TIRUMALAI NAYAKKAR MAHAL AND TAMIL PROVERB

There is a proverb in Tamil.

 See around yourself and speak even in daytime.

 This is actally an all emcompassing sort of a proverb.

 Normally people tend to think the before speaking, 

look around to see if there are some unseen unwanted persons 

who might be eavesdropping. 

 But that alone is not sufficient.

 You have to see what sort of persons are being spoken 

too. This is very important. 

 Some thirty years ago, a civil servant in an East Coast 

state in Malaysia, made a joke about getting a royal award.

 Everybody laughed. 

 The next day, he received a royal order from the state 

ordering his expulsion from the state within twenty four hours.

 The one who laughed the loudest was the one who made 

the report.

 The Tirumalai Nayak Palace in Madurai was one place 

where no secret can be whispered even during day time. 

 The Palace was built in a marvellous way. Not only was 

it an architectural wonder. But it was also an acoustics wonder.

 There were certain places in Palace where a whisper 

would be carried to another part of the palace and amplified 

there. 

 But that whisper would not be audible to people who are 

only a few metres away.

 The grandson of Tirumalai Nayakkar was Chokkanatha 

Nayakkar. He was one of the worst of the Nayakkar kings of 

Madurai. He caused the downfall of the Nayakdom with his 

own follies.

 But that is another story. Or rather... stories.

 When Chokka came to the throne, he was a mere boy. 

 The real power was with three high level officers - 

Raayasam, Pradhani, and Dalavaay.

 A Dalavaay was the commander of the armed forces. 

But there were times when they were given/took more powers 

and became dictators. 

 A Pradhani is a minister who attends to all departmental 

activities. Something like a Chief Minister or a minister of all 

portfolios.

 A Raayasam was a Royal Secretary who took down the 

orders of the king and sent out orders in the name of the king.

 As you see, the total power in the kingdom was 

concentrated in the hands of these three officers.

 They ran the country. But they were very corrupt and 

self-seeking.

 One day they conspired to murder the boy king.

 But unfortunately for them, they chose the wrong place 

to plot.

 It happend to be one of the secret acoustical points 

where no secret may be spoken. 

 Each word fell into the ears of the personal bodyguard 

of Chokka.

 Chokka who was sixteen years old at that time, decided 

then and there to grasp the nettle - take decisive action. 

 He manipulated a counter-coup.

 The Raayasam was way-laid during the night and he 

was blinded. 

 The Pradhani was murdered secretly. 

 The Dalavay was sent away on a military campaign with the 

divisions of the army which were faithful to him. He was sent to 

where he would be defeated and probably would be killed.

 The Dalavaay defected and went on a self-exile.

 Thus Chokka came to power.

 He shifted his capital city from Madurai to Tiruchi. He 

built 

a palace there. 

 So he destroyed a large part Tirumalai's Mahal and carried 

the material to Tiruchi.

 Thus eighty percent of the Tirumalai Nayakkar Mahal became 

ruins. 

 What we see now, is not even 20 percent of the original 

Palace of TiruMalai Nayakkar.