to a country of the beach, was replaced by that of Gandhi.
(Sriram V. is simply a writer and historian.)
