Pudukkottah History

[nas_ng at lms420.jsc.nasa.gov]

        Pudukkottah History
       ---------------------

I glanced through the recent book:

Joanne Punzo Waghorne
The Raja's magic: re-visioning kingship and and divinity in
England's India.
Penn State University press, 1994

Splendid photos from colonial era and a thorough study of Thondaman
kings. This follows Nicholas Dirks' work, The Hollow
Crown.

But Pudukkottah came into being only very late and a
British creation. Far more important is Ramnad Sethupatis' contribution.
They have much older history. Their patornage to Tamil letters/poets
and culture is truly great. They founded the Madurai Tamil
Sangam, started the first research journal in Tamil called
Senthamizh. Recently some good works in Tamil on Ramnad
have come out. The main researcher is S. M. Kamaal.
"1) viTutalaip pOril cEtupati mannar, cennai, 1987"
"2) iraamanaatapuram maavaTTam: cila varalARRuk kuRippukal"
Other books I have seen are:
"M. Ragahva AiyankAr, cEtunaTum tamizhum"
"R. Raghava AiyankAr, centamizh valartta tEvarkaL"
"cirancIvi, cEtupatikal varalaru"
"Ira. Ilankumaran, Nankam Tamilc cankam"
"Je. Rajamukamatu, putukkOTTai mAvaTTa varalARu"
Somalay's "Ramanathapuram Mavattam" is good.
In English, I also have read papers by Dr. Pamela Price.

By the way, Pudukkottah Raja is one of the first Tamils to marry an 
European by name Molly Fink. A book has come on this. 
Edward Duyker, Coralie Younger
Molly and the Rajah: Race, Romance and the Raj.
Sylvania: Australia, 1991 (Australian Mauritian press)
Another earlier interracial marriage 
is Ananada K. Coomaraswamy's parents. Then Bharatanatyam exponent
Rukminidevi's wedding to Dr. Arundale come to my mind.

I think one urgent need is to preserve the photographs from 
the families of Zamins, Nobles, Rich Merchants etc., Since
then, times have changed, properties got divided or lost.
For example, the photo albums of Sethupathis of Ramanad,
Sivaganga should contain rare portraits of many poets,etc., 
We know only their books, but not the faces!

Hope someone like Dr. Price can write a book (with pictures)
on Ramnad and Sivaganga.

Do you have J. P. Waghorne's address? Thanks a lot.

N. Ganesan
nas_ng at lms461.jsc.nasa.gov

 

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Date: Tue, 25 Oct 94 12:40:39 EST
From: ashok_sharma at ccmail.GSFC.NASA.GOV
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To: indology at liverpool.ac.uk
Subject: Origin and symbology of "Monsoon rain"  


     
     October 26, 1994
     
     I am working on a fiction book titled : Cry before the Monsoon Gods. 
     In that context, I would like to have some indological views and ideas 
     regarding the source origin, myths, symbology and rituals associated 
     with word "monsoon rains", beginning from Sanskrit and early Vedic 
     literature to more contemporary era. 
     
     
     Ashok Sharma
     
     ashok_sharma at ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov