Where a Muslim poet finds a place with Lord Muruga and his consorts at Melakodumalur

Murugan temple in Ramanathapuram district includes Muslim poet statue, symbolizing syncretism and facing backlash from fundamentalists.

In a rare gesture, a Murugan temple at Melakodumalur in Ramanathapuram district includes a statue of a Muslim poet among Hindu deities adorning the Vimana over the sanctum sanctorum. Javathu Pulavar (1745-1808), an 18th Century Tamil scholar and poet of Ramanathapuram, who was known as Sollampu Pulavar, is standing with Lord Muruga and His consorts Valli and Deivanai as a testimony to syncretism. “We decided to place a statue of Javathu Pulavar when we renovated the temple in 2004 to express our gratitude for his Kumarapathigam in praise of Lord Muruga of the temple,” says S. Natarajan, the managing trustee of the temple. The poet is symbolically represented by a statue of Muslim wearing a cap and dhoti. His Kumarapathigam (comprising 11 songs) was inscribed on granite bars, which were fixed on the walls of the temple in 2004.

Javathu, as the name suggests, is not a perfume; it means Perumkodai Vallal (a great philanthropist) and one of the titles of the Prophet. Javathu Pulavar himself had clarified it when Sarkarai Pulvar, another poet and scholar, ridiculed him by saying the perfume was collected from a civet. This incident has been recorded by M.K. Jalal Muhammed, the 8th generation descendant of Javathu Pulvar, in his books Sethukavi Javathu Pulavar and Sollampu Pulavar Javathu.

Javathu Pulvar was born at Emaneswaram near Paramakudi in Ramanathapuram district. A precocious child with the ability to pen poems at the age of seven, Mohamed Mir Javathu Pulavar, as known by his original name, learnt from his uncle who was the teacher of the children of Ramanathapuram ruler Raghunatha Sethupathi. Subsequently, he learnt from Somasundara Desikar, the head of the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam. An Astavathani (who can perform eight tasks at a time), he was also the poet laureate at the court of the Sethupathis. He had travelled extensively, engaging in debates with scholars and poets, penning verses and poems in praise of kings, philanthropists, and also on Hindu deities. He was also feared and there were many legends associated with his power to curse or bless through his poems.

“[Legend has it that] Once he went to the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai with the Sethupathi and the doors were closed after the king entered. Javathu Pulavar, who felt insulted, sang seven pathigam. It caused blood to ooze from the head of the deity. The priest realised his mistake and opened the door and the king also apologised,” according to Mr. Jalal Muhammed. On another occasion, he wrote verses in praise of Raja Rajeshwari, the family deity of the Sethupathis, and cured the king of smallpox.

There is also a story behind the 11 verses he penned in praise of Lord Muruga at Melakodumalur. “He wrote the pathigam as requested by Palaniappan Chettiar, the grandson of Thinappa Chettiar of Devakottai, who had no children. The verses are said to have granted santhana pakkiam (child) to Palaniappan, and his family tree is still growing after 450 years,” says Mr. Muhammed, who recited the verses with tonal variations to give a musical effect.

In the 10th pathigam, Javathu Pulavar makes a request to Lord Muruga to bless Palaniappan Chettiar, the son of Ramanathan Chettiar and grandson of Thinnappa Chettiar, with a child.

Mr. Natarajan says Javathu Pulavar, before rendering the Kumarapathigam, had sung one pathigam with a special reference to udai maram, the holy tree of the temple. The age-old tree is still there and people are offering branches of a similar species to fulfil their vows. “It is believed that the offering will cure people of body aches and other ailments. When pests attack cotton plants, farmers pluck the affected cotton plants and pin them on the thorn of the tree. They believe it will control the pest and increase the yield,” he says. After the renovation in 2004, the pathigam became popular and Mr. Muhammed, as requested by his friend, published the verses with explanatory notes. But he paid a heavy price as the fundamentalists could not tolerate his propagating the verses in praise of a Hindu god. “In 2016, when I was coming out of a bank after drawing money, I was stabbed eleven times. I received two stabs on the left chest and nine on the back. The attacker ran away after two autorickshaw drivers threw stones on him. I was in the intensive care unit for 15 days. It was Allah’s grace that I am alive today,” he says.