A lovely old bungalow on West Ponnurangam Road in R.S. Puram, Coimbatore stands in memory of the ancient Zamindari of Ramapattinam situated in the Pollachi Taluk of Coimbatore District. The title "Zamindar" was bestowed by the English during the nineteenth century, otherwise, it was known as the Palayam of Ramapattinam. Long ago the Palyakkarars was ensconced in the ancient Achipatti village in Coimbatore district and they had to move over to Ramapattinam as a consequence of some disturbances. Once upon a time, a fort and a garrison had existed in Achipatti. The Telugu speaking Zamindars of Ramapattinam have been associated with the aristocracy of South India from the fourteenth century. It's interesting to note that, Achipatti village is home to a lot of archeological surprises.
A lovely old bungalow on West Ponnurangam Road in R.S. Puram, Coimbatore stands in memory of the ancient Zamindari of Ramapattinam situated in the Pollachi Taluk of Coimbatore District. The title "Zamindar" was bestowed by the English during the nineteenth century, otherwise, it was known as the Palayam of Ramapattinam. Long ago the Palyakkarars was ensconced in the ancient Achipatti village in Coimbatore district and they had to move over to Ramapattinam as a consequence of some disturbances. Once upon a time, a fort and a garrison had existed in Achipatti. The Telugu speaking Zamindars of Ramapattinam have been associated with the aristocracy of South India from the fourteenth century. It's interesting to note that, Achipatti village is home to a lot of archeological surprises.
Long ago, Malik Kafur the general of Alauddin Khiji raided the southern part of the country and exterminated the Yadavas of Devagiri, Kakatiyas of Warangal, Hoysalas of Dwarasamudra and the Pandyas of Madurai. In order to restore normalcy and bring in good governance, the Pontiff of Sringeri - Vidyaranya aided and mentored the establishment of the Vijayanagar Empire during the year 1336. Subsequently, the warrior cum statesman Prince Kumara Kampanna led a large army into the southern regions and brought in peace. A number of chieftains, soldiers, traders and people belonging to various professions used this opportunity to establish themselves in the Tamil speaking parts of the empire and the Palayam of Ramapattinam was an outcome of the same. The Palayam came under the administrative domain of the Nayaks of Madurai by the year 1529 when Viswanatha Nayak was appointed as the Nayak by the greatest ruler of Vijayanagar, Sri Krishna Deva Raya. Due to various reasons, the three tiered monarchy came to an end with the collapse of the Empire in the seventeenth century which was followed by the end of the Nayak rule in the year 1736. Subsequently, the East India Company dissolved the existing political titles and rechristened the "Palayakkarars" as "Zamindars" through a Sanad during the nineteenth century.
A statue of the ancestor of the Zamindar from the 16th century
The Zamindari of Ramapattinam continued to control vast areas of land and property in Coimbatore and Palakkad districts. The Zamin consisted of three villages and several sub-villages in Coimbatore district. The Zamindari shrunk in terms of territory during the English times, however, the benevolent Zamindars continued with their charitable actions. They contributed a lot of money and land for religious and social causes. Their contributions include a tract of 180 acres of land to the Pollachi Subramanyaswamy Temple. According to Nandakumar who happens to be one of the descendants of the last Zamindar Kumaragurupara Ramanatha Malayandi Errappa Gounder, the Meenkulathu Bhagavathi Temple at Pallasena was once under the administrative control of the Zamin.
Earlier Zamindar Nandagopala Errappa Gounder (middle) and his friends
The last Zamindar of Ramapattinam, Kumaragurupara Ramanatha Malayandi Errappa Gounder (1909 - 1973) was active all through his life. He was in a number of social and civic institutions which included him being a Member of the District Board from a tender age of 23. Errappa Gounder was educated at the St. Josephs College in Bengaluru and moved over to Coimbatore thereafter. The records mention that Errappa Gounder had lost his father when he was just ten years of age and the Zamin was administered by a Court of Wards for some years and later handed over charge to him with a cash surplus of Rs. 80000. The Zamindar of Ramapattinam had also contributed towards the establishment of the Coronation Park at Coimbatore. It's fascinating to learn about one Kumara Ammal who looked after the Palayam of Ramapattinam on behalf of her minor son during the early years of the nineteenth century in an exemplary manner. She was known to be a benevolent administrator and she used to move around the Zamin on horseback. Kumara Ammal had planted a lot of trees in the roads associated with the Zamin enroute to Palakkad.
Errappa Gounder was a multi faceted and talented aristocrat who used to move about in a number of cars which included brands like the Hudson, Cadillac, Buick, Dodge and a Land Rover that came into use during his hunting jaunts in Dhimbam. The Zamindari had an elephant for a number of years after independence. The UK educated great grandson of Errappa Gounder, Nandakumar has thankfully preserved some records from the past through which we can get to know the names of the Zamindaris that existed in the Pollachi and Udumalpet Taluks of the undivided Coimbatore district. The Zamindaris or Palayams in this region were - Pollachi Taluk: Uttukkuli, Samattur and Kottampatti, Puravipalayam, Avalappampatti, Ramapattinam, Periya Negamam and Chinna Negamam. Udumalpet Taluk: Metratti, Tungavi, Maivadi, Jottampatti and Vedapatti. An ancient record nomenclatured as the Avarza Statement is quite interesting. It shows the details of the division of revenues and expenditures shared by the Zamindars and their English administrators.
Kumudavalli - Granddaughter of the last Zamindar with the Palace elephant
Errappa Gounder turned to spirituality during the autumn of his life and he was quite detached from worldly matters for a number of years. It was during those years at his retreat within the vicinity of the Palani Dhandayudhapaniswamy Temple that he wrote a number of books on Vedanta in English. The lucid style put in by Errappa Gounder displays his mastery both in English and Vedanta. Ananda Raja, the first son of the last Zamindar of Ramapattinam did his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering at the PSG College of Technology. The descendants of the Zamindari of Ramapattinam continue to thrive in Pollachi and Coimbatore. The seven hundred year old temple of Kalyana Venkatesa Perumal known as Kottai Perumal in Achipatti continues to stand benevolently as a testimony to the Palayam of Ramapattinam and its rulers.
Zamindar Errappa Gounder's Land Rover