Crane your neck to see the friezes on Kalmandapam’s pillars. It is an exercise worth its while. What you get is a 360 degree view of one of the oldest landmarks of Royapuram. The mandapam has 16 granite pillars — not clearly visible with all the shops around — and stands in front of Angala Parameswari temple, obviously a part of the composite temple structure. Sadly, it is now reduced to a passageway with people and vehicles navigating the space.
“The mandapam was once a hub for public poojas and performances,” says city historian V Varadarajan. “Till about 60 years ago, the place was popular for therukoothu (street plays) and thappan-koothu — a dance performed to the rhythm of thappattai , a percussion instrument. Locals remember the popular thappan-koothu artiste Mayilam Murugesan. The audience comprised fisherfolk, the Telugu inhabitants of North Chennai, and Royapuram Christians.” He says that in the Tamil month of Adi, women still assemble here on third or fifth Sundays to offer pongal to the deity. Then adds that he is saddened that the beautiful structure has been reduced to a bustling bazaar.
In stark contrast to Kalmandapam, stands the desolate Kalmandapam market, that is as old as the Royapuram Police Station. “Built around 1818 with colonial-style arches, flooring and ornamental iron gates, the market covers an area of about 16,000 square feet,” says Varadarajan. “It is one of the oldest public markets in the city. Its roof is covered with Mangalore tiles.”
“Until recently, this was a well-patronised market,” adds Varadarajan. “You could buy everything — vegetables, fish and fowl. There are records that after attending service in the churches nearby, Anglo-Indians would stop by for Sunday purchases. The market was known for sankara fish. Kasimedu fishermen sold their catch in this market even before they sold at Kasimedu. This market also sold country medicine and Unani preparations. Now, you cannot even step in when it rains. The Kalmandapam market is slipping into ruins, a landmark is vanishing.”
Train your sights beyond the squalor and you see why the market deserves to be restored. The stalls are arranged in neat rows, with ends open for free movement of shoppers. There are separate sections for vegetables, fish, and meat. Some of the roofs still bear the wonderfully-made Mangalore tiles, marked with the year 1865.
The few families who run shops here have moved in with their bed-rolls. The market is currently under litigation, according to them. “Once that is settled, the stalls here might be razed to make way for a swanky structure,” they say. They hope that the Government restores the structure, so that they can continue selling vegetables in the market.
