KonganpaDai, Palghat district festival
The Western ghat mountains of Southern India split near
Palghat, Kerala producing a natural gap. For ages, this gap
served as the conduit for trade between Tamil Nadu and
Kerala. The rulers always ensured the safety of the merchants
along this route and did not hesitate to undertake war
expeditions against waylayers. The KonganpaDai festival,
celebrated in ChithUr of Palghat district, has its origins
traceable to one such war of 1592 A.D. An ill-informed
Madurai Nayak king started the war against Chithur. The
fact that the folks of Chithur were not responsible for the
robbery crime propelled them to join forces and defeat the
Madurai army. An ancient palm leaf manuscript, published
for the first time, reveals the King's proclamatons
for the war. This research essay explains the prevailing
circumstances, war events and contemporary festivities
in commemoration of the sixteenth century war.
The author of the essay covering aspects of history and
anthropology is Thiru. K. Arunachala Kavundar (1906-2000)
who got his M.A. degree under the supervision of the
great U. V. Swaminathaiyar, the editor of sangam texts.
This is a generous contribution of Dr.N.Ganesan Houston, Texas, USA for permanent display in THF.