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At home in the wilderness
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An owner who rode a tiger to a durbar and a stately home that lorded over hundreds of acres of land. This is the story of Dhombili Gounder
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PHOTOS: K. ANANTHAN
MEMORIES OF ANOTHER ERA Dhombili Gounder's legacy.
The monsoon is nearing and this is when the Kongu region turns more enchanting.
Where better to head now than the road leading to the life spring of the city — Siruvani? This road, dotted with many hamlets and villages, has kept pace with development without losing its charm.
About 20 km from the city is the nondescript Dhombilipalayam village. There is no indicator of the treasure trove that nestles within. Slow down and take a peek into one of the small lanes and you will be greeted by the sight of a stately structure.
This is the house built by Dhombili Gounder 130 years ago. Over the years, it has lost some of its lustre but still stands grand. This Kannada-speaking Vaishnava family belongs to a community called the "Annupa Gounders" and had migrated many generations ago from what is today Karnataka.
In the "Kongu Nad community documents" of Thanjavur Tamil University, mention is made of a copper plate that talks of a check dam built on the River Noyyal in the 15th century to take water to Annuparpalayam.
The Gounders, according to it, played an important part in the construction of the weir. This took place when our part of the Kongu region was under Mysore rule in the time of Kapini Nanjaiyan.
The mentioned Annuparpalayam is in the heart of today's Coimbatore and the family temple of the Gounders still stands there, next to the Christ the King church on Dr. Nanjappa Road.
A carved panel on the doorway.
Legends abound about Dhombili Gounder. It is said that he would go to the "Jama Bhandi" or administrative durbar of the British seated on a tiger while other Zamindars and officials would arrive in carts or carriages.
His grandson, Perumal Gounder, is said to have assisted the British and S.P. Narasimhalu Nayadu with the survey and study of the Siruvani project. The Dhombilipalayam Gounders held local leadership positions in the past and, even today a descendent of the family, Chandrasekar, is the president of Madhvarayapuram Panchayat. The families of Chandrasekar and his older bother Perumalswamy live in the house today.
The house bears enough evidence of its grand past. The village, named after the legendary Gounder, is dotted with small native structures; but the two-storey main house towers over them. It has an imposing façade and stands in about two acres of land. Once the family owned hundreds of acres around the home. Now, many educational institutions thrive here.
The house has a long, high-ceiling veranda on the ground and first floors, supported by wooden pillars.
A solid wooden doorway and various rooms later one reaches a central hall that serves as the lung and activity space of the house. Tall pillars support this space and rafters hold the roof together.
There are many buildings around the house and the owners tell us that there were much more. The flooring is mostly coloured cement and the walls painted. The furniture is simple and large portraits of ancestors adorn the walls. The first floor also has some rooms, but those are much smaller. The building extends only to about 1/3rd of the ground floor.
Jeyraman of Perur, who furnished much information for this article, talks about a Hero Stone that still exists in the vicinity of the house. It was erected in honour of Dhombili Gounder for killing tigers that harmed man and livestock.
Till recently a "Chola Kuli" (a large pit in the ground to store millets; a practice of the past) existed in the house. Once you drive back from Dhombilipalayam, you ponder over the destruction of the delicate fabric of our past. Let's hope that at least some portion of that is preserved for posterity.
(E-mail feedback to cbemetro@thehindu.co.in)
SHANKAR VANAVARAYAR
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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