How Madras was described in bhakti poetry

A poetic ode to Madras

That Madras or Chennai is an agglomeration of ancient villages is well known. It is now accepted that even Madraspattinam, which the British ostensibly ‘founded’, had existed long before their arrival. This is supported by at least one stone inscription and the grant to the English. However, it was very likely a non-descript hamlet with a fishing harbour — the term pattinam, which means any settlement by the sea cannot be construed to be a big town. In fact the other villages and settlements that Madras eventually absorbed into itself were far more important. This article looks at what the Tevaram, the Pasurams and the Thiruppugazh have to say about these localities before they merged into Madras.

Mayilai was clearly a large town with a harbour. Sambandar’s Poompavai Pathigam describes men spearing the fish and even today there is a large presence of fisherfolk on the eastern fringes of Mylapore. Sambandar also speaks of dense groves but they have since vanished though you can get an idea of these from the Theosophical Society on the Adyar.

What rings true of Mayilai even now from Sambandar’s works are the busy streets and the temple’s festivals, still following the calendar that he describes. In Sekkizhar’s Periya Puranam, composed 400 years later, Mayilai is a flourishing harbour with bobbing boats sporting tall masts and fluttering flags, elephants arriving as cargo and a flourishing trade in precious stones. Sekkizhar’s description of the festive streets with buildings lining them echo Sambandar. By the time of Arunagirinathar, Mayilai is a well-planned layout with lotus ponds, fields, tall buildings and noted for literature and poetry.

Tiruvallikeni during the time of Peyazhwar emerges as a beautiful beach with the pearls and corals reminding you of sunset. By the time of Tirumazhisai Azhwar the sea is still the primary attraction but now there is a temple to Ranganatha here.

When Tirumangai Azhwar visits the place, it is a full-fledged precinct with all the present shrines. Both Tirumazhisai and Tirumangai mention Tiruvallikeni in conjunction with Mayilai, indicating the proximity of the two areas. It was also possibly a tribute to the latter being the birthplace of Peyazhwar.

Tiruvottriyur was sung of by the three great Tevaram hymnodists – Appar, Sambandar and Sundaramurti. In the hands of Appar, the sea is the great presence here. One verse of his composed here compares the shattering of the ego to a shipwreck. Both Appar and Sundaramurti describe the seacoast at Otriyur, replete with conches and pearls deposited by the sea. Farms too make their appearance. Sugarcane is a common motif in both Appar and Sundaramurti’s verses here and the former goes into detail — the fields are full of sugarcane and rice, the latter in standing water. Cultivation in and around Tiruvottriyur cannot be seen now, but about 40 years ago this was a common sight. Most houses on the western side of the village backed onto fields. The contrast between Mayilai and Tiruvottriyur as seen from the verses is striking — the former is urban, the latter pastoral.

However, by the time of Arunagirinathar (15th century), Tiruvottriyur has changed. The sea is still there but now it is a thriving locality full of various subsects of Shiva devotees. In the interim between the Nayanmars and Arunagirinathar, various bequests by the Cholas and later kings had established many maths in the streets around the temple, several of which survive in some form even now.