Yamunambal Chatram, Needamangalam, Thanjavur
The
Yamunambal Chatram is a beautiful piece of Maratha architecture. It
is now used as a school for the less privileged and a makeshift storage space
for bags of grain. It is one of the 18 chatrams built by the Maratha
rulers of Thanjavur. Chatrams were not mere boarding places. They
provided food, health facilities and space for the animals that accompanied
travellers.
Each Chatram was
separated from the other by a day's travel. Old resting places for travellers
are found in other countries, but what makes these chatrams different from
the caravanserais is that they cater to all kinds of travellers - not merely
traders. In South India, trade and pilgrim routes coexisted and the inns served
both pilgrims and travellers.
Endowing
pilgrims and pilgrimage was considered important and special care and
facilities were provided. The most important pilgrimage route in South India
was the one that led to Rameswaram. Along this route, 18 chatrams were
built and patronized by the Maratha Kings in the 18th and 19th Centuries. The
most elaborate and ornate of them are the Muktambal Chatram at Orathanadu and
Yamunambal Chatram at Needamangalam.
The
Needamangalam Chatram is similar to Orathanadu in its arrangement. It
is slightly scaled down in size, without the first floor. But, it is more
ornate on the outside and the brick carvings are elaborate. This Chatram is
a commemorative structure dedicated to Yamunambal, a pregnant woman who
mysteriously gave up her life for the wellbeing of the King and his subjects.
Most of
these chatrams were well endowed. When The British annexed Thanjavur, all
the properties, temples and endowments became part of the colonial
administration. A protracted legal battle saw the return of the temples to the
legal heirs of the Maratha rulers. However, the chatrams and
thousands of acres of lands remained with the revenue board. In 1871,
the chatrams' administration was handed over to the local
administration. Currently, the District Collector administers them.
Thanjavur
is the only district to have a separate Chatram administration department
to administer the many properties the chatrams still own. The chatrams no
longer serve their original purpose. They are now rented out as schools or used
as storage spaces. A few are locked and some virtually abandoned. These chatrams fetch
meagre rents, insufficient for their maintenance. However, they are not without
revenue. The many lands they own fetch them substantial funds. But, it is used
for paying the staff and running a few schools and colleges. The architectural
value of these chatrams is yet to be fully realised.
It is
only now that steps are being taken to document and initiate conservation
efforts. The Thanjavur INTACH chapter and the Chatram administration have
undertaken a documentation of these heritage structures. The Collectorate has
requested the Archaeological Survey of India to take over the Orathanadu Chatram &
conserve it. Needamangalam and other structures await attention.
