Ancient Fortifications of the Tamil Country as Recorded in Eighteenth Century French Plans

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Item Code: NAK887
Publisher: Institut Francais De Pondichery
Author: Jean Deloche
Language: English
Edition: 2013
ISBN: 9788184701937
Pages: 147
Cover: Paperback
Other Details 11.0 inch X 8.5 inch
Weight 630 gm
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Book Description
Back of the Book

Today, very few Indians know that, in the eighteenth century, the southern part of the peninsula was richly studded with fortifications, great and small, as most of them were dismantled by the British at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

These strongholds, some of which had considerable administrative or political importance, were once crowded with large bodies of troops and resounded to the blaring noise of the guns; now they are completely abandoned and silent. In addition to this, temples, edifices dedicated to the service of gods, were also used as forts, though no vestiges of military structures are found around their enclosures today.

Fortunately, eighteenth-century French engineers have drawn the plans of several of these defence works. These magnificent watercolour plans preserved in the French Archives are presented here: they illustrate in an extraordinarily precise and explicit manner the technological level of the South Indian fortifications and enable us to comprehend the role they played in the life of the Tamil country.

About the Author

Jean Deloche, former head of the centre for history and Archaeology, Ecole, francaise d’Extreme – Orient in Pondicherry, has devoted his entire academic career to the study of Indian History. He is presently a senior associate member of the Ecole francaise d’Extreme – Orient and of the Institute Francaise dPondicherry

Introduction

Why publish the eighteenth-century French plans of the ancient fortifications of the Tamil Country? Because historians, as well as the general public, ought to know that these innumerable and remarkable defence works existed. Of great extent, with curtain walls, tall and massive, composed of huge blocks, strengthened by bastions of enormous size and very powerful gateways, they often formed circuits that were many kilometres around, defended by wide, deep ditches, with an impressive and formidable aspect. These settlements, some of which had considerable administrative or political importance, were once crowded with large bodies of troops and resounded to the blaring noise of the guns; now they are completely abandoned.

Two of them, Senji and Vellore, have been preserved;' the majority were partly or fully demolished by the British in the first half of the 19th century,' Many of these strongholds, particularly those surrounding large towns, have been completely obliterated and all traces of their structures removed. Today, on the site of their stone enclosures, regarded as powerful strongholds during the 'Carnatic Wars', you can hardly find a piece of rock, as the whole area is either covered with buildings, under cultivation or buried beneath bushes.' For a few of them, however, some scattered vestiges of enclosures and ditches remain. And the worst thing is that almost nothing is known of their history, except for a very short period in the days of the Anglo-French struggle.

In addition to this, temples, edifices dedicated to the service of god(s), were also used as forts, though no vestiges of defence works are found around their enclosures today.

Fortunately, European engineers have drawn the plans of some of them. R. Orme in his History of the Military Transactions of the British Nation in Indostan, published in 1763-1778, has given a series of very useful plans of the fortifications built in this part of India which appear to be accurate (we have used several of them in a previous publication"),

In the French Archives (Aix-en-Provence and Paris) there are a number of water- colour plans of these works and other military structures which give more information and closely spaced image elements with complete details." Some of them are sketchy, but in most of the representations we get a clear picture of the defence works.

These plans are therefore refreshing and stimulating documents. They illustrate in an extraordinarily precise and explicit manner the technological level of the military works, and enable us to comprehend the role played by these fortifications in the life of the Tamil Country. They deserve careful thought."

In this study we only analyse the plans of Indian fortifications. The strongholds built by the French, English, Dutch and Danes in their own settlements, according to the European system of fortification, are not mentioned here."

A Priceless Set of Documents Most of the French plans have been made with care and relative accuracy. The various features of the settlement are distinguished by numbers corresponding to identical numbers in long keys or legends outside the drawings, listing and. explaining each prominent object. The scale is in toises (1 toise = 2 m).

A few examples of the original water-colour plans are given here (pls. 1-4). For clarity, and to ensure that the documents are usable, we have removed the (usually decorated) keys and reproduced the captions in English on the plan itself opposite each landmark; details which have no relevance to our study have not been included. Regarding the orientation of the plans, to conform to modern usage as much as possible, we have reproduced them with North at the top of the page.

With regard to the descriptions of the various parts of the fortifications that no longer exist, besides the plans, we have used the accounts of the time extensively, particularly the correspondence between the French commanders and the Company, and R. Orme's narratives in his History of the Carnatic Wars.

Contents

Acknowledgementsvii
Prefaceviii
Introduction1
A Priceless Set of Documents2
Abbreviations8
Fortified Temples9
A.Large Temples9
1Srirangam9
2Kanchipuram10
3Chidambaram14
4Vriddhachalam17
5Tiruvadi19
B.Minor Temples20
1Ulagiyanallur20
2Tiruvattur or Tiruvettipuram22
3Arakandanallur24
4Tiruvarangam24
5Tirumalavadi or Tirumalapati24
6Mettupatti26
7Velur-kottai26
C.C.Temples used as Citadels to Pettahs28
11.Tiruvannamalai28
22.Tirukkoyilur30
33.Elevanasur30
D.Defence System Implemented in the Temples33
E.Concluding Remarks: Defence Works and Sanctity of the Shrines34
IIForts41
A.Minor Forts41
1Kallakkurichchi41
2Devicotta41
3Kaverippakkam44
4Valudavur44
5Sankarapuram49
B.Major Forts49
1Arcot53
2Chengalpattu57
3Karunguli62
4Vandavasi66
5Settupattu70
C.Tiruchchirappalli, a Fortified Capital City75
D.Vestiges of Three Strongholds85
1Tanjavur85
2Alamparai97
3Tiyaga Durgam107
E.Main Features of the Fortified Structuresll8
Conclusion119
Bibliography121
List of Plans125
Illustrations130
Index136

Sample Pages


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