The "Mysore Chattram" and a forgotten chapter of Madurai

Madurai municipality map 1906

 

The marking of “Mysore Chattram” in the 1906 Madurai Municipality map caught my curiosity. A quick superimposition on Google Earth revealed something fascinating – a little-known piece of history that could easily be the plot of a Tamil historical movie!

The building is more commonly known as the Ramanathapuram Sethupathi Maharaja Mandapam. Interestingly, it is also referred to as the Mysore Mookaruppu Mandapam. The name Mookaruppu (மூக்கறுப்பு), literally meaning ‘cutting off the nose’ in Tamil, offers a chilling clue to the history behind it.

The story takes us back to the reign of Thirumalai Nayak (1623–1659). Around 1656–57, the Mysore ruler Kanthirava Narasaraja I, angered by Thirumalai Nayak's political and military support to his adversaries, sent an army under his commander towards the Madurai kingdom. The invading Mysore forces, reportedly following their king's cruel orders, resorted to an unimaginable form of warfare – cutting off the noses and upper lips of captured soldiers and even innocent civilians, including women and children. The severed noses were reportedly collected and sent to Mysore as trophies, with rewards for the soldiers responsible.

Unable to contain the invasion, the ailing Thirumalai Nayak sought the help of Raghunatha Sethupathi of Ramanathapuram. The Sethupathi responded with a formidable force of Maravar warriors and helped drive the Mysore army back. The retaliation was equally brutal, with the Madurai forces adopting the same horrific practice against their enemies. The campaign came to be remembered as the Mookaruppu Por (War of Noses).

In gratitude for his timely intervention, Thirumalai Nayak honoured Raghunatha Sethupathi with the title Thirumalai Sethupathi and commissioned the mandapam in his honor. Thus, what appears today to be an ordinary old commercial building on Alagarkovil Road is actually a monument commemorating an extraordinary military alliance.

It is fascinating how a seemingly innocuous label on a 1906 map can open a window into such a gruesome chapter of Madurai's history. Sometimes, the most incredible stories are hidden in the most ordinary corners of our city!