A royal present

A figurine of Hanuman, which was gifted by a Travancore king, is a prized heirloom in the Ghanapadi family

October 24, 2014 07:12 pm | Updated May 23, 2016 07:35 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

Brahmashree Subramania Ganapdigal is the last Vedic legend of the Ghanapadi clan. Photo: Sharat Sundar Rajeev

Brahmashree Subramania Ganapdigal is the last Vedic legend of the Ghanapadi clan. Photo: Sharat Sundar Rajeev

Located near the ancient Sreevaraham temple is the Ramavarmapuram Gramom, the abode of Brahmins who were once associated with the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple and the royal family of erstwhile Travancore. The members of the Ghanapadi family gained repute as unmatched Vedic scholars. The family members trace their origin to Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu.

Brahmashree Subramania Ganapdigal (b.1900-d.1990) was the last among the patriarchs of the family to enjoy royal patronage. Even from a young age, Subramania Ganapdigal exhibited unmatched talent in Vedic discourse; he was an expert in Karmakanda and Prayoga , and had an extraordinary talent in interpreting the same with his exemplary command over Sanskrit language. At the age of 14, Subramania attained the level of a ‘Ghanapadi’, when he excelled in a Vedic competition held at the Valiasala Ganapathy temple. Thus, he was unanimously recommended to occupy the post of a Vedic examiner in the King’s court.

“It is said that our ancestors were specially invited to Thiruvananthapuram by the rulers of Travancore,” says T.S. Subramoney a.k.a. Rajamani, the grandson of Brahmashree Subramania Ganapdigal. It is claimed that the ancestors of the Ghanapadi family were escorted with full royal honours right from Valliyoor, to the capital city. Thus, the members of the family believe that they, on their entry into Travancore border, were blessed by the Subramania Swamy of Valliyoor temple. Hence, the name ‘Subramania’ became a favourite with the family. The early members of the Ghanapadi clan settled in a house provided for them by the Travancore royals. “The ancestral house still stands in Third Putten Street and is still occupied by our family members,” says Subramoney.

The Ghanapadi family has in their possession a small ivory idol of Hanuman. T.S. Subramoney, the present custodian of the idol inherited it from his grandfather.

“It was a long standing tradition with the Travancore royals that the ruler of the land would have his food only after receiving the thulasi prasada’ from the Brahmin who recites the Ramayana before the Narasimhamoorthy shrine in Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple,” says Subramoney.

He continues, “Once, the Brahmin who was assigned to recite the Ramayana failed to do so. The other Brahmins were in a difficult situation, as they knew that the King would not be able to take food without the prasadam. Subramanya Ghanapadi, my grandfather’s grandfather, who came to know of this grave situation decided to recite the Ramayana. Without waiting for the consent of the authorities, he recited the holy text, performed the required pooja and sent the prasadam to the palace. When the King came to know about this he summoned my ancestor to the palace and asked for an explanation.”

The Vedic scholar explained the circumstances in which my ancestor had to recite the Ramayana.

In appreciation, the King granted to the Ghanapadi family the right to recite the Ramayana in the temple. Later, the King prepared five small idols of Hanuman and distributed it to the Brahmins.

“This idol that we got was passed down as a precious family heirloom”, says Subramoney.

(This write-up is based on an interview with T.S. Subramoney.)

[The author is a conservation architect and history buff]

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