Navrang India

The Victoria Public Hall(1890), Chennai /en.wikipedia.org

The erstwhile coastal city of Madras (now Chennai) was founded by the British who first built Ft. St. George in 1644 to carry on their trading activities and to safeguard their trading facilities. With their expansion over a long period of time and their monopoly having been well established, Madras remained a major power center in Southern India and provided impetus for further settlements and trading activities. On account of their sustained growth and expansion, there came up a number of buildings for administration, education, judiciary, postal services, railways, social activities, etc. These colonial buildings of Chennai have become heritage sites and the local government already started taking initiative to preserve them for our progeny.

Victoria Hall, Madras - old hoto The Pratibha's Blog - WordPress.com

The Victoria Public Hall, Park Town, Chennai also known as 'Town Hall', was constructed in 1889 to commemorate the golden jubilee of the British Empress Queen Victoria. The construction work lasted for five years and the architect of this building is Robert Fellowes Chisholm. During the heyday of the colonial rule, it had served as a theater and public assembly hall in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The unique feature of this building is its Italianate tower capped by a Kerala style roof.

The Victoria Public Hall building, next to Central Railway Station, was not well maintained partly due to negligence and in the recent past, the government took steps and restored this great heritage building back to its old charm and glory.

In the colonial time as there was a need for a public town hall to conduct public meeting, functions, etc., a decision had been taken to build a town hall by some prominent citizen at a meeting held in March 1882 at the Pachaiyappa's Hall in George Town. This resulted in the formation of a trust with 12 members followed by initial mobilizations of funds to the tune of Rs. 16,425.00 from around 30 persons who attended the meeting. The municipal corporation leased a 57 ground (3.14 acres) site in the People's Park to the Victoria Public Hall Trust for 99 years with effect from 1 April 1886 for a rent of eight annas a ground or Rs. 28.00 for the property. On 17 December 1883, the then Maharajah of Vizianagaram, Sir Pusapati Ananda Gajapati Raju, laid the foundation stone for the new building; his contribution being more than Rs.10,000.00 and there were 35 donors for the construction work with a contribution of ₹ 10,000. The Travancore Maharajah (Rs. 8,000), Mysore Maharajah, Pudukottai Rajah and former Madras High Court Judge Muthuswamy Iyer (all Rs.1,000 each). Ramnad Raja Bhaskara Setupati, Zamindar of Ettiapuram, et al gave donation for this project..

Victoria Hall, Chennaiwww.thehindu.com

Built in Indo-Saracenic-Romanesque style chosen by architect Robert Fellowes Chisholm (1840-1915), the construction work was done by contractor Namperumal Chetty between 1888 and 1890. There is a confusion regarding who declared open the building. It is believed that it was opened to public by Lord Connemara in 1887, but other sources believe that Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff, the governor of Madras during 1886-1890, declared open the hall. At a citizen's meeting in January 1888, a unanimous decision was taken to name the hall after Queen Victoria and the then President of the Municipal Corporation Sir A.T. Arundale got into action.

Victori Hall (1890), Chennai/www.alamy.com

The hall and its portal witnessed the visits of people of eminence like Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Subramaniya Bharathi,Sardar Vallabhai Patel, et al. They made fiery speeches here during India's freedom struggle. Other facts that worth mentioning is the staging of dramas by the pioneers of Tamil play, such as Sankaradoss Swamigal and Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar.

With the advent of cinema and innumerable movie theaters coupled by the expiry of land lease period in 1965, the corporation did not want to extend the lease. In October 1967, the then Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai dedicated it for public use. Through the interference of some public figures and courts, a posh hotel and numerous shops along with illegal encroachments and illegal occupations were removed with iron hand for good by 2010.

The Victoria Public Hall was thrown open to the public in the middle of July 2011 after major restoration work done at a cost of Rs.3.96 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

The project to restore the nearly 110-year-old building to its original charm was taken up with meticulous planning and discussion not to disturb its heritage elements. The ground floor, has a built-up area of 13,342 sq.ft and the first floor with 12, 541 sq.ft. The seating capacity of the hall on the ground and first floor is 600 each. The second floor can be accessed through three wooden stair cases and the balcony and four turrets by the fourth one. There are arcaded verandahs along the northern and southern sides in the hall with Corinthian stone columns, The square tower is three stories high, with a carved pyramidal roof. Also present is an intricately carved terracotta cornice that resembles Islamic calligraphy, atop the tower.

In the future cultural shows would be conducted and to attract more tourists, a light and sound show would come up soon to bring out the beauty of colonial Madras alive. The restoration work was done under the periodical review by the Archaeological Survey of India, Anna University and Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, a voluntary organization. Restoration work does not show any loss of heritage value because of careful execution
Ref:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/victoria-public-hall-restoration-to-be-completed-by-june/article1986368.ece

Shimla General Post Office. A Wandering Mind

old Shimla town. www.alamy.com

The oldest post office in northern India (GPO) in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh was built in 1882 on a land that was bought from one Patterson. Because there was a large community of British and Indians lived in the beautiful hill station of Shimla and adjacent places, the post office came up for their convenience. Earlier that place was known as Conny Cottage. The first Post Master happened to be one F. Dalton and by the same token the last British Post Master who retired in December 1946 was L. G. Piggot.
One A. K. Hazari took the credit of being the first Indian Post Master after India's independence in August 1947. The GPO is located in a prime area - the Mall Road in the center of the city that can be easily accessed from any place.

This impressive historical three storeyed building, a good example of English Hill architecture with hollow bricks and stone, is a wooden building with tin-roof. Mostly, high quality wood was used to withstand the severe cold and snow conditions in the Winter. Built in a peculiar style, blending Gothic, Alphine and Tudor elements, it was an important land mark in the hill station, frequented by the people. In a major fire accident on 21 Sept. 1972, the first floor of the building was severely damaged and important records were lost. Subsequently, the state government with adequate funds got into action and restored the early colonial public building back to its old grandeur. The building is painted in red and while and the earlier color green and white livery was not used. The conservationist were not amused about the color combination.


Another Post Office in Shimla anushankarn.blogspot.in

A little down the road, there is small post office which, it is said, is yet another colonial building, a simple one. It used to be a stable for the horses when they were widely used to transport mails from the plains to Shimla and other hilly places. With the introduction of mountain railroad from Kalka to Shimla

Post Office in Shimla. anushankarn.blogspot.in

in 1903 for the first time, the use of horses as a means of transportation of mail declined gradually. At Chaura Maidan, just away from the Mall, there is a green color painted colonial building and the postal sign is the only clue that reveals it is a post office.

In 1992, the Central government released a set of six heritage postal buildings and Shimla GPO was one among them and a commemorative postal stamp in Rs.5 denomination

GPOShimla, HP. www.shimlaonline.in

was commissioned by the Indian Postal Services. The postal stamps were sold in London as well as this hill station had close connection with the British, being the summer capital of colonial India.

Shimla. GPO, GPO. Rainbow Stamp Club

The early history of the postal service in this part of the hill before the laying of proper road and railroad is quite interesting. The mail was sent through dak gari from Kalka to Ambala and from here it was sent to other destinations. Ponies, elephants and horses were found useful to transport mails. Mails were promptly delivered to the people using Tonga delivery system. It is believed that the GPO at Shimla does not give up the old tradition and it is still being retained by them. Regarding restoration work, adequate care was taken to retain its heritage character, particularly in the exterior parts and the interior parts were a bit modernized in tune with the prevailing trend.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/Heritage-postal-stamps-feature-Shimla-GPO/article16300781.ece

During the colonial time, Madras (Chennai) was a major center of power after Calcutta and the presence of the British in this city for a pretty long time had impacted the cultural and architectural history of this city. This city has the unique distinction of having countless colonial buildings, mostly built in Indo-Saracenic style and the Chnenai (Madras) General post Office building is one among them. Now, a part of the building is facing degradation because of negligence on the part of the government department that is in charge of the heritage sites.

Chennai General Post Office (GPO) on Rajaji Salai at Parry's Corner, Chennai is a heritage building constructed in 1884. It is located opposite to the Chennai Beach suburban railway station.

Chennai General Post Office.in Camera

Governor Harrison (1711-1717) introduced a Company Postal Service in Madras in 1712 for the purpose of sending mail to Bengal by dak runner. A sort of postal system evolved by 1736 and it was not good enough to meet the demand and this further developed into a different postal system in 1774 of charging postage on private letters to be sent out. Philip Burlton and Thomas Lewin of the East India Company in mid 1780s talked to the Governor of Madras and emphasized the importance of introducing new postal rules, setting up a postal network and establishing a postal authority. Chennai General Post Office was, in the early days, functioning in Fort St. George, just outside the Sea Gate. Later many receiving offices were opened in places like Royapettah, Triplicane, Tynampet etc and in 1855 first postage stamps and letter boxes were introduced. Though the telegraph came to Madras in 1853, it became operational in 1855. Postal services grew at a fast phase after the building railway line between Madras and Calcutta Presidencies. The postal services grew by leaps and bound and by 1874, there were nine post offices in the city. The mails were delivered using horse cart (in local parlance jutkas) till 1918, though motorized transport was introduced in 1915. The Chamber of commerce at Madras in 1868 urged the government and the state Presidency to build a large separate Postal building for good service and better efficiency in terms of receipt of letters and their distribution. After a long delay due to lack of funds, the work got delayed until 1880. Later the first Madras Post Office, the Madras GPO, was established by Governor Sir Archibald Campbell (1786-1790) to house both the post and telegraphic departments in the same place. Fixed postal charges on letters were levied. Thus the Postal services began in earnest as a government facility.

GPO, Chennai, colonial building (1874)www.thehindu.com

Upon completion of the huge building in Indo-Saracenic style,
the Madras Post Office moved into the present building in April 1884. The Postmaster-General shifted his office on 1 March 1884 from the Mercantile Bank building further down the road; staff moved in during April 1884. The new building had cost ₹ 680,000 a big chunk of contribution was made by the Madras Chamber of Commerce. The total floor area was 55,000 sq. feet.

