The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
A flash of white in the window
captures my attention. From this distance, all I can make out is a figure
standing. I don’t have binoculars, but my camera serves me just as well. The
zoom lens shows me a figure, dressed in white, a red sash tied neatly across, a
government official of some sort, talking to a policeman. It suddenly strikes
me how apt the situation is. At one time, this was a palace, where the king and
his ministers would have had conversations with his guards and officers. Today,
it is the District Collector’s office, and it is a government official
conversing with a police officer. Once again, how apt!
The DC office I am standing
outside was once the erstwhile palace of the Kings of Coorg, situated within
the strong walls of the Madikeri fort. As a tourist, I can only explore part of
it. I am not allowed anywhere inside, for every space available indoors is
still in use, albeit as government offices.
The fort is an imposing
structure, located right in the centre of Madikeri town. However, there is
little here to tell us of the king who made this town the capital of Coorg –
Muddu Raja. That was some time in the late 17th century. Since then,
the fort has seen a lot of changes. It was first captured by Tipu Sultan, then recaptured
by Dodda Virarajendra. The fort was further modified by Linga Rajendra, only to
finally fall under British rule in 1834.
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| The DC Office... or the erstwhile palace within the fort |
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| Gateways leading to more sections of the fort.. and today, more offices |
Efforts have been made to
preserve the fort. The lush green lawns invite us to sit awhile and gaze at the
sight, and the two life size elephants standing guard make me wonder where they
originally stood, and if there were more such decorative elements in the fort.
Walking on the ramparts of the fort is a pleasure, and my son happily runs over
them, even as I pick my way carefully. Under the rampart is a path leading
inwards, but an official standing inside stops me as I enter, saying it is the
entrance to yet another office. My son squeals excitedly as he stands on the
arch above me, making his way to a niche which looks like it may once have
served as a guard’s lookout point.
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| Two elephants stand guard, and behind them you can see the wide ramparts of the fort |
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| One of the gates..on the left you can see the arch (you can actually walk on the arch!) |
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| Samhith imagining himself as a soldier! |
A simple Ganesha temple is
probably the oldest, but most visited part of the fort. Closed when we entered,
it soon shows signs of life. Almost every person leaving work stops by the
temple before going their way, and most visitors stop too, for a second look.
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| The Ganesha Temple |
In complete contrast is the
church located in the complex. It was built by the British when they took over
the fort. More than a century later, when they finally left after independence,
they stripped the church of its belongings – the altar, the cross, everything that
could be removed. Today, the church is a hollow echo of its past, used as a
museum to house relics found in the area, with a single Karnataka ASI official
sitting guard, proprietarily ordering people to keep their hands off the
displays. The stained glass on the wall behind what was once the altar is the
only reminder that we are in a place of worship. That the fort sees many visitors is evident.
However, there seem to be few who show an interest in the names of people
engraved in the church – the original patrons, or so we were told by the ASI
official, his happiness at having an audience clearly evident.
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| The church |
Lost in the past, we have spent
more time at the fort than we have intended, and, in the process, we have
missed seeing the sun set. However, I have no regrets – for the sunset point
would have been packed with tourists with cameras clicking away. Here, in the
fort, I have had a slice of history, all to myself, even if just for a little
while.
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| Artifacts outside the church |
Very well written!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Niranjan!
DeleteYou showed us lot can be seen even now!!! Last time when I went to Madikeri, my friend just ignored this place saying "Nothing is there inside". Now am realising could have visited this one...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sagar. I am a firm believer in the tenet that its not the place, but the eyes you see it with that make it interesting, or not. technically, your friend is right, in that, there is nothing really to see. But atmosphere, history, stories.. they need to be felt, not seen
Delete