Thanjavur
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Chatram (choultry)
As in 2020
M T Saju, March 24, 2020: The Times of India
From: M T Saju, March 24, 2020: The Times of India
From: M T Saju, March 24, 2020: The Times of India
From: M T Saju, March 24, 2020: The Times of India
From: M T Saju, March 24, 2020: The Times of India
A place of rest or a symbol of an era — chatrams (choultry) — were closely linked to the cultural and social fabric of Thanjavur. The Maratha rulers of the temple town had constructed more than 20 chatrams on the way to the holy site of Rameswaram during 1743AD to 1837AD. The chatrams enjoyed star status residency across the country in those times. But today, only three remain standing, precariously.
Each of them also bears testimony to the stylistic architectural amalgamations of the Maratha, Chola and the British patrons. Among them, the Mukthambal Chatram in Orathanadu, 25km from Thanjavur, is reminiscent of a tale of love of Raja Serfoji II Bhonsle (1777-1832), the last Maratha king of Thanjavur, and Mukthambal. Since she was not a Maratha, the king could not marry her, but he remained devoted to her. “The king’s love for her was boundless. She had two children, and both died. Soon after, Mukthambal fell ill. It was she who requested the king to construct a chatram in her name,” said Ayyampettai N Selvaraj, president of the Chola Historical Research Centre, Thanjavur. But it was not a mere fascination for a building in her name that made Mukthambal suggest construction of a chatram. The idea was to help pilgrims to promote social welfare and education and help women and the destitute.
Keeping a keen eye on the details of the chatram, the king decided to model it like a chariot on a three acre plot. “These chathra dharma were named after the first lady of the kingdom and were managed and controlled by the queens of Thanjavur,” said Selvaraj. According to a Marathi inscription found at the chatram, the establishment was opened to the public on November 1, 1869. The Mukthambal chatram had a store room, kitchen, dining hall, gardens, resting rooms for pilgrims, a dispensary with trained doctors, a school and staff quarters with well-furnished rooms for members of the royal family and European officials. A large tank on the opposite side is still in use. Temples of Shiva and Vishnu were established on the banks of the tank. A tiny Shiva linga was installed in a separate room in the chatram in memory of Mukthambal.
A social space, the chatram could feed 4,000 people daily. It also gave free treatment to the ill and provided milk and nutritious food to children and pregnant women, said S K Hariharan, a historian based in Thanjavur.
“The golden period, however, didn’t last long. The properties were confiscated by the East India Company. After Independence, it was under the control of the district administration. The building was used as a government school and college, hotel and later a paddy procurement centre. Today, it is abandoned and has turned into a den for anti-social elements,” said Hariharan.
For 81-year-old Selvaraj, who has been campaigning for the preservation of the chatrams in Thanjavur for decades, it’s a long battle. “We have lost many good chatrams. Only three are left and Mukthambal is one among them and it may collapse any time. We have been campaigning for its preservation, but the district administration is not keen on it,” said the headmaster-turned heritage activist, who has taken the initiative of preserving many ancient sculptures and slabs with inscriptions in the region.
2020: documenting ruined Maratha structures in TN
Students document ruined Maratha structures in TN, August 13, 2019: The Times of India
Chennai: The decrepit state of the Eranial Palace of the erstwhile Venad kings in Marthandam and the ruins of Maratha kings in Thanjavur, who ruled the region from 1674 to 1855, show the apathy of the Tamil Nadu government when it comes to maintenance of ancient monuments linked to the history of neighbouring states.
But here’s a ray of hope. A group of seven postgraduate students of architectural history and theory from CEPT University, Ahmedabad has begun documenting the ruined chatrams of the Maratha rulers in Thanjavur. The chatrams are buildings constructed in the late 18th and early 19th century by the Maratha rulers as rest houses for pilgrims embarking on long journeys. The architecture reveals stylistic amalgamations of the Marathas, Cholas and the British. And that’s what interested the youngsters.
"The chatrams use techniques and typology of construction ranging from the local brick vaults of the delta to the Roman volutes in columns. It has a complex historical underpinning with the patron king influenced by a European mentor in Thanjavur. We are documenting five chatrams in and around Thanjavur to understand the stylistic patterns in detail," said Aishwarya Padmanabhan, a member in the group.
