NAGERCOIL, October 24, 2014
Updated: October 24, 2014 02:02 IST
Vanishing wayside inns of erstwhile Venad
Special ArrangementA 'kal madam' (wayside Inn) built in 1867 on Shebagaramanpudur-Boothapandi State Highway in Kanyakumari district encroached upon by a private person.
‘Kal madams’ were constructed by philanthropists and temple trusts during the rule of Venad kings
“Kal madams” (wayside inns), which were constructed for public use by philanthropists and temple trusts during the rule of Venad kings, are now vanishing. Neglected by people and officials, these ancient structures are being encroached upon and misused by anti-social elements.
R.S. Lal Mohan, convener, Nagercoil chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, says he has identified 54 such madams but says the actual number could be over 70.
The inns, built using huge stones, served as resting places for travellers and farmers. Many such “madams” cannot be accessed directly from main roads. A “kal madam” situated on the Shenbagaramanpudur-Boothapandi State Highway is encroached upon by an individual. He has put up a fence around the structure along with a portion of the adjoining land, alleges S. Ayyappan of Shenbagaramanpudur.
The encroacher has installed a gate and locked it. A few empty liquor bottles are also seen near it.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/vanishing-wayside-inns-of-erstwhile-venad/article6528747.ece?ref=sliderNews
An aid to memory
The thousands of inns which dot India are a remarkable continuum of traditions of Sarasvati_Sindhu Civilization.
This surmise is reinforced by the find of Sohgaura Copper Plate with Indus Script hieroglyphs. See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2013/06/asur-metallurgists.html
The Sohgaura copper plate refers to a pair of kos.t.ha_ga_ra (dva_ra kot.t.haka); the two storehouses described as tri-garbha (i.e. having three rooms) are illustrated on line 1. (Fleet, JRAS, 1907). The illustrations indicate that the three rooms are in three storeys, with supporting pillars clearly seen. The inscription refers to the junction of three highways named Manavati, in two villages called Dasilimita and Usagama. The storehouses were made at this junction for the goods of people using the highways, which are indicated in line 3 by mentioning the three places to and from which they led. One of the names give is reognized by Fleet as Chanchu. (Fleet, JRAS, 63, 1894 proceedings, 86, plate, IA 25. 262; cf. Sohgaura copper plate/B.M. Barua. The Indian Historical Quarterly, ed. Narendra Nath Law. Reprint. 41) Some glyphs on line 1: kut.hi = tree; rebus: kut.hi = smelting furnace; kos.t.ha_ga_ra = storehouse; s’u_la = spear; cu_l.a = kiln; kan.d.kanka = rim of jar; rebus: copper furnace; bat.a = quail; rebus: kiln.
See the intimations of continuum at http://meluhha.blogspot.com/
Read more on Sohgaura copper plate and the context of inns set up during times of draught in the write-up by BM Barua in: Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute Vol. 11, No. 1 (1930), pp. 32-48:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/159662508/The-Sohgaura-Copper-plate-inscription-Barua-BM-1930