Chennai :

An 18th century chatram (choultry) in Thanjavur is now in ruins due to lack of maintenance and care. The Yamunambaal chatram , built by Maratha King Pratap Sinha (1739-1763) in Needamangalam, 30 km from Thanjavur, may collapse anytime if sufficient care is not taken immediately. Despite repeated requests from activists, the government has not taken any steps to preserve this architecturally-rich building.

A couple of months ago, historian and archaeologist Ayyampettai N Selvaraj had filed an RTI petition to revive the historic importance of the building, but he didn’t get a proper answer from the concerned authority. “As this is a charity, we can’t give you the details you want,” was the reply from the collector’s office. The chatrams, introduced by Maratha kings, played a major role in accommodating people from other parts of India visiting Rameswaram, during their reign from 1674 to 1855. The chatram and village were named after the king’s wife, Yamunamba Bhai. The village was known as Yamunambal Puram and the choultry, Yamunambal Chatram. “The king constructed a palatial chatram and a lake here. He also raised temples for Shiva and Vishnu along with an Agraharam for the temple priests and supervisors,” he said.

“When the Marathas ruled Thanjavur, they introduced charitable institutions, which were quite new and novel to this soil. Those days, pilgrims from the northern parts of India would reach Rameshwaram on foot, with carts, and it was difficult to meet out their basic needs in an alien soil. The Maratha rulers could understand the hardships the pilgrims faced and built at least 20 chatrams with a tank in Thanjavur alone,” said Selvaraj, who has excavated many ancient idols in and around Thanjavur.

These chatrams were designed and constructed in the Maratha style. The main mandapam of the Yamunambaal chatram is designed as if it was pulled by horses and elephants with mahouts on their back with swords in hands. Granites were used in the construction, up to the basement. “The chatram may collapse any time. It’s now under the Thanjavur Collector’s jurisdiction. It’s high time action is taken to maintain the building,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Chennai News / by M T Saju / TNN / May 05th, 2017