Madura City, 1908
Madura City
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Head-quarters of the District and taluk of the same name, Madras, situated in 9° 55' N. and 78° 7' E., on the south bank of the Vaigai river, and on the main line of the South Indian Railway, 345 miles from Madras city. A branch railway has recently been opened to Mandapam, on the end of the tongue of land which runs out into the sea to meet the island of Pamban. The population in 1871 was 51,987; in 1881, 73,807; in 1891, 87,428; and in 1901, 105,984. It is now the second largest town in the Presidency. Of the total inhabitants in 1901, 93,103 were Hindus, 9,122 Musalmans, and 3,750 Christians. Being the District head-quarters, it contains the usual offices and staff. Most of the residences of the European officials were formerly in the city among insanitary surroundings, but of late years dwellings for some of them have been constructed in a higher and healthier situation on the opposite bank of the Vaigai.
The history of Madura city is largely that of the District, the reli- gious and political life of which has from time immemorial centred in it. The earliest mention occurs in the times of the ancient Pandyas, some centuries before the Christian era, and the place reached the culmina- tion of its prestige in the middle of the seventeenth century under the Naik kings who contributed so much to its architectural adornment. Little is known of its early history. The Sthala Purdna (local chronicle) preserved in the great temple gives a mythical account of the foundation of that building and of the town ; but the mists which enshroud the origin of the place hardly lift for any length of time until the fourteenth century, when (like the rest of Southern India) Madura was subjected to an inroad from the Muhammadans of the north. They seem to have treated its inhabitants with the greatest cruelty, and they sentenced the great temple of the city to destruction. The outer wall, with its fourteen towers, was pulled down, and the streets and buildings which it protected were destroyed. The tw^o shrines of Sundareswara and Minakshi were, however, spared. The people of Madura were at last freed from the yoke of foreign despotism by Kampana Udaiyar (1372); and after the expulsion of the Musalmans the priests of Siva regained their revenues and rebuilt the four lofty gopurams or tower-gateways which now stand in the outer wall of the temple. The middle of the sixteenth century saw the foundation of the Naik dynasty already referred to ; and the Sahasra-stambha Manta- pam, or Hall of a Thousand Pillars, one of the principal structures in the building, was erected by Ar5'a Naik Mudali, the general and minister of Viswanatha, the first ruler of that line. The temple forms a parallelogram 850 feet long from north to south by 750 feet broad, surrounded by nine gopurams, one of which is 150 feet high. These are conspicuous features in the landscape for miles around. The building is profusely ornamented with sculpture and paintings, and contains a number of valuable jewels. The groups of figures carved from single huge stones in the Hall of a Thousand Pillars and else- where are marvels of industry and elaboration. The temple is sacred to Siva in his form Sundareswara and to the local goddess Minakshi.
The other important buildings of Madura are all associated with the name of Tirumala Naik, who reigned from 1623 to 1659. The chief of these is his palace, the most perfect relic of secular architecture in the Madras Presidency. The District Court and other offices are now located in this building, which has been successfully restored by Government. The main structure consists of two parts, an open court and a lofty hall. The former measures 244 feet east and west by 142 feet north and south, and is surrounded on all sides by arcades of very great beauty. The pillars which support the arches are of stone, 40 feet in height, and are joined by foliated brick arcades of great elegance of design. The whole of the ornamentation is worked out in the exquisitely fine stucco called chienam, made from shell-lime, which is characteristic of the Presidency. On one side of the court stands an apartment which was formerly the throne-room of the palace. It is an arcaded octagon, covered by a dome 60 feet in diameter and the same in height. On another side is a splendid hall 120 feet by 67 feet and 70 feet high to the centre of its roof, one of the chief peculiarities of which is the resemblance of its style to Gothic architecture. Next in importance to this palace is the Vasanta or Pudu Mantapam, which is said to have been built as a summer retreat for the god Sundareswara. It consists of a hall 333 feet long by 105 feet wide. The roof is flat and rests on four rows of stone pillars, all of which are different in design and are elaborately decorated with the characteristic images and emblems of the Hindu religion, life-size figures, and conventional carving. On the northern bank of the Vaigai stands the Tamakam, a building of quaint semi-Moorish architecture, said to have been erected as a pleasure-house from which to view combats between wild beasts. It is now the official residence of the Collector. Lastly, the Teppakulam, a great tank about a mile and a half east of the town, is also assigned to the time of Tirumala. This reservoir is a perfect square, measuring 1,200 feet each way. Its sides are faced with granite and surmounted by a handsome parapet, also of granite, beneath which runs a continuous paved gallery. In the centre rises a square island with a lofty domed temple in the middle and a tiny shrine at each corner. Once a year the tank is illuminated with 100,000 lights.
Madura city was constituted a municipality in 1866. The receipts and expenditure during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged Rs. 1,49,000 and Rs. 1,74,000 respectively. In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 2,32,000, including water tax (Rs. 28,000), the tax on buildings (Rs. 57,000), tolls (Rs. 26,000), and the tax on professions (Rs. 12,500). The chief items in the expenditure, which amounted to Rs. 2,18,000, were water-supply and conservancy (Rs. 70,000) and medical services (Rs. 17,000). The water-works, which derive their supply from underground springs in the bed of the Vaigai river, were completed in 1894. Estimates for increasing the quantity of water available by constructing a receiving gallery across the river are under consideration. A scheme for the drainage of the central part of the city has also been drawn up.
Madura is the industrial and educational centre of the District. Its chief industry is weaving. The silk-weavers, called Patnulkarans, are immigrants from Gujarat and speak a dialect of Gujarat!. It is said that their forefathers were induced to settle in Madura by Tirumala Naik. They claim to be Brahmans, and call themselves by Brah- manical titles. The women and children are employed in the preliminary operations of preparing the thread and warp, while the men do the dyeing and the actual weaving. They make pure silk fabrics and also cloths of mixed silk and cotton. The number of looms at work is about 2,000.
The Madura Mills Company, established in 1892, employs 1,760 hands in its steam cotton-spinning mill. The daily output of yarn averages 16,000 lb. Of the raw material, five-sixths is grown in
India and one-sixth is imported from Egypt. A fine variety of yarn made here is dyed turkey-red and sold locally. The coarser counts are mainly exported to China if the rate of exchange for silver be favourable.
The two Arts colleges in the District, the Madura Native College and the American Mission College, are both at Madura. The former has 69, and the latter 27, students reading in the higher classes. The Native College took the place of a former Government college, and is now managed by a committee of native gentlemen presided over by the Collector, Its school department contains 925 pupils, and that of the Mission College 371. Other large educational institutions are the Setupati high school, now amalgamated with the Native high school, and the American Mission school. The Madura Technical Institute, maintained by the District board, gives instruction in drawing, carpentry and carving, and blacksmiths' and fitters' work, and in the manufacture of articles from aluminium and rattan. The number of pupils is 130, and the work turned out in 1903-4 was valued at Rs. 19,000. The technical schools of the District have altogether 245 pupils. A new municipal hospital is now being built. The Albert Victor Hospital belonging to the American Mission is an admirably equipped institution. The town also possesses a maternity hospital.
