Kundrakkudi, Marudhu Brothers and Marudham trees!

Kundrakkudi is a remote village sprawling around a small hillock near Karaikkudi in Sivaganga Dt.

The beautiful small temple atop the hillock is dedicated to the popular Tamil God Shunmuga. The temple is under the administration of ‘Thiruvannamalai Mutt’, popularly known as ‘Kundrakkudi Adheenam’.

Few glimpses of the beautiful village-scape from the temple atop the hillock;

Kundrakkudi sthala puranam – i.e. the temple history is closely associated with the Elder Marudhu of Marudhu brothers, the popular rulers of Sivagangai Samasthanam [kingdom of Sivaganga] comprising this region.


Ceiling murals at the temple depicting the incident related to Elder Marudhu to this temple;

The temple bell;  

A Chettinaadu patterned building abutting the hillock;

Sivaganga kingdom was carved out of Ramnad Samasthan out of a matrimonial arrangement.The second hereditary ruler of Sivaganga, Muthu Vaduganadha Thevar, martyred in the Kalayarkovil battle, fighting the combined forces of the British East India Company and Arcot Nawab in 1772.

It is history that Rani Velunachiar, the queen of the martyred ruler, mobilized a patriotic army and liberated Sivaganga lands in 1780 and successfully ruled for 10 years. After her demise, the charge of the sovereignty was bequeathed over to the Marudhu brothers, the valiant generals who guarded the kingdom tirelessly, by the will of the Rani. The immensely popular Marudhu brothers carried out several irrigation works and temple works during their reign.

Periya Marudhu, the elder one was the sovereign ruler of the Kingdom while the actual administration was handled by the younger Marudhu.

The younger Marudhu was a close friend of Oomaithurai, the competent younger brother of Veerapandya Kattabomman of Panjalamkurichy. Chinna Marudhu gave his all out support to Oomaithurai's fervent endeavor against the British colonizing efforts. The British records mention this  as 'Polygar wars'. In modern interpretation these wars waged by the local chieftains with the immense support of the peasantry is acclaimed as 'the South Indian rebellion' and the day is yet to come to name it as the first war of Indian independence as it was about half a century before the 1857 popular uprising.   

I was deeply enthralled by the majestic life size statutes of Marudhu brothers in worshiping form at the ‘Utsav Murthy Mandap' of Kundrakkudi temple. I consider these statutes as more realistic images than their counterparts at ‘Kalayar kovil’ Shiva temple and ‘Thirumohur’ Perumal temple.

The elder Marudhu;

 The younger Marudhu;

Here Chinna Marudhu appears to be slightly taller and sturdier than his elder brother. The temple priest interestingly guided me by saying, ‘the bigger one is the smaller Marudhu!’

From the British records, such as the British East India Company Army’s Col. James Welsh’s ‘Military Reminiscences’, we come to know that the Periya Marudhu was dexterous in using ‘valari’ [a boomerang weapon uniquely used in this region]. He is also mentioned as a passionate hunter and capable of bending metal coins merely by his fingers. Another noteworthy, information is that the brothers, in spite of ascending to the ruling position from their humble, commoner backgrounds, led a spartan lifestyle and did'nt lean to flamboyance.

Marudhu brothers in one of the popular contemporary depictions

I am always delighted about this pristine pure Tamil name, ‘Marudhu’, which simply means a ‘hardy one’. This popular native name indicates Marudham tree [Terminalia Arjuna]. In Sanskrit, Marudham tree is referred as ‘Arjuna’. So Marudhu is the Tamil version of the popular Indian name, ‘Arjun’ which simply connotes a ‘sturdy one’. Marudham trees are taller, imposing and heavy. They usually grow in Marudham lands, the plains among the five Tamil landscape divisions. Marudhaiah, Marudha Nayagam and Marudha vaanan are few popular variants of the name Marudhu. 

Here, I want to mention an interesting, related old Tamil name, ‘Thinnan’ – just meaning a ‘robust one’ – which was the childhood name of ‘Kannappa Nayanaar’ – one of the 63 foremost leaders of Tamil Saivite religion, was named so by his parents as he was so strong even as a child. More interestingly, Kannappa Nayanaar hailing from a tribal clan in Northern Tamilnaadu is considered to be Arjuna – one of the famous Pandavas in his previous birth – as per the Tamil Saivite tradition.

Marudhu is a name closely associated with the Saivite religion. The three Saivite shrines of Srisailam [Mallikarjunam] in Kurnool District of Seemandhra State, Thiruvidaimarudhur, near Kumbakonam in Tanjore District and Thiruppudaimarudhur in Ambasamudram Taluk of Tirunelveli District are respectively referred as, ‘Thalai Marudhur’ [i.e. the first one], ‘Idai Marudhur’ [ i.e. the middle one] and the ‘Kadai Marudhur’ [ i.e. the last one]

Arjuna vaneswar, Marudha vaneswar and Marudheesar are the names of the presiding deity of the popular, Pillayarpatti temple, near Kundrakkudi which is one of the nine important hereditary temples of Nagarathaar clans – the ancient Tamil community of seafarers, involved in foreign trade in the ancient past. This minuscule minority community's tremendous contributions to the Tamil Saivite temple architecture across the Tamil lands and even beyond over time is ineffable and is a history in itself.

Vast plains of Southern Tamil country are Marudham, in topographic type and should have been in abundance of Marudham trees in the past.

Road from Tirunelveli town to ‘Kurukkuthurai ghats’ at Tamiraparani river-head and similar roads leading to river ghats at Cheranmahadevi, and Ambasamudram and the Tirunelveli - Tiruchendur road stretch are still dotted with rows of old, massive Marudham trees.

I witnessed gradual felling of a number of gigantic Marudham trees once majestically spreading their canopies on the arterial roads of Tirunelveli particularly so in the Vannarpettai stretch.

In my recent visit to Varushanaadu region of Theni District, I have found complete disappearance of Marudham trees [which were ubiquitous along the banks of river Vaigai as per the history of this region and confirmed by enquiries made] yielding way to commercial varieties such as silk cotton trees and coconut trees.

The towering Marudham tree is a cultural icon of the southern lands.

Marudham trees by their imposing presence usually define a landscape. They are abode to several special species like the huge fruit bats.

Dr. U.Ve.Sa., narrates an interesting anecdote of a Thiruppuvanam temple priest who fearlessly stopped a royal direction of the Marudhu Brothers themselves and prevented the felling of a Marudham tree on the Vaigai river bank! When called for the explanation, the priest shrewdly mentioned that the tree was the symbolic indication of the brothers themselves! The brothers who had plans to use that particularly chosen Marudham tree for making a temple chariot, had no other option but to concede to the plea of the priest and left that enormous Marudham tree.

Whether this historic Marudham tree still stands near Tiruppuvanam temple?

An ancient rock cut cave temple at the foot of Kundrakkudi hillock which belongs to Early Pandya period;

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