Sirumanavur Munisawmy Mudaliar

Sirumanavur Munisawmy Mudaliar (Photo Courtesy: Mr D.Moorthy, Chinna Mandali)

The first time I heard about Sirumanavur Munisawmy Mudaliar (yes, you read it right! This is how he spelt his name) was during the cultural mapping of the Cooum riverside temples which I undertook between 2014-16. We were at the Niranjeeswarar Temple, in a non-descript village called Chinna Mandali, that had earlier been known by various names such as Sezhumanavai, Sirumanavur and Sirimavur, that we heard about Munisawmy Mudaliar and the famous hymn he had penned on Lord Nataraja, called the Nataraja Paththu. 

While Nataraja Paththu is commonly sung by devotees of Lord Shiva during events such as Arudhara Darisanam, I had not been aware that the catchy hymn had been composed by a person called Munisawmy Mudaliar. As our focus then was on documenting the temples on the banks of the Cooum river, and the Niranjeeswarar temple has ancient antiquities such as a Kotravai with a deer mount, dating back to the 6th century,  Munisawmy Mudaliar was soon forgotten. To read more about the Niranjeeswarar Temple, please clink this link to get to the article on the temple in my Aalayam Kanden blog.

                                       Listen to the Nataraja Paththu here - Courtesy: YouTube

A few months ago, I stumbled upon the inscriptions belonging to Chinna Mandali. Mr D. Moorthy, who has been actively maintaining the Niranjeeswarar temple, had been following up with me for a long time now on finding out more about the temple, and the identification of inscriptions opened a door to a treasure trove of content, not just about the temple, but also about the life and times of Sirumanavur Munisawmy Mudaliar.

Born in Sirumanavur, Mudaliar has spent his early life in the village. Villagers say that while in the temple, he was known to spend several hours in the presence of the Lord Shiva and Aruramma, the main female deity and has passionately composed hymns on both of them. While some say the Nataraja Paththu was composed on the Nataraja of Sirumanavur, there are other who say it was the Chidambaram Nataraja, Thiruvalangadu Nataraja, Nallur Nataraja and so on. But considering there was a Chola bronze in the temple a hundred years ago, it could have in all possibility been the Nataraja at Sirumanavur that emoted him to render the hymn.  He has also composed songs on the Bhavaniamman (Periyapalayathamman) of the same village. The period of Munisawmy Mudaliar is different in different websites, each claiming to be original descendants of the poet-saint. While one mentions that he lived 300 years ago, another claims that he was a close friend of Ramalinga Swamigal. However, history and documented evidence speak differently.

Munisawmy Mudaliar migrated to Madras, now Chennai, and has spent the best part of his adult life in the city setting up his base in No.12, Sattana Naicken Street, Choolai.

Cover page of Aruramman Sthothiram

He was multi-talented and multi-skilled to say the least. Apart from being well-versed in both Tamil and Telugu poetry, he was a Siddha medicine practitioner, a Sashtra expert, historian, astrologer, astronomer, social critic, humourist, journalist and a business man. He wrote vociferously, churning out hymns on deities, large volumes on medicine and astrology and short 8-12 page booklets on various current affairs, that included insolvency of banks, train accidents, chit fund scams, murder cases, alcoholism and adultery. Apart from all this, he was also a distributor of German Silver jewellery.

Munisawmy Mudaliar soon became a key player in the Gujili literature circles. Gujili literature, considered by academics as a subaltern form of literature, ruled the state between mid 19th and 20th centuries. Evening Bazaar, popularly known as Gujili Bazaar, near Kandaswamy Temple, was the main hub in Chennai for Gujili song books. These books were typically 8-12 pages long, low cost publications, printed on cheap newsprint, using catchy and easy to follow forms of poetry such as Sindhu and Ammanai that would attract readers to purchase the book and sing along while unraveling the story or the case. In fact, murder and adultery cases were communicated in multiple-part song books, that revealed the developments in the case, as it progressed.

Munisawmy Mudaliar set up his own printing press called Sivakami Vilasa Achchu Koodam in Perambur, from where he churned out hundreds of books on various topics. Several original copies of Gujili song books were lost, when the Government burnt them down in response to a protest that they were killing the quality print industry by supplying cheap books that spread vulgarity and violence. Among those that have survived and been documented, we find Munisawmy Mudaliar taking credit for over three hundred titles. So, one can well imagine his versatility. 

Collection of his works put together for a cost of One Rupee

The topics that he wrote upon were also diverse. Some examples:

Religion

Chidambaram Natarajar Panchakshara Padhigam and Valliamman Alankara Sindhu (1901)

Madurai Chockar Alankaram (1903)

Siruthonda Nayanar Charithram (1904)

Nataraja Paththu, Thiruthanigai Subramaniar Maadha Padhigam, Vaara Padhigam (1905)

Tiruvannamalai Theertha Kummi, Thiruvotriyur Thyagarajar Padhigam (1905)

Nagoorandavar Derisana Kummi (1906)

Shastras

Angakuri Sasthiram and Rudhu Nool Sasthiram(1902)

Sareera Sasthiram and Thirudu Pidikkum Sasthiram ennum Kalavu Nool Sasthiram (1903)

Sahadeva Sasthiram and Saguna Sasthiram (1905)

Sugandha Parimala Sasthiram in 4 parts  (1907)

Sivaswarupa Sasthiram (1909)

Medicine

Thiru Netra Chintamani (1901)

Parvathi Praneeyam ennum Visha Vaidya Chintamani (1903)

Vaidya Muraigal in 4 parts (1904)

Mattu Vaidhiyam (1908)

Visha Nivarthi (1912)

His remedy for chronic diarrhoea which he calls Dasavathara Bedhi

Astrology and Philosophy

Thirumoorthi Devargaludaiya Seigai ennum Kaliyuga Samadhaanam (1903)

Ulaga Rahasyam ennum Prapancha Urpaththi (1905)

Balagraha Dosha Parihaara Kannadi (1908)

Uyirezhuthu Mooligai Marmam (1909)

History, Society and Current Affairs

Raja Vamsa Paramparai (1901)

Kallukadai Sindhu (1901)

Eettikkaranidam Kadan Pattu Ottam Pidikkum Sindhu (1902)

Peoples Park Vazhinadai Sindhu (1902)

Madhiras Thookupaatu (1904)

Dhadikkazhudhai Pattu (1905)

Arbothnot Housein Alangola Sindhu (1906)

Sholapur Kurangugal Case (1909)

List of some of his publications as advertised by him

From the titles, you can well make out the range of knowledge that he enjoyed as well as his sense of humour.  Kavadi Sindhu is a form of peppy poetry used to energize people who went on a long pilgrimage by foot. He applied this meter to songs such as Peoples Park Vazhinadai Sindhu, to poke fun at people who took evening walks at the then famous Peoples' Park. Similarly, he wrote songs on several current affair topics such as the insolvency of the Arbuthnot Bank, Chit Fund scams and several murder cases.

Mooligai Marmam still being published by B. Rathna Naicker & Sons

Several of his medical books are still being published by B. Rathina Naicker & Sons, an old publishing house of Madras. Some of his works have been digitized by the Tamil Virtual University while the Roja Muthiah Research Library holds a large number of his works in their archives. One can confidently say that he was probably the author of the largest number of titles during the period 1888 to 1939. His works have been reprinted several times. He has himself published them as individual or collective volumes through his Sivakami Vilasa Achhu Koodam. Apart from authoring books, he has also edited and published the works of several other authors during his time. 

One of the books edited and published by Munisawmy Mudaliar

While he has predominantly referred to himself as Pandit.C. Munisawmy Mudaliar, towards the later part of his career, he has also called himself Choolai Munisawmy Mudaliar, denoting his settling down permanently in Choolai, Madras. (Some people are of the opinion that Choolai Munisawmy Mudaliar was a different person)

When he was referred to as Choolai Munisawmy Mudaliar in an external publication

His disciples carried forward the work initiated by him. Among them, noteworthy was one Choolai Manickam. Gujili songs usually ended with a Mudrikai - a line where the composer includes his name as part of the song to document his identity as the lyricist. In several songs of this period, one can find Choolai Manickam's name as Sirumanavur Munisawmy Seedan Choolai Manickam or Choolai Manickakavi.

His two sons were also in the literary field - his elder son Si.Mu. Govindaraja Mudaliar, serving in the Saiva Siddhantha Noorpadhippu Kazhagam and another son Si. Mu. Natesa Mudaliar authoring articles for "Senthamizh Selvi", a famous publication of those times. 

The villagers of Chinna Mandali believe Munisawmy Mudaliar attained samadhi in the village, although there is no evidence currently to corroborate this belief. Today, he may not be known to many. But clearly, he was the unparalleled King of many forms of literature during his prime.

Copyright warning in one of his books

Acknowledgements:

1. Tamil Virtual University e-library

2. www.attavanai.com

3. www.keetru.com

4. Archives of private collectors

5. Muchchandhi Ilakkiyam by AR Venkatachalapathy