Why Indian royalty got British Coats of Arms

In the Mysore Palace, I saw the Wodeyar Coat of Arms on the palace gate. It was a proper British Coat of Arms, containing all four formal elements - shield, supporters, crest and motto. I have seen similarly designed British coats of arms in Jaipur, Udaipur and many more places. Clearly, an Englishman had put some thought behind all of them. But why would the British spend time and energy on designing heraldic banners for Indian princes?

After doing some initial digging, I realised that these coats of arms were part of the larger British strategy of "conciliate and command". To understand this a little better, we need to go back to the 1870's, when a guy named Lytton was appointed Viceroy of India. Lytton was what we would now call a racist, and a fairly nasty one at that. Millions died in the Bengal famine under his watch.

He had very clear views about the various rajahs and nawabs that he encountered in India. "Here is a great feudal aristocracy," he wrote, "which we cannot get rid of, which we are avowedly anxious to conciliate and command, but which we have as yet done next to nothing to rally round the British Crown as its feudal head."

Lytton's "conciliate and command" strategy had many elements - but chief among them was the announcement of a grand Durbar in Delhi, a "Royal Assemblage" as he called it.

The Mughals had a custom of holding Durbars, where their feudatories brought gifts, met the Emperor one by one (in strict order of rank) and re-affirmed their relationship. In return they were granted favours - ceremonial gifts, embellished weapons, embroidered robes, elaborate titles, etc. Although these tokens were small, they were used and displayed with a great deal of pride, because they represented the Emperor's favour. 

Lytton decided to do something similar - yet, clearly different - from Mughal protocol. The Indian princes, he wrote condescendingly, "are easily affected by sentiment, and susceptible to the influence of symbols to which facts very inadequately correspond." Keeping in mind the Indian attachment to symbolic displays, he decided to present coats of arms (banners) to each of the Indian kingdoms. 

The only problem was - there was no one available in India with any of the skills required for designing so many coats of arms at short notice. Eventually the task was given to Robert Taylor - an employee in the Bengal Civil Service. He was neither a herald nor an artist (there is a College of Heralds in London, which designs and approves these things). But he was the only available man at the time with some understanding of the matter. So a round of hasty consultations with various rajas ensued, and British coats of arms were quickly designed. For the Delhi Durbar, these designs were converted into colourful banners by Sir Lockwood Kipling, who was then at Lahore. 

On the day of the Durbar, Lytton put on a grand show. He placed himself on an elevated dias at the centre of the assembly. Banners were ceremonially presented to each Indian royal attendee, carried on a gilt pole which bore the inscription 'From Victoria, Empress of India. 1st January 1877.' Lytton, while presenting the banner, said "Whenever this banner is unfurled, let it remind you of the relations between your Princely House and the Paramount Power." The "native chiefs" received the banners with the same gratitude that they displayed at the Mughal courts. 

Then came the proclamation of Victoria as Empress of India. A grandly dressed herald - selected because he was 7 feet tall - stepped up and loudly read the proclamation. The Viceroy gave a speech and some of the desi princes proclaimed their allegiance to "the paramount power". After these proclamations, 101 guns were fired and this caused a stampede among the various royal elephants present (I grinned when I read that). You can see the elephants in the photo.  

The rajas and nawabs returned home, displaying these banners as symbols of the Queen's favour, in much the same way as they displayed their Mughal honours. The British coat of arms, as well as the giving of various royal titles and gun salutes, became an established part of the "conciliate and command" strategy to rule India. 

Durbar Photo source: The Royal Collection Trust

Grave of Emperor Aurangzeb, Khuldabad

From Johnson Album 3, 4, painted 1660-70
Featured in the British Library exhibition,
Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire.

Emperor Aurangzeb - the sixth Mughal ruler - had a long reign of nearly 50 years.

During his rule (1658 to 1707), the Mughal Empire reached its largest extent, covering almost the entire Indian subcontinent. In 1700, India's GDP accounted for one-fourth of world GDP, with textiles playing a major role. Nearly 15% of the population lived in urban centres; it was thus more urban than Europe at the time, or even more urban than British India in the 19th century.

