The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : INTACH to renovate Maratha royal tombs on Vadavar banks

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

INTACH to renovate Maratha royal tombs on Vadavar banks

G. Srinivasan

The tombs were consecrated like regular temples and kumbhabishekam was performed The tombs were consecrated and kumbhabishekam was performed

REMEMBERING ROYAL FAMILIES: The Thanjavur Collector, M .Veera Shanmugha Moni, laying the foundation stone for the renovation of Maratha royal families' tombs, in Thanjavur on Sunday. — Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

THANJAVUR: With a view to preserving old monuments and heritage buildings, the local unit of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has taken up renovation of the tombs of Maratha royal families located on the southern banks of the Vadavar.

The renovation work was inauguarated by M. Veera Shanmugha Moni, Collector on Sunday. K. Phanindra Reddy, director, South Zone Cultural Centre; K.V.S. Chavan, general secretary, Karnataka Kshatriya Maratta Mandal; Babaji Rajah Bhonsle, senior prince and convener of the Thanjavur unit of INTACH; and V. Varadarajan, president of Brahan Natyanjali foundation participated.

Babaji Rajah Bhonsle said the inscriptions on the tombs, which were located in an area popularly known as Rajagori or Kalas Mahal, give details on the persons who had been cremated there. Inside the Samadhi, one usually finds a Sivalingam or the statue of a lady. . From the kalasams placed above the tombs, it is possible to discern whether the ruler died alone or whether his wife committed sati. A single kalasam indicated that the ruler was cremated alone. If there were two kalasams, it meant that his wife practised sati.

The samadhis of Sivaji, the last Maratha ruler and that of his wife were erected inside Kailas Mahal. The samadhis of Serfoji II, Thulaja, and Prathap Singh were erected outside. The ancient samadhis were built in the Bijapur Mohammedan style and the later ones in the Dravidian architectural style. Initially, only a brindavan (thulasi madam) was constructed for women royals. Later, samadhis were erected for women in the same place where the king had been cremated. They were known as temples.

Inscriptions indicate that the temples were consecrated and kumbhabishekam was performed. "From this we understand that like regular temples, these were also consecrated," the prince said. The Kailas Mahal is under the custody of the senior prince's family.

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