Manintoddy
If you have ever wondered about the history of your local town, village or street? through investigating the past, you may reveal yourself. We always thought and ignored our Wayanad is a little piece of land which has no important role in history. And we never thought our town has its name in any history books. My studies in local history have given me a deeper understanding of history in general and also instilled in me a different way of thinking about people who lived in past times. Placing yourself in other people’s shoes and thinking deeply about their lives can provide you with a different aspect in considering people in today’s world. I have also enjoyed other people's views who are interested in our local history
Actually, Wayanad has, from the earliest days of European settlement, or before, been distinguished by its multicultural nature. There is evidence of prehistoric settlements in Wayanad. Inscriptions in Edakkal cave and some other parts in Thovary mala confirms this. I believe lots of evidence and inscriptions could have been lost during migrated plantation cultivation which occurred in 1940 to 1970s. it was not a land of aboriginals now Malayalee settlements of the area commenced before the British invaded us. .Migration has been paramount in the history of Mananthavady. Each wave of migration has added to its character. The peak of migration occurred from the 1950s to the late 1970s when very large numbers of migrants arrived from southern Kerala, Kannur, Calicut Districts, The area has continued to become a new home to a diverse array of cultural groups and you can observe every kind of these groups in Wayanad, not like other parts of Kerala.
The mananthavady-new finding of an old drawing.
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| 1839 watercolor drawing taken from the personal collection of Mr. Narayan Swami, Titled "View from the Officers' Canteen, Manantoddy, 12th Jan 1839" as inscribed on the verso f the painting. Size 12 x 9 Inches. As you can see, the drawing has been cut in the left-hand corner and some added brushwork of poor quality (the eaves of the roof and the wood columns supporting them) can be seen, added obviously at a later date. It is clear from this unnecessary brushwork (probably added by the Lithographer when discussing the matter with the artist) that this view was considered for the lithographic issue but the idea abandoned, perhaps because it was decided that views of the Nilgiris only were to be published. |
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രണ്ടു നൂറ്റാണ്ട് മുൻപ്, ഫോട്ടോയോ മറ്റു ഉപകരണങ്ങളോ കണ്ടുപിടിക്കുന്നതിനും മുന്പ് മാനന്തവാടി ലോക്കൽ ഏരിയ എങ്ങിനെ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു എന്ന് അറിയുന്നത് കൗതുകകരം ആയിരിക്കും. അന്ന് പെൻസിൽ,വാട്ടർ കളർ ചിത്രങ്ങളിലൂടെ ആയിരുന്നു നമ്മുടെ നാടിനെ മറുനാട്ടുകാർ നോക്കിക്കണ്ടിരുന്നത്. അത്തരത്തിൽ വളരെ പ്രാധാന്യം ഏറിയ ഒരു ചിത്രലേഖനം ആണിത്. മാനന്തവാടി ലോക്കൽസിന്റെ നിരീക്ഷണത്തിൽ ബ്രിട്ടീഷ്‌ സേനാൻഗം ആയ Edward Archdall McCurdy (1797 - 1842) മാനന്തവാടിയിലെ ഏതോ കെട്ടിടത്തിൽ നിന്നും 1839 ൽ വരച്ച ഈ ചിത്രം ഇതുവരെ കിട്ടിയിട്ടുള്ളതിൽ വച്ച് ഏറ്റവും പഴക്കം ഏറിയതാണ്.ആ കാലഘട്ടത്തിൽ വയനാടിന്റെ തലസ്ഥാനം ആയിരുന്ന മാനന്തവാടിയുടെ ഈ ചിത്രത്തിന് സമാനമായത് എന്ന് പറയാവുന്നത് തലശ്ശേരി, കോഴിക്കോട് എന്നിവിടങ്ങൾ നിന്നുള്ള രേഖാ ചിത്രങ്ങൾ മാത്രമാണ്. ഇതുവരെ ഇംഗ്ലണ്ട് ൽ പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിക്കപ്പെടാതെ പോയ ഈ ചിത്രം ചെന്നൈയിൽ ഉള്ള Mr. Narayan Swami യുടെ സ്വകാര്യ ശേഖരത്തിൽ ഉള്ളതാണ്. മാനന്തവാടിയുടെ ചരിത്രത്തിൽ ഈ ചിത്രത്തിന് ഒരു സ്ഥാനം ഉണ്ടാവാൻ പോകുന്നു. മാനന്തവാടി ലോക്കൽസ് സംശയിക്കുന്ന സ്ഥലങ്ങൾ : ആശുപത്രി കുന്ന് , താലൂക്ക് ഓഫീസ്, LFUP hill , ലാറ്റിൻ church എന്നിവയാണ്.
The location of this image, as it holds an important role in History of our Mananthavady. This is 1839 water colour drawing taken from personal collection of Mr. Narayan Swami,Titled "View from the Officers' Canteen, 12th Jan 1839" as inscribed on the verso f the painting. Mananthavady is a modern name of the town and taluk which spelt differently at different times: Manintoddy,Manantoddy, Manantodi, Manthaady, Maha Anandavady, etc. Mananthavady has been referred to as "Hosenkadi" in a dictum scribbled under a copper artifact found at the Ananthanathaswamy Temple at Varadoor. Presence of Jain Community and Ananthaswamy temple at Pandikkadavu make this nomenclature as a site of Maha Anantha Vadi. But the dominant view on the etymology is that the word is derived from "Mane Eytha Vady (The place where an arrow was shot at the deer)".
