TIRUCHENDURAI VILLAGE
- By Thiru. Sethuraman
A small hamlet in supine T shape - consisting of two streets - 'Mela Theru'
running south from the railway line to north, and Keela Theru, a street
west to east along the Tiruchi-Karur road running parallel to the river
Cauvery! This is known as Tiruchendurai Agraharam.
Apart from these two streets, there is a Vellalar Street on the western, and
eastern sides - as also on the southern side across the railway lines.
Tiruchendrai is a part of JIYAPURAM and the other hamlets in Jiyapuram are
Ammangudi, Andanallur, and Kadiyakurichi. There is a railroad station in
the name of Jiyapuram, which serves apart from the abovementioned hamlets,
Chinna Karuppur, Peria Karuppur, and Kulumani.
- By Thiru. Sethuraman
A small hamlet in supine T shape - consisting of two streets - 'Mela Theru'
running south from the railway line to north, and Keela Theru, a street
west to east along the Tiruchi-Karur road running parallel to the river
Cauvery! This is known as Tiruchendurai Agraharam.
Apart from these two streets, there is a Vellalar Street on the western, and
eastern sides - as also on the southern side across the railway lines.
Tiruchendrai is a part of JIYAPURAM and the other hamlets in Jiyapuram are
Ammangudi, Andanallur, and Kadiyakurichi. There is a railroad station in
the name of Jiyapuram, which serves apart from the abovementioned hamlets,
Chinna Karuppur, Peria Karuppur, and Kulumani.
> (a) (f) (b)
=====================================/---/
============= =========== (c) ========
'
^v^ (e)
========================================(d)
(g)
(a) The railway line
(b) Jiyapuram railway station
(c) Venugopalaswamy Temple, Tiruchendurai
(d) Tiruchi - Karur Road running parallel to Cauvery
(e) Chandrasekaraswami Temple, Tiruchendurai
(f) Elampuliamman Temple across railway line
(g) River Cauvery
For a small village Tiruchendurai has a big and two smaller temples - the
Chandrasekaraswami temple on the banks of the Cauvery is a very big one
surrounded by prakaras (corridors) and mandapams (halls)
In addition to the three temples mentioned above, there is also a very
small Pillaiyar temple on the Karur Road itself, just in front of the Siva
Temple. Nearby Ammangudi has a small temple centrally located inthe
village, and Andanallur has a fairly big temple Vada Theerthanathaswami
Koil on the banks of the Cauvery River.
The name Jeeyarpuram - a Jeeyar (proponent of Vaishanavism) was said to
have resided here - and more important every March of the year Sri
Ranganathaswamy visits this village travelling from Srirangam, through the
forests located between rivers Kollidam and Cauvery, and ultimately
crossing river Cauvery at Jiyapuram to the Mandapam there. Our Grandfather
T.V. Srinivasa Iyer having served the Srirangam Temple as Cashier in the 20s
the Temple authorities allow the Idol Procession to stop infront of the
Srirangam House a little longer, so the residents could have a clear and
closer darshan. Mukkur the popular exponent of religious stories, in his
book "Kurai Ondrumillai" (There is NO problem) mentions about the visit of
Ranganathaswamy to the village, and also says the special prasadam on this
occasion is ''steamed greens".. (keerai masiyal) and curd rice.
and according to the inscriptions in the Siva Temple, the Tiruchendrai
village was known as 'Esana Chathurvedi Mangalam' in the days
gone by. The inscriptions mention gifts for the continuous burning of oil
lights (thiruvilakku) by a Chola Princess in the 10th century AD.
There are a dozen houses in the Mela Theru, and about 18 houses in the
southern corridor and six in the northern corridor of Keela Theru.
--Tiruchendurai as early as 1935 promoted temple entry by allowing a primary
school of the District Board to be run, inside the prakaram of the Siva
Temple. There was no caste restriction in the admission of students in this
school. The main building of the school was located at the northern end of
Mela Theru just along the Karur Road.
Onthe southern side and across the railway line, a small canal, branching
off from the river Cauvery, runs mainly for irrigational purposes -- You
cannot separate Tiruchendurai and Jiyapuram - it had the first ever St.
Johns Ambulance Brigade in the 40s thanks to the initiative of Nagarajan and
Radhakrishnan brothers and on the former's return from Burma.. the SJAB was
active during festivals in and around and played a major role in Vaikunda
Ekadasi festival in Srirangam, the Maha Makham festival (which comes once in
12 years) at Kumbakonam.. The Railway branch of the SJAB came into being
two years after the Jiyapuram one was born.
It had a Rural Dispensary, opposite the jiyapuram railway station, and also
the Jiyapuram Cooperative Stores started by residents of Tiruchendurai and
Ammangudi villages for the benefit of the community and for a continuous
supply of provisions, kerosene etc. to the community.
Tiruchendurai village came into eminence when one of its residents became
a Judge of the Madras High Court -- Justice T.V. Seshagiri Iyer in the
1920s. Other legal luminary was T.V. Muthukrishna Iyer, a well known
advocate of Madras, a keen freemason, and who later became the Grandmaster
of the southern lodges. TVM's sons T.M.S. Mani was the first ever I.C.S.
