Muthialpet.

 

Krishnaswami Temple,  Pavazhakara Theru,  Muthialpet. 

This temple was built in the year 1787.  The Lord here is in a beautiful  cross legged posture. 

 It was a major centre of caste disputes in 18th century in the year 1790 between Right hand castes (Valangai )Left hand castes(Idangai ) . The dispute was over hoisting of flag during temple festival. White flag is of Right hand castes and Five colour flag is of Left hand castes. Major riot broke out in Muthialpet and ultimately  East India Company government intervened and  the caste headman were imprisoned in Fort St.George. Both flags were pulled down and the ensign and flag of St.George was flown during Hindu festival.  Both Right hand castes and Left hand castes had a long history of mutual animosity till early 20th century. Right hand castes consisted of Mudaliyar, Pillai, Komatti and Balijas and  were politically powerful. The left hand castes consisted of Beri Chetti , Blacksmith, Goldsmith, Carpenter castes and other persons from industrial working castes.

 Many of the roads in Black town are named after them.

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 muthialpet  school

 In 1847,  the school was known by the name “SAMASKRITA ANDHRA DRAVIDA PATASALA”. The objective was to impart instruction in Sanskrit, Telugu and Tamil to the children of the neighborhood.

 By 1857, English teaching was introduced and the school came to be known as THE MUTHIALPET ANGLO-VERNACULAR SCHOOL.

 In 1881, the institution was upgraded to the status of a Middle School.

 It was in 1896 that the school was elevated to the status of a HIGH SCHOOL under the name “THE MUTHIALPET HIGH SCHOOL”. The first batch of students for the Matriculation Examination was presented in 1898.

 Permanent Recognition was obtained from the Government in 1938 and in the same year the Midday Meals Scheme was started with the cooperation of Chennapuri Annadhana Samajam.

 

The existing building in Thambu Chetty Street was raised with the donations from philanthropic gentlemen of the locality in the year 1895. In this year, the school functioning in rented premises for 40 years was shifted to a new annex building.

Due to the popularity of school, an acute need to increase the infrastructural facilities was felt. A separate building was erected in Linghi Chetty Street, a few yards away from the main building in Thambu Chetty Street.

The growth story continued with emerging need to augment facilities. House sites to the south and east of the main building in Thambu Chetty Street was acquired and a new three-storied structure was built in symmetry with the existing one. This was inaugurated in the year 1932 on 27th January.

An inadequacy of facilities was again felt in 1939-40. Meeting this requirement, an imposing annex was put up in Linghi Chetty Street. This solved the acute need for more accommodation that plagued the minds of Board of Directors for more than three decades.

 

  STALWARTS WHO AIDED, DEVELOPED AND MANAGED THE SCHOOL THROUGH DECADES

The generous and noble men who sowed the seeds and established this school in the year 1847 :

1. Thiru. V.Vijayaragavalu Chetti Garu

2. Thiru. P.Somasundaram Chettiar

3.Thiru.A.Subbarayulu Chettiar and

4. Thiru.S.Appaswami Chetti Garu.

The first Honorary Secretary and President of the Board of Directors : M.K. Ramalinga Chettiar, B.A.

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 The Coral Craze in Madras

Coral Merchant Street

Coral Merchant Street

Date: October 30, 2024

Author: sriramv

 

Working on the history of Coral Merchant Street recently, I mused on how this marine invertebrate has had an importance far exceeding gems. Though the Sephardic Jewish merchants in Madras of the 17th and 18thcenturies traded in many precious stones, it is as coral merchants that they are remembered.

Coral Merchant Street, pic courtesy William Satish

Coral Merchants

And interestingly, it is one of two marine animal products used in jewellery that are commemorated in area names in George Town. After all, the eastern end is still known as Muthialpet (the pearl district), while just to the rear of it, where Coral Merchant Street is, was Pagadalupet (the coral district), though that name is largely forgotten. Of course, pearl and coral make for a good combination in Indian jewellery but the importance of coral, over and above diamonds and emeralds, is intriguing to say the least. 

From Ancient to Colonial Times

It was coral from the Mediterranean that Indians hankered after, and they were in demand from Roman times. The red variety in particular was much sought, and Indians were willing to pay high prices. Many centuries later, when the colonials came along, the demand was undiminished. In fact it had multiplied many times. And the Europeans saw an opportunity.

A proper network was established and Portuguese Jewish dealers in London began sending out coral in large quantities to Madras. The proceeds from the sale were then invested in diamonds, which were exported from here. Eventually, they sent representatives to settle here and carry on the Indian end of the business. 

Samudra Mudali, Pigot and Dupleix

Company records are full of references to coral. As I have written in The Hindu dated October 23, 2015 (A Temple and Its Builder), it was by secretly selling a consignment of coral worth 1,200 pounds that Samudra Mudali, dubash to Governor Francis Hastings, made his fortune. In Ananda Ranga Pillai’s diary, Governor Dupleix keeps asking him about the quantity of coral in stock and what prices it will fetch.

And in the 1760s, the enormously corrupt and wily George, Lord Pigot, managed to convince the Company that the Governor of Madras ought to get a 2 ½ percent cut on proceeds of all coral sales in the region. The money he made on this was one of the many bones of contention with his council which ultimately led to a coup against him and his mysterious death. The commission on coral would last till 1801, when Edward, the Second Lord Clive, as Governor, relinquished it. 

But why Coral?

Having written all the above, I am yet to fathom what exactly was the reason for such high demand for coral. That it was in use for jewellery is certain, and it was also probably used as a constituent in aphrodisiacs but what else could have contributed to the coral craze? By the 19th century, itl was certainly on the wane, and had become just yet another item on ornaments. But while it lasted, it had a good run, and many in Madras did well out of it.