Manantoddy was HQ of Wynuad Rangers,
Wynaud (now WAYANAD) in Kerala is the hill range contiguous to the Nilgiris and Manantoddy(now MANANTHAVADY) was the base of the Wynuad Rangers, a detachment of the Madras Army stationed there to watch the borders with Mysore state in the time of Hyder Ali and Tippoo. Later, the Rangers continued to be stationed there to contain Moplah insurrection.
Manantoddy (MANANTHAVADY) was the base of the famous Wynaud Rangers, led by Maj Henry Bevan. The detachment was initially established to police the borders with Tipoo and later to maintain law and order in the context of Moplah uprisings from time to time.
Manantoddy watercolour, a sectional view showing the depth and perspective achieved (note the human figures in the hollow below the house). These guys had good training in surveying in those days!
The Manantoddy watercolor photoshopped for V Narayan Swami by Dr John Roberts (and stripped of the latter-day overlays of roofing and supporting columns). This is more or less how the original painting should have looked (and also approximates its aspect had the lithographing been carried out).
The inscription at the back of the Manantoddy water colour.V Narayan Swami was able to establish that it is in McCurdy's handwriting
As Mananthavady Locals could not establish the location same scenery till now from an accurate location, a possible view from the government Sub-registrar office at Mananthavady. I strongly suspect the background hill is Brahmagiri hills, assuming the shapes.
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| Photo of present Convent Hill. check the building in its top. It was certainly used by the British. Now it works as a monastery for Christian nuns. |
The Nilgiri Wynad of E A McCurdy, Compulsive Landscape Artist
Edward Archdall McCurdy (1797 - 1842), a Captain and later Lt Colonel in the 27th Native Infantry of the Madras Army, published "Views of the Nielgherries, or Blue Mountains of Coimbetoor, Southern India" (no date but c.1830 - 40), a set of 5 lithographs of the Blue Mountains. This is a very rare set, seldom seen at auctions.
McCurdy's original watercolours of the Nilgiri &Wynad, the range of hills to the west of and adjoining the Nilgiris (mostly today's in Kerala state). The Nilgiri Wynad is but a day's march or less from Ootacamund and clearly McCurdy was there at least in 1839, if not more than once.
The first picture is a watercolour shows a view from the Officers' Canteen in Manantoddy (Manantawadi today) in the Wynad. Manantoddy and the Wynad were the base for the Wynaud Rangers headed by Major Henry Bevan (until a few years before 1839) who has written a book on his sporting adventures in the area :http://books.google.co.in/books… At the time this watercolour was drawn, 1839, McCurdy's regiment was stationed in Bangalore. And, clearly, he liked to holiday and sketch in the Nilgiris and the Wynad, places only a few days march from Bangalore.
You can see that the drawing has been cut in to two pieces (possibly with a view to have the reduced drawing lithographed but the idea was no doubt abandoned as I am not aware of any such published litho).
The inscription at the back is the next, 2nd, picture and it matches with a known sample of McCurdy's handwriting (the 4th picture).
But it is the style of the drawing which is conclusive for the attribution. The 5th picture below is a scan of one of the published Nilgiri lithographs.The similarity in styles between the watercolours and the litho will be apparent even though the print medium tends to efface most if not all of the flourish and individuality of the hand-drawn master drawing. So, conclusively, a watercolor by Mc Curdy with matching handwriting.
Please note the sunlit, sun-dappled effect on the rolling hills in both the paintings, seemingly a signature McCurdy effect. His sketching abilities, as you can see, were nothing to write home about, but his surveying skills are evident in the perspective and depth he brings to the drawings. And his control over the medium of watercolour is excellent.
Some starting lines of a chapter of the book 30 years in India by Maj Henry Bevan. The 1830s
Lieutenants D. and N. being on a visit to me at Manintoddy, were anxious to see deer shooting. I gladly consented to gratify their inclinations, and started for the Tinevelly forest, about eight miles off. We had tolerable success in the mornings and evenings, at which time the deer quit their thick and impervious coverts, to feed on a shrub that grows in these jungles: it bears a sort of gooseberry .of which they are very fond; and the localities in which these shrubs abound, are their favourite resorts.
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Thirunelli Temple
Located 22 km from Mananthavady
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I may here relate an instance of the credulity of the natives ofWynaud. A most extraordinary panic prevailed for about ten days in the neighbourhood of Manintoddy, which caused a temporary scarcity of provisions, At one of the Hindoo temples near Manintoddy.
I saw tried the power of the Wynaud bow on many occasions, and I will here give an instance of its efficiency. A poor cultivator who resided close to Manintoddy, lost one of the buffaloes he used in his plough. And this was to him a severe misfortune, for his team was the principal support of him self and his family. He knew that the tiger which had killed it would come at night to prey on the carcass, and he, therefore, lay in wait behind a small screen within a few yards of the carcass. The tiger came as he expected; he discharged his arrow at the beast, and so correct was his aim, and such the strength of his arm, that the arrow pierced to the tiger's heart. He told us that the beast when struck, bounded high in the air and fell dead on of his victim. For this feat, he received the usual allowance of 30 rupees,, which enabled him to buy two othe rbuffaIoes--a reward he nobly earned.
More on this book will be discussed in a later blog.
Other posts related to Wayanad in this blog
Excellent!! I am very pleased to see that you have taken some pains to identify the location in my watercolour painting by Lt Col E A McCurdy, many thanks. It does look like you got it right.
ReplyDeleteI have been reading your excellent reconstructions of the Kenneth Anderson hunting episodes in our part of the jungles (Wyenaud, Baba Budans, Nilgiris Gudalur and in the plateau south of Bangalore (Denkanicottah and other locations)> They make absorbing reading and are as good as the Anderson original stories. Please post more such. Thank you. V.Narayan Swami.
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