Aatukuri Molla - People's Favourite Ramayana in Telugu

Molla is considered among the greatest poets in Telugu literature although only one work of hers, Ramayanam, is known to us. Until a few decades back it was studied as a text book by school children who learnt it by heart. 

Regional versions of the Ramayana

The enduring appeal of the Ramayana through the centuries shows the common thread that runs through the cultural life of India. Scholars opine there are about 300 regional variations and iterations of the epic. Women have written many of these which are very popular and are referenced in everyday language and the arts. While Chandravati’s version of the Ramayana in Bangla is justly renowned, Molla’s Telugu Ramayanam is equally an element of daily life in Telugu speaking areas even today.

Molla’s childhood

Aatukuri Molla (1440 - 1530 CE) was born during the Vijayanagara rule in Kadapa, now in the Rayalaseema district of Andhra Pradesh. She was the daughter of a potter Keshava Setti whose wife died soon after childbirth.  

Keshava Setti and his wife were devotees of Srikantha Malleswara of Srisailam and named their daughter after the deity’s favoured flower Molla, the Jasmine. In their village they were loved and respected for their generosity and the help they extended to all. Due to this goodwill they had earned, when Keshava Setti found it difficult to bring up his daughter all alone the village got together to help him with the child. 

Molla grew up to be studious and quiet. She was educated in the village school. Even as a youngster Molla showed precocious interest in prayer and spent unusual stretches of time in the temple. When she was fourteen Keshava Setti took her to his guru at Srisailam to be initiated into the religious way of life. The guru counselled him to give Molla all the freedom to choose her own path and that she would be well-respected for her devotion. When they returned home Keshava Setti allowed her to pursue her passion for learning and prayer. 

How Molla wrote her Ramayana

At her village temple one day Molla stated that as she meditating, Sri Rama appeared to her and asked her to write the Ramayana. When she told the priest about this he immediately procured palm leaves, stylus and other equipment for her.  

She set to work and completed the Ramayana in six cantos or kanda, from the Bala Kanda to the Yuddha Kanda. Bala Kanda is the first canto or book of the Ramayana which narrates the birth and childhood of Sri Rama. Yuddha Kanda is the sixth canto which deals with the war that Rama and his compatriots waged against Ravana, and rescued Sita. This is naturally the longest section of Molla's Ramayana since the epic battle is the core of every heroic epic. Scholars consider Molla’s narration of the Sundara Kanda to be unsurpassed in the whole gamut of Telugu literature. Sundara Kanda is known for its poetic description of objects, places and people. 

What is unique about Molla’s version

Literary scholars consider Molla’s Ramayanam to be a poem of considerable excellence and literary merit.

Molla drew upon her years of study and knowledge to write her version of the Ramayana. She undertook the task so that common people would get to know not just the story but also the important values in the epic. With this audience in mind she used language that is simple and easy to understand. She commented in the text that works in regional languages should stand on their own merit and not lean on Sanskrit. Not surprisingly, Molla’s Ramayana has elegant Telugu and not high-sounding Sanskrit.

From her work it is obvious that she knew of other poets who had also written on the Ramayana. She was very aware of her limitation of not being a classical scholar, but her advantage was her years of study and her devotion. However, she credits all her work to the grace of the lord of Gopavaram, her home town.

Molla did not faithfully follow the Valmiki Ramayana but added and deleted portions to make it her own. She began by 'paying her respects to Sri Ramachandra, the Trinity, several other deities and finally Saraswati, for Her power over words and meanings' as Nabaneeta Dev Sen notes. Molla mentioned her gurus with respect and thankfulness at the beginning of her work. She departed from tradition by not dedicating it to the king Krishnadeva Raya which was contrary to the usual practice. Instead her dedication was to her chosen deity Srikantha Malleswara.

Molla described Ayodhya's commerce, its armed forces and goings-on at the battlefield in great detail, adhering to the classic epic narration.

Her belief in the efficacy of chanting Rama’s name was her reason for writing the Ramayana. It’s her clear and simple style imbued with a native flavour which attracts readers to her work to this day.

She used colloquial language. Her aim was for her version of the Ramayana to be read and to bring solace to ordinary people. Her trust was well placed, Molla Ramayanam is among the most read and quoted versions of Ramayana in Telugu.

India Post, Government of India

Molla’s well-earned fame

Not just in the present, even at the time she wrote it Molla Ramayanam became so popular for being easily relatable that Molla’s fame reached the emperor Krishnadeva Raya. Being a writer himself, he was able to appreciate her craft and asked her to appear in court.

At court she was received with all due honour but also had to face the questions of the famed ashtha diggajas, the eight literary luminaries of the Vijayanagara court. The one questioning her was Tenali Ramakrishna, an author of several literary works.

Her answers showed her presence of mind and depth of knowledge. Her poetic talent was tested in court when she was asked to compose on a theme within a few minutes. Her poem floored everybody. She was given the title ‘Kavi Ratna’ and presented gold.

Later life

Molla returned to her village, entrusted her Ramayanam and the gold to the village temple and left for Srisailam where she remained until the end of her life. She lived the life of an ascetic, performing austerities. She was always available for seekers who wanted advice. Molla died in 1530 at the age of ninety. 

Molla channelled all her learning and devotion into her one literary work Ramayanam. Such was the superior tenor and spiritual quality of her poetry that it has bridged the gap between being a classical literary work and well-loved poetry that is intricately woven into people’s daily lives. Not often do writers and poets encompass both high literature and popular adoration so completely.

References - 

1. The Ramayana in Telugu and Tamil - A Comparative Study by CR Sarma

2. http://english.kadapa.info/molla-the-saint-poetess-of-kadapa-district/

3. Great Women of India - Edited by Swami Madhavananda and Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

4. https://archive.org/details/MollaRamayanamu/mode/2up

5. Rewriting the Ramayana - Nabaneeta Dev Sen

Velu Nachiyar - Sivaganga's Queen who fought the British

 Resistance in India to foreign rule

Velu Nachiyar (1730-1796) the third ruler and queen of Sivaganga, in present-day Tamil Nadu, was among the early royalty to put up armed resistance against British rule in India. Another Indian queen who ruled nearly a century earlier and also did not allow foreign powers, the Portuguese, to gain a foothold on Indian soil was Abbakka Chowta of Ullal in the 16th century. And of course a queen who embarked on the same mission against the British, less than a century after Velu Nachiyar, was Lakshmibai of Jhansi.

The spark ignited by the spirited fight of Velu Nachiyar and her compatriots, the Marudu brothers, against the British inspired the common people to also take up arms against foreign rule. The brothers were hanged for their efforts, but the fact is that sporadic resistance efforts were on from when the first European powers tried to expand from their initial mercantile activities to exerting political influence over local rulers in India. The First War of Independence of 1857 was the stage at which many of the rulers of the time decided to act together, not individually, to have a greater impact.

Velu Nachiyar’s rule in Sivaganga

Velu Nachiyar became the de facto ruler after the death of her husband Muthu Vaduganatha Peria Oodaya Thevar and his first wife Gowri Nachiyar in 1780. His death was the successful culmination of a plot by the Nawab of Arcot to get rid of him. 

India Post, Government of India

Upbringing as heir to the throne

It seemed like Velu Nachiyar’s upbringing was tailored for this very role she would play in later life. As the sole daughter of the ruler of Ramanathapuram (also known as Ramanad) she was given a wholistic education. She was tutored extensively in scholastics and became proficient in several languages - Tamil, French, English, Urdu, Malayalam and Telugu. She even travelled to France for some medical intervention. 

Velu Nachiyar’s education included the study of classical Tamil works. She also trained in martial arts and in fighting with weapons such as the valari, a traditional lethal throwing weapon. All this education was customary for the heir to the throne and her gender made no difference. Thus she was no helpless queen but one whose confidence was bolstered with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience.

Velu Nachiyar became Vaduganatha Thevar’s second wife at the age of fifteen in 1746. The couple soon had a daughter named Vellachi Nachiyar. Velu Nachiyar took an active role in the administration of the kingdom as Vaduganatha Thevar trusted her managerial and diplomatic acumen.

Political Background

By the late eighteenth century European traders - English, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese - were vying for favourable trading terms from the local rulers in peninsular India. At the time South India was a chess board in which diverse pawns made their moves for the better part of a century. The  English, the French and to a lesser extent, the Portuguese were the Europeans trying to secure their mercantile fortunes. The Danes who had a few godowns for their merchandise did not expand as much territorially. 

The British and the French duplicated their war against each other in Europe at the time by aligning with rulers in India against each other. Thus Hyder Ali and the French came to the aid of Velu Nachiyar of Sivagangai against the Marathas and the English who wanted to annex her kingdom.  

Vaduganatha Thevar granted commercial facilties in his territory to the Dutch. This was after the British had earlier rejected a similar offer from him. However, now the British were uneasy about this arrangement in Sivaganga with a rival European trader. Besides, they wanted to force Sivaganga to pay tribute to their ally the Nawab of Arcot.

Opposing powers in the area

Both Mohammad Ali Khan Wallajah the Nawab of Arcot, and the ruler of Pudukottai were British allies. The local chieftains, palaigar, in the area took a stand against the oppressive taxes levied on them by the Nawab, and allied themselves with Hyder Ali in the 3rd Mysore War. The people decided to oppose the British, who were an arrogant power. To make matters worse the British has put an embargo in place that led to shortage of essentials. 

Vaduganatha Thevar was well aware of the covetous ways of the English and kept them at arm’s length, refusing to make any concessions for them. The British were in turn aware of the strength of the Sivaganga army and of the Maruthu brothers who were in charge of it. In June 1772 they decided upon attacking Vaduganatha Thevar from two sides led by two generals, Joseph Smith from the east and Benjour from the west. Vaduganatha Thevar had also made his preparations to counter the attack. He decided to take a stand in the forested area of Kalayar Koil.

First the British troops occupied Sivaganga. Then Benjour and his troops took over Kalayar Koil. Vaduganatha Thevar and his army put up a valiant fight but he died on the battlefield on 27 June 1772. Velu Nachiyar is also reputed to have fought bravely in the battle.

Velu Nachiyar and her daughter fled to Virupakshi in Dindigul district. There they were joined by the Marudu brothers. Soon, the brothers returned to Sivaganga to organise a rebellion. Velu Nachiar wrote to Hyder Ali of Mysore who was a sworn enemy of the British, met him and decided to join forces against the British East India Company.

Velu Nachiyar formed a women’s battalion ‘Udayal Padai’ in her army. It was very motivated and well trained. Kuyyili, the commander in this battalion and a close associate of Velu Nachiyar became known for her brave martyrdom while blowing up the British ammunition stock at the fort of Sivaganga.

In 1780 the combined armies of Sivaganga and Mysuru defeated the joint forces of the Nawab of Arcot and the British and reestablished the throne of Sivaganga. 

Velu Nachiyar’s rule in Sivaganga

Velu Nachiyar ruled from 1780. It is speculated she was on the Sivaganga throne until 1790. Vengum Peria Wodaya Thevar, husband of Vellachi Nachiyar, succeeded to the throne. In time it became obvious that he was a ruler in name only, the actual powers behind the throne were the Marudu brothers.

In 1793 Vellachi Nachiyar and her infant daughter died of an illness. This affected Velu Nachiyar profoundly and her own health deteriorated.

Vengum Peria Wodaya Thevar married Muthathal, daughter of one of the Marudu brothers. To stamp their authority the brothers captured the fort of Sivaganga. This turn of events was a further blow to Velu Nachiyar. She developed a heart ailment.

Velu Nachiyar decided to have surgery in France and it was performed successfully. She returned to Sivaganga six months later. However she passed away in Virupakshi on 25 December 1796.

The legacy of Velu Nachiyar

Velu Nachiyar’s fight was not just for herself or her kingdom but was also that of the common man, the palaigar and the Marudu brothers fighting against oppressive taxes and other atrocities of the British and their allies. 

At the time of Velu Nachiyar’s rule, India saw the initial rumblings of a concerted attempt to oppose the British and not succumb to their authoritarian tactics. Indians were not completely successful in their endeavour at the time for several reasons yet they did not give up without a fight. Velu Nachiyar’s fight was one more step towards emboldening Indians to gather strength and continue the struggle for freedom.

References -

https://sivaganga.nic.in/tourism/eminent-personalities/

South Indian Rebellion - K Rajayyan

Queen Velu Nachiyar: First Women against British - Jekila Antony Raj