City life in ancient Madurai as experienced by a Tamil Sangam poet

The three great Tamil dynasties of antiquity are the Cheras, the Cholas and the Pandyas. Since time immemorial, Madurai — the capital of the Pandya Empire, is also one of the major cities of classical India and has been mentioned in the Arthashastra for its cotton and pearls. Located in southern Tamil Nadu, the fame of this ancient city is found in the works of Roman and Greek scholars like Pliny the Younger, Ptolemy and Strabo. References to Madurai and its port towns are also described in the Periplus of Erythraean, an anonymous work on Indian sea routes by a Greek merchant in the 1st century CE.

Google tells us how Madurai of today looks like. But how did Madurai look like 1800 years ago? Historians classify the period from approximately 300 BCE to 300 CE as the Sangam age because, during that period, poets of ancient Tamil Nadu organised literature gatherings called ‘Sangam’ centered around ancient Madurai where they published their literary works. The Sangam texts like Maduraikānchi, Paripādal and also later day texts like Silappathikaram give us ample evidence to understand and appreciate the city life of ancient Madurai.

It is in paripādal that we find the bird’s eye view depiction of the city. The poet keerāndhaiyār says the city looks like a lotus flower that blossomed out of Mayon’s (Vishnu in old Tamil) navel. The streets are like its petals. The beautiful temple is like the seed vessel at the centre. The Tamil people are like the pollen grains and the poets and bards are like the bees that visit the flower.

Thus, we know, the city circumference of ancient Madurai is designed in such a way that it looks like a giant lotus from above. This corresponds to the Padmaka style of Nagara-nirmana — the chapters that deal with town planning in the Shilpa and Agama shastras. ( ancient Kanchipuram, the capital of the Pallavas was also built in the padmaka style) This not only shows the incredible engineering and craftsmanship of ancient Indians but also their keen attention to aesthetics, as if they thought the city should look beautiful and when the gods see from above, they should be pleased with its beauty.

In the other poem Maduraikanchi which consists of more than 700 lines, the poet Māngudi marudhanār describes everyday life and people’s activities in ancient Madurai in meticulous detail. The poem is set as praising the King Pandiyan Nedunjeliyan for his magnanimity, strength and valour along with wise words on justice, the impermanence of life and good governance. Besides that, within the text, the poet describes the happenings of the city from morning through the evening and night until the next day morning when the city resumes its usual routine after the 7 days Onam festival.

On his way to Madurai, Marudanār passes through the picturesque mountains and their people, the charming woodlands, seaports in the coastline, the prosperous farmlands and the arid regions of the countryside. As he crosses the Vaigai River, on the shores he sees the fragrant flower groves surrounding the residences of bards who sing and play musical instruments.

Marudanar reaches Madurai and as he stands at the entrance, he witnesses the magnificent fort walls that are tall with many ramparts and turrets with holes that are provisions for weapons. Surrounding the fort wall, there is a sapphire-colored, deep moat to prevent the enemies from barging in. Crossing the moat over a mechanical bridge, he reaches the principal city gates with a pair of fish and a hook carved on it, the emblem of Pandyas. Over the huge wooden door, there is a tall header with an image of a deity, probably Devi Lakshmi, that has darkened because of the constant offering of ghee as an oblation.

He has arrived on the 7th and final day of the Onam festival, and so the great city is busy in its festivities with great pomp. The city entrance is broad like the Vaigai River. Inside the city, as Marudanār sees, there are many fine houses that rise up to the sky, with many doors and wooden rafter windows through which the wind blows and makes pleasing music.

As he moves to the city interior walking through the wide brick-laid streets, he notices with amusement the people are singing and dancing happily as part of the ongoing Onam celebrations. Their merry cheer is contagious and one could hear the sounds of drums, and the cheers and jubilation when people listen and dance to this music in the streets.

On his way into the city, he observes that the city skylines are decked with beautiful multi-story mansions and on the terrace of which brightly coloured flags are hoisted. In addition, flags are found in the two huge markets of the city. Besides that, there are everyday flags that are hoisted during the festivals, and some others to commemorate the capturing of enemy fortresses. While the flags of the toddy shops invite people to drink and make merry, the flags of the many clans of people symbolize who is significant in the city.

As he moves further, like a bolt from the blue out of nowhere, a whirling elephant grows violent and steps on its keeper and his assistant. Then it kills him when they tried to control it with a goad. As alarming conch shells are blown, the elephant breaks the iron chain to which it was tied, discards the column to which it was tethered and swirls the chain like a distressed ship caught in a whirlpool. As the elephant and its chasers run in one direction, the poet, thanking God, moves on in another direction.

As Marudanār enters the broad Rāja Veeti or the principal street, he is delighted to see the beautifully carved silver-covered chariots that are pulled by horses with trimmed and coloured manes, that are further decorated with yak hair. Those chariots are driven by charioteers with controlling sticks in their hands who have trained their horses in an exemplary manner.

From the principal street, Marudanār crosses a side alley and enters the market square. There he sees food vendors selling sweet dishes while the flower sellers compete to sell fragrant flowers arranged in trays. The garland sellers sold unique flower garlands and few other merchants were selling aromatic powders. There were also betel leaves and areca nut sellers. Next to them is a vendor selling lime obtained from conch shells to be used along with betel leaves. The street food sellers are busy at their booths installed in the shadow of huge mansions. The mobile food sellers roamed around the city with their pulling carts that contain evening snacks. There are also older women who carry in lovely bowls trinkets and nosegays for young women and move from house to house.

The poet thinks that the waters of the ocean do not get reduced despite the clouds taking water, nor swell when the rivers bring water. Similarly, the goods in the markets of ancient Madurai do not get decreased in sales or get increased in new goods that are brought in.

As the sun sets and the city prepares itself for the twilight festival which is the culmination event of Onam celebrations. The poet reaches the temple after the ceremonial bath. In the temple musical instruments are played, and abundant offerings are given to Lord Siva who holds an axe in his arm — Sundareshwara who is the presiding deity of Madurai. Fragrant food offerings are also made to other deities.

Now the sun has set and the people are lighting up the street lights everywhere. The poet walks into the inner city or the antahpura and happens to get a glimpse of rich women walking in the streets. They appear like celestial damsels wearing gem-studded gold anklets along with bracelets with floral patterns. As he keeps walking, the poet looks up at the moonlit verandas called Chandrashāla, of the tall mansions of the inner city called Chandrashāla. There he gets a glimpse of the bright faces of pretty women looking down on the festive streets.

As he moves inward, swiftly moving past the poet are the wealthy noblemen in their horses surrounded by their escorts, going towards the day courts to see the final day festivities. These guarding men wear minutely woven bright red attires with flower motifs and possess swords with golden sheaths tied to their belts. Their feet are adorned by warrior anklets and covered by leather sandals. They also wear neem leaf garlands along with pearl strand necklaces.

Now the poet enters the calm and serene groves where monasteries are located. He walks past the Buddhist monastery where young women and their children from Buddhist families offer flowers and incense to the image of the Buddha inside the chaitya. He also crosses the rock-cut cave monastery of the Brahmin ascetics who chant the Vedas following the traditions and adhering to great disciplines.

Then he gets to see the splendid Jain monastery surrounded by beautifully laid out flower gardens. The building facade has paintings on its lofty walls. In this monastery live the monks who have controlled their senses and who know the past, present and future.

Next he also passes by the courts of law which deliver justice with the fine principles of dharma. It acts like a pointer on a balance without leaning towards either side. Further inside in the inner city, the poet also sees the gorgeous villas of gem and gold merchants. Those mansions are so tall that even the kites would take rest there before taking flight. He also passes through the royal roads of administrative buildings.

In another market square, he finds weaver communities, cloth dealers, painters doing intricate art, craftsmen who make bangles from conch shells, gemstone cutters, goldsmiths, those who rub gold on touchstones to test, those who tie knots on ends of fabrics, dealers of copper and those who sell flowers and incense substances.

After crossing the inner city, Marudanar reaches the royal courtyard of the palace. There he could hear pleasant bustles, rising from drummers and the courtiers who constantly praise the king.

At the Royal palace, the poet partakes in the Onam feast where Food is served to many, with sweet rice, jackfruits, sweet mangoes, tubers, many varieties of vegetables and fruits, sugar candies, rice cooked with meat, tubers that go down into the earth.

The Poet returns to the market place again to enjoy the scenes of the night market. As the day market closes, the night market gets busier bustling with merchants from far off countries who roam around and buy goods to take back.

As the darkness of the night envelops the city, he gets to see young women light lamps in their huge mansions where they wait for their beloved ones while adorning themselves with water lilies and aromatic pastes for their hair, sport fine jewels, and perfumed clothes. While the women and mothers from wealthy houses bathe in the ponds with their relatives, the wives at home play lutes and sing along to entertain their husbands at night.

As he walks further, the aromatic fragrance from the street gets the attention of the poet. They are from new blossoms that have just opened the buds. As he swivelled to check the source, he gets spellbound by the beauty of the seductive courtesans from whose flowers in the hair buns the fragrance emerges. Sauntering and laughing, they sway their hands donning pretty bangles studded with precious gems.

He hears from the passers-by that these women attract young men, embrace them by telling them confusing lies, but refuse union until they get the wealth they desire. Like the celestial nymphs, they cause the hearts of those who see them to tremble. In their houses, they dance to the music of lutes and drums in the first phases of nights before they retire.

He crosses the military barracks next to the royal palace, where earlier in the day the warriors have organised a show of elephant fights between rival groups. Marudanār sees some of the drunk spectators roam on the pebble-filled trench that is dug along the boundary lines of the cloth-covered arena which is set up to protect them from the elephants.

In yet another lane, the poet witnesses women in their first pregnancies, led by those carrying many lamps, walking very delicately and pray with their palms together. In the evening pooja, the drums are beaten, devotional hymns are sung, and the lutes are played while the devotees, along with women possessed by God, give offerings to the deity.

The poet enters the adjacent Murugan temple, where the holy Spear of Karthikeya is worshipped on a raised platform. The priest called Veylan prays there to remove the wrath of God. Down below on the ground, women hold hands and perform kuravai dances.

Thus, the first phase of the night ends with discourses, music, dances and various uproarious sounds and the city enters into the 2nd phase of the night.

The city’s noises settle down in the night but Marudanār still wanders alone in the empty streets at night. The shopkeepers remove the pole props and close their shops. Vendors who sell adais (a type of spicy dosa) and mōthakams ( rice dumplings ) go to sleep, and artists who danced earlier that day in the festival also go to sleep. In the middle phase of the night, the entire city ends its day and sleeps peacefully. The King too sleeps in his palace on a bed decorated with flower strands, embracing his women.

In the third phase of the night where the entire Madurai sleeps, the poet still wanders alone as he could not get enough of the city’s sights. There in the darkest of the night, ghouls and goblins haunt the streets. Besides them, lord Yama roams holding a fine scepter that scrutinises the lives of humans.

As Marudanār hides from such an unearthly entourage, he gets to see the robbers carrying sharp swords and chisels in their strong hands. They also have knives with short handles strapped around their thighs. They have rope ladders tied around their waists and they roam in the lanes to steal precious jewels. They are fearless and swift and so are the principled town guards, who also watch over the city to protect it.

The guards hide themselves and spy on the thieves. Even in the middle of the night, they protect the streets removing the fears of people. Thus, the city passes the night in peace.

In the morning, King Pāndiyan Nedunjelian wakes up to the music of the bards. In his court, he looks like a sculpture of Lord Muruga, on whose chest fragrant sandal paste has been anointed. He has a glowing presence wearing silk clothes, pearl necklaces and gold jewellery.

Paripdāl says while other cities of ancient Tamilagam wake up to the crows of roosters, people of Madurai wake up with the sounds of Brahmins chanting the Vēdas. In the morning, as night departs and dawn arrives with the spreading rays of the sun, the lute players strum their lute strings; elephant keepers hand feed balls of food to the elephants in the stables; horses chew their breakfast grass; shopkeepers plaster the floors of their shops with cow-dung; the toddy sellers call out prices for liquor for the morning drinkers and housewives sleep in their homes embraced by their beloved husbands

The sounds from door openings of fine houses with sturdy walls in the city are heard; and so are the loud, befuddled sounds of those who are drunk. Bards sing praises (of the king), the timekeepers announce the times, huge drums roar, bulls bellow, spotted fowls crow, pretty peacocks screech, beautiful geese cry along with herons, the male elephants trumpet, wild animals and tigers in strong cages make noises. The scattered areca nuts and faded flowers that lay in the front yard of mansions are swept away. Thus, the everyday life of the busy city is recommenced and the new day goes on after the festival.

The poem ends as the poet gets to see the King in his court. He hears the praises of the king for his victories and valour by his powerful warriors. He also sees the king commanding his warriors to bring brave men from across the country to join the military.

Maruthanār blesses the king wishes that he would give generously to the bards and musicians. He concludes that just like Ganga flows into the ocean, the abundance of prosperity flows into Madurai. The limitless goods and prosperity in Madurai of great fame, is a sight to behold, even by those in the celestial world.