For the common man, Arni, a small town in neighbouring Tiruvannamalai district, is best known for its world-renowned silk sarees — Arni pattu, as the saris are called. But there is more to the town.
A talk by noted architect Mohan Hariharan on the history and architecture of Arni, organised by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Chennai Chapter, at Amethyst in Royapettah on Friday, threw more light on its rich past.
“The origin of the word Arni can be traced to Tamil literature where ‘Aaru’ means river and ‘Ani’ refers to ornament,” said Mr. Hariharan, who is from the town. He said that initially, the Pallavas ruled the Arni town followed by Rashtrakutas in 968 A.D. The Chola period including the reigns of Kulathunga Chola-II (1070 A.D – 1122 A.D) and Rajathi Raja Chola-II (1166 A.D – 1178 A.D) witnessed more developments in administration including formation of feudatories. Inscriptions also reveal several grants and donations made by Cholas to temples in the form of villages.
In 1640 A.D., the jagaridari system, a form of land tenancy established during Mughals, was introduced in Arni by the Maratha king, Shahaji Raje Bhosale (father of famous Maratha King Chhatrapathi Shivaji). “The first jagir was introduced during that time and existed till 1948 when the erstwhile jagir became part of the country after Independence,” he said.
The highlights of the town include two palaces built in early 19{+t}{+h}century. The first palace, a two-storey building known as Diwan Khane, was originally meant as a guest house for women and children of the royal family.
Spread over 35 acres, the palace had circular brick pillars, Indian motifs, arches, gothic columns and Madras terrace built with the lime and mortar method.
Peacock pattern glass panels on the doors, door handles and engravings with flora and fauna — characteristic of the Mughal style of architecture — were also introduced.
The palace had fish-typed door stoppers and floors that were made of lime but resembled tiled flooring. The last two features were unique to the architecture followed by Arni rulers of those times. At present, the palace is in ruins.
The second palace, known as Poosi Malai Kuppam, was built as a guest house for the rulers.
The single-storey structure had several interesting features including a separate loft for pigeons, four chimneys (despite the town experiencing generally hot climate) of the main palace in typical British style.
Most of the structure now remains intact but needs immediate conservation. In fact, Mr. Hariharan said, the forest palace was the earliest structure in the region to use steel rafters instead of traditional wooden rafters for its roof. Such steel rafters added strength to the structure.
Two palaces built in the 19th century are the highlight of the town and need conservation