Officer from the village, Col. M.Seethapathy participated in the second
world war in the Army Medical Corps, and T.M.Seshagiri was the first civil
engineer from the village.. The first IAS officer is also from this
village, Tiruchendurai Vaidyanatha Venkataraman who is also an exponent of
Tirumoolar's verses.
It is also a fact that though all above persons have 'Tiruchendurai' in
their names, none of them stayed at the village, but in Madras.
The Rural Dispensary served the entire community of Jiyapuram, and
Dr.K.R.Seshadri's devotion to service will long be remembered by the
communities in and around Jiyapuram. His son S. Gopalan continued this
devotion, and was in charge of a Clinic in nearby Pettaivaithalai, while
another son S. Sundaram is still practising in the village.. Gopalan passed
away a few years ago and his wife Santha and son Mukundan, both doctors,
still serve the community from Pettaivaithalai.
In nearby Ammangudi resided Mr. M.S. Doraiswamy Iyer, then known as 'Poison
King' who is said to have cured many a snakebite victim on receipt of a
telegram, or oral news, by special prayers.
The elementary school teachers, Sivarama Iyer, Sundaresan, D.V.Sarma
and Narayanaswamy Iyengar, were responsible for the proper education,
discipline, and upbringing of many village lads and if today Tiruchendurai's
flag is flying high all over the world, it is due to the basic educational
and cultural guidance given by these almost unknown sages.
Yes, there is a boy or girl abroad in almost all the continents of the
world, from houses of this tiny village. Not many of them visit the
village, but no one has forgotten the life they had at this village..
the yesteryear dreamgirl of India, Hema Malini, was born in Ammangudi
village when her parents shifted to that village due to the fear war
hostilities at Madras.
Thiru. Sethuraman is the grandson of Thiru T.V. Srinivasa Iyer -nephew of Radhamama, and cousin of Thiru. T.V. Ganesan.
For a small village Tiruchendurai has a big and two smaller temples - the
Chandrasekaraswami temple on the banks of the Cauvery is a very big one
surrounded by prakaras (corridors) and mandapams (halls)
In addition to the three temples mentioned above, there is also a very
small Pillaiyar temple on the Karur Road itself, just in front of the Siva
Temple. Nearby Ammangudi has a small temple centrally located inthe
village, and Andanallur has a fairly big temple Vada Theerthanathaswami
Koil on the banks of the Cauvery River.
The name Jeeyarpuram - a Jeeyar (proponent of Vaishanavism) was said to
have resided here - and more important every March of the year Sri
Ranganathaswamy visits this village travelling from Srirangam, through the
forests located between rivers Kollidam and Cauvery, and ultimately
crossing river Cauvery at Jiyapuram to the Mandapam there. Our Grandfather
T.V. Srinivasa Iyer having served the Srirangam Temple as Cashier in the 20s
the Temple authorities allow the Idol Procession to stop infront of the
Srirangam House a little longer, so the residents could have a clear and
closer darshan. Mukkur the popular exponent of religious stories, in his
book "Kurai Ondrumillai" (There is NO problem) mentions about the visit of
Ranganathaswamy to the village, and also says the special prasadam on this
occasion is ''steamed greens".. (keerai masiyal) and curd rice.
and according to the inscriptions in the Siva Temple, the Tiruchendrai
village was known as 'Esana Chathurvedi Mangalam' in the days
gone by. The inscriptions mention gifts for the continuous burning of oil
lights (thiruvilakku) by a Chola Princess in the 10th century AD.
There are a dozen houses in the Mela Theru, and about 18 houses in the
southern corridor and six in the northern corridor of Keela Theru.
--Tiruchendurai as early as 1935 promoted temple entry by allowing a primary
school of the District Board to be run, inside the prakaram of the Siva
Temple. There was no caste restriction in the admission of students in this
school. The main building of the school was located at the northern end of
Mela Theru just along the Karur Road.
Onthe southern side and across the railway line, a small canal, branching
off from the river Cauvery, runs mainly for irrigational purposes -- You
cannot separate Tiruchendurai and Jiyapuram - it had the first ever St.
Johns Ambulance Brigade in the 40s thanks to the initiative of Nagarajan and
Radhakrishnan brothers and on the former's return from Burma.. the SJAB was
active during festivals in and around and played a major role in Vaikunda
Ekadasi festival in Srirangam, the Maha Makham festival (which comes once in
12 years) at Kumbakonam.. The Railway branch of the SJAB came into being
two years after the Jiyapuram one was born.
It had a Rural Dispensary, opposite the jiyapuram railway station, and also
the Jiyapuram Cooperative Stores started by residents of Tiruchendurai and
Ammangudi villages for the benefit of the community and for a continuous
supply of provisions, kerosene etc. to the community.
Tiruchendurai village came into eminence when one of its residents became
a Judge of the Madras High Court -- Justice T.V. Seshagiri Iyer in the
1920s. Other legal luminary was T.V. Muthukrishna Iyer, a well known
advocate of Madras, a keen freemason, and who later became the Grandmaster
of the southern lodges. TVM's sons T.M.S. Mani was the first ever I.C.S.