Red-painted, and built in Victorian County-Colonial or Victorian Gothic-Colonial overlay on Indo-Saracenic design, this three-storied building has a dimension of 352 ft long and 162 ft wide, with 125-ft tall twin towers that are capped with Kerala style slanting roof. The building has a beautiful central hall with high ceiling. The ground floor was meant for stores, kitchen, servants, etc. The first floor offered space for various offices and the third floor was for the accommodation of the officers. A note worthy feature is the building has several exhaust facilities to absorb stench from the near-by open drainage.

This heritage building was damaged due to a major fire accident on 23 October 2000; an area comprising 15,000 sq ft of the total 67,000 sq ft of built-up area was lost due to the fire. Soon restoration work was carried out at the cost of Rs. 36 million and in 2005 the first two floor were opened after restoration. In 2011, a part of the second floor roof caved in due to sustained heavy
downpour due to SW monsoon. Part of this colonial structure is not in good shape because of poor maintenance by the State government. Unless the state government takes urgent steps to restore this unique historical building that is associated with various past colonial events , the building may fall apart slowly. Every monsoon season will be a threat not only to this structure but also to other historical ones that need urgent action.

Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Post_Office,_Chennai

http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/01/29/stories/2003012900300300.htm

Tipu's summer palace, Bangalore.1742 . www.pinterest.com

There are many monuments associated with Tipu Sultan (20 November 1750 - 4 May 1799), legendary ruler of Mysore. He is well remembered for his daring battles against the British East India company's army that was unable to overpower him for a long time. He was known for his difficult military strategies and uncanny ability to execute them as planned.

Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, Bangalore, India, a good example of Indo-Islamic architecture is within the prescient of the Bangalore Fort. It was used as a summer residence by Tipu Sultan. It was Hyder Ali who commenced the construction of this palace, but it was completed in 1791 by his son Tipu, a courageous warrior and a sworn enemy of the British and their hegemony. Tipu Sultan died on 4 May 1799 on the battle field, fighting against the British Army led by lord Wellesley (20 June 1760 - 26 September 1842) in

Tipu Sultan of Mysore. en.wikipedia.org

the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799 at Srirangapatna, Karnataka.

His beautiful palace at Bangalore was taken over by the British Administration who used it as their Secretariat before moving over to Attara Kacheri in 1868. Today the government of Karnataka maintains the palace, which is located in the prime locality of old Bangalore near the Kalasipalyam bus stand.

Tipu's summer palace entrance, Bangalore. edge.ixigo.com

The fascinating feature about this historical palace is it is entirely made of choice teak wood removed from the near by forests. The palace has artistically designed arches, nice balconies, ceilings and ornate big pillars that support the entire edifice. Highly embellished wall with floral motifs is an additional attraction. The four rooms in the palace were used as Zenana Quarters. It was from the balconies on the first floor, Tipu used to conduct his durbar - court. There is an interesting painting of a grand throne as visualized by Tipu Sultan himself. It is coated with gold sheets and embedded with precious emerald stones, Tipu had vowed to use such a grand throne only after the defeat of his sworn enemy - the English Army. He could not achieve it, though he had a military alliance with the French army. The victorious British dismantled the throne after Tipu Sultan's death

Tipu's summer Palace in the Fort, Bangalore. , /en.wikipedia.org

Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace.1742 Bangalore . en./wkitravel.com

and auctioned its parts. On the ground floor there is a small museum comprising of small rooms, showcasing Tipu's heroic exploits, his achievement, his personal items - clothes, his crown in silver and gold pedestals. silver vessels given as gift by a general to Hyder Ali. There is a replica of Tipu's tiger; the original is in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. There are many portraits of palaces and personalities of that time.

Farsi inscription-Tipu 's Palace by Benjamin Lewis Riceen.wikipedia.org

The Horticulture Department, Government of Karnataka, maintains the area in front of the palace as a garden and lawn.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipu_Sultan's_Summer_Palace

1851 colonial building Govt. Museum and theater, ChennaiAlamy

In the colonial era the growth and development of East India company's successful trading activities had a direct bearing on the influx of more Europeans, expansion of Madras city and construction of more buildings to fulfill various government and social needs. The outcome of the city's growth was one of the reasons for the construction a building complex to house a museum and a theater for entertainment purpose.

The Government Museum, Madras, in the suburb of Egmore, Chennai is the second oldest museum in India after the Indian Museum in Kolkata. The museum complex has six buildings and 46 galleries on a huge plot of about 16.25 acres (66,000 m²). The objects on display in the museum cover a variety of artifacts and objects that come under diverse fields, such as archeology, numismatics, zoology, natural history, earth sciences, sculptures, palm-leaf manuscripts and Amravati paintings. Also included are the largest collection of Roman antiquities outside Europe and rare works of artists like Raja Ravi Varma.

The growth of this museum began with a gift of collection of 1,100 geological specimens by the Madras Literary Society to the Government in 1851. The museum moved into this building in 1854; earlier it was on College Road in Nungambakkam in the year 1851. It was the first government sponsored museum in India with 20,000 freely gifted specimens ranging from rocks to books.

The Museum complex by Willie Burke, c. 1905n.wikipedia.org/

Built in Indo-saracenic style, its architect was Henry Levin and this historical building includes a huge impressive Museum Theater built in Italianate style of architecture developed in England in the early 1800s. The huge hall with ornate columns was meant for theatrical performances in those days and has a seating capacity of 600. In the colonial era the theater was the venue of staging English plays preferred by the European elite. There is a a huge reading room (built in 1859) with a wooden ceiling between two curved rows of stained glass, supported by ornate pillars and arches embellished with sculpted acanthus leaves. The land was bought in 1830 and before that time the building and the land were the venue

Canons at the museum complex, Chennai. en.wikipedia.org

of Collector'scutchery (hearing grievances from people). The building contractor was Namberumal Chetty. In 1864 first floor was done. The library got a new block, now known as the centenary exhibition hall of the museum after restoration, in the northwest corner of the Pantheon road in 1876, with a lecture hall. The Connemara Public Library, with ornate woodwork, elaborate stucco decorations and stained glass windows is an impressive one. It was formally opened in 1896. In 1896, there had been built new buildings for the museum (where the anthropological and arms galleries are presently housed). The restoration work in the interior parts was done between 2004 and 2007. As part of restoration work to mark 150th anniversary, the 19th century theater was fully air-conditioned.

The Madras zoo was here on the vast museum grounds from 1855 till 1863. In the early 1980s it was shifted to near by Vandaloor.
Ref:
http://madrasmusings.com/Vol%2020%20No%203/museum-library-and-theatre.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_Museum,_Chennai

The Government Fine Arts College, Chennai,en.wikipedia.org/

During the British rule when Madras was the major center of power, the administration to their surprise, found out that the natives of Madras and the surrounding areas were exceptionally talented in the area of arts and crafts. They also realized that the natives had a good grasping mind and ability to learn complicated things very easily as confirmed by their culture, religion and innumerable huge temples of great antiquity intricately designed and built by them through several centuries. Hence the British had established a settlement in and around Madras, Georgetown was chosen to establish an institute to train students to meet the artistic expectations of the royals and aristocrats inEngland.

Government College Of Fine Arts - Egmore, Chennai. The Urge To Wander

The Government College of Fine Arts (initially known as the Madras School of Art) in Chennai is the oldest and first art institution in India. It is older than the University of Madras. Established in 1850 by surgeon Alexander Hunter as a private art school, for an unknown reason, it was taken over in 1852 by the EIC - proxy British government and was renamed as the Government School of Industrial Arts. After India's independence, it came under the control of the state government and in 1962 when the Congress party of India was in power, the name was again changed finally to the Government College of Arts and Crafts, before finally being renamed as present. At first, traditional artists were employed to produce furniture, metalwork, and curios, and their work was sent to the royal palaces of the Queen. The school located at Popham’s Broadway in 1852, it was moved over to its present premises, a small spread of four-acre campus on Poonamallee High Road.

Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury who joined as its vice-principal in 1928 became its first Indian principal in the following year util his position was taken over in by 1957 K.C.S. Paniker.

In 1966, Former principal K.C.S. Paniker, his students and some artists of this institution in 1966 founded near Chennai what was known as the Cholamandal Artists' Village, a typical model rural village as one would see in the interior parts of India. Today it is still considered as one of the '10 biggest art moments' in India.

Courses leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees (Faculty of Engineering) in painting, sculpture, visual communication, commercial arts, textile design, graphic arts and ceramics. It offers postgraduate programs in painting, visual communication, textile designs and ceramics. In 2009, it started offering a course leading to the master's degree in Fine Arts in sculpture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_College_of_Fine_Arts,_Chennai

n.wikipedia.org

Chennai city, the capital of Tamil Nadu has many historical old churches within the city limit and Christ Church is one among them, built outside Fort St. George established by the early East India company's officials.

The Indian converts, in particular, Indo-Britons (often referred to as East Indians, later as Angelo Indians), who were from the neighboring areas of Narasingapuram, Chintadripet, Pudupet and Royapettah wanted a church and school built close to them for their spiritual needs, etc. Christ Church, Madras came into being in 1842 with the first congregation of the church and the school outside the Ft. St. George. The place of worship mainly catered to the Anglo Indian community in which the male European lineage determined the Anglo-Indian.

The first congregation took place on Mount road in a building provided by an Englishman Thomas Parker Waller. The adjacent grounds had stables, etc. When a school came up in another building in the same place, the young students had to share their space amidst harsh loud cry of horses, coaches. farriers, etc. Waller, after a few years, made up his mind to donate the land for building the church and a school adjacent to it and he thought, his stable, etc won't be a nuisance to them. The then cost of the building was Rs. 12,000.00. One John Law designed the church and the parishioners began the construction in 1850.

The Anglican Church with tall-steeple, compound wall, wooden furniture, etc., built at the cost of Rs. 37,000.00 was consecrated in 1852. Later a building came up to run the school. Since then with the growth of school and students' strength, additional buildings had been added.

Tit-Bits:

Adjacent to this place was a social club called SVS - Suguna Vilas Sabha formed on July 5, 1891. It owed a lot to a great theater personality and "The Founding Father of Tamil Theatre', Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar who, with Sankaradas Swamigal, had 'brought

dignity to it. Earlier the dramas were earthy and long drawn musicals that would make the audience drowsy. SVS functioned till 1936 when it bought 36 grounds next to Christ Church and built its own theater - New Theatre. With the advent of Cinema, theater activities declined. SVS leased out part of its land in mid-1940s to a cinema hall later called Plaza Theater.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Church_Anglo-Indian_Higher_Secondary_School

The Banqueting Hall, c. 1905. en.wikipedia.org/wik

Rajaji (Banqueting) Hall, Chennai Flickr

The Rajaji Hall, earlier known as the Banqueting Hall, Madras built in 1802 in the form of a Greek temple by EICompany's astronomer and engineer Goldingham, is one of the earliest public halls used mainly for social functions. The total cost of the building then was Rs. 250,000.00. It is said it was built to commemorate the British victory over formidable Tipu Sultan of Mysore in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War of May 1799. It took just two years to complete the building that was commissioned by Gov. Edward Clive as an extension of the Government House. The gala opening was done on 7 October 1802 with a grand inagural ball worthy of governor's official status.

In the initial stages, since the time of George Foxcroft (1668), the first Governor, the EIC's Governors had lived within the prescient of Fort St George, Chennapatnam (Madras / Chennai) along with their paraphernalia - writers, soldiers, etc. As the British company progressed well, a century later it became a necessity to have a separate building with enough garden space for recreation and parties. After 1752, the government through the efforts of Governor Thomas Saunders acquired land and built a mansion that later came to be called Government Estate near Round Tana. In its place now stands the huge new State Assembly complex. During the time of Edward

Lord Edward Clive WordPress.com

Rajaji, Eminent lawyer of TN ,Ist Gov. Gen. of India the myLaw.net blog

Lord Clive the Second (tenure:1798-1803; died in London in 1839, aged 85 and buried at Bromfield parish church, near his Oakley Park property ), additions were made to the mansion and again the authorities decided to have a stately Banqueting Hall (now Rajaji Hall) built with impressive rows of columns - Doric, Ionic and Corinthian style.

Tamil Nadu, S.India Webdunia

Rajaji Hall was built in the form of a Greek temple and it is believed to have been modeled after the Parthenon in Athens. Hence, it looks like a Greek temple as mentioned before. Goldingham, preferred this building built this way, a bit different from other structures. He had begun his career in Madras in 1786, and was a good friend of Edward Clive and it was natural that Goldingham had been entrusted with the project in 1800. The basement is made of arched cellars and store rooms surrounded by a colonnaded terrace. The exterior of the hall was built in the 16th-century Italian Manneristic style. This historical building saw extensive expansions and additions after 1875. An arcaded verandah was built in 1895. An interesting fact that emerges is that the building was commissioned under the British company's rule and massive extensions and additions were made after the British government, London took direct control of India. The extensions included widening of the access to the hall through a fine flight of steps, open terraces enclosed by rows of arches linked by columns and low walls,

The dimension of the building is 120 feet long, 65 feet wide
and 40 feet high and is enclosed by a gallery which is adorned
with portraits of popular Anglo-Indian leaders and eminent administrators including Edward Clive, Richard Wellesley, Sir Thomas Munro and others. Also on display are British monarchs George III and Queen Charlotte. The southern end has an
access to the Government House by an array of steps resembling 'neo-classical temple' for hero worship"The Banqueting Hall from 1857 witnessed convocations of the University of Madras till 1879when the Senate House was built. A historical event took place during 27 January 1938 - 26 October 1939 when the legislature of the Madras Presidency met here.

The north gates of the Government Estate has direct access to what was once an impressive sweeping driveway taking us to Banqueting Hall and past to the Government House. The silver-painted iron gates had on either side the shelters for the Governor’s mounted bodyguard. They formed the most colorful and regal body of troops whose ‘Changing of the Guard’ and the excitement filled the air in the by-gone era and it was almost on par with that of what still takes place at Buckingham Palace in London. The place looks void now, no extravaganza, no change of guard and no din and only a gloom prevails. That historical edifice was unfortunately replaced by a new Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly - Secretariat Complex built between 2008 and 2010. Media reported that the new massive building caused considerable damage to the hall's foundations. The Rajaji Hall needs to be repaired and restored back to old glory that would have silently watched various important colonial meetings, social gatherings, and grand balls. The state government regardless of its other urgent commitments, hould tale serious steps to preserve this heritage site, steeped in colonial history.

Only after India's independence, the famous historic hall was renamed as "Rajaji Hall" in honor of lawyer C. Rajagopalachari (native of Salem,TN), a great patriot (who led the Vedaranyam Salt March) and first and last Governor General of India.

Tit-Bits:

01. Incidentally, Rajaji Hall is featured in innumerable famous Tamil films, depicting demonstrations by the people, government functions, marches, etc., when the core of the story is about a hero and how he is tackling the corrupt politicians and their coterie of henchmen and sordid party men.

Ex CM, Tamil Nadu (dec.2016) lying in stateThe News Minute

02. The mortal remains of important political leaders lay in state in Rajaji Hall before their funeral. When our former CM Honorable Ms. Jayalalitha died recently 6 December 1916, her body lay in state in the Rajaji Hall for public viewing before the final funeral.

Rajaji Hall.ex CM M.G.R. 's death.Ms. Jayalalitha behindMy photography

03. The body of Ex CM, Tamil Nadu MGR lay in state at the Rajaji Hall in Madras on December 24, 1987. In the image above you can see Ms. Jayalalitha, the future CM of TN.

Ref:
http://madrasmusings.com/Vol%2019%20No%2023/otherstories.html#story1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajaji_Hall

easyscraps.blogspot.in

Soorga vaasal, Sriangam temple, TN Triposo

Vaikunta Ekadashi (December - January) is an important annual Hindu temple festival celebrated at all Vishu temples across India. It marks the opening of ‘Vaikunta Dwaram’ or ‘the gate to Lord's Inner Sanctum’ through which Namperumal emerges on the Ekadashi day, an auspicious day to bless the devotees. Vishnu Purana says fasting on the Vaikunta Ekadashi day is equal to fasting on the remaining 23 ekadashi days of both Shukla paksha and Krishna paksha. in a Hindu calendar. Hinduism emphasizes that fasting on the Ekadashi day is mandatory and a religious duty of a devout Hindu and is believed to be away to prify ouselves.
The area around the garbagraha / Srikovil (Sanctum) is referred to as Vaikuntha Vaasal and devotees walk through the vaassal (gate) to gain entry into the temple to seek Lord Vishnu's blessing.

The Ekadashi festival has links with two Asuras - demons who received a boon from Lord Vishu according to which
whoever patiently listens to their story with true devotion and sees the image of Vishnu emerging out of the door ( Dwar), called Vaikunth Dwar (in Tamil Soorga Vaasal or Paramapada Vaasal), for him the gate of Vaikuntam (heaven) will remain always open. This is the reason why at many Vishnu Temples there is door called Paramapada vaasal through which people are allowed to pass through so that they will be blessed by the God almighty. In some Vishnu temples where there is no Paramapa Vaasal, they jerry-build a Soorga Vaasal temporarely for the benefit of the devotees.

Srirangam Temple GopuramWikipedia

Padma Purana has a different version: The demon Muran, unleashed atrocities on the Devas. Unable to bear his reign of terror, Devas frantically approached Lord Shiva, who directed them to Vishnu. In the ensuing battle with the demon, Vishu realized the need of a new weapon to kill the mighty demon. In order to take rest and create a new weapon, Vishnu went to a remote cave named after goddess Haimavati in Bhadrikashrama. Upon locating Vishnu's place, demon Muran appeared before Vishu and tried to kill him when he was fast asleep. No sooner had he raised his weapon to kill thr God, than a female power appeared from Vishnu, glanced at him and turned Muran to ashes. This slaying of the demon happened on the eleventh day of lunar month during the sun's journey in the Dhanur Rasi. Vishnu named her as 'Ekadashi' and granted a boon that she attained the status of a goddess - Ekadashi and devotees who go on a fast on the Ekadashi day will be absolved of all their sins and reach Vaikuntham (his heavenly abode) where they will experience heavenly bliss under the shadow of the lord. Further, they are liberated from the cycle of birth and death. So, 'Ekadashi' is symbolic of the victory over demon Muran - the good over the evil. The first Ekadashi was a Dhanurmasa Shukla Paksha Ekadashi.

This popular temple festival brings out the three qualities of a human mind and they are: Rajas, Tamas and Satvaas revealed by Sri Krishna to Arjuna on the battle ground at Kurushetra. People regardless of race, origin and country have one of these mind sets or a combination of two qualities. People with Rajasic mind experiences both good and bad qualities. In this case undharmic mind overpowers the dharmic mind. - (a mix of both bad and
good qualities - tamasic and satva; example Ravana and Duriyodana) and Tamasic mind is mostly confined to adharmic mind dominated by lust, arrogance, selfishness. They are mostly cunning, ignoble and unscrupulous. (example; Sahuni of Mahabharata). Satva is confined to dhamic mind, no deviation from rightneousness and people with satvic mind use discretion and act according to their conscience (example: Sri Rama). The demon Muran is a god example of Rajasic mind, a combination of both Rajas and Tamas. When one conquers the mind and attains self realization, one will come closer to God. The advantage of fasting is people can keep a distance from unwanted thoughts which could be triggered by consuming certain foods. Japa and prayer at night merge the mind with the self. This will instil confidence in us and will help us get rid of negative thoughts that may hamper our progress.

