Nungambakkam features repeatedly in East India records under different names
In the not-so-distant past, Valluvarkottam High Road was called Village Road. For much of its length, it runs along the old village of Nungambakkam. Of that village there is no trace until you come to a small Shiva temple with a large tank fronting it. Standing there, it is just about possible to imagine Nungambakkam’s rural past.
According to K.V. Raman’s ‘The Early History of the Madras Region’, Nungambakkam features in an 11 century copper plate pertaining to Rajendra Chola. He also adds that there are mentions in epigraphs of the large Nungambakkam Lake which was alas, filled in to make way for a residential area in the early 20 century.
In East India Company records, Nungambakkam features repeatedly under different names — Nimynbacka, Lamgabawca, Lungumbaca, Loongombauk, Lingumbauca and Moongumbaukum are some of the variants. In 1673, Governor Sir William Langhorne was appealing rather plaintively to his agent at Golconda that Nungambakkam was one of the few areas convenient for recreation and therefore, ought not to be handed over to the French. Five years later, the English were asking for it to be leased to them. This was granted in 1708.
In 1723, however, Nawab Sadatullah Khan began demanding the return of Nungambakkam along with five other villages, together with arrears in lease payments. But that was never to be. A redoubt was constructed here by the British by way of an advance guard for Fort St. George. This was demolished by the early 19 century by which time the British were undisputed overlords. Much of the area was under cultivation in 1798.
That was also the era of the dubash and one of these was Subba Devanayaka Mudali. His eponymous grandfather had been dubash in the 1760s to Sir Eyre Coote, conqueror of Pondicherry. Since then, the family had been in the East India Company’s service. By 1820, the grandson is frequently mentioned in company records and is also referred to as the dharmakarta (trustee) of the Agastyeswara Temple, the Shiva shrine for the village of Nungambakkam.
Devanayaka had extensive landholdings in the area, and did much for either the construction or the renovation of the temple. He did the same for the Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal temple, a Vishnu shrine that is in the vicinity.
Devanayaka Mudali finds mention in the Sanskrit work ‘Sarva Deva Vilasa’. Translated first into English by the great scholar Dr. V. Raghavan, this 19 century anonymous creation is structured as a walkabout in Chennai by two poets, Vivekin and Ativivekin. In it is a description of a soiree at a garden of a wealthy patron where Devanayaka is also a participant. He has clearly all the trappings of wealth and his mistress is described “as so beautiful as to be mistaken for a goddess.”
But sadly, the good times were ending. In 1824, government records indicate that Devanayaka was in serious financial trouble and was sometime later “shut up because of his pecuniary embarrassments.” What became of him thereafter? His temple still flourishes.
Keywords: Chennai history, hidden histories, Nungambakkam
There is one interesting thing about some areas in Nungambakkam.One as mentioned by the writer about the Sivan temple.It is like Kapali temple in Mylapore with the huge tank in front.It must be the one shown in the picture.There are two other temples one Pilliyar Koil and another Prassnna Venkatesa Perumal Koil.Both are good land marhs as well as look ancient temples.Especially the Perumal Koil just faces the Agraharam in a narrow street called Mangadu Swamy Iyer st(now only Mangadu street) after the removal of caste names).This Abraharam has Big thinnais in front of Most of the houses.May be for old persons to sit and talk on many matters.This street,along with two parallel streets ,Rama Naicken and Kumarappa Mudali streets,both
of course are now called Rama and Kumarappa devoid of their castes.
It is a rare sight to see these streets in Nungambakkam had changed very very little,except the name changes.
The art of filling the lakes and constructing buildings is continuing even today.
what on earth we people think? Close every lake and water bodies and fill with buildings or garbage. and still expect ground water for our needs. Idiots or just plain selfishly arrogant?
he photo has been wrongly captioned as lake. It is the temple tank which exists even now.Nungambakkam lake used to touch the compound of Loyola college and I have seen that. Later it was filled and houses constructed.
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