About Tanjore Maratha Marvels
Maratha Marvels himself a teetotaller. In a glass showcase are several minor
antiquities including small copper coins minted by the Tanjore Marathas.
On the advice of the Prince, we visited the Maratha royal graveyard at the
periphery of the town. The memorials erected here, in honour of the
different kings and queens, are elaborate structures resembling a typical
Hindu temple.
After Tanjore, we stopped at Orattanad. A Maratha chattram, named after
Muktambal, one of the queens of Sarfoji II, is located here. Shaped like a
chariot, it displays a profusion of religious sculptures in stucco and wood.
After Orattanad, we halted at a few obscure hamlets including Rajamadam and
Sethubavachattram. Each of these places possesses a typical Maratha
chattram. Many of the chattrams consisted of pillared dormitory halls
enclosing open courtyards or flowers gardens. One could imagine that these
chattrams would have been, during the pre-motor car age, veritable oases for
the weary traveller during the scorching summers.
As we trekked along the endless coastline, cursing the unbearable afternoon
heat, we suddenly found ourselves in a grove of coconut trees. The
atmosphere around the trees was unbelievably cool; a strong breeze wiped off
the perspiration on our foreheads. And, hidden between these trees, right on
the beach, is the tallest and the most historic monument built by the
Tanjore Marathas-the Manora, an eight-storeyed miniature fortress, hexagonal
in shape and skirted by a moat, all well-preserved by the State archaeology
Department. The structure was constructed by Sarfoji II in 1815 in honour of
Britains victory over Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo.
We climbed up the fortress through narrow spiral stairways and from the
top, one could see miles and miles of the serene, sun-kissed beach. The
place is free from maddening crowed mainly because very few seem to know
that the Manora is a unique specimen of architecture and is the only
structure outside Europe erected in honour of the British. To us, Manora was
the most memorable of our experiences. It was worth the long hours of
arduous travel.
Imperial, Yet Secular
The Chola dynasty, in the medieval period, which ruled for about 430 years
(850-1279 A.D.) brought glory to the rulers and the ruled in more ways than
one. It is true that the Cholas were staunch Saivites. But that did not
deter them from fostering other beliefs. They were truly secular in their
outlook. While waging wars and occupying enemy or conquered territories,
there were some excesses. These acts of aberrations have however to be
dismissed as over-enthusiasm or as an attempt to leave a mark of their
belief, rather than acts of vandalism or imposing their faith on other or
trying to convert people from one faith to another.
Mr. S.R. Balasubramanian in his book Early Chola temples says that
according to tradition, there were 275 Siva temples and 108 Vaishnavaite
temples in the ninth century A.D. in Tamil Nadu. Of these, 230 temples were
in the original Chola Desa (Page XV). This statement alone could make the
Cholas the greatest single dynasty, which had built the largest number of
temples in India perhaps in the world.
Thirumangai Alwar one of his hymns (Thirunaraiyur Pathikam-8) says that
Kochchengannan built 70 temples along both banks of the Kaveri. Thirumangai
Alwars period is reportedly mid 8th century A.D. Appar in one of his songs
mentions 78 temples but does not mention the kings name. Appars period is
about 7th century A. D.
There is no reason to doubt the veracity of the statement in these two
songs of the Saints; one thing is obvious, namely, both during the time of
Thirumangai Alwar and Appar, there were many temples. As they focus that
they were not made of granite; it may also be true that they were not as big
as they are now, or that they did not have such beautiful sculpture or
painting. But, one thing is certain, that is, above all, there was temple
worship and people had faith in a Supreme Power. People preached good
conduct, love and affection for one another for better living.
That the temples in the pre-Pallava days were made of mud, bricks, wood,
mortar, etc. is well known. Sembian Madevi, the grand old lady of the Chola
dynasty, mother of Uttama Chola and queen of Kandaraditya Chola, had a large
number of such temples renovated and rebuilt with granite stones (late 10th
century and early 11th century A.D.).
Similarly, the temples prior to the Pallava period and during the early
Chola period were not as big as we see them today. Except those like
Brihadishwarar temple, Tanjore, Gangai Konda Cholapuram temples and such
masterpieces, many temples were renovated, expanded by succeeding rulers.
The sculpture also underwent a progressively more beautiful form. There is
a wide difference between the sculpture and painting of early centuries of
the Christian era to the medieval period. The growth is breathtaking. The
engineering and architectural skill also showed considerable improvement. If
some of the temples are still intact after about a thousand years, it is no
mean achievement. The range and the skill were such, that the knowledge and
experience were used to build a network of storage tanks for irrigation in
Chola Nadu. The Kallanai (grand Anaicut) near Trichy is about 1000 feet long
and measures about 60 feet at the base and about 18 feet on top. This help
in regulating the excess flow of water in the river Kaveri and permits
diversion to Kollidam (Coleroon)- a surplus drain. British irrigation
experts who had occasion to study the tanks-embanked reservoirs, frequently
commented upon the near completeness with which surface irregularities had
been exploited for irrigation long before their time and found no scope for
any improvement or expansion. (Pesant State and Society in Medieval South
India-Burton Stein page 24).
Thus, while acknowledging the lact that the Cholas built grand temples,
bestowing their personal attention, wealth and all other resources at their
command, they were equally tolerant about other faiths. Raja Raja Chola-I
built temples not only for Siva but also for Vishnu. He permitted a Buddha
Vihar to be built at Nagapattinam and also donated large grants. Some of his
chieftains donated money to build Jain temples (ibid-page 194).