Vaikunta Ekadashi is celebrated on a gand scale at Srirangam Rnganathar temple, near Tiruchirapalli city, Tamil Nadu where the celebrations are held for 20 days. At Tirupati, Andhra, on the Ekadashi day, there will be unusual crowd to seek the Lord's blessings. It is celebrated with devotion at temples like Sri Villiputhur, Saragapani temple, Kumbakonam and Triplicane Parthasarathi temple, Chennai, Tamil Nadu and at Vishnu temples in Melcote, Mandya district, Karnataka and other places.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaikuntha_Ekadashi

Ranganathaswamy temple, Srirangam TN.hindutva.info

Among the festivals associated with Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu and elsewhere, Vaikunta Ekadasi is a prominent one and this annual festival falls in the month of December and January. Ekadashi day is an auspicious one and lots of people visit the local Sri Vishnu temple for the Lord's blessings. Among the Vishnu temples of south India, Vaikunta Ekadashi celebration at Srirangam Ranganathar temple is quite popular. This year it was celebrated on 8 January 2017 with devotion and dedication. This famous and largest temple is the foremost of the 108 ‘Divya Desams’ also known as ‘Bhooloka Vaikuntam’.

At Srirangam temple, it is a 21 day festival divided into two parts: pagal pathu (morning part 10 days) and Ira pathu (night part 10 days). The highlight of this festival is on the day of Ekadashi, Vishnu as Lord Ranganatha (Utachava Murthy) or Namperumal adorned with an armor of dazzling gems (rathnaangi) is, in a procession, brought to the Thousand-Pillared Hall from the Garbagraha - sanctum sanctorum through the northern gate known as Paramapada Vaasal, the gate to Vaikuntha / heaven. The interesting fact is this particular gate soorga vaasal is opened once in a year, only on the Vaikunta Ekadashi day. Rest of the year it remains closed to be opened only next year. The traditional belief has been that anybody who goes through this paramapada vaasal will be free from his sins and released from the bondage - cycle of birth and death and will enjoy eternal bliss in the heavenly abode.

This year on 8th January, Namperumal (utchavar / procession deity) wearing ‘Rathnangi’ exited the Srikovil / sanctum sanctorum in ‘Simha Gadhi’ in the early morning hours. Through the Raja Mahendran Tiruchutru, Kulasekaran Chutru, The idol was taken to the ‘Vraja Nadhi Mandapam' adjacent to the ‘Paramapadha Vaasal’. Here the deity was kept for about 30 minutes while Veda Pandits were chanting and reciting mantras from the Vedas.

With the opening of paramapada vaasal at 5 am Ranganathar emerged in the midst of a huge surging crowd of devotees in the rear, chanting 'Govinda' and 'Ranga' and passing through the gate.

Ariyar sevai, Srirangam temple, Tamil Nadu. puliyogare travels

With this exciting event, followed by Arayar Sevai in the Thirumamani Asthana Mandapam’,the festival had come to an end. Arayar Sevai is a traditional Tamil performing art form, rendition of ritual singing and enactment of hymns of the Divya Prabandham. Performed only by hereditary performers, Araiyar sevai is generally performed with religious fervor only inside the temples before the procession deity (Utchavar). On the Vaikunta Ekadashi day, Arayar Sevai is an important part of the event.

As this great event fell on Sunday, the number of pilgrims to this temple was more than unusual a couple of days before the main event. The whole day devotees patiently waited in long lines,then prayed to lord Ranganatha and passed through the paramapada vaasal in the hope this year their wishes would be fulfilled through god's grace. In the afternoon, the crowd inside the temple had begun to swell considerably. On Saturday, 10th day of pagal pathu, Namperumal appeared in Mohini Alangaram.

Several LED and LCD television sets were installed by the temple authorities on the temple premises for the benefits of countless devotees to view the opening of the paramapada vaasal and God's exit through it, etc. This year around 4,500 police personnel were on duty by the state government to control the crowd, etc., due to threats from terrorists and anti-social elements. Security cameras were installed at innumerable places to avoid untoward incidents.

Thirumala-Tirupati Temple:

Likewise, at the world famous Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Andhra, one of the richest temples in the world, this year Vaikunta Ekadashi was celebrated with bakthi. Thirumala temple has a special entrance called Vaikuntha Dwaram around the Garbagraha - the sanctum sanctorum and this gate is opened only on Vaikunta Ekadashi. It is believed that any person who passes through this `Vaikuntha Dwaram' on this particular day attains salvation. As part of this festival, golden chariot (Swarna Rath) with utchavar idol was pulled around the temple.

Large crowd at tirupathy, Vaikunta Ekadashi. India TV

This year for Vaikunta Ekadashi, the arrival of pilgrims to this hill temple was just overwhelming and it included countless VIPs, political leaders, industrialists and others.

At least 300,000 devotees normally would visit the hill temple on the Ekadashi day and amazingly half of the visitors would take the 11 km route - long steep flight of steps as part of their prayer. Devotees would be allowed into the temple in the small hours beyond midnight before the main event. The entire temple
wears a festive look with beautiful illumination, flower
decorations of different shapes and sizes, using tons of flowers.
On this auspicious occasion, the idol of Lord Venkateswara
would be adorned with precious ornaments, including golden
‘Peethambaram', After midnight the Vaikunta Vaasal (paramapada vaasal), around the sanctum, would be open and the devoteees in thousands, after intense prayer, would come outthrough the vaukunta Dwaram / paramapada vaasal. It would remain open till following day -Dwadisi for the benefit of the devotees.
The doors are opened once a year only on Vainkunta Ekadasi day, the priest said, adding, the Vaikuntam Passageway remains open on Dwadasi day on Monday too for benefit of devotees.

The Margashirsha shukla paksha ekadashi in lunar calendar is known as a 'Mokshada Ekadashi'. It is observed with special prayers, yagnas, religious discourses and speeches at many Vishnu temples across India.

Kumbakonam temple:
In the famous temple city of Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu at the popular Sarangapani temple in the heart of the city, the Brahmostchava festival commenced with temple flag hoisting (Kodi Yetram) on 6 January 2017. It is a long drawn festival and on the Pongal day 14 January 2017 there will be Ther ottam (Chariot procession. As part of Vaikunta Ekadashi, here in the early morning around 4 AM the procession idol (Utchavar) entered the prakara (corridor).

An important fact about this Vishnu temple is, unlike many Vishnu temples, this one does not have paramapada vaasal or soorga vaasal. So, there's no opening or closing of soorga vaasal ritual here; the reason being, this temple itself is considered Bhoologa Vaikuntam . The belief is that Perumal appeared in this temple in his chariot directly from Vaikuntam and later stayed here. To mark this,, the Srikovil, Garbagraha (sanctum) is adorned with stone images of elephant and horse.

This temple is the 3rd of the 108 Divya Desam shrines dedicated to

Sri Vishnu next to Srirangam and Tirupati and was glorified by seven Azhwars - tamil saints who also performed Mangalasanam here.

http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/huge-crowd-on-vaikunta-ekadasi-at-tirupati-19215.html

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/Thousands-throng-Srirangam-on-Vaikunta-Ekadasi/article17008716.ece

British India Army. en.wikipedia.org

During the Second World War (1939–1945), it was a crucial time for India which was in the middle of the freedom struggle against the British. India was under the United Kingdom, with the British controlling territories in India, including over five hundred autonomous Princely States. British India, having officially declared war on Nazi Germany in September 1939, as part of the Allied Nations, had sent over two and a half million soldiers to fight under British command against the Axis powers. Besides, several rich Indian Princely States made large donations to support the Allied campaign during the War against formidable Germany and its allies. India also made available bases and other facilities for American operations in support of China in the China Burma India sector. There were threats from the Japanese through Burna and Singapore was vulnerable.

ILLUSTRATED HISTORY: RELIVE THE TIMES: Images Of Wa

Pinterest

in the war, Indian soldiers and officers fought with distinction across the globe - in Europe against Nazi Germany, in North Africa against Germany and Italy, and in the South Asian region against the Japanese in Burma. Indians helped the British liberate British colonies such as Singapore and Hong Kong after the Japanese surrender in August 1945.

www.pinterest.com

It is estimated that more than 87,000 Indian soldiers (inclusive of those from present day Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal), died in World War II. Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from 1942 said, "the British couldn't have come through both wars I and II if they hadn't had the Indian Army."

British India.Indian soldiers WWII Quora

After the war, the British were supposed to grant freedom to India and only on that condition INC (congress part) leaders and others agreed to fight under the Union Jack.. Alas! the British went back on their word; With no solution on hand, Congress announced a "Quit India" campaign in August 1942. This breach of trust by the British government got a bad rap for them and the Indian people and leaders became infuriated. After several upheavals and testing times, India became a free country in August, 1947. A united India became fragmented into India and Pakistan. In the wake, Britain's prestige as a powerful imperial power had begun to go down hill.

The war cemetery and war victory memorial in Chennai city bear testimony to the scarifies made by the Indian soldiers along with the Europeans in the crucial WWII.

Madras War Cemetery:


www.flickr.com/photos/lensman-pics/) ww.chennaionnet.com

Madras War Cemetery, Chennai, TN.MakeMyTrip

Madras War Cemetery, located on Mount-Poonamallee High Road, Nandambakkam, about 5 km from the Chennai airport and one km from St. Thomas Mount, is a public Memorial - 1914–1918. Referred to as a "Lawn Cemetery, the memorial is neither a burial ground nor does it have any buried dead-bodies of soldiers and others. It has just plaques with the names of numerous, Indian, Australian, British, European, west African soldiers, et al who lost their lives in WWII with the inscription "Their name liveth for evermore". It carries the names of more than 856 servicemen who lie in many civil and cantonment cemeteries across India where it is very difficult to maintain the graves, which in many cases are in ruin. To maintain the graves in perpetuity it was built. The list includes numerous Commonwealth soldiers and New Zealanders as well.

