The City of Vegavathi

The City of Vegavathi

Names and Legends:

Madurai as she is called now had numerous names in the past with rich culture behind it. The name Madurai seems to be a favorite one in early ages, as we can find a place called Matara in the southern part of Sri Lanka. There is an island called Madura near Java. The name itself had some special significance and meaning which made it popular, but has been long forgotten at present. Here are some such names from the book “Madurai Through the Ages”.

The name Madurai is derived from the Tamil word madhuram meaning sweetness. It’s believed that when king Kulasekhara Pandyan first built the city, to purify and bless the city Lord Siva sprinkled the whole city with amrtam (sweet nectar). Hence the city was named Madurai.

The Pandyan kingdom had different capitals during different time. To distinguish the city it was called as “The Northern Madurai (Vadamadurai)” , as the previous capital was known by Tenmadurai, in the extreme south of the peninsula, now submerged by the sea. Tenmadurai is said to have been the original Pandyan kingdom.

As many early Tamil works describe Madurai as Kudal, which mean the confluence of rivers. The name signifies that Madurai was built at the confluence of the Vaigai (Vegavathi) and one its tributaries, which may have changed its course.

The Tiruvilaiyadal Puranas mention Madurai as Nanmadakkudal, meaning the cluster of four towers. The Purana explains the term as “ Varuna tried to destroy the Pandyan capital by means of deluge of rain, God Sundaresvara sent four clouds which joined together to form a protective barrier. Which saved the city from destruction. Hence the city got the name Nanmadakkudal. During the deluge the city was flooded to some extent, that the original boundaries were not known. To identify the original boundaries of Madurai God Sundaresvara sent a serpant to guide the Pandya king. So the city came to be known as Alavay or Thiruvalavay.

Kulasekhara Pandya cleared a vast area covered with kadamba forest to built Madurai, and was built on well planned lines. Hence the city was called Kadambavanaksetra.

Goddess Meenakshi as Pandya princess Tatatakai ruled over Madurai during her young age. So the was also known as Kannipuram or Kanyakapuram.

Samastividyanagari, Sivanagaran, Dvasasantastalam, Bhulokasivalokam were some of the names of Madurai.

GLIMPSE OF PALIMBOTHRA DURING 320 BC

GLIMPSE OF PALIMBOTHRA DURING 320 BC

-INDIKA of Megasthenes

This page will give an idea of how Palimbothra’s (Pataliputra) constructed during 320 BC:

As we all know most of the human settlement were on the banks of a river or on the sea coast. Most of the Indian cities were built on the banks of a river. They were constructed not of brick but of wood, this was due to the destructive rainfall, and also the rivers overflow their banks often. But, however there were cities built of brick and mud which stand in commanding situation and lofty eminences. The greatest city in India is that which is called Palimbothra, situated where the streams of the Erannoboas (presentday- Son) and the Ganges unite. Erannoboas perhaps the third largest river, that falls into Ganges.

Megasthenes says, the inhabited part of this city extend to a length of 8 stadia, and that its breadth was fifteen stadia. The city was surrounded by a ditch of breadth six plethra and thirty cubits in depth. The city had a fortified wall, which has 570 towers and 46 gates. Megasthenes gives a remarkable fact about India during the time that all the Indians are free and none of them are slave.

The Elephant tamers of India

The Elephant tamers of India

This piece information is taken from the text “INDIKA of Megasthenes”

The Elephant Hunters of India - The making of war-elephants

The Hunt:

The major strength of Indian forces during olden days are the ferocious war-elephants. It would be apt that the war-elephants are seen as an precious ornament in war, and the strength of the king is determined based on the number of war-elephants he owns. So, the elephants are a major driving factor in turning the tides of war. This article deals about the process of hunting the wild elephants and taming them (later part is partially given in the text).

A round trench of 5 or 6 stadia (1stadia = 185 m, stadia is an ancient Greek measurement of length) is dug deep in the ground, and over this a narrow bridge is thrown which access to the enclosure. Into this enclosure 3 or 4 best trained female elephants are introduced. The men themselves lie in ambush in concealed huts (these huts are made on the inner side of the trench). The wild male elephants enter the trench through the narrow bridge picking the scent of the female elephants (elephants have heightened sense of smell) during night. Once they enter the trench men close the entrance. Now the wild elephants have nowhere to go. Elephants are weakened by making them starve. After one or two days strongest of the tame fighting elephants are introduced, they fight out with the wild ones. When the wild ones are now overcome with fatigue, the boldest of the drivers dismount unobserved, and each man creeps under his own elephant (the tamed elephant won’t step over his drives as it gets more attached to the driver in due course and there are stories that the war-elephants stood guard to their drivers in battlefield when the drivers are injured and fall to the ground), and from this position creeps under the belly of the wild elephant and ties his feet together. When this is done they incite the tame ones to beat those whose feet are tied till they fall to the ground.

Then the drivers bind the wild ones with the tame one together neck to neck with raw ox-hide. To prevent the wild elephants from shaking off those who tries mount it, the drivers make cuts all round the wild elephants neck and then put thongs of leather into the incisions, so that pain obliges them to submit it their fetter and remain quite. The caught elephant are then taken to the stables where they are tied neck to a firm pillar and feet one to another, and tame them by hunger.

The art of Taming :

After some time the strength of the elephant is restored with green reeds and grass. They next teach the elephant to be obedient, which they effect by soothing them, some by coaxing words, and others by songs and the music of drums (elephants are a great fan to music especially drums). Only a few are found difficult to tame as elephants are naturally mild and gentle beasts. The elephants captured long for freedom thirsts for blood, and binding it in chains make it more exasperate. It won’t submit to a master i.e a driver. The only way of subduing the anger is by filling the elephants stomach. They sing to it their native melodies and soothe it with music of an instrument known as skindapsos which has 4 strings.

The wounds are cured in the following manner: they treat the wound with lukewarm water to promote the tissue growth. After this they apply butter all over the wound. If the wounds are deep the a piece of pork, hot but still retaining the blood is inserted in the wound. As the elephant grow older they won’t be able to see clearly, so cow’s milk is injected into the eye on opening the eyelid the elephants gets delighted being able to see clearly, and are sensible of the benefit like human beings.