Officer from the village, Col. M.Seethapathy participated in the second
world war in the Army Medical Corps, and T.M.Seshagiri was the first civil
engineer from the village.. The first IAS officer is also from this
village, Tiruchendurai Vaidyanatha Venkataraman who is also an exponent of
Tirumoolar's verses.
It is also a fact that though all above persons have 'Tiruchendurai' in
their names, none of them stayed at the village, but in Madras.
The Rural Dispensary served the entire community of Jiyapuram, and
Dr.K.R.Seshadri's devotion to service will long be remembered by the
communities in and around Jiyapuram. His son S. Gopalan continued this
devotion, and was in charge of a Clinic in nearby Pettaivaithalai, while
another son S. Sundaram is still practising in the village.. Gopalan passed
away a few years ago and his wife Santha and son Mukundan, both doctors,
still serve the community from Pettaivaithalai.
In nearby Ammangudi resided Mr. M.S. Doraiswamy Iyer, then known as 'Poison
King' who is said to have cured many a snakebite victim on receipt of a
telegram, or oral news, by special prayers.
The elementary school teachers, Sivarama Iyer, Sundaresan, D.V.Sarma
and Narayanaswamy Iyengar, were responsible for the proper education,
discipline, and upbringing of many village lads and if today Tiruchendurai's
flag is flying high all over the world, it is due to the basic educational
and cultural guidance given by these almost unknown sages.
Yes, there is a boy or girl abroad in almost all the continents of the
world, from houses of this tiny village. Not many of them visit the
village, but no one has forgotten the life they had at this village..
the yesteryear dreamgirl of India, Hema Malini, was born in Ammangudi
village when her parents shifted to that village due to the fear war
hostilities at Madras.
Thiru. Sethuraman is the grandson of Thiru T.V. Srinivasa Iyer -nephew of Radhamama, and cousin of Thiru. T.V. Ganesan.
10 comments:
dear sethuraman this TM(thiruchendurai mathrubhootham) rajagopalan from chicago. iam very happy to read your blog. actually i was thinking of meeting you on my return . i shall do so when i will be back in april
Dear Mr. Sethuraman,
I am Krishnamoorthy currently in Toronto (age 25) and spent my childhood in this village.
I am surprised to know more and more facts about Tiruchendurai where I spent 17 yrs of my child and boyhood.
Please continue writing. Sorry I could not recognize you, may be missed seeing you on any occasion.
Dear Rajam
you need no introduction! why don't you contribute to the blogsite - they need a lot more material, and you can help
Dear Krishna
thanks for your comments - glad to know that you were also a resident of the village and that should make you contribute some material and keep the blogsite enlivening!
You may not have known me as I left the village in 1944 for Calcutta and settled down in Madras since 1946.. I belong to the Srirangam House family
iam padma daughter of late t.k ramanathan.nice to read about persons who lived in jpm long ago
Dear Padma:
TKR is wellknown to me and as a matter of fact along with TMS Mani took coaching classes for us youngsters before exams and during summer vacation. He spoke to me a year or so ago from Tambaram and we reminisced about the old golden days - I did not know he passed away! - my heartfelt condolences to you and the family -
Sethuraman Saar,
My name is A. Venkatesh, aged 72 years, living in NOIDA (U.P), where I moved to after my retirement from Government of India service in 1994. My native place is also a village called Peruvemba in Palakkad District (kerala). The early 1950s saw a migration to the cities in such large numbers and I was one of them ! All, in search of livelihood. Mostly people used to go to Mumbai, but, in my case, I came to Delhi to join my elder brother who had come a year earlier. I am saying all these only to say that we never wanted to shift from a village to a city, but domestic circumstances compelled us to do so. Villages everywhere, be in Tamil Nadu or Kerala, or anywhere in the country, always bring fond memories to all those who lived there even for short periods. More and more amenities are now available in the villages and this, I do hope, has stopped the influx, on a large scale, from the villages to the towns and cities.
With the Divine Blessings of Lord Rama, if I get a chance to visit Tiruchendurai and Jiyapuram, I shall certainly deem it a privilege to meet you.
With best wishes,
A. Venkatesh
Dear Sri Venkatesh:
many thanks for your comments on this article. For oversixtytwo years i am a resident of chennai, and used to visit the village whenever possible. I went to Calcutta to seek a job, but settled down in chennai after the 1946 riots of bengal, but have always been thinking about the village. The least I could do to the village is write about it so that others may know, what they are missing in the villagelife.
sethuaman
Dear Sri venkatesh:
I missed a point in my earlier comment. when you talk about Peruvemba, I know a fine gentleman from this village, Sri P.K.Venkateswaran, a nonagenarian now living in Bangalore, who started his professional life with the American Express, later joined the Ram mohan & co., in Bangalore and served them till retirement. Do you know him, even now he visits the village as his relations are still there? sethuraman
Can I get a rental room/house to live in this Thiruchenthurai Agraharam for retirement life and Cauvery bath etc.,?
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