Column | Madurai Veeran and other guardian gods
The Hindu
Madurai Veeran and other guardian gods
When we speak of Indian epics we generally refer to pan-Indian Sanskrit epics such as the Ramayana or Mahabharata that spread across India through pilgrim routes and royal courts via Brahmin storytellers. But India is replete with regional epics that are often overlooked as they are composed in a local language and deal with local issues. So someone in Karnataka may never hear of the stories of Pabuji and Dev Narayanji narrated in Rajasthan. Someone in urban Odisha may never hear the epic of Kotrabaina, known to Odisha’s tribal cattle herding Gaur community. Not surprising then that people outside Tamil Nadu have never heard the story of Madurai Veeran.
ALSO READ Column | The legend of Nagarjuna
He was an extremely handsome and powerful young man. On a rainy day, his father tells him to guard the palm leaf house of the local chieftain. Here, he encounters the chieftain’s daughter. The two fall in love. Realising the differences in their social status, they decide the only way to be together is to elope. They are naturally chased by the chieftain, the girl’s maternal uncles, and their soldiers. This leads to a battle in which the hero successfully overpowers his opponents, and they escape to the city.
Over time, the young man gains the reputation of being a fierce warrior who fights and defeats cattle thieves and raiders. He is invited by many people, including traders, farmers, and herdsmen to protect their wealth. Eventually, the local Nayaka king invites him to get rid of the thieves in his cities.
During his stay in Madurai, Veeran sees the royal dancer and they fall in love. When news of this reaches the king, he becomes jealous. Courtiers tell him that there is a delay in catching thieves because the hero is plotting with them to overthrow the king.
The king is thus convinced to arrest the hero and have him punished. The most brutal punishment is meted out. Veeran’s hands and legs are cut so that he bleeds to death. The two women who love him, the chieftain’s daughter and the royal dancer, rush to his side and are unable to bear his miserable fate. They beg the goddess Meenakshi of Madurai to come to his rescue.
Hearing their pleas, the goddess restores the limbs of the hero, but he uses them to cut his own head as he refuses to die by other people’s hands. The hero is cremated, and the two women leap into the funeral pyre to be with him forever. This is just one of the many versions of the story.
Kozhikode Arts Festival faces delays in events, impacting schedule; competitions and performances rescheduled, audience remains engaged.
Kubaba Kuzhimandhi in Edappally offers authentic Yemeni mandi dishes in a kitschy Arabian ambiance, a must-try in Kochi.
Delhi engulfed in thick smog with 'very poor' air quality index, reaching 410 in some areas.
National Green Tribunal orders Forest Survey of India to report on alleged loss of tree cover in India.
S. Hussain Zaidi's espionage novel, The Black Orphan, blends Bollywood action with espionage tropes, but falls short in execution.
Hampi, the UNESCO-recognised historical site, was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. Foreign travellers from Persia, Europe and other parts of the world have chronicled the wealth of the place and the unique cultural mores of this kingdom built on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. There are fine descriptions to be found of its temples, farms, markets and trading links, remnants of which one can see in the ruins now. The Literature, architecture of this era continue inspire awe.
Unfurling the zine handed to us at the start of the walk, we use brightly-coloured markers to draw squiggly cables across the page, starting from a sepia-toned vintage photograph of the telegraph office. Iz, who goes by the pronouns they/them, explains, “This building is still standing, though it shut down in 2013,” they say, pointing out that telegraphy, which started in Bengaluru in 1854, was an instrument of colonial power and control. “The British colonised lands via telegraph cables, something known as the All Red Line.”
Manu S. Pillai takes readers across four tumultuous centuries of colonial India in his new book Gods, Guns and Missionaries. Religious competition and conflict impacted the way Hinduism and the Hindu identity are defined today, says the author
Delhi's air pollution crisis explained: AQI, PM2.5 dominance, sources, health impacts, and ineffective government responses.
Honoring Raj Kapoor as a cultural ambassador, this article explores the enduring impact of Indian cinema in China.
The festival in Bengaluru is happening at various locations, including ATREE in Jakkur, Bangalore Creative Circus in Yeshwantpur, Courtyard Koota in Kengeri, and Medai the Stage in Koramangala. The festival will also take place in various cities across Karnataka including Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Mandya, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davangere, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru.