Today (17th June
2018) is Pusam / Ayilyam and even at the divyadesam, where you have purappadus
all throughout the year there is nothing special at Sri Parthasarathi swami
thirukovil .. .. .. yet, Allikkeni is active. Kaliyan singing about the
divyadesam calls it ‘maada maa Mayilai Thiruvallikkeni’ [singing Mylapore and
Triplicane together as the place with palatial buildings !] ~ I had posted
about Thirumylai Sri Adhi Kesava Perumal visit to Vanamamalai Mutt @
Thiruvallikkeni for vana bhojanam and subsequent thirumanjanam.
Mylapore is more associated
with Kapaleeswarar temple that has a great history – and one that was relocated
from its earlier position nearer the sea to its present place.
Gleaning the annals of
British history, one gets to read about ‘Battle of Madras’ that took place in
Sept 1746 - during the War of the
Austrian Succession when a French force attacked and captured the city of
Madras from its British garrison. French forces occupied Madras until the end
of hostilities when it was exchanged for the British conquest of Louisbourg in
North America as part of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. One of the British
defenders, Robert Clive made his name by escaping from the French captors and
carrying news of the city's fall to his superiors at Fort St David.
French ships opened fire
on the town - but with little effect, struggling to find the correct range and
by nightfall a large portion of the garrison had been lulled into a false sense
of security The following morning the
French resumed their bombardment from both land and shore, this time with much
more accuracy. The fortifications of Madras had been poorly constructed and
were largely unable to resist such an attack. As the number of British
casualties grew, the morale of the discipline of the troops collapsed. After a
direct strike on the liquor stores, a number of soldiers abandoned their posts
and drank themselves into a stupor. Civilians from the town took their places
manning the defences - but it was clear resistance was collapsing
The British forces
surrendered to Joseph Francois Dupleix
troops and ships of La Bourdonnais. Years later, Madras was returned to England
in 1748 to restore peace. The Governor
of Madras, Nicholas Morse sued for peace. The terms offered to him by La Bourdonnais
were surprisingly generous - the French were to take over the fort and
warehouses, but the rest of the town would remain under British control. Robert Clive on whom there is much in the
history escaped, dressed up as natives
and managed to slip out of the prison.
Sri Adhi Kesava Perumal
Devasthanam better known as ‘ Mylai Kesava Perumal Kovil’ is near
Mylai Kapaleeswarar Temple and the Chithirai kulam belongs to
this Temple. This is Chandra pushkarini (sarva theertham) popularly
known as Chithirai kulam. The presiding deity here is Sri Adhi Kesava
Perumal and thayar is Mayuravalli – the place itself was historically known as
‘Mayurapuri’. The temple is quite ancient and dates back to centuries. Here are
some photos of Sri Adhi Kesavar and the
evening purappadu at Thiruvallikkeni, which was briefly disrupted by rains.
adiyen Srinivasa dhasan.
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