There are a number of imposing edifices on the Besant Theosophical College campus in Madanapalle that have either witnessed the arrival of Rabindranath Tagore or the sequence of events leading to the music composition to Jana Gana Mana.
Besant Hall
Besant Hall is one of the earliest structures on the campus. This majestic edifice which is 30 feet wide, 30 feet high and 100 feet long, built of solid granite sans any brick, held the record for a long time as the biggest hall in Chittoor district. Construction of the structure began two years before the college was formally established in 1915. Even today, there is a plaque on the campus showing that the foundation stone was laid in the year 1910.
The building was originally meant for the Madanapalle School under the headship of Giri Rao, for which Dr. Besant acquired the land after relocating a few families that lived there. The new site given to the families came to be known as “Kumarapuram” in the name of Kumarasamy Raja, who later became the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency.
Tagore Cottage
The small hut in which Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore lived during his visit to Madanapalle became famous in the later days as “Tagore Cottage”.
It is a small two-room hut originally built with Madras tiled roof, which was later converted to asbestos sheet roofing in the 1950s. As it suffered extensive damage over time, the authorities are improving it with concrete roofing, where a permanent photo exhibition on Tagore will be housed. A Tagore memorial auditorium is also coming up in the vicinity with State funding.
Olcot Cottage
The Olcot Cottage, named after Colonel Henry Olcot, was the building where the Irish couple James Cousins and Margaret Cousins stayed. Subsequently, it was used as the quarters for all the principals, until it turned a ramshackle structure. The building is on the verge of collapsing and all efforts to preserve it in its original form have turned futile. The college engineers too have reportedly expressed their inability to infuse life into the dilapidated structure.
Jignasa Lodge
Jignasa Lodge is another memorable building in the context of theosophical movement, though it has no specific relevance to Tagore’s visit. It is in this building the literary luminaries converged for debates and discussions on theosophy. This structure is also not in a maintainable position today.