It was established in 1952 by the Imperial War Graves Commission, now known as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), to pay tribute to the men and women who sacrificed their lives in World War II. It is being maintained by the CWGC in partnership with Government of India.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madras_War_CemeteryNandambakkam, Chennai

Victory War Memorial, Chennai:

The Victory War Memorialen.wikipedia.org

Victory War Memorial, earlier known as the Cupid's bow, is a public memorial located to the south of Fort St. George in Chennai, India. It was built to commemorate the victory of the Allied Armies during World War I (1914–1918). Subsequently when Germany and its allies were defeated by the UK and its allies in WWII, it became a victory war memorial for World War II (1939–1945), erected in the memory of those from the Madras presidency who gave up their lives defending the interest of British India. Subsequent additions include inscriptions of 1948 Kashmir aggression by Pakistan, 1962 War with China and the Indo-Pakistan War of early 1970s. This memorial marks the beginning of the 13-km-long stretch of Marina beach. The place, where this circular structure made of marble and rock stands, formerly housed the coastal belfry.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_War_Memorial

St Thomas mount church (1523), Chennai. bleeding cross. www.ricci.usfca.edu

Christianity is not new to India and had been here, in particular in the southern India before the arrival of Europeans beginning with the Portuguese in 1498.

In 1523, for the first time the Portuguese established a small shrine of Mother Mary, a relic-filled place of worship on the summit of the 300 foot high hillock of what is now called St. Thomas Mount (in Tamil Parangi Malai), a busy suburb of Chennai city (Madras), close to the historical Guindy Racecourse.

Legend has it that St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, traveled to India after the crucifixion of Jesus, bringing the gospel to the people of India in 52 AD. He landed on the coastal Malabar of Kerala and established seven and a half churches. After that, he wandered around many places to spread Christianity among the natives. It is believed that he visited this place - Parangi Malai, settled here to spread the Gospel of Christian love and at last chose to live in a small cave like place like a hermit. As usual, he was friendly with the local people and had been busy with his missionary work. While living here, unfortunately, he was killed by some assailants for an unknown reason and it is said that he breathed his last clutching a stone cross while bleeding. According to another version, he was killed in a hunting accident. His death is a controversial one.

St.Thomas Mt. church, Chennai. Church'

The cross was built into the altar of the church after confirmation of instances of bleeding first reported in 1704 by a priest and it has remained here since then. The shrine atop the hillock is a legendary place of veneration and an oil lamp is continuously burning here in memory of St. Thomas. This church is in possession of a valuable painting that was brought to India by the great saint himself. It is that of the Madonna, one of the seven paintings believed to have been painted by the apostle St. Luke. It is considered to be the oldest Christian painting in India!!

Interior, St.Thomas Mount, Chennai (1523). churchwilliam.blogspot.in

Acknowledging the sanctity and divinity associated with this shrine - the Roman Catholic Church dedicated to “Our Lady of Expectation”, Pope John Paul II graced this holy site on 5 February 1986, during his visit to India. This church on the summit can be accessed by a flight of 160 steps and one Petrus Woskan, an Armenian merchant, built the path way with granite steps to make the climbing easy for the visiting pilgrims. At the northern foot of the Mount stands a gateway with four beautiful arches and a cross bearing the inscribed date 1547. This suburb is named after St. Thomas in a fitting memory to the great saint.

St Thomas Mount church, way to to church.ntweblog.blogspot.com

The ancient Syrian Christian community of India, originally confined to Kerala owes the origin of their church to St. Thomas. St. Thomas Syro Malabar Catholic church is also on the mountain. This place in the 17 th century and later was inhabited by Anglo-Indians community and there is the St. Thomas Garrison Church (built in 1880) located at the bottom of St Thomas Mount.

New World Encyclopedia

The Festival of Our Lady of Expectation is celebrated on December 18th every year on a grand scale with religious fervor by the Christian community and also by the Hindus living in this area. Saint Thomas day - July 3, commemorates his martyrdom on this hillock.

This place is well accessed by highways and by the Chennai Suburban Railway net work.

Tit-Bits:

01. The Government of India Department of Post and Telegraphs in 1972 released a postage stamp, depicting the picture of the bleeding cross of St. Thomas Mount to commemorate the nineteenth centenary of the saint's martyrdom.

02. In 1964, the Post and Telegraph department of India had released a stamp, depicting the Ortona silver bust of St. Thomas located in Italy.

Ref:

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/St._Thomas_Mount

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Thomas_Mount

Bishop of Calcutta. Reginald Heber.jWikipedia

Bishop Reginald Heber (1783-1826), a well-known English missionary (belonged to the Church of England) and a writer was born on 21 April 1783, in Cheshire, England. Son of a rich landlord and cleric, he had his education at Oxford in 1823 and gained a name as a poet. No doubt he was a man of letters and developed a flair for writing. Ordained in 1807, he took over his father's mantle as head of the parish of Hodnet in Shropshire where Heber served as rector from 1807 to 1823. Despite his preoccupation with his compelling pastoral duties and church work, he had set aside his time for hymn-writing and other work in which he excelled. His church hymns are popular. His work the critical study of the complete work of the 17th century Cleric Jeremy Taylor was well received and gave him recognition as a writer.

Heber was formally consecrated on 1 June 1823 as Bishop of Calcutta at Lambeth Palace, by none other than the Archbishop of Canterbury. Two weeks later he left for India on missionary work with Amelia and his daughter Emily. Bishop Heber and his family arrived in Calcutta on 10 October 1823. After his formal ceremonial installation by the then Governor General, Lord Amherst, Heber gave his first sermon as bishop on Sunday 12 October, in St John's Cathedral Church, still a famous church even to day. Though an evangelist by calling, he was well remembered for his interesting and attention-grabbing travelogues related to India. He was very much impressed by the diversity of culture, languages, etc when he was on tour across India.

He undertook the tour of India during 1824 to 1826, visiting churches from Calcutta to the Deccan in the south within his Anglican Diocese of Calcutta).

The parish church at Hodneen.wikipedia.org/

After his unfortunate death at too young an age at18, his travelogue in two volumes was published from London in 1827 They are: Narrative of a Journey Through the Upper Provinces of India from Calcutta to Bombay, 1824-1825 (with notes upon Ceylon); An Account of a Journey to Madras and the Southern Provinces, 1826, and Letters Written in India. In the first volume, he mentioned about his travel from Dhaka to Faridpur and the socio-economic condition of Bengal. Besides, travelogues mostly covering India, his other works included: Palestine (1809), Europe (1809), Poems (1812), Hymns (1827); Bampton Lectures on the Personality and Office of the Christian Comforts (1816), The Omnipotence of God (1821).

During his arduous journey through various parts of India, he almost recorded then and there, with meticulous care, the details of rural as well as the town life of the Indian natives, their daily work, etc. He wrote it in such a way a reader would feel as if he was personally experiencing what had been written in the book. His writing skill was so superb that it had a lasting impact on the readers.
Heber started his journey in 1824. He first came to Dhaka from Calcutta. His book contained an excellent description of Dhaka of that time. He provided a detailed account of this meeting with the rich and the poor and the places he had visited in his travelogue.

Between travels, he paid attention to the spread of the Gospel of Christ. He founded 'Bishop's College' in Calcutta, a painstaking work in those days. It is a well-known college there. He died in Tiruchirapally (then Madras Presidency), now a major city in Tamil Nadu, South India when he was on tour as part of his missionary work. Bishop Reginald Heber gave his last sermon on the steps of the Mission House, just outside the C.S.I. Christ Church on Nandi Kovil Street, inside the Main Guard gate, near Teppakulam, Tiruchirapalli before his accidental death the same day on April 3, 1826. His death, it is believed, was brought about by his poor health, fatigue and hot, unfriendly weather conditions, He was just 42. Fate had it that he had to die closer to the holy church. The Christ Church was built by German Lutheran missionary and educationist Rev. Christian Frederich Schwartz (1726-98), who served as the first military chaplain here which was once a contonment. He was also a mentor to the popular Maratha ruler of nearby Thanjavur Raja Serfoji who gave him lands to build churches, schools, etc. In the Church graveyard are twelve graves dating from 1766 to 1797. Rev. Heber, Bishop of Calcutta was buried here. He left behind his spouse Ameila and two daughters.

Rev. Heger buried here. Christ Church, Tiruchirapalli, TN

In memory of him there is a popular school and a well-

reputed college named after him and they are in the fort area of Tiruchirapalli city.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Heber

Gen. Edward Clive, Madras Presidency. Art U

Varadharaja Perumal Temple at Kanchipuam India Travel Site

Varadharaja Perumal Temple at Kanchipuam, Tamil Nadu, dedicated to Lord Vishnu is one of the Divya Desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu believed to have been visited by the 12 poet saints, or Azhwars. They lived between 5th century to 10th century CE, and are venerated especially in Vaishnavism, which belives that Vishnu or Krishna is the Supreme Being. The great exponent of Visishtadvaita philosophy, Sri Ramanuja is said to have resided in this temple. This temple of great antiquity is also famous for a different reason. It has the unique distinction of possessing Maharakandi - grand necklace purported to have been gifted by none other than Robert Clive, the man who built the foundation for the British Empire and as we know that he took up the first job in East India company at Madras (Chennai) and rose from a lowly clerical position to a powerful post by dint of hard work, intelligence and superior quality of administrative and military leadership without the advantage of the luxury of good English education unlike other English offers .