The chatrmas of Thanjavur are a series of buildings with complexities in its making, epoch and materiality that should be problematized to unearth the different frameworks through which its architecture could be understood. Each student is allotted to a subject such as ornamentation and style to document. "Thanjavur is intrinsically linked to the material of the architectural productions, i.e. brick, as it lies in the rich Cauvery delta. It is unique also because of its patrons, the Maratha rulers who commissioned the chatrams in a land where they were relatively new. This period in the 19th century is also critical because of colonisation. These facts make the chatrams a subject for us to look into the history of architecture," said Roshni, another member in the group. The project is titled ‘Hidden histories — History of construction as a form of architecture practice — through material and tectonics’. The project is supervised by Priya Joseph.
When the Marathas ruled Thanjavur, they introduced charitable institutions, which were new to the region, said Selvaraj Nayakkavadyar, a retired teacher and heritage activist who helped the group document the chatrams in Thanjavur. "Those days, pilgrims from north India would come to Rameswaram on foot, or on carts. It was difficult for them to meet their basic needs. To solve this, the Maratha rulers built about 20 chatrams with a tank in Thanjavur. Many have collapsed, and those remaining ones are in bad shape," he said.
The group has documented two main chatrams: The Kalyana Mahal and Yamunambal chatrams. "We will be documenting the Sreyas chatram and two more in the coming days," said Aishwarya.
The project is being supervised by Priya Joseph and is inspired by her own doctoral research on the history and tectonics of brick as an architectural material.
Excavations
The Hindu, August 05, 2015
Rare Chera, Chola coins found in Thanjavur
T. S. Subramanian
Ancient coins found during excavations atSenthalaipattanam village in Thanjavur district.
Ten coins including a Sangam age Chera coin datable to circa second century BCE, eight Chola period coins and a Vijayanagara period coin have been found in a trench excavated by Tamil University, Thanjavur, at Senthalaipattanam, Thanjavur district.
Of the eight Chola coins, one belongs to the emperor Raja Raja Chola (regnal years 985 CE to 1014 CE) and another to his son, Rajendra Chola (regnal years 1012 CE to 1044 CE). The other coins are being cleaned. The miniscule Vijayanagara silver coin was issued by emperor Krishnadevaraya.
Three trenches — two at Senthalaipattanam and one at the nearby Mandripattanam — have yielded gold core, glass beads, micro beads, potsherds and a terracotta pipe for transporting water. Both Senthalaipattanam and Mandripattanam are coastal villages. The trenches are five metres by five metres and half a metre deep. The excavation is being done by the Department of Maritime History and Marine Archaeology of Tamil University. The Director of Excavation is S. Rajavelu, Dean, Faculty of Manuscriptology.
What led them to choose this site for excavation was that when the shore was dug up on this stretch about 15 years ago to set up prawn farms, several Sangam age, Roman and late Chola period coins were found.
Coin of Raja Raja Chola
The Senthalaipattanam trench yielded the Chera lead coin of second century BCE. It has the image of a bow on the reverse side and the obverse probably has a carving of an elephant. “This kind of Chera coin is generally found [on the surface] in the Karur region in Tamil Nadu. This is the first time that we have found it in a trench in an excavation on the eastern coast,” said Dr. Rajavelu. Of the eight copper coins of the Chola period, one was issued by Raja Raja Chola. It has the image, on the obverse, of a man standing and holding a flower. The reverse shows a seated man and a legend in Nagari, reading “Rajaraja.” This type of coin is called “Eelam Kasu” (coin). The coin issued by Rajendra Chola has the Nagari script “Uttama” [Chola], his grandfather’s name, on the observe. The reverse side is not clear. The Vijayanagara coin has a seated goddess on the obverse, and a leaf with horizontal lines and dots on the reverse. While the Chera coin was found at the lowermost level, the Chola coins were found above and the Vijayanagara coin at the topmost level.
The excavation yielded a heap of beads made out of glass, terracotta and semi-precious stones, terracotta pipes and big pots. There are several lakes with fresh water in the area. “The findings confirm that Mandripattanam must have been a port-town during the pre-Christian era and a naval base to load the ships with food and water during the Chola period,” Dr. Rajavelu said.
