History of Thanjavur, Granary of South India

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History of Thanjavur

Thanjavur district stands unique from time immemorial for its

agricultural activities and is rightly acclaimed as the Granary of

the South India lying in the deltaic region of the famous river

Cauvery and criss-crossed by lengthy network of irrigation canals,

this coastal district abounds in green paddy fields, tall coconut

groves, vast gardens of mango and plantain trees and other verdant

vegetation. Various testimonials available in the ancient Tamil

literature referring to the Cauvery as possessing the sanctity of the

Ganges in conformity with the legendry and mythological stories

attributed to its divine origin, rightly point out why the river is

popularly called the ' Mother Cauvery' and its sacredness is evident

from 'Kaviri-Thala-Puranam'. The river has also been named 'Ponni'

because it is yielding 'pon' -Gold in the form of paddy. That is why

it is said with pride that every iota of the earth of Thanjavur is

equal to an iota of gold. The tillers in Tamil literature have been

rightly called as 'Kauvirippudhalvars' - the sons of the Cauvery as

they alone are worthy of this title for the rich production of grains

in this fertile soil.

 

It is no wonder therefore that at the very Threshold of

the district itself one can feel the distinguish green vegetation and

call Thanjavur as 'the green mansion' of the South. With an average

annual rice yield touching 6.5 lakh metric tonnes during 1991-92

the district tops all the other districts of India in the production

of rice and remarked as the rice bowl of India. The economy of the

district is, therefore, primarily agrarian in nature with very few

industrial units.

 

Thanjavur is one of the thirteen coastal districts of

Tamil Nadu in the production of marine fish which accounts for about

5 % of the total marine fish catch of the State. The district is

famous for its exquisite ancient handicrafts-making of bronze icons,

Thanjavur art plates, bell-metal castings, bowls, napkin and powder

boxes of metal with beautiful and artistic in-laying and engraving

work of motifs well known as "Tanjore swami work". It is equally

well-known for pith-work, ornamental fans, mats and making of musical

instruments of jack-wood. It is also a flourishing center of

handloom silk and cotton sarees.

 

Thanjavur attained prominence under the Chola rulers who

were paramount in South India during 9th to 12th centuries. They

were not only excellent rulers but also mighty builders, who erected

a large number of exquisite temples in their empire, some of which

constitute the finest specimens of architecture. Hence the district

stands distinguished in the state even in its large number of

temples, whose legends extend deep into early historic times. Many

of these temples reflect the power, genius and architectural

grandeurs of their authors displaying the unique and magnificent

proficiency in sculpture, painting and wood carving. Art gallery the

great Saraswathi Mahal library, the 'Sangeetha Mahal' (hall of

music), the thriving of classical music and dance known

as 'Bharathanatyam' and the celebration of grand annual music

festival at Thiruvaiyaru, in honour of the great Saint Thiagaraja,

all bear testimony to the cultural heritage.

 

The period of Chola Kings was not only considered as

epoch-making but also an era of the cultural renaissance. Thanjavur

under the Chola rulers was the cradle of Tamil Culture. Literature

and civilisation and the rare Tamil manuscripts in the Thanjavur

library corroborate this fact. Another notable feature is that in

spite of several alien invasions, onslaughts and internal conflicts,

the ancient culture and civilisation have not suffered much

devastation. The inhabitants have successfully concentrated their

histrionic talents in the field of art, literature, drama, music and

dancing and are known for their rich cultural and religious fervour.

They live in close harmony as a well knit community and the three

main religious groups viz., Hindus, Muslims, and Christians,

celebrate their fairs and festivals with a sense of mutual respect.

On festive occasion, the Hindu devotees out-number all other

participants in the shrines belonging to other religions. Similarly,

in the case of some Hindu festivals, the temples are thronged by a

substantial number of persons belonging to other religious group as

well, who have a staunch faith and come in full reverence to pay

homage to the presiding deities.

 

According to the known history dating back to Sangam age,

the Cholas ruled over Thanjavur for about one thousand years. It was

here that plans were formulated to extent the Chola supremacy by

spreading their glory from Kanniyakumari in the south to Himalayas in

the north. They also under their patronage cultivated fine arts,

erected temples, constructed anaicuts, built ports and cities.

 

Among the Chola Kings who found place Sangam literature,

Karikala and Koccengan were the most prominent. The name ' Karikala'

which in Tamil refers to a man with charred leg, was derived by this

King from a fire accident. He was assailed imprisoned and deprived

of his birth right by his enemies. He, however, managed to regain

the throne and in the great battle at Venni he defeated Pandya and

Chera rulers and secured for himself the hegemony over them. He

crushed both the internal and external opposition and became complete

master of his country. He renovated the capital of Uraiyur, built up

the renowned port of Puhar (Kaveripoompattinam) and patronised

liberal arts and letters. Karikala was succeeded by two rival kings-

Nalangilli and Nedungilli who ruled from Puhar and Uraiyur

respectively. The next Chola King Killivalavan from Uraiyur was a

brave and able warrior, besides a patron of letters.

 

Of the Chola of later Sangam age, Koccengan was more

brilliant and illustrious in both war and peace. He showed equal

zeal for both Saivism and Vaishnavism, built numerous saivite temples

including the famous Jambukeswara Temple at Tirunaraiyur.

 

After a brief set back in the Chola regime between the

third century to ninth century A.D., the Cholas became the mighty

race of rulers. Once again Vijayalaya (850-870) the founder of the

new Chola dynasty, drove away the Muttaraiyar Chieftains from

Thanjavur and assisted the Pallava King to stem the tide of the

Pandiyan overlordship. His son Aditya I (870-907) soon over-threw

the Pallava King Aparajita and expelled him from his territory.

After conquering the Kongu country and Pandyas, he further extended

his kingdom. He was an ardent saivite like his father and built

temples along the banks of cauvery from Sahyadri to the sea.

Parantaka I (907-955) was more powerful and under his rule Cholas

acquired a dominion which foreshadowed the great empires of Rajaraja

and Kullottunga. With the rise of Rajaraja I (985-1014), the days

dawned to bring about new and brilliant chapter in the history of

Cholas. Both in war and peace Rajaraja and his son Rajendra proved

themselves as the most outstanding personalities of their time.

Rajaraja conquered Kerala (Chera country) the whole of the Pandya

country and Malainadu (Coorg ) and extended his dominion. He also

invaded ceylon and destroyed Anuradhapura, its capital. He was also

a great statesman and administrator and endeavoured his best to

establish his empire on a firm footing. He built the most

magnificent temple of Rajarajeswara at Thanjavur, the fine specimen

of Tamil architecture. Rajaraja was succeeded by his son Rajendra I

(1014-1044). He had the advantage of possessing an empire which had

already been organised on sound lines. He set about at once to

improve its organisation and increase its glory. He undertook

expedition to north in search of the Ganges and assumed the title of

Gangai Konda Cholan". His most glorious expedition was to Kadaram

which shows the great naval strength of the Cholas. Rajendra I was

succeeded by four rulers Rajadhiraja, Rajendra II, Virarajendra and

Adirajendra's reign was brief and it became weak in his time and

later the kingdom passed on to the Eastern Chalukyan. Rajendra

Kulottunga (1070-1120) was a remarkable personality. He was more a

statesman than a warrior. From 1120 to 1163, three Chola kings, viz,

Vikrama Chola (1120-1135) Kulottunga II (1136-1150) and Rajaraja II

(1151-1163) succeeded Kulottunga I and under all these rulers no wars

or invasions distracted the country. During the reigns of Rajaraja

III (1216-1246) and Rajendra III (1247-1279), the Pandyas in the

south and Hoysalas in the north monopolised all the power. By the

beginning of the 13th century, the Chola dynasty became extinct and

it gave way to Pandyan supremacy.

 

The Pandiyan regime was short lived. When the Pandiyan

Kingdom was in the thrones of civil war, the muslim ruler Ala-Ud-Din

Khiliji, the Sultan of Delhi, took advantage of it and over powered

the Pandiyas. Thanjavur then came under the muslim rulers. Muslim

dominations continued till the middle of the 14th century when

Vijayanagar Kings ended the muslim rule. Thanjavur remained under

the supremacy of the Vijayanagar Kings for a long period. The Nayak

dynasty was established during this period and Sevappa, the founder

of Nayak Kingdom of Thanjavur made his appearance on the scene (1532-

1560). In 1560, Sevappa Nayak made over kingdom to his son

Achuyutappa Nayak. His rules unlike that of his father was not one

of unbroken peace. Shortly after getting old he abdicated the crown

in favour of his son Ragunatha (1600-1630) During his reign, a

Danish settlement was established at Tranquebar (1620). The Nayaks

of Thanjavur were loyal to Vijayanagar after the battle of Talikotta

and helped Vijayanagar in repulsing the attacks of the Nayak of

Madurai and their temporary ally Golkonda, but the beginning of the

17th Century was the end of the Vijayanagar empire.

 

Attempts were then made by the Nayaks of Madurai and the

Sultan of Bijapur to capture Thanjavur. The Marattas also came to

Thanjavur in the later half of the 17th century. Ekogi became the

first Maratta ruler of Thanjavur (1676-1683). The Marattas ruled

Thanjavur for some time but became later vassals of the Mughal

Governor of Karnataka. Subsequently there were hostilities between

the Arcot Nawab and the Maratta ruler of Thanjavur. The French and

English also began interfering in the internal affairs of South

India. The supremacy of the English was later established. Saraboji

II the adopted son of Tuljaji, was made King of Thanjavur in 1798,

after agreeing with all the conditions laid down by the British

Government. A pact was signed between the Maratta ruler and the

English by virtue of which the status of the Raja was reduced to a

mere vassal.

 

The administration of Thanjavur was given over to English

fully under the Treaty of 1799. The ruler of the Thanjavur was

allowed to retain the fort of Thanjavur only with limited power of

administration. When the ruler died in 1841 without heir, the

Thanjavur fort was also annexed by the British and it became part of

the then Madras, Thanjavur remained under the British until 1947

when India attained freedom.

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