Robert Clive EIC, India.Pinterest

Recently I ran into an article by S. Muthiah (November 19, 2016; The Hindu ) about the jewelry presented by Robert Clive to the Vishnu temple at Kanchi. Mr. Muthaiah writes many interesting articles on matters related to social history, culture, etc., with particular reference to Madras and the surrounding areas, etc., As for the gift by Robert to the Hindu temple at Kanchipuram, the deity is adorned with the grand necklace on certain festival days like Brahmotsavam, etc. Muthiah, unmindful of the temple records, questions the veracity of the story about the donor of the necklace. He is of the opinion that, considering Robert Clive's early job status and low salary in May 1744 , later his preoccupation with wars in the Trichinopoly district and Arcot, his trips back to England in between, his official engagement in Bengal and the limited mobility of the English out of their jurisdiction except on war expeditions, it is likely that he might not have gifted the Maharakandi to the Perumal temple. When working in the southern part of India, Robert was not rich enough to be generous to give away a highly valuable gift that too to a Hindu temple in a town far away from Madras. Robert left for England in 1763 after amazing vast wealth beyond his expectation.

Mr. Muthiah further mentions: The other possible English candidate who gave the gift to the temple could have been his son Edward Clive who was the Governor of Madras Presidency 1799-1805 and his area of authority included many parts of the south including Kanchipuram. Being rich, enjoying the estate of Robert Clive, he could afford a gift to the temple. Given his background and his inclination towards worldly pleasures and lavish parties for which he had built the Banqueting hall (now called Rajaji Hall), it is likely that he was not a worthy donor.

The other version has it that Robert took part in a battle near Kanchipuram on the way back from Tiruchinopoly, to relieve the town and in the war he had a narrow escape from near death when a canon fell near him.

Varadharaja Perumal Temple at Kanchipuam, Tamil Nadu, Dinamalar

Another Clive biographer claims that Robert Clive caught in a severe thunder storm took shelter in the Varadaraja Perumal temple where he fell ill seriously. He miraculously recovered the following day after his prayer to the deity in the temple. It is likely as a token of his gratitude to the Hindu God, he made the gift to the Vishnu temple.

There is yer another account about the necklace presented to the temple. As published by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam , it is said that it was “Clive the Governor of Madras who donated the jewel.” As we know Robert Clive was never the Governor of Madras. He began his carrier as a writer and circumstances made him lead the British army. He got a name only in Bengal, though he liberated Tiruchinopoly that was seized by Chanda Sahib. His son Edward, on a visit to Kanchipuram saw a grand temple procession and was impressed by the beautiful idol of Perumal. Upon his request his wife presented the necklace she was wearing to the Lord!

The Varadaraja Perumal Temple records point out the gift was from Clive. Was it from Robert or his son Edward? That records do not mention the first name causes the confusion over the donor and it may remain a bone of contention till a bonafide record, confirming the donor of the gift surfaces. Till then we have to keep our fingers crossed.

Anyway, the Clives - both senior and junior are associated with this popular deity and I am sure whatever sins Robert Clive had committed during his long stay in India, this wonderful gift to the Hindu god might absolve him of all his sins committed wittingly or unwittingly.

http://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/Those-Clives-again/article16657620.ece
http//www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/When-the-postman-knocked…/article16755271.ece

General Post Office Calcutta,220ft high dome. Alamy

Calcutta GPO on the site of Ft.Williams. Heritage structures of Bengal

GPO,Calcutta. Kolkata City Tours

The General Post Office, Kolkata, is located on a site which was actually a part of the first Fort William built by the freshly arrived East India company to carry on their mercantile trading activities in Bengal. At that point of time, EIC had yet to establish themselves as a thriving company. However, they were actively involved in additional fortification of Ft. William to safeguard their merchandise, go-downs, etc., from invasions by their enemies. The guardhouse, behind the post office in the alley once housed the infamous small underground dungeon room with poor ventilation called Black Hole of Calcutta (1756). It was an unfortunate tragedy where several British men & women were locked-up in the underground dungeon by then Nabob of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daulah,

General Post Office (1868), Calcutta. pixels-memories.blogspot

resulting in the deaths of many of them by asphyxiation, panic and stampede.

The imposing structure of the GPO, one of the landmarks in the huge city, is the in the B.B.D. Bagh area (cross section of of Netaji Subhas Road and Koilaghat Street), handling city's inbound and outbound mail and parcels as it happens to be the main central post office of the city. The mammoth white structure with high domed roof (rising over 220 feet) and tall Ionic-Corinthian columns (slender columns, topped by decorative leaves & scrolls) was designed in 1864 by Walter B. Grenville (1819-1874), a
consulting architect to the government of India from 1863 to 1868. The GPO building, it is believed, is a good example of an
unassuming, simple Edwardian architecture that was widely used in Britain from 1901-14. The work was completed 4 years later and handed over to the Postal department. Grenville was a famous architect and he designed the Indian Museum, Calcutta High Court & the University of Calcutta. the latter was destroyed. A Postal Museum, built in 1884 displays a collection of artifacts such as letter boxes & seals, stamps of bygone years, etc. The Philatelic Bureau is located on the southwestern end of the building. The postal department to mark its centenary celebrations in 1967 & 68 issued 40 paise stamps showing the Calcutta GPO. Any person, visiting Kolkata, once the capital of the British Empire, can not miss this majestic building that enhances the beauty of this city winch is replete with innumerable heritage buildings and sites, a legacy of the colonial period. Many of them need regular maintenance and restoration, so that they will be useful to the posterity.

General Post Office Calcutta,220ft high dome.pixels-memories.blogspot.in

It is a declared heritage site under the care of the Archaeological Survey of India which is responsible for protection & maintenance.
Ref:
ttps://indiaheritagehub.org/

2nd lighthouse 1834. www.destinationinfinity.org

1892 old lighthouse and a new one on HC tower. www.unc.edu

In the early 19th century The East India company had well established themselves and carried on their trading activities in the safety of Ft. St. George built by them.The first lighthouse of the city, known as Madras Light, was built in 1796 on the roof of the Exchange building where there is a Museum now.

A simple lighthouse with a lamp was fixed nine feet above

Port trust 1858. Chennai Metblogs

the sea level to help the sailors know the shoreline as there were no tall buildings nearby; Madras was just a small village then, so much emphasis was not given to the height of the lighthouse.

renovation.2nd lighthouse 1834,/www.deccanchronicle.com/

This lighthouse was restructured in 1820 and the height was increased to 99 feet above the sea level. An interesting feature is the lighthouse had a crude apparatus, consisting of 12 coconut oil-based lamps to produce the source light beaming through poor quality reflective mirrors that guided sailors in distress on the high seas.

Fort St. George was built in a convenient location near the seashore at Chennapatnam (Madras) because of easy access to the incoming and outgoing ships. Outside the fort, there lay a vast land between the fort and Black town (the name does not carry a racial slur) west of Fort St. It was more or less like an esplanade so that the British could get a good open firing range in the case of war.

After the fire accident that destroyed a couple of Hindu temples in the 1760s in the busy area outside the fort, soon the colonial government did not wait for a long time and took over the vast land. Of course, they gave funds to have the lost temples built near the Flower Bazaar. That the fire mishap was accidental or the handiwork of the British is a moot question and it is debatable.

By 1837, the number of ships anchoring off the First Line Beach increased and the lighthouse had to be shifted to a more convenient place. Building a much taller lighthouse gained currency among the company officials to tackle the safe arrival of incoming ships to the harbor. Further, in the monsoon season, the sea would become rough and this would put the cargo and passenger ships on the high seas at risk. So, based on a decision taken by the EIC officials, a new lighthouse came up on the land where the temples existed. The 120-feet-tall, ornamental Doric column in the High Court complex is the city’s second lighthousethat predates the Madras High court building. In 1841, Captain J.E. Smith designed the second lighthouse. Then the tower was tall enough to guide the ships on the high seas. The lighthouse was successfully operated from 1838 to 1844. Since electricity was not heard of, firewood was used widely earlier to provide light at the top of the structure to produce powerful beam / light.

This second Madras lighthouse in the High Court complex is not functioning and is being maintained by the Department of Archaeology, as a protected monument. Until 1970, the lighhouse atop the ornate dome of the Madaras Hight Court served as a beacon to the sailorsA new modern lighthouse has been in service since 1970 on the marina beach.
Ref:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/madras-light-comes-a-long-way/article5351916.ece

coloniallighthouuse,Hight court,chennai,not activesathiyamweekly.com

When I was a 9-year old kid, my dad used to take me to Madras city (now Chennai), the capital of Madras state (now Tamil Nadu) to attend wedding functions, etc. The summer vacations gave me a swell time to go around the city, then a pretty clean and less populous place and one could see mostly American and British cars in the early 1950s. In those days, owning a passenger car was more of a status symbol among the affluent than a necessity. Being a
native of a small town, three things gave me fascination and excitement that had a firm grip on me. They were: The electric trams (street cars; service stopped later), the light House on the Madras Hight court premises and a large variety of assorted foreign cars of various designs, sizes and hues. Among them, going up the tallest structure in Madras - old Lighthouse was the most thrilling experience for me. From the top of the lighthouse, one could see the entire city - a vista of countless buildings, busy streets full of cars. cycle rickshaws, buses, temples, churches, etc., as far as the eyes could gaze the horizon.

When the High Court was built, in 1894 its impressive tallest ornate dome 175 feet above the sea level, became Madras’ third lighthouse. Because electricity was a far cry, kerosene-fuelled lamps were used and the light that flashed had an intensity of 18,000 burning candles. In fact, the German warship S.S.“Emden” commanded by none other than chivalrous gentleman captain Von Muller bombarded Madras harbor in September 1914 during the WWI its target was not the High Court building, but the lighthouse that stood next to it. But a small part of the High Court building got the hit, but not the lighthouse.

2nd lighthouse Court complex.1834.www.destinationinfinity.org

In the early 19th century The East India company became well established and had well fortified Fort St. George for their growing commercial activities. As the mercantile business progressed with the arrival and departure of more ships, they built the first lighthouse in 1796 and restructured it later in 1820 by increasing the height (99 feet). The second lighthouse - a Doric column 125 feet tall was built in 1941 outside the fort area to guide the ships.

As the ship traffic had increased, considering the intensity of the Monsoon, the government wanted to have a new

Madras high Court bldg. and3rd lighthouse.www.fototime.com

taller lighthouse built away from Ft. St. George. In that vast area of land, the foundation was laid for a new High Court building.

madras High court lighthouse,spital stairway. http://www.thehindu.com

The Madras High Court was created in 1862 after the proclamation by Queen Victoria. Earlier it was housed in the old Collector's office on Rajaji Salai. A new High Court building was constructed at a cost of Rs.12 lakh and inaugurated on 12 July 1892. At the top of the main decorative dome of the High Court building, 175 feet high new Madras lighthouse (third lighthouse) was added with better apparatus. When electricity came to Madras. it was used to run the powerful revolving light (Argand lamps) whose powerful beam could reach longer distance into the sea. In those times, it was was the tallest structure in Madras. Since 1970, the public has not been allowed to climb this lighthouse. Since 1894, it had functioned and seen WWI and WWII, guiding safely the warships belonging to England and its allies. A superior modern , but poorly designed new lighthouse has been functioning near the Gandhi statue on the Marina. The new lighthouse, city's sentinel lacks the old charm and beauty; nor does it look appealing and pleasing to the eyes.

Presently the two old colonial lighthouses on the High Court complex are out of service. Until recently both these lighthouses and part of the old court building were in a state of neglect with the growth of weeds, wild plants, etc. The beautiful spiral stairway inside the lighthouse, taking the visitors to the top balcony was in bad shape, dusty and filled with bird's droppings. Wooden planks and iron railings at upper levels were damaged, but not beyond redemption. Glad to hear, the government is taking serious steps to restore these heritage structures back to their old grandeur.
Ref:http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/a-sad-picture-of-neglect-despair/article3503006.ece

10.5 cm (4.1 in) gun from Emden, in Hyde Park, Sydney.2007. indiandefence.com

Emden shelling. high court bldg, madras indiandefence.com/

When you walk into the portals of the Madras High Court complex that was established in the year1862 by the British government soon after the proclamation by Queen Victoria on 26 June 1862. , if you are an old timer, you will stroll down the memory lane and will remember vividly the various interesting stories narrated by your father or grandpa or relatives about the notorious marauding German cruiser SMS Emden. The name Emden entered the Tamil language following her successful attack on Madras, even today, a scheming or cunning person is referred to as an Emdena. The most-feared German warship came quietly from nowhere in the dark on 22 September, 1914 around 9.30 pm off the coast of Madras (Chennai) and opened fire on the shore. Result: Three oil storage tanks (one was empty) of the British-owned Burmah Oil Company and a merchant ship were hit. The bombardment continued for 30 minutes and around 10 pm before retaliation from the British navy, Emden gave a slip under the cover of darkness and disappeared into the sea.

Thus began one of the first pugnacious acts in World War I (1914-18) on the coastal

SMS Emden.Bombing Madras, British India.Image. en Wikipedia.org

Madras city. The casualty of five merchant ship's crew was just accidental. The plumes of dark smokes billowing in the air from the oil tanks and the news of German attack sent the shock waves across the city and adjacent places. As the wind blew seaward, the fire had not spread to other parts near the targeted area.The city people panicked and it was a great humiliation for the British, as the Bay of Bengal, dominated by the British with a large fleet of ships, was called "A British Lake". In the aftermath of Emden's fire play, natives lost trust in the British military superiority and the morale of the British India government plummeted way down. How did the German warship's commander gentleman in uniform Von Muller hoodwink the British ships in that area? Thus, Madras went down in the history of the exploits of S.S. Emden (commissioned in 1908) as the only British Indian city that took the beating by the Germans and their allies Austria and Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. They were against Britain and its allies.

The following questions remain unanswered so far:

01.The Emden, over a span of 15 days had already sent to the bottom several merchant ships of Italy, Britain and Australia before the attack on Madras. Their mission was to destroy the harbour, etc. Why did it not happen?

02.They targeted neither Ft. St. George on the shore, nor the harbor areas. Why?

03.Despite blackout order, the coast was illuminated and the lighthouse on the dome of the Madras High court building was flashing the beam and guiding the ships. With powerful guns on the starboard facing the shore, Emden could have pulled down the court building along with the lighthouse. It was not to be. What was the reason?

04.Emden stayed offshore just 30 minutes 9.30 pm to 10pm. Had it stayed a bit longer and its mission was just demolition of the Coastal Madras city's military installations. she could have done it very easily. It never happened!!

05.Were the German sailors poor marksmen and missed the target? No, it is not true.

06.With no warships around near the harbor, why did the German cruiser fail to capitalize on a good opportunity to show her firepower?

Emden with 4th fake smokestack. www.youtube.com

Madras High Court bldg. 2nd largest judcial bldg. www.alamy.com

The only possible answer lies in the personality of Commander of Emden Von Muller. His intention to attack Madras city was to prove German's superior military warfare, intimidate the overconfident British military and to subdue their arrogance. Being a gentleman as he was, his mission was not to act with brutality to kill the British and damage the buildings.Had he done it he would have won the medals and accolades at the cost destruction and killings. After terrorising the British rulers,Von Muller coolly disappeared from the scene without getting caught.

In the next few months, with a single ship that too with coal-fired engines, Von Muller sank lots of ships to the bottom, posing as a British warship with 4 smokestacks. He treated the POW well with rare casualty.

However, Von Muller's luck ran aground and his ship, the scourge of the Indian ocean, was hit numerous times by the Australian warship near Coco islands. Muller was, as a POW, treated with respect and at last was released. He died in New Brunswick,

Germany on 23 March 1923 at the age of 49.
Ref:
http://navrangindia.blogspot.in/2014/10/world-war-i-bombing-of-madras-by-sms.html

http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2619/stories/20090925261909200.html

Ruchi's Kitchen

In India there are various Hindu festivals - temple festivals as well as religious community festivals. Though the same festivals are being followed by various cultures, the method of celebration and food may vary from state to state and from caste to caste. This is the dynamic of Indian culture that remains unbroken for centuries, keeping the old traditions and customs in tact. This diversity of Indian culture is the hallmark of India. Among the Hindu festivals, Pongal is a popular one, dedicated to one of the Pancha Boothas - five essential elements - Agni / light whose source is the Sun - our perennial source of energy, without which, we will perish.

Pongal (Telugu: Sankranthi ), a four-day festival is an important festival in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Srilanka and other countries where Tamil speaking people live. It is a harvest festival that falls on 14 January to 16 January (vide Gregorian Calendar). It marks the end of Tamil month Margazhi on 14 January and the beginning of the first day of Thai -15 January. Also called Thai Pongal, it corresponds to Makara Sankranthi, the winter harvest festival celebrated throughout India. Thai is the traditional month of weddings and family cermonies.

Fascinating facts of the Pongal festival:

01. Astronomically speaking, the day marks the Uttarayanam or Uttarayana Kaalam - the beginning of the sun’s six-month long journey northwards towards equinox, corresponding to the Indic solstice when the sun enters the 10th house of the Indian zodiac Makara or Capricorn. Thai Pongal is a sort of thanksgiving festival to the Sun God - Surya for his relentless routine work without which successful harvest is impossible. The festival consists of cooking of sweetened rice food called Pongal, first dedicated to the Sun.

02. Pongal is a festival of great antiquity, dating as far back as 1000 plus years as confirmed by the epigraphical evidence found in the Puthiyeedu during the Medieval Chola empire days. Puthiyeedu refers to the very first harvest of the year.
03. Commonly in the month of Thai (January-February ) cash crops like rice, sugarcane, turmeric etc., are harvested. Hence, Pongal festival is associated with the annual harvest season.

04. The term 'pongal' in Tamil means "to boil over", symbolic of our happiness and agricultural produce overflowing the brim. This festival is celebrated as a thanksgiving day for the sun god. People of all castes celebrate Pongal with religious zeal. Particularly in the rural areas, it is very popular and the farm workers get a reward called Pongl Enam in the form of cash, clothes, etc.

05. This festival is called Makara Sankaranthi in Andhra and other states, Bihu in Bihar and Uttarayana in Rajasthan and Gujarat and Maghi in Punjab and Hariyana.

06. Pongal is the name of a dish consumed during this festive time, which is sweetened rice boiled with lentils, etc.

07. During the auspicious days of any month in Tamil Nadu, offering of Pongal Prasadam is a common one and this traditional practice at Hindu temples has been in vogue for centuries. It is prepared in the temple kitchen called Madappalli in Tamil and the cooks are from the local Brahmin community.

08. The Bhogi festival, celebrated in honor of Lord Indra, the god of rain, is the first day of Pongal. Lord Indra is responsible for the abundance of harvest, thereby bringing plenty and prosperity to the land. Also referred to as Bhogi Mantalu, on this day, it has been a tradition to clean the household. Useless items are disposed of by way of creating a bonfire into which they are thrown. This implies getting rid of all the negative elements that create negative energy and making room for positive energy in the house.

09. The bonfire is made of traditionally cow dung cakes and firewood. but, it is not so, nowadays.

Kolam drawn in front of houses. en.wikipedia.org/

10. Thai Pongal is the second day of the festival, being the most important one. In addition to rice, jaggery and milk, the ingredients of Pongal dish include cardamom, raisins, Green gram (split), and cashew nuts. Cooking is done in sunlight, usually in a porch or courtyard, as the dish is dedicated to the Sun god, Surya. Pongal is cooked during the auspicious time in a decorated pot, preferably earthen pot with turmeric plants tied around it. In some places, pongal is cooked in the open part of the house under sunlight, usually in a porch or courtyard, as the dish is dedicated to the Sun god, Surya. In some places in the villages, mass cooking is done at the appointed time with devotion in the open near the temple by the women.

earthen pot, pongal cooking in the open before temple. India Today

The cooked pongal is offered first to the Sun and other deities, then only family members an d others partake of it along with side dishes.

11. In front of the houses in the early morning of the Pongal day, the ladies after a head bath, draw kolams - rangoli of various geometric patterns and colors. This is done to invite deities, meaning inviting positive energy into the household.

Kolam drawn in front of houses.en.wikipedia.org/

Pongal klam, rangoli, tamil nadu.sscrecruitmentresults.in

12. The unique part of this festival is on the third day that is earmarked for the cow called Mattu Pongal (in Tamil Mattu means cattle, in particular cow). Cows and bulls are decorated with bells, paper garlands, garlands of Multi-colored beads, etc. Their horns are coated with a fresh coat of paint. We get an array of stuff - milk, butter, cheese, etc from cows, and they make valuable contribution to the growth of humans from their childhood. It is imperative to express our gratitude to cows, which are an integral part of our lives.

Tamil nadu women worship the cow. NDTV.com

decorated bull pongal. Sadhguru

13. On this day, many Hindu families in the villages worship cows. and do the aarthi to them. In the town, Hindus do the worship before the photos, preferably Kamadenu. Many go to the near-by Gosalas, to offer fruits, vegetables and spinach to them. So, this festival is celebrated in the name of cows / bulls to express our thanks to them. Worshipping cows, it is believed, will bring prosperity to the family. Goddess Lakshmi blesses those homes where the people care for the cows.

14. Kaanum (or Kanu) Pongal is the final day of the Pongal festival. The ritual involves putting the left over of Pongal, venn pongal (unswetened) etc., on a cleaned long turmeric leaf in the open courtyard of the house. It also contains bits of banana, sugarcane, etc. This is done by young girls / women, praying for the welfare and longevity of their brothers. Aarthi is performed for the brothers with turmeric water mixed with lime and rice. Elderly people make a mark with turmeric on their forehead so that they can lead a long happy wedded life - as Sumangali.

15. On this day, people consume a variety of cooked rice food such as coconut bath (saatham / food), pongal, pulliyotharai (tamarind bath) curd bath, etc., along with vegetable dishes.

With the advent of Tamil month Thai, the first Tamil month, important family functions, weddings will take place. Business people open new businesses in this auspicious month, befitting the Tamil adage "Thai pirandhaal vazhi pirakkum" meaning with the birth of Thai, a new path will be in sight to put our worries behind.
Money earned from a good harvest forms the economic basis for weddings, opening new business ventures, buying houses, etc.

Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Pongal

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pongal-tamil-nadu-harvest-festival-bhogi-mattu-kaanum-thai/1/571157.html

.

Tamil Nadu, Jallikattu. aimg-a.akamaihd.net

Mattu Pongal, a part of an important Hindu festival called Pongal is celebrated on the third day in the month of Thai (15 January) after
the end of the monsoon season. Mattu Pongal ('Mattu' in Tamil means "bull or cow", Pongal means " sweetened boiled rice" in a metaphoric sense implies prosperity.

Pongal [India Stamp 2006]. iStampGallery.Com

On the day of Mattu Pongal, both cows and bulls are worshiped by the Hindus; the former gives milk and milk related products without which humans, in particular, young children can not grow, the latter play a vital role in the area of agriculture by plowing, carrying the produce, hay etc., to the market. They are of immense help to the farmers in raising crops. In the past two decades, farmers have come to depend on a variety of agricultural machinery and only small farmers still depend on bulls for agriculture works.

Srilanka postal stamp, Pongal./www.srilankastamps.lk

Pongal is an important community celebration in the villages, in particular, of Tamil Nadu State. It marks the sharing of food prepared from the freshly harvested grains, among the rich and poor and sharing it with the animals and birds associated with men. This is done in an atmosphere of warmth and friendship among the communities.

Controversial Jallykattu, TN. /pbs.twimg.com

Part of Mattu pongal is called the Jallikattu or 'Manji Virattu. an exciting village based sport in Tamil Nadu. This sport held generally on the evening of the Mattu Pongal and is about chasing big well-grown bulls by village youths. The aim is to subdue or tame the wildly galloping bulls in stressful surroundings to retrieve the money - a good amount that is tied to the sharp horns of the bulls. Jallikattu, an ancient sport of Tamil Nadu, is recorded in rock paintings of 'bull chasing sport' discovered on massive rock surfaces at Karikkiyur in Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu. They are dated between 2,000 B.C. and 1,500 B.C. So, it is part of Tamil Nadu's culture linked to Hinduism.

Jallikattu, Tamil nadu. www.bbc.co.uk

Jallikattu,TN.no body protection. thiru2050.blogspot.com

In the era of Nayak rulers of Thanjavur and Madurai, it was a harmless sport but, now, it has become a poorly organized and dangerous sport. Since the youths engaged in the sports have neither basic training and skill nor necessary protection against the violently charging bulls, the causality factor is of major concern. The trained bulls that run in a frenzy never get hurt, but, on the other hand, youths, hanging on to the horns of the bulls
to get the prize money are either thrown away badly or hurt seriously or killed by goring. The Supreme Court, New Delhi has temporarily banned the Jallikattu because animal protection organizations make protests. In the aftermath, this village sport, common in South Tamil Nadu, has become a contentious issue.
The crux of the matter is, it is part of the Pongal festival and has been in practice for centuries. This Param Paraiya sport is pushed to the lowly state because of laxity on the part of organizers who fail to tow certain norms to prevent injury to the participants. However, the court can lift the ban by fixing the age limit for the participants and making it compulsory to follow safety precaution against the dangerous bulls. Further, both the participants and animals need to be tested for drug/liquor abuse, based on which they will be allowed to participate in the sport.

Let me leave jallikattu aside. An important question that induces our curiosity is: Why are cows worshiped on auspicious occasions like Gopuja, Graha pravasam (moving into a newly built home), etc? Bulls, unfortunately, do not receive the same attention as the cows do from the people. Further, bulls are mostly toiling in the agricultural fields with the farmers. Why is this discrepancy?

In a few articles on Indian bulls, I have come across a brief legend that is closely associated with Mattu Pongal. The Hindu legend goes as follows: God Shiva once had sent his gate keeper and mount/vahana Nandi (bull) Basava, from heaven to the earth. The purpose was to convey an oral message to the people living on earth that they should have an oil bath (head bath, applying - gingelly oil all over the body and head; sort of massaging with oil) almost every day and eat once a month. God Shiva's intention was to avoid scarcity of food grains if people ate daily. Basava, the bull in a state of preoccupation, conveyed the message wrongly. He told the people that lord Shiva wanted them to eat every day and take an oil bath once a month. This slip of the tongue was unintentional, however, a diagonally opposite message had been passed on to the people by the bull. People also had begun to follow Shiva's advice and started eating daily. To avoid the shortage of food grains, now, the farmers had to cultivate more lands to produce enough grains to meet people's daily requirements.

Bull Basava 's wrong message had bad impact on the agricultural front. Simply a careless act. When god Shiva came to know that his message was distorted and conveyed wrongly by the bull and this would lead to chaos in the villages, he was upset and annoyed. With no choice to pardon the bull, in a state of rage and fury, he banished the bull Basava to live forever on earth to help farmers cover more lands and raise extra food crops required for their daily needs by the people. Hence, we see more bulls in the agricultural belts, plowing the lands, pulling the carts, etc. So, Mattu Pongal is also a joyous occasion for the hard working bulls to relax and take rest. Hence bulls are also worshiped on this occasion. Bull worshipping is common in Shiva temples where there is a bull stone image right before the Lord's shrine. Further, on the day of Pradosham (15 days a month, Trayodasi Thithi falls between 4.30 pm to 6.00 pm ) at all Shiva temples, Puja is first done to the bull and then to the presiding deity.

Pradoshakalam,decorated bull,Tiruvannamalai temple.Arunachala Grace

The worship of cows and bulls on the day of Mattu Pongal is a special prayer for the prosperity and growth of the cattle population as well as our society with the blessings of gods Indra and God Krishna (Gopala), who himself was a cowherd.

Mattu Pongal. YouTube

Jallikattu and cattle.m imes of India

It will of considerable interest to note that the worship of cattle by Hindus during Mattu Pongal is not confined to the Hindu religion alone. There is a similar custom associated with the Christians, especially among the Catholics. A function is held on 17 January in Rome as Saint Anthony day, when cattle (the cows, horses, goats, asses and so forth) are blessed, according to one H.H.Wilson (1862).
Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattu_Pongal

Wilson, Horace Hayman; Reinhold Rost (1862). Essays and lectures on the religions of the Hindus, Volume 2. Mattu Pongal. Trüber & Co. pp. 170–173. Retrieved 2009-12-26.

Victoria public Hall - colonial Madras

First Post Office in North India - GPO Shimla, colonial India

Madras GPO building - a colonial structure facing ruin

Legendary Tipu Sultan's summer palace, Bangalore

Madras museum complex - British heritage building

Oldest Art and Craft institution in India, chennai

The Anglican Christ Church, Chennai - first ever congregation

The Banqueting (Rajaji) Hall, Chennai -steeped in colonial history

Vaikunta Ekadashi, a fascinating Hindu temple festival

Vaikunta Ekadashi festival at temples in Srirangam and other places

World War II cemetery and memorial, Chennai

Portuguese St. Thomas Church and bleeding Cross, Chennai

Fr. Reginald Heber, missionary and Scholar, Bishop of Calcutta

Robert Clive or Edward Clive - Who gave the gift to the Hindu god, Kanchipuram?

Colonial Calcutta GPO building, a heritage site

Second colonial lighthouse, Chennai

Colonial third lighthouse, Madras High Court building, Chennai

German warhip Emden' s attack on Madras city and missing targets!!

Some interesting facts about the Hindu festival Pongal (Sankaranthi)

Mattu Pongal, controvercial jallikattu and legend !!