Rani Mangammal
Encyclopedia
Rani Mangammal was a queen regent on behalf of her grandson, in the Madurai Nayak kingdom in present day Tamil Nadu
, India
, towards the end of the century. She was a popular administrator and is still widely remembered as a maker of roads and avenues, and a builder of temples, tanks and choultries with many of her public works still in use. She is also known for her diplomatic and political skills and successful military campaigns. The capital of Madurai
Kingdom during her times was Tiruchirapalli
.
(1659–1682). Although Chokkanatha married Mangammal early, she became the principal queen only later on after his efforts to wed the daughter of the Thanjavur ruler Vijayaraghava Nayak had failed. Chokkanatha died in 1682, after that she took over the crown.
. But Rengakrishna died in 1689, when his queen was pregnant. After she gave birth to a son, Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha, she committed sati
, despite strong remonstrance by her mother-in-law Mangammal. So Mangammal was forced to become regent on behalf of her infant grandson Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha, who was crowned when he was three months old in 1689 and ruled till 1705,with an able administrative council headed by Dalavoy (Governor general) Narasappiah.
army with the Deccan Sultans and frequent interludes by the Thanjavur kingdom. In the south, the Raja of Travancore
stopped paying the tribute and the ruler of Ramanad, Kilavan Sethupathi had risen in revolt in a bid for independence. Mangammal had to face these state of affairs without any external help. With her political wisdom, diplomatic skill, administrative ability, and cool courage in the face of danger, she was able to maintain the prestige of Madurai and regain for it much of the position it had held during the days of Thirumalai Nayak
.
The first problem which Mangammal had to face was the threat from the Mughals. Aurangzeb sent an army to the south to demand submission from Thanjavur and to seize Gingee Fort, which had gone into the hands of the Marathas during the time of her husband. In 1697, Zulfikhar Ali Khan, the general of Aurangzeb was engaged in the siege of Gingee
, where Rajaram, son of Shivaji had entrenched himself and bent upon attacking Thanjavur and Madurai at any cost.
After careful deliberation, Mangammal sent tribute, and later with the help of Zulfikhar Ali she was able to recover some portions of the kingdom lost to Thanjavur in the past. In this policy, Mangammal showed great prudence and wisdom, by skillfully bowing before the enemy. Mangammal also had to face an invasion of Tiruchirapalli by Chikka Deva Raya of Mysore who sent his famous Dalavoy Kumariyya, but an attack by the Marathas on Mysore led to his recall.
was organized in the following year, and after hard fighting Travancore was subdued and an immense booty was brought home. Part of this consisted of many cannons, which were mounted, on the ramparts of Tiruchirapalli and Madurai.
from Madurai Kingdom between 1690 and 1694. In 1695, Tiruchirapalli, then capital of Madurai, was also besieged by Mysore armies was defeated and sent back.
Shortly after her war and peace with Thanjavur in 1700, both united and proceeded against Chikka Dev Raya. The later had built an Anicut (which means "dam" in Tamil) across the river Cauvery thus preventing adequate supply of irrigation water for Thanjavur and the northern parts of Madurai Kingdom. Same year, the river also ran near dry. Anticipating a drought and famine situation, both Madurai and Thanjavur armies united to attack Mysore. But by that time, heavy rains had washed off this Anicut, which was located at the site where the present Kannambadi dam stands.
for his support to Thanjavur during her early days. This ended in a defeat for the Madurai culminating with the death of Madurai’s famous Dalavoy Narasappiah in the battle. This was a serious blow to Rani Mangammal for otherwise successful military campaigns.
and other smaller towns in Tamil Nadu.
Her own original palace (Tamukkam
or Summer Palace) in Madurai now houses the Mahatma Gandhi
Museum although modified several times. The Palace has Tamukku Maidanam (Grounds), capable of hosting royal entertainments such as elephant fights. She also provided comfort to highway travelers and pedestrians by planting trees, building inns and supplies of water. In 1701 she made large grants for a public feeding institute.
but nevertheless she was tolerant of other religions. She endowed both temple
s and mosque
s, and she was friendly with Christian
missionaries and their converts. In 1701, she made village grants to a Dargah
in Tiruchirapalli. Christian Missionaries enjoyed greater freedom in carrying out their works.
Mangammal donated considerable jewels, palanquins to the Madurai Meenakshiamman Temple and similar endowments to numerous temples in her Kingdom.
But she is the most remembered of all Nayak rulers by the people of Tamil Nadu even more than Thirumalai Nayak for her administrative works which still exists in various parts of her former kingdom. The belief was that women were not suited to succeed to the throne of a kingdom, so Mangammal shines almost alone as an able and powerful female ruler in Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, towards the end of the century. She was a popular administrator and is still widely remembered as a maker of roads and avenues, and a builder of temples, tanks and choultries with many of her public works still in use. She is also known for her diplomatic and political skills and successful military campaigns. The capital of Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
Kingdom during her times was Tiruchirapalli
Tiruchirapalli
Tiruchirappalli ) , also called Tiruchi or Trichy , is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli District. It is the fourth largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu and also the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the state...
.
Background
Mangammal was the daughter of Tupakula Lingama Nayaka, a general of Madurai ruler Chokkanatha NayakChokkanatha Nayak
Chokkanatha Nayak succeeded his father Muttu Alkadri Nayak ,as the ruler of the Madurai Nayak dynasty, when he was sixteen years old. This young ruler began his reign with an ill-considered attempt to drive out the Muslim troops, despatching a large army against the Gingee fortress...
(1659–1682). Although Chokkanatha married Mangammal early, she became the principal queen only later on after his efforts to wed the daughter of the Thanjavur ruler Vijayaraghava Nayak had failed. Chokkanatha died in 1682, after that she took over the crown.
Regency
Rangakrishna Muthu Virappa Nayak (1682—1689), Mangammal’s son succeeded Chokkanatha, at a very young age of 15. He tried to retrieve the diminished fortunes of the kingdom and made a name for himself by courageously ignoring AurangzebAurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
. But Rengakrishna died in 1689, when his queen was pregnant. After she gave birth to a son, Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha, she committed sati
Sati
Sati may refer to:*An alternative name for Hindu goddess Dakshayani, Shiva's first wife*Sati , an ancient Indian tradition of the immolation of a widow on her husband's funeral pyre, now illegal*Mindfulness...
, despite strong remonstrance by her mother-in-law Mangammal. So Mangammal was forced to become regent on behalf of her infant grandson Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha, who was crowned when he was three months old in 1689 and ruled till 1705,with an able administrative council headed by Dalavoy (Governor general) Narasappiah.
Military Campaigns
Mangammal was less often at war than her predecessors had been, but she did not escape the usual conflicts with her neighbors. The Madurai kingdom had enemies all-around; the Marathas, Mysore army, MughalMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
army with the Deccan Sultans and frequent interludes by the Thanjavur kingdom. In the south, the Raja of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
stopped paying the tribute and the ruler of Ramanad, Kilavan Sethupathi had risen in revolt in a bid for independence. Mangammal had to face these state of affairs without any external help. With her political wisdom, diplomatic skill, administrative ability, and cool courage in the face of danger, she was able to maintain the prestige of Madurai and regain for it much of the position it had held during the days of Thirumalai Nayak
Thirumalai Nayak
Thirumalai Nayak ruled Madurai between 1623 to 1659 CE. He was the most notable of the thirteen Madurai Nayak rulers in the 17th century. His contributions are found in the many splendid buildings and temples of Madurai. His kingdom was under constant threat from the armies of Delhi Sultanate and...
.
Mughal Army
Mangammal’s reign also synchronized with a period when the Mughal Emperor under Aurangzeb was the master of Deccan.It was only during her reign Madurai first came into direct contact with the Mughal Empire at Delhi. Zulfikar Khan, the general sent by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb to attack the Maratha stronghold at Gingee, exacted tribute both from Trichinopoly and Thanjavur in 1693, though he did not succeed in taking Gingee until five years later.The first problem which Mangammal had to face was the threat from the Mughals. Aurangzeb sent an army to the south to demand submission from Thanjavur and to seize Gingee Fort, which had gone into the hands of the Marathas during the time of her husband. In 1697, Zulfikhar Ali Khan, the general of Aurangzeb was engaged in the siege of Gingee
Gingee
Gingee is a panchayat town in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The nearest town with a railway station is Tindivanam, 28 km away....
, where Rajaram, son of Shivaji had entrenched himself and bent upon attacking Thanjavur and Madurai at any cost.
After careful deliberation, Mangammal sent tribute, and later with the help of Zulfikhar Ali she was able to recover some portions of the kingdom lost to Thanjavur in the past. In this policy, Mangammal showed great prudence and wisdom, by skillfully bowing before the enemy. Mangammal also had to face an invasion of Tiruchirapalli by Chikka Deva Raya of Mysore who sent his famous Dalavoy Kumariyya, but an attack by the Marathas on Mysore led to his recall.
Expedition to Travancore
In 1697, Mangammal sent an expedition to Travancore to punish its ruler, Ravi Varma, who had attacked and destroyed an army sent from Madurai to Travancore to collect the annual tribute which the king had not been paying. The ruler of that country had of recent years been very remiss in sending his tribute to Madurai, and it had been necessary on several occasions to send an army to collect the arrears. The force dispatched for this purpose was taken off its guard and almost cut to pieces. A punitive expeditionPunitive expedition
A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a state or any group of persons outside the borders of the punishing state. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavior, but may be also be a covered revenge...
was organized in the following year, and after hard fighting Travancore was subdued and an immense booty was brought home. Part of this consisted of many cannons, which were mounted, on the ramparts of Tiruchirapalli and Madurai.
Wars with Tanjore
Mangammal had frequent troubles from the time of her regency with Maratha King Shaji of Thanjavur. In the following year the Madurai forces under Dalavoy Narasappiah crushingly defeated the Tanjore Marathas near their capital, when they suddenly stormed into their capital. The disheartened King Shaji of Tanjore was only glad enough to buy off the invading army with an enormous bribe, after almost emptying his treasury.War with Mysore
When Rani Mangammal was engaged in settling her policy towards the Mughal Empire, Chikka Deva Raya of Mysore in a pursuit of territorial expansion annexed the territories up to Salem and CoimbatoreCoimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
from Madurai Kingdom between 1690 and 1694. In 1695, Tiruchirapalli, then capital of Madurai, was also besieged by Mysore armies was defeated and sent back.
Shortly after her war and peace with Thanjavur in 1700, both united and proceeded against Chikka Dev Raya. The later had built an Anicut (which means "dam" in Tamil) across the river Cauvery thus preventing adequate supply of irrigation water for Thanjavur and the northern parts of Madurai Kingdom. Same year, the river also ran near dry. Anticipating a drought and famine situation, both Madurai and Thanjavur armies united to attack Mysore. But by that time, heavy rains had washed off this Anicut, which was located at the site where the present Kannambadi dam stands.
Independence of Ramnad province
Mangammal's greatest trial and serious failure was her expedition against Raghunatha Sethupathi, which was also her last major campaign in 1702. The war was against the SethupathiSethupathi
The Sethupathis were the rulers of the Ramnad and Sivaganga regions during the beginning of the 17th century.Sethupathis of Ramand and Sivaganga...
for his support to Thanjavur during her early days. This ended in a defeat for the Madurai culminating with the death of Madurai’s famous Dalavoy Narasappiah in the battle. This was a serious blow to Rani Mangammal for otherwise successful military campaigns.
Civil Administration
Mangammal was an efficient and popular ruler and her memory is cherished even today in the rural areas of the district. Mangammal worked industriously at civil administration, trade and industry paying special attention to irrigation and communications.Public Works
Many irrigation channels were repaired, new roads were constructed, and avenue trees were planted. The highway from Cape Comorin was originally built during the time of Mangammal and it was known as 'Mangammal Salai'. She built many public works, notably the Choultries for pilgrims, of which the Mangammal Chataram (Choultry) in Madurai near the railway station is a standing monument. Popular belief ascribes to her every fine old avenue constructed in Madurai and TirunelveliTirunelveli
Tirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...
and other smaller towns in Tamil Nadu.
Her own original palace (Tamukkam
Tamukkam Palace
The Tamukkam Palace is a palace located in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It was built in c. 1670, and was the summer palace of Rani Mangammal, the queen regent of the Madurai Nayak kingdom. Taken over by the British, Tamukkam became the official residence of the District Collectors. It now houses the...
or Summer Palace) in Madurai now houses the Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
Museum although modified several times. The Palace has Tamukku Maidanam (Grounds), capable of hosting royal entertainments such as elephant fights. She also provided comfort to highway travelers and pedestrians by planting trees, building inns and supplies of water. In 1701 she made large grants for a public feeding institute.
Religious affairs
Mangammal was HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
but nevertheless she was tolerant of other religions. She endowed both temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s and mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s, and she was friendly with Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
missionaries and their converts. In 1701, she made village grants to a Dargah
Dargah
A Dargah is a Sufi shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint. Local Muslims visit the shrine known as . Dargahs are often associated with Sufi meeting rooms and hostels, known as khanqah...
in Tiruchirapalli. Christian Missionaries enjoyed greater freedom in carrying out their works.
Mangammal donated considerable jewels, palanquins to the Madurai Meenakshiamman Temple and similar endowments to numerous temples in her Kingdom.
Festivals and recreation
Rani Mangammal instituted the famous Unjal (swing) festival in the temple of Meenakshi to be performed in the Tamil month of Ani. Her contemporary portrait may be seen in the Unjal Mandapam. On all celebrations, the royal sceptre (sengoal) used to be placed before the Meenakshi deity and then placed on the throne for the whole day. A painting in the Meenakshi Amman Temple shows the temple priest handing over the royal sceptre to the Queen. It may also be mentioned that Hindu kings ruled their kingdoms as the servants of God. The land was ruled in the name of the presiding God of the country.Death
Mangammal’s death (circa 1705) is shrouded in mystery. Managammal’s grandson Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha Nayak came of age in 1704—1705. Tradition says she refused to make way for him and that she was supported by her chief minister, a man with whom she was on terms of undue intimacy. The story is that she was locked in a palace prison and slowly starved to death.But she is the most remembered of all Nayak rulers by the people of Tamil Nadu even more than Thirumalai Nayak for her administrative works which still exists in various parts of her former kingdom. The belief was that women were not suited to succeed to the throne of a kingdom, so Mangammal shines almost alone as an able and powerful female ruler in Tamil Nadu.