31/05/2024
THE HINDU
Friday, May 31, 2024
Tamil Nadu InFocus
From a sprawling estate, Nilakottai Zameen has become an obscure remnant of a fief
Viswanatha, who became the Nayak of Madurai in 1529 AD, divided his kingdom into 72 palayams and Nilakottai became one. In the 18th Century, with the advent of the East India Company, the Paliyakars lost their importance and came under the zamindari system. The 26th heir of the zameen now lives in the musty confines of the palace
Beulah Rose
A crumbling fort on the main road that bisects Nilakottai in Dindigul district is a blip in this bustling town panchayat. Overgrown with shrubs, the outer boundary wall of the fort has been scoured out in some parts by seeping rainwater. At some places, the walls have disintegrated into nothingness. Living behind this scarred landscape is a family that is getting malikhana allowance since April II, 1816, and has a history going back to around 1300 A.D.
Now, choc-a-block with newly built houses, a little lane twists its way among concrete dwellings towards a blind alley under an overhanging ground. A slight turn and side-stepping stagnant water, one reaches the gates of Nilakottai Zameen. The ditch where water stagnates was once a moat. In the 1300s, this region, just below the Western Ghats, was covered with a thick canopy of forest. About 50 kilometres away on the banks of the Vaigai, Madurai under the Pandyas was in a state of flux. The kingdom had weakened because of internal revolts, and the invasion by Malik Kafur left it in disarray.
Trade links
In their golden age, the Pandyas established trade links with various kingdoms. Some of the spice routes that originated in the Western Ghats wound its way through these thick jungles. To secure these routes and for their own protection, they had established military ties with the Vijayanagara Empire. The Vijayanagara army had a group called the Kamabalathu Nayakars, known for their valour and traditional medicinal knowledge. It is said they inhabited a region near the Tungabhadra. Fearing the Muslim invaders, they moved south and found employment in the army of the Vijayanagara kingdom.
For the Vijayanagara kings, this community became indispensable because of its military skills and ability to cure the injured in the battlefield. During a military campaign, when the Vijayanagara kings came to the aid of the Pandyas fighting the Muslim invaders, Makkaya Nayakar, belonging to the Kamabalathu Nayakars, came in the retinue. He decided to settle in Madurai, and the Pandya ruler asked him to take land to the
Fallen into ruin: One of the remaining buildings of the Nilakottai Zameen. It is a huge task for the 26th heir of the Zameen to maintain the palace as he fights litigation from family members as well as encroachers.
G. KARTHIKEYAN
west of Madurai. Thus, Makkaya Nayakar and his men came clearing jungles on their way and set up base in Nilakottai. He had nine sons and one of them, Koolappa Nayakar, established a fort called Nilakottai in 1366 and would soon become a vassal of the Pandya king. Making this unyielding virgin land cultivable was a tedious task. Koolappa Nayakar and his successors, apart from raising their army, spent resources on clearing the land, digging ponds, and making it more conducive to farming.
Chola chief invades Madurai
Another recorded instance of the Nilakottai chief helping the Madurai rulers was in 1520 AD A Chola chief, called Veerasekhara Chola, invaded Madurai and defeated Chandrasekhara Pandyan and his ally Koolappa Nayakar VII. They sought help from Krishnadevaraya and the king sent an army under Nagama Nayaka, a general. The Cholas were defeated; but Nagama Nayaka declared independence and decided to rule
Madurai. Again, help was sought from Vijayanagara. To quell the rebellion, Nagama's son Viswanatha Nayak was sent. Joining hands with Koolappa Nayakar and Chandrasekhara Pandyan, he defeated Nagama.
During the last years of Krishnadevaraya, Viswanatha Nayak was appointed the Nayak of Madurai in 1529 AD. Vishwanatha was well trained in the administration of the Vijayanagara Empire. On the advice of his Dalavay Ariyanatha Mudhaliyar, he divided his kingdom into 72 palayams, and Nilakottai became one.
Under the Paliyakar system, one-third of the revenue the Paliyakars earned from tax was set for their own use, one-third was used for the maintenance of the army, and one-third was given to the Madurai kings. Their main duty was to supply the king with an army, whenever needed, and they also maintained a police force called kavalkara.system introduced by the British. When Winch became the Dindigul Collector, two villages were removed from the Nilakottai Zameen. This led to a dip in revenue. Buffeted by the continuous drought in 1797, the 17th Koolappa Naicker was unable to pay the tax.
In the 18th Century, with the advent of the East India Company, the Paliyakars lost their importance and came under the zamindari.
Revolt brews
For the first time, a rebellion in Indian history took shape in Nilakkottai, when Koolappa Naicker planned to take over the British garrison in Dindigul. But the attempt was nipped in the bud. Koolappa Naicker and his men found refuge among the hill tribes, while their women folk were sheltered in Bodinaickanrur. The British announced a reward of 1000 sarahan for the head of Koolappa Naicker and were knocking at the doors of the Bodi palace in search of his family. The legend goes that his wife sought refuge in the puja room. As the soldiers marched in there too and broke open the doors, she was ready with her sword to attack them. With his family captured, Koolappa Naicker was advised to surrender. So, dressed as a mendicant, he and his men surrendered at Silukkuvarupatti. Later, after good rain and a bumper harvest in Nilakkottai, the British realised their dues and Koolappa Naicker was given back his Zameen and asked to pay 11,750 panam annually. As a goodwill measure, an order was issued on April 11, 1816, that 10% of what was collected as tax should be given to the Nilakottai Zamindar. Then, by another order on February 6, 1858, the allowance to the heirs of Koolappa Naicker was fixed at 12,963 a year.
Now, within the musty confines of the palace lives the 26th heir of the Zameen, K. Jegatheeshkumar, a teacher at a private school. As on date, one of the heirs is entitled to an allowance of ₹1,500. The extended family has decided to give this amount to one branch of the family living in penury. For Jegatheeshkumar, the legacy is his identity as well as huge burden, what was once a sprawling estate. With his meagre resources, he is fighting litigation not only from the extended family but also from the encroachers. As remnants of history hang precariously under the onslaught of modernity, it is a huge task for him to to maintain the ruined t palace, which is also his home.