Among the urban centres in the Deccan was Aurangabad. Earlier it was a village called Khadki; but it grew into a city under the patronage of Malik Ambar and the Nizamshahs of Ahmadnagar. When Aurangzeb took over the city, as the Mughal viceroy to the Deccan, he named it Aurangabad.

Aurangzeb spent the last 26 years of his life in an attempt to conquer the Deccan. He died at his military camp in Bhingar, near Ahmadnagar, at the age of 89.

His modest open-air grave in Khuldabad expresses his deep devotion to his Islamic beliefs. He desired in his will that not more than 8 rupees be spent on it - in marked contrast to the ostentatious splendour of the tombs of his predecessors.

Grave of Aurangzeb, painted by William Carptenter between 1850-56, British Library

Aurangzeb's tomb is in the courtyard of the shrine of the Sufi saint Shaikh Burhan-u'd-din Gharib, who was a disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi.

The epitaph reads his own couplet in Persian:
Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! 
Bar mazaar e maa ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast!
Translation: "The rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves!
For the poor folks like me, the sky is dome enough!" 

The Portuguese Church Bells of Maharashtra

This week I read a story in Hindustan Times about Portuguese church bells, which are being used all over temples in Maharashtra.

Temple bell at Naroshankar, Nashik. Photo Credit: Hindustan Times

The bells were acquired by the Marathas from various churches, during their conflicts with the Portuguese. The 17th and 18th century were full of many conflicts, with the Marathas, Siddis, the French, the English and the Portuguese, all jostling for supremacy on the Western coast of India.

Fr. Francis Correa, a priest based in Vasai (Bassein) says discovering the bells has broadened his view of India. He says: “Seeing the bells for the first time, I initially felt like it was my community’s property and that I should work on restoring them to the church. But over time I’ve realised that in Hindu temples, they’ve been given a new life, with new missions to perform. They are our shared heritage.”

When I read this quote I couldn't help thinking that if more of us had such enlightened views we would be living in a much happier world!

For many years now, we have been sitting on this Ayodhya mandir-masjid controversy. Was it originally a temple or a mosque? Now that the mosque is broken, what should we build there? Whose monument is it now? ... All these questions could be more easily resolved if we thought of it as our country's shared heritage!

Whether we like it or not, we cannot wish away history; nor can we turn back the clock. If more politicians had the guts to celebrate the Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb (cultural diversity) of this land, India would be a different place. Come to think of it, every time we eat a biryani, it is a Ganga-Jamuna celebration. Every time we wear a salwar-kameez, it is the same celebration. The notion of India as belonging only to only one community is really impractical, not to mention immoral.

Magar yeh ghanti kisi ke dimaag mein bajti hi nahi!
(but this bell does not ring clear to anyone!)

Food Walk through Adyar

We're very excited to announce our latest food tour in Chennai - Food Walk through Adyar :)

Walk with us through the quiet (and sometimes not so quiet!) bylanes of this neighbourhood.

Sample some traditional South Indian delicacies at iconic, local establishments.

Check our facebook album for more!

Padayani: The spirit of central Travancore

- By Aishwarya Javalgekar and Deepa Krishnan

Kerala is famous for its rich cultural heritage, and has many popular art forms to its name. But an art form that is perhaps not yet widely known is Padayani; the worship of Mother Goddess, practiced in the Bhagavathy temples of the central Travancore region.

http://pathanamthittatourism.com/destinations/heritage/padayani.php

Padayani is not just an art form. It is a community gathering to ensure the physical and mental well-being of the entire village. It is a set of rituals that transcends the boundaries of caste and religion, generating a sense of unity.

The legend says that Padayani originated as a form of prayer to pacify the goddess Kali, after she killed the demon Darika. This art form has several important cultural aspects:

• Kolamezhuthu - These are beautiful and elaborate coloured drawings of folk deities. Kolams individually embody a certain character associated with spirits and deities. They are made from natural materials which comprise spathes (paalas) of the areca nut palm tree. Natural colours are painted on these paalas using a brush made from the stem of a coconut leaf. 
• Kolappattu - Folk songs with traditional lyrics that include the exaltation of the deities, as well as requests to obtain their grace
• Thappumelam - Musical performance specially featuring a Thappu, a drum made by covering a jackfruit hardwood piece with buffalohide
• Kolamthullal - A dance form that accompanies the festival
• Vinodam - Satire, an essential part of Padayani! This is performed making fun of petty vanities of people, as well as to target areas for social reform.

In this outstanding video below, you can see entire cultural process explained with English sub-titles. The first 3 minutes are an excellent introduction in Malayalam, without sub-titles, but the rest of the video has wonderful sub-titles.

Some practical information:

Padayani performances at temples are easily accessible from Cochin, Kumarakom or Alleppey. They are performed at night outside Bhadrakali temples, during the Padayani festival, typically between March and April. If you are visiting India this September, you can attend the padayani at the Neelamperoor Bhagavathy Temple at Kottayam on 29 Sep (photo below). It's only a 2hr drive from Cochin, and a 1hr drive from Kumarakom or Alleppey. 

http://babuscamera.blogspot.in/2008/09/pooram-padayani-at-neelamperoor.html

You can stay overnight in Kottayam if you prefer. The Athreya Ayurvedic Resort in Kottayam provides excellent therapies, so you can combine a detox stay with a festival visit. They also have yoga practitioners who can teach you yoga. 

If you'd like more information about a tour that incorporates the Padayani festival, please send an email to deepa@magictoursofindia.com. Or you can also look up the Kerala Festival Calendar (search for "patayani") to see the schedule. 

Scaffolding at the Taj Mahal

This is a recent picture of the Taj Mahal in Agra.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is carrying out some restoration work in the interior and exterior of the structure. As you can see, two of the minarets have been covered with scaffolding. We are not sure of when it will come off. We will post an update as soon as it does.

Of coconut oil and lighthouses

Coconuts are everywhere in Chennai. If you look at the city skyline, you'll spot some coconut trees for sure. If you wander through the bazaars, you'll find coconuts being sold. And if you peep into kitchens you'll find coconuts in chutneys, sambars, and a zillion other dishes.

But I didn't know it was coconut oil that lit up the beacons of the old lighthouses of Chennai. Man! That must have taken a lot of coconuts! 

Until the 1700's, there were no lighthouses in Chennai. The fisherwomen lit bonfires on the beach, to guide their menfolk back home from their fishing expeditions (I bet they used coconut fronds for the bonfires).

As Chennai became a big trading centre under the East India Company, merchant ships began to feel the need for a 'proper' lighthouse.

The tallest building in Fort St George at the time was the steeple of St Mary's (which you can see in the photo below). But the chaplain didn't want a lighthouse in the church.

So a large oil-wick lantern was installed on the terrace of the officer's mess in 1796, and became the first lighthouse of Chennai.

Fort St George on the Coromandel Coast, Jan Van Ryne (1712–60)

The officer's mess building where the lighthouse was installed, is now the Fort Museum, and you can visit it if you go to Fort St George. The building is not very tall; so Chennai's first lighthouse ended up being only 99 feet above sea level (see photo). 

The old officers mess, which later became the museum

Like I said, the lighthouse used coconut oil for fuel. I was surprised to learn that the light from 12 coconut oil lamps could be seen even 25 miles from the shore.  

It turns out that coconut oil gives a clear white flame. Country mirrors were used as reflectors to intensify the light for signalling ships.

This coconut-fuelled lighthouse continued to function for nearly 50 years. What a lot of coconut oil they must have used up !! :) :) 

Eventually in 1841, a new lighthouse location came up, at what is now the High Court. This lighthouse used an Argand lamp, which was basically a better designed oil-lamp where with just one wick you could get the amount of light of 7 candles. Parabolic reflectors behind the lamp would further boost and concentrate the output.

The Argand lamp provided a smokeless, brighter flame; but its oil consumption was greater. Still more coconut oil :)

Here is a photo of the second lighthouse, which used the Argand lamp.  This lighthouse is now inside the High Court premises and is a protected monument.

Second Lighthouse in Madras, Frederick Fiebig c.1851

The second lighthouse continued to be used for almost 50 years, until 1894, when a third lighthouse was built. The tallest dome of the High Court was used as the third lighthouse, which you can see in this photo:

By this time, electricity had still not arrived. The third lighthouse used kerosene, and thus ended a century of coconut oil lighthouses :)