TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - XXII

THE ‘GUSTHI’ TRADITION OF MANACAUD 

Sitting in front of the thekkath in my grandmother’s ancestral home in Manacaud is a stone idol of Lord Hanuman; a relief carving in white stone. Until recently my grandmother's younger brother Kumara Swamy had maintained the thekkath, which was originally setup by his grandfather’s younger brother, a famed occultist of his time, Valiya mandravathi Govindan Achari (1850s-1944). The thekkath houses a small idol of Lord Ganesh, a small ‘Vel’ representing Lord Subramanyan and a cane that belonged to the mandravathi himself. The Hanuman idol was carved by the local stone masons, who lived in Manacaud and Kuriyathy regions. These craftsmen were associated with the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple and the Valiya Kottaram. The ‘chellam vaka’ associated with the temple and the palace was in old days headed by the Kallampally karnavar. This section employed skilled craftsmen from all fields. 

A pyalwan (?) - from the private collection of
K. Ramakrishnan Achari.

During last century the fame of Manacaud spread all over India with the name of a single man - ‘Pyalwan Narayana Pillai’. Better known as ‘Kerala Gamma’, Narayana Pillai was one of the best traditional wrestlers Travancore has ever seen. Travancore has a long tradition of maintaining wrestlers, locally known as mallanmar. In the old days, many of them served as personal attendants and bodyguards to the Kings. Swathi Thirunal’s reign was the golden age of artists, musicians, and wrestlers. Many eminent wrestlers from far off lands came and performed before the King. ‘A number of native boxers from Travancore and other parts of Malabar skilled in the art of fencing, single combat, sword, stick, and other exercises, were entertained for the amusement of the court. To witness the mode of champion-fighting in other countries, the Maha Rajah got from the court of Mysore a few sets of trained athletes called Mullaga Chettis, who fight in single combat, till the combatants bodies are bathed in blood….A set of pyalwans (Mussulman champions) from Hyderabad who performs wonderful feats and exhibits extraordinary powers of muscle, were entertained at the court for some time. The performances exhibited by these men would be considered exaggerated, even if correctly related. One of them, a young man of about thirty years of age, with a strong-built body, used to lie on his back and allow a thick granite stone slab to be placed on his breast, and have the same split into pieces by pounding it with a thick iron pestle. He used to throw large iron cannon balls into the air and receive them on his head, back and breast’ (Shangunni Menon). C.V. Raman Pillai in his epic work 'Rama Raja Bahadur' gives a vivid description of a wrestling match between Azhakan Pillai and Kandiravarayar. V. Narasimhan Thampi, another historian of the royal family writes about the turbulent days of Dharmaraja’s reign when spies, disguised as wrestlers and magicians had gained entry inside the Fort. In old days Gatta gusthi, a form of wrestling was common in Thiruvananthapuram. Manacaud Narayana Pillai was one among the last famed wrestlers of Thiruvananthapuram. However, the wrestling community once patronized by the royals has now become almost extinct.

The Ganesh idol, Vel and the cane inside the thekkath and the Hanuman idol.

Once the name and fame of the Narayana Pillai spread all the way from Aarulvaimozhi to Kannur. He defeated several famous wrestlers such as Chotta Thimmayya, Gourimutthu, Ashique Hussain, Bhima Rao and Periya Pillai. During the 1940s many famous wrestlers camped in Narayana Pillai’s house in Manacaud. Children from the surroundings would crowd around the house to get a glimpse of the wrestlers. A senior resident of Manacaud says; “As children, we would assemble near the house of Narayanan Pillai to see the wrestlers who have gathered there. In the evenings they would all march to the nearby Shasta temple, with a group of children following them”. Matches would be conducted in the large grounds of Palayam. The Goda (arena) would be prepared and soft red soil from Thiruvallam was spread all over. The soft soil prevented injuries. The majority of the Pyalwanmar were worshippers of Lord Hanuman; some of them carried with them the idol of their favourite deity where ever they went. 

Kerala Gama Manacaud Narayana Pillai - in his younger years and during his last years - Picture courtesy - Kala Kaumudi Magazine, Issue 429, from an article written by Kallikadu Ramachandran.

Narayanan Pillai was a friend of artist K. Ramakrishnan Achari (my paternal grandmother’s father) and often visited the house. In front of Putten Veedu (another related house) in Manacaud was a large open space where the youngsters of the region assembled under the famous pyalwan Narayana Pillai to learn wrestling. Sundaram Achari and Lekshmanan Achari of Putten Veedu were his friends and disciples. Soon the ground was transformed into a goda where Narayana Pillai could formally train his students. The stone laying ceremony for the Goda was done by Elayaraja Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma (the present King). Influenced by the wrestling tradition of Manacaud, my grandmother’s eldest brother Krishna Swamy of Pillavilakathu Veedu, his brothers and friends started a gymnasium in the 1940s. It was situated behind the studio building, situated opposite to the house. During those days a ‘pyalwan’ came there to train the youngsters. On special occasions, the famed pyalwan of Travancore, Narayana Pillai himself came to the goda and gave instructions. The idol of Lord Hanuman carved out of white stone was worshipped there. Once as a small boy Kumara Swamy kicked the idol, only to find that his foot had swollen up and he could not walk for days!

The Hanuman idol - Sketch by the author (2007).

Note:

Thekkath - a place of worship.
Karnavar- male head of a joint family.

References:

Narasimhan Thampi. V, Travancore Royal Family and Valiakottaram, 1976.

Shangunni Menon P, A history of Travancore from the Earliest Times, Volume I, Higginbotham, 1878.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY- XVII

LIFE IN THE AGRAHARAMS - AS RECALLED BY KRISHNA IYER

An old doorway inside the agraharam complex, East Fort - Photograph taken by the author.

20th September 2009,

Agraharams: The name literally means "a garland of houses". It originates from the fact that the agraharams have lines of houses on either side of the road and the temple to the village god at the centre, thus resembling a garland around the temple.

Smiling faces greeted us whenever we went to agraharams for conducting case studies. Old women wearing ‘chela’ and men who busy chatting with their friends occupied the ‘thinna’. Within the crumbling agraharams we could get a glimpse of large families, trying to fit themselves into long corridor-like spaces; a lifestyle and culture evolved through the ages. Life in agraharams starts early morning, when rest of the city sleeps peacefully, the women of agraharams rises and after bathing draw ‘arippodikolam’ in front of their houses.‘Arippodikolam’- a painted prayer. It is believed that drawing a kolam in front of the house brings prosperity, moreover, it is food for the insects and birds.

Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma was the first ruler who identified the real potential of the temple town, Thiruvananthapuram. Though the capital was still Padmanabhapuram, he started the overall development of Thiruvananthapuram which finally transformed it into a celebrated capital city. After renovating of the temple, he invited Tamil and Tulu Brahmins to the capital city and made agraharams for them, the small market which functioned in the eastern side of the temple gradually flourished as more and more people started to migrate to this region. Another interesting story on the migration of Brahmins to this area was narrated by Mani Iyer of Sreenikethan (West Nada); according to his story, Ramayyan Dalawa was the brain behind Marthanda Varma’s successes. It is said that the king once offered half of his kingdom to this trusted minister, giving him regal authority. However, Ramayyan respectfully refused this offer saying that he was a Brahmin and it is the duty of Kshtriyas to rule. Instead, he asked the king to give shelter to poor Brahmins. The king accepted his minister’s advice and invited Brahmins to Thiruvananthapuram. The temple Ottupura provided them with meals, two times a day, and most of them were employed in the temple.

Ramayyan Dalawa - Picture courtesy - R. Narayana Panikker, The History of Travancore.

Mr. Krishna lyer, a ninety-year-old gentleman whom we met in Tippu Street turned out to be a treasure trove of information, for he had in store much valuable information that helped us to understand the life and culture of agraharams, in a better manner. He gave us a clear idea about the history and social conditions that existed inside the fort area, which was off limits to the lower castes till recent age. Krishna lyer was an exceptional man, with a sharp memory spanning over eight decades, he was the ‘one’ whom we were looking for. He accompanied us to ‘Azhikotta’ and on the way explained to us the history of agraharams, its evolution through the ages, current issues, and about the old settlements around the Fort area.

Krishna Iyer - Still young at 90 - screenshot from a documentary on agraharams (Agraharangal Kathaparayumbol, 2011).

According to him, the old ‘pramanam’ or documents stated that land was given for ‘Paradesi Brahmins’ and ‘Malayala Brahmins’ by the king. These Brahmins built agraharams and settled there, forming one of the oldest social caste settlements in the capital city.

Tamilsmarthabrahmin and his wife - From Yale University Collection.

Their houses were special too, all houses shared a common wall and were made of ‘Cheekkal katta’, a strong locally available building material, these blocks were cemented with lime plaster and the plinth in which the house stood was made of large granite blocks, laid in a special manner, which according to him is very efficient that the century-old houses had not been affected by the earthquakes. In olden days the roofs were thatched and the supporting pillars and mezzanine floors were made of timber. Later thatch roofs were replaced by Mangalore tiles when they were made available in Travancore. This group housing influenced their lifestyle also, privacy was not their concern. Usually, large joint families were cramped inside the long corridor-like spaces, but their lifestyle evolved around the temple and their houses that even now the younger generation can easily adapt to the old environs. However, they have made revamped the old spatial planning to facilitate comfortable living. The open ‘thinna’ were old Brahmins assembled for the ‘vedivattam’ and occasional card playing was closed with iron bars. The open courts inside the houses were also levelled, making room for a bed or a study table for the younger generation.

Agraharam - a study on spatial planning - Urban Design project done by the author at C.E.T.

According to Krishna lyer, water supply, electric connection and drainage was introduced in the Fort area and its surroundings during 1103-04 M.E., during the reign of the Regent Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, before that, assigned people came every day at 6 O'clock in the morning to collect night soil from the houses. They had special paths known as scavengers lane situated behind every stretch of streets. The waste was collected outside the Fort (southwest corner) and later taken to Pulluvila to be disposed of.

An old agraharam with open thinna - Photograph taken by the author.

Krishna lyer says that in those days the senior members of the family slept in the open thinnas. Mosquito problem was unheard of during those times, as the drains running through the front were cleaned daily. The roads were also cleaned and sprinkled with water. Before corporation water supply was made available, there were common wells, two wells at the ends of each street that provided them with water, every morning the women folk crowded around the well for collecting water for their daily use. However, with the coming of corporation water connection, the wells were neglected and they turned into breeding grounds of mosquitoes and were later sealed off.

In olden days majority of the Brahmins were employed in the temple offices and in the temple kitchen,Mukkanaiya a sub-caste of Iyers were money lenders and were appointed as accountants. Later they got employment in government offices, the ‘Huzur kacherry’ and the court that functioned in an old building that has been now occupied by Sree Moola Vilasam (S.M.V) School. With new positions, their life standard increased and now most of them have high educational qualifications and are employed as high government officials.

Brahmins being a priestly class were less familiar with farming techniques, the lack of open space and the tradition-bound lifestyle that revolved around the temple made then depend upon vegetable sellers and other street vendors who came daily to sell their wares. However, a few coconut trees can be spotted in the backyard spaces. People belonging to different castes ranging from bangle makers, the ‘Vala Chettis’, to basket makers came there to sell off their products. However, no one from outside was admitted inside the Fort after 10 pm. There were guards at each opening checking on those who enter and leave the place. The Attakulangara post office building was the soldier’s outpost, there was a well near it, where now there’s a Milma outlet.

Azhikotta and the old post office building that once served as soldiers outpost - Photograph taken by the author.

Krishna lyer still has a vivid memory of his childhood days when he used to walk to Sangumugham beach, that was three miles away, for a bath in the sea. The street lamp lighters arrived everyday evening at six with their kerosene cans and ladders. All street lamps would go out at about nine at night, but still, the road would be lighted up by the stone lamps; stone lamps were there attached to the walls of every agraharams. Theses stone lamps hold oil for a longer time, illuminating the street, thus one of the streets came to be known as ‘deepatheruvu’, meaning 'the street of lamps', but now its name has changed to Tippu Street. Every street had a story to tell, ‘Thamman Street’ was the place where a saint by the name ‘Subramanya Dharman’ lived, the word ‘Dharman’ when used by the locals changed to ‘Thamman’, likewise ‘Dikshitar street’ is named after a Dikshitar who was a Vedic scholar associated with the palace. Thekkae theruvu, the main road that runs straight from Vettimuricha kotta to Kallampally junction was renamed as ‘Chidambara Krishna Iyer Street’, in memory of Chidambara Krishna lyer who was the Mayor of the town. ‘Kottalam’ road was where the ‘kottanmar’ or construction workers lived, there were about ten families there.

However, the peaceful life in agraharams was disturbed in 1939, with the onset of ‘Hitler’s war’, the World War II, many young men from the area migrated to North India for better jobs. Krishna lyer was one among them. He went to Karachi and many other places in search of jobs. This period marked the beginning of a new phase also, more and more youngsters began to explore the world outside and with India gaining Independence and following the end of the monarchy, the privileges enjoyed by these families were cut short.

Over the years agraharams have changed, adapting to the needs of the younger generation, they sometimes lost its character. New additions and façade treatments often make them seem out of place, however, they stand as the ghosts of the past, reminding us of the glorious heritage of Thiruvananthapuram, the temple town.

Sharat Sunder Rajeev
